Aging well research was ignored during Covid longdown

This Harvard study (2017) on longevity, good health and happiness isn't surprising. Many other studies have shown similar results. So why was all this research ignored in 2020-2022 when people were denied relationships with family, friends and community and locked inside their homes? Our taxes paid for the research--we should be demanding answer. Power (Biden and Fauci) and money (Big pharma) would be my guess. Over nearly 80 years, Harvard study has been showing how to live a healthy and happy life — Harvard Gazette

"Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives, the study revealed. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes. That finding proved true across the board among both the Harvard men and the inner-city participants."

"In a book called “Aging Well,” Vaillant wrote that six factors predicted healthy aging for the Harvard men: 

physical activity,

absence of alcohol abuse 

and smoking, 

having mature mechanisms to cope with life’s ups and downs, and 

enjoying both a healthy weight and 

a stable marriage. 

For the inner-city men, education was an additional factor. “The more education the inner city men obtained,” wrote Vaillant, “the more likely they were to stop smoking, eat sensibly, and use alcohol in moderation.”

Why do Democrats vote against our country?

I can't imagine why the Democrats are so fearful of being dragged back to the era of 

personal responsibility, 

merit, 

Judeo-Christian values,

respect for talent, 

self-esteem based on work and skills instead of race, 

true biology and science, 

responsible journalism, 

borders that protect us and not the crossers, 

honest elections, 

universities that educate instead of indoctrinating, 

and two sexes. 

They truly seem terrified of the past, of our roots, of our history. The goals weren't always achieved, and some didn't make it, but it was certainly better than DEI where everyone loses. Most Democrats I know say they are for these things, but vote against their personal values!

David K a former history teacher and writer responds: "Because it takes chaos to get there, and they think they are better than banana republic leaders and will not be subject to their chaos-creating turning on them such as has happened to many others in history, not least of which was the French Revolution. It is all about power, and they are behaving very much like dictatorships, where they use (like Peron, like French Revolutionaries, like Russian revolutionaries) the poor and disadvantaged to gain power, then treat them worse than they were before, along with everyone else except the ruling elite, which gets privilege. Soviet dictators had dachas on the Black Sea, as Brezhnev bragged to Nixon, and Putin still does. Hitler had his Bechtesgarten, Clinton his Martha's Vineyard, and so on."

Irregular relationships and Pope Francis

"The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the Declaration Fiducia Supplicans (FS), which says it’s possible to give “non-liturgical blessings” to people in “irregular relationships” (divorced and remarried, living together, same-“couples"), on December 18, 2023. The very next day, a photograph of Fr. James Martin, S.J. blessing a same-sex “couple,” who had been civilly married some time earlier, appeared in the New York Times, though the document had warned against that kind of public attention. Ten days later, Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, who “identifies as Catholic” and was once a stout defender of marriage, cited FS for his shift to supporting same-sex marriage, saying “even the Church is changing.” "

I don't even know the meaning of several of the English words in this paragraph let alone the Latin! But even as a Lutheran from an anabaptist background I could have told you what the press and liberal Christians would do with it. The same as I knew what legal medical marijuana would do to the market for legal recreational gateway drugs.

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2024/01/02/by-their-fruits/?

Pope Francis allows blessings of couples in same-sex relationships | America Magazine

Doctrinal dicastery explains how, when gay couples can be blessed | USCCB

Straightening up after credit fraud

It's a good thing I didn't make that New Years Resolution not to be critical (for one day) because here she blows.

We're trying to straighten out an ID/credit fraud, so yesterday we had cancelled our credit card, but it was a recording, and I decided I'd like to check with a live person. I waited until 1 p.m. thinking today's young [anyone under 55] professionals all do lunch at the same time. When I got there only 1 teller was at the window, and a number of retirees waiting. He explained to the line that some people called in sick and everyone else was at lunch (I saw about 5 empty offices from where I'm standing).

 
Someone wanders in from the back room to assist me, very casually dressed. Not even supermarket cashier level. I give him my ID and credit cards and explain the problem and asked him to check if indeed the account was closed. He goes to the back room (seems the upfront computers only do math) and comes back a few minutes later and says it wasn't cancelled and hands them back to me with no explanation. So I asked him to do it. He disappears again, comes back a few minutes later and says he can't do it. Someone else has to. When I ask who? He disappears again. Comes back. Someone can see you at 3 p.m. he says. I'll come back, I said, who do I see? He disappears again. Comes back and gives me a name. Where do I see her, I ask. and he waves his arm to the east. The other teller then gives better directions. And I return to the parking lot.

 
We do not bank there--they just do the credit stuff. We did Phil's banking there, but closed it after he died. My husband claims he's always had wonderful service there, but hadn't been inside since 2020.
Earlier in the morning I'd been to a branch of our bank to make sure they could flag anything unusual, since by this time our life history has been sold to the dark web. A very young [under 35] man, pleasant and eager to help, assisted us. He knew zip, nada, zilch. I explained how the bank handled it when my purse had been stolen in another county, smaller and tourist area. We don't do that anymore, he said (I doubt that, but big cities probably never did). He too was dressed very casually--a natty sweatshirt with the bank logo.

At the small dinner party we attended on New Year's Eve (most were over 80) we all had stories about our mothers going shopping wearing a hat and gloves.  Those days are long gone; in fact even 2010 has seen a big change in appearance.

Update: When I went back to the bank at 3 p.m. teller #1 was there to greet me instead of the woman bank officer. I asked him to double check the information on the cancelled credit card, and he showed me the screen.  It indeed had been cancelled yesterday, and the man I talked to hadn't clicked on the right place to show it.  Fortunately, I only live 1 mile away.

The January 1 whirlwind

Does anyone else get a big boost of energy on January 1? It's happened before. Today I sorted and tossed old notebooks, set up a new 3-ring for 4 different church groups, baked cookies, packed 2 sacks of clothes I wasn't wearing or which no longer fit to take to Volunteers of America, washed 2 tablecloths and reset the tables, took all Bob's winter sweaters to the basement and washed them, rearranged shelves in the bedroom closet, rearranged drawers in the dresser to accept some new sweaters I got for Christmas, and cleaned out the exercise clothes I wear to the gym. Then tomorrow . . . poof. It will all be gone.

Last night we attended a nice gathering of 10 for a light meal, then went to our church for a jazz concert and a worship service.  We were home by 7:30 and in bed by 9:30 to watch some house hunters on HGTV.

The Year by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1850 – 1919

What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That's not been said a thousand times?

The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.

We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.

We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.

We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our brides, we sheet our dead.

We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that's the burden of the year.

The turmoil includes Africa

This is a Happy New Year message from Wall St. Journal this morning: "I hope you're enjoying the holiday weekend because 2024 isn't likely to provide much rest. The world is in turmoil, with wars in Europe and the Middle East, and American adversaries pressing their advantage everywhere."

 
This isn't mis- or dis- information, but it is missing information. There are some brutal wars going on in Africa. There are millions of refugees and "displaced" and thousands have been killed. Just as Hamas used rape as a weapon of terror against Israel, so it is in Africa. So it is that U.S. "feminists" ignore what is happening to women and children outside their own political agenda.

There are many Africans coming across our southern border, and many risking their lives on the Mediterranean to get to Europe. When I read the few scraps of information I become bogged down in tribal warfare, acronyms and regions.

 
Where are the journalists? Where's the Squad? Our so-called "free press?" Just chasing Trump stories, that's where. It's their mother-lode, busy disenfranchising millions of voters. No need to report on foreign wars. Just people being killed. Look the other way and laser focus on the lies about Trump.
The "peace agreement" for South Sudan (400,000 est. dead) has been moved to 2024. I think Sudan which only flared up in 2023 is still waging battles between acronyms.

Next comes famine in Ethiopia because I think there is a fragile cease fire right now, or did it end last week? No one is around to farm or fetch water. But maybe some rock stars will organize and have a big concert. Worked in the 80s. Someone got rich. Remember "Live Aid." Ethiopia and Sudan--same countries at war today. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-ethiopia? Black Lives Matter? What a trick from our Leftists.

Bone health and falls

 I don't think a lot about fractures or bone health--until--a friend falls after stepping on a stone or sidewalk irregularity, or my friend Cindy fractures her thigh after taking the same med I do for osteoporosis, or Karen a woman I met at the gym fractures her foot playing pickleball, or Jim's wife falls over the leaf blower in their garage, or I fall in the shower.

That last fall happened a week ago, Christmas Eve morning.  I fell in the shower.  It wasn't the usual slip on the soap or not having a grab bar.  I had the brilliant idea that in order to protect the paint on the bathroom walls when I use hair spray, I'd spray my hair inside the shower stall where it could be washed off.  So, I was completely dressed, except for shoes--I was wearing light slippers.  My hair (which is thinning) was just the way I wanted it. I picked up the container and stepped inside the shower, which was still damp. It was a little awkward, but I could see the mirror and sprayed my hair.  Then as I stepped out--holding on to the door and the other hand on the opening with 2 fingers while holding the spray--the slipper stuck briefly on the floor of the shower.  That was enough for me to lose my balance and I went down. As I knelt there with my right knee on the slightly raised marble frame and the other pressed against the glass, I had to struggle to get up. My legs are weak but my arms are fairly strong--even so it was a long haul to get upright. A few bruises, but no sprains or fractures.  Whew!

Four other bad falls come to mind.  In the 1990s (I was in my 50s) I was walking briskly down the hall in the old Sisson building of the Veterinary College at Ohio State where I was the librarian. I didn't know that one of the labs on the second floor had a leaking faucet, and water had run under the door and into the hall.  The halls were not well lit, and as I hit that water (in those days I wore high heels to work), my legs flew out and I went splat landing on my back with one leg forward and one back.  It knocked the breath out of me, momentarily paralyzing me. The halls were empty--nothing to use to pull myself up and no one to help--so I just waited to catch my breath and then gradually using the walls for support and grabbing the doorknob to the lab stood up. Nothing broken, but I was so sore I could hardly move.  I recall looking into filing for Worker's Comp, but it was way too complicated, and I never followed through.

Then after I retired and we were spending the summers at our lake house on Lake Erie, I fell down the last four stairs in the basement carrying a laundry basket--probably in 2007.  I seem to remember the date because I wore the bruises to a class reunion. I was alone in the house (the last time I ever went to the basement without someone in the house). Again, nothing broken.  I crawled up the stairs, and into one of the bedrooms to lie down.  I eased off my shoes and my jeans.  I had bruises from knees to toes, and the shoestrings of my athletic shoes had left bruise marks on my feet in a crisscross pattern.

Also at Lakeside was my last bicycle ride when I was 70.  I was leaving a morning meeting at the hotel on Third Street, Fountain Inn, got on my bicycle (a no-speed from 1968), wobbled a bit, and fell--into a stop sign at Third and Maple, about 15 ft from where I got on it! The stop sign made a loud noise as I hit it--Boing, Boing. And people came running from their cottages to help the old lady on the ground. I lived just two blocks so someone (don't remember who) walked me home, wheeling the bike which I never rode again.

But the worst fall of my life wasn't actually my fall, but when my horse fell on me! It was probably 1952 so I was 12 years old, and had owned the horse only a few days. The bit was too tight (I figured out later) and the horse kept backing up, then started to rear, I began to slip off the back, but the horse lost his footing and fell--on top of me.  That REALLY hurt. The horse strolled away, and my mom came running out of the house. Nothing was broken, and I lay around for a few days, and today each time I get a back spasm I blame my horse.

Falls in the elderly statistics by CDC are all over the place and don't make a lot of sense.  Illinois elderly seem to be less likely to fall than Ohioans.  Whites more than minorities, women more than men, but the death rate for men is higher than for women. Of course, the statistics don't reflect the falls that are never reported--like mine--because I didn't get medical help.  Even so, 14,000,000 for people over 65 is nothing to be sneezed at.  The age adjusted fall death rated increased by 41% from 55.3 per 100,000 older adults in 2012 to 78.0 per 100,000 older adults in 2021. I personally attribute that to the fitness craze--people are taking more chances and think they are 40 instead of 80.

Ladders are really dangerous. According to the CDC each year in the U.S., more than 500,000 people are treated and about 300 people die from ladder-related injuries. The estimated annual cost of ladder injuries in the U.S. is $24 billion, including work loss, medical, legal, liability, and pain and suffering expenses.

It’s National Ladder Safety Month | Blogs | CDC

Nonfatal and Fatal Falls Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years — United States, 2020–2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)

Hip Fracture Overview - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)

Falls and Fall Prevention in Older Adults - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)

The risk of falls among the aging population: A systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC (nih.gov)

Lifestyle Approaches to Promote Bone Health - Bone Health and Osteoporosis - NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)

Nutritional Supplements and Skeletal Health - PubMed (nih.gov)

Vitamin K as a Powerful Micronutrient in Aging and Age-Related Diseases: Pros and Cons from Clinical Studies - PMC (nih.gov)

Democrats are destroying our legal system out of pure hate for Trump

I find it hard to believe that all the Democrats and many Republicans think it is worth destroying our legal system because they fear that Trump might act as badly as Biden/Obama if elected again. He supported the unborn's right to live, he lowered taxes, he didn't start any new wars, he protected our border against a massive invasion, the economy rose out of the ash heap of Obama, and he promoted the biggest increase in wealth for minorities in one term ever. Think what he might have done if he were allowed to live as a free American!

Laura Hollis, Patriot Post, Dec. 21: "It started in 2016 with the baseless accusations that Trump had somehow “colluded” with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. The FBI lied multiple times to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) court to get federal warrants to spy on Trump and his advisers. The Justice Department launched a multiyear investigation, based upon “evidence” that they already knew was falsified “opposition research” commissioned and paid for by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign apparatus. Despite more than $30 million in taxpayer dollars spent, the “investigation” produced exactly nothing.

But Trump’s enemies have not let up.

Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives twice and acquitted twice.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, tried to prosecute Trump for “falsification of business records,” despite expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, and zero evidence of anything that would make the alleged conduct a felony.

New York’s Democrat Attorney General Letitia James filed an action for civil fraud against Trump, alleging that he undervalued his extensive property in Palm Beach, Florida, when applying for business loans. James wants to confiscate all of Trump’s New York properties and cancel his licenses to conduct business.

Arthur Engoron, the judge presiding over the case, is determined to help her do it. Engoron ruled pre-trial that Trump had committed fraud. During the trial, Engoron has deliberately ignored defense testimony from multiple real estate experts supporting the valuation of the property in Trump’s financial statements, as well as that of the lenders themselves, who testified that they used their own appraisers, were paid back promptly and were not defrauded.

The latest travesty is the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court to strike Trump’s name from the ballot in that state “for his role in the January 6, 2021” riots at the U.S. Capitol. [Written before the Maine travesty.] This gravely inappropriate decision not only exceeds the court’s power according to legal experts on both the Left and Right, but is an obvious effort to ignore mounting evidence that undermines the Left’s narrative that the Jan. 6 protests were an “insurrection” that Trump “instigated,” an accusation for which Trump has not been criminally charged, and for which he was acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the second impeachment proceeding.

A bare 4-3 majority of the Colorado Supreme Court has disqualified the candidacy of a man with nearly 70% support from his own party, and increasing support from constituencies traditionally outside the realm of the GOP. This is disenfranchisement of Colorado voters and interference with a national election.

Whether one thinks that Trump is the devil or that his enemies are, the best protection against unlawful conduct is integrity in the application of the laws themselves.

When the rule of law is compromised, diluted or discarded — even in pursuit of some purportedly lofty aim (“Saving our democracy!” “Fighting misinformation!” “Dismantling systemic racism!” “Liberating Palestine!”) — wrongdoers profit while the public suffers.

We’ve seen this already in the cities and states that have eliminated cash bail, refused to enforce theft and immigration laws, or looked the other way when left-wing mobs steal, burn and destroy. We’re watching it play out at our southern border and on college campuses. Crime and antisocial behavior increase, because those who engage in that behavior know they can inflict damage without any consequences — to them.

What is being done to Donald Trump is part of the same pattern."

2023 social events, meetings, clubs, and eating out

 The health research shows that older adults need socialization. That's the main reason the Covid lockdown was so hard on us.  The non-Covid deaths were higher than needed to be. Research like this showing the need for socialization was put on the shelf. Social isolation, loneliness in older people pose health risks | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)   Collecting My Thoughts: Music is good for you, especially in your later years  

Our church, UALC, did not have an active older adult ministry for two years, unless a group met on ZOOM, and reopened in March 2022. Collecting My Thoughts: Older adult ministry at UALC   Collecting My Thoughts: A statement from Pastor Steve Turnbull, UALC, Columbus, Ohio    So when I record my social activities for 2023, I don't list Sunday School (most Sundays), or Women of the Word (fall, winter, spring small study groups using videos and workbooks), or Thursday morning Bible Study (taught by a pastor, often combined with Lenten or Advent services and lunch). Those pre-2020 church programs are in place now and not recorded here.  

I'm also not listing my trips to Lifetime Fitness about 4 times a week.  I do occasionally meet and talk to people there.  Like yesterday.  I met Karen, a very active athletic baby boomers who is recovering from a broken foot playing pickle ball. And you'll be happy I'm not recording grocery store visits to Aldi's and Marc's, or doctors' visits--but those add up and are "outings." These figures are estimates, although most I have recorded in my journal.

Dinners with friends and family at our home: 9

Dinners at friends' homes: 12 

Dinner or lunch with friends at restaurants (most often Rusty Bucket): 15

Dinner with Phoebe and Mark at restaurants (most often Rusty Bucket): 13

Party or Picnic: 9 

Art gathering: 13

OSU Librarians retirees' lunch: 3

Lenten/Advent worship/lunch at UALC: 6

Concerts: 9 (including a Jazz concert on Dec. 31, 2023)

Travel (Arizona, Indianapolis, Lakeside, D.C., Oberlin: 8

Funerals or visitations: 7

Coffee dates with friends: 11

Book Club: 6

House guests: 1 week

Congregational meeting: 2

Condo meeting: 2

Book Club December 2023

Condo Christmas Party, Wine Bistro, Lane Ave. 

Tulamo Visit, October 2023

July 4 party with neighbors

Visit with Bob's sister, Indianapolis, July

Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation, or SAFE Act

Never thought I'd see the day when a special law would be needed to keep kids safe from mutilation.

 God save us! 

 There is no such thing as a transwoman or gender affirming care. Don't be fooled by snake oil wording intended to deceive and divide (what the D in DEI stands for). "The Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation, or SAFE Act, requires transgender athletes to compete in the sport of their biological sex and prevents healthcare providers from utilizing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or invasive surgeries to treat gender dysphoria in minors." Our governor says he wants to get this "right." Why does he have questions? If an adult man wants to cut off his testicles or his ears it's none of my business, but I wouldn't recommend it and I'd suggest counseling by someone trained before 1995.

Click Introduces 'Save Adolescents from Experimentation' Act | Gary Click | Ohio House of Representatives

hb68_04_PS (state.oh.us)

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine promises to act on transgender bill this week (msn.com)

My new Gratitude Journal for 2024

This is a customer review of one of my Christmas gifts--a narrow line journal I can use all year, and I hope I'll love it as much as she does.

 "Pen + Gear Leatherette Jumbo Journal in a beautiful blue color and embossed with a botanical design that i just love ! It measures a large 7.375 x 10.25 x 0.75 and has 192 pages that are lined. There is a ribbon that can mark your place. Along the top of the pages are 3 letter abbreviations for months Jan - Dec and numbered 1-31. This is fantastic when journaling, just circle the month, then circle the day! The leatherette cover feels so soft, it feels like real leather. It is just beautiful...and extremely well made. Love it ! " 

I keep a daily gratitude journal with 6 categories, and most "journals" just don't work for me. I found one in 2021, and never found another one. If I like this on Jan. 2 or 3, I may order one for 2025.

Marion Duncan Thompson, obituary

Marion E Thompson, 84 died suddenly at her home in Mt Morris on Friday, December 22nd 2023.

Marion was born May 7, 1939 to Robert and Lola (Blake) Duncan, Mt Morris. Marion attended Mt Morris schools and graduated Class of 1957.

Marion married John G Thompson on March 17, 1961 in Mt. Morris, IL. Marion is predeceased by her parents of Mt Morris, sister, Barbara (Duncan) Satterfield, brother in law, Donald Satterfield of Genoa IL and niece Heidi Brooke Ann (Duncan) Tintori of Sterling IL

Marion was employed at Kable Printing/Quebcor/QuadGraphics as Purchasing Secretary and later as Office Copy Department Manager and retiring after 30+ years.

Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, John R (Jack) Suzanne Thompson, Mt Morris; daughters, Kim Duncan (Tim Cox), Mt Morris and Tammy Knott, CO.; 6 grandchildren; Troi (Terra) Knott, Tonya (James) Joseph, Kristin Alexander (Mitch Mann), John M (Jay) Jessica Thompson, Kraig (Stephanie) Duncan and Shauna (Michael) Raimondi and 12 great-grandchildren with another on the way. Brother Steve Duncan of Mt Morris and sister Linda (Duncan) Gary Nesemeier of Byron IL along with several nieces and nephews.

Marion enjoyed and loved time spent with family, her children and grandchildren, her early years of camping and later their cabin along the river, gardening, studying/watching hummingbirds, Sunday family lunches, yearly family reunions and being active and involved with her High School Class of ‘57 outings, reunions, daily coffee-clutches and traveling. She also spent her early morning hours faithfully reading her devotional and Bible. Actively involved over the years within the Disciples United Methodist Church in Mt Morris by serving as a past pre-k Sunday school teacher, Choir member, served on various committees and the Prayer Shawl crochet/knitting group.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday December 28, 2023 at 11:30 AM in Disciples United Methodist Church, Mt. Morris, IL; with Pastor Marcia Peddicord officiating. Burial will be held in Oakwood Cemetery, Mt. Morris, IL. Visitation will be held on Thursday December 28, 2023 from 10:00 AM until service time in Disciples United Methodist Church, Mt. Morris, IL.

From Finch Funeral Home: https://www.finchfuneral.com/obituary/Marion-Thompson?

Christmas Eve dinner

I was setting the table for Christmas Eve dinner using the hand painted gingerbread boy plates and thought the silver looked really dark, so I flipped to my blog for my silver cleaner recipe, which I'd forgotten (only 2 ingredients). I came across this blog from 2010 written at the Lake.

"At our summer home on Lake Erie in Lakeside, Ohio, we wash and dry the dishes together. At home we have a dishwasher. This is such a pleasant, companionable task we often say we'll do it in Columbus, but we never do. And as he washes, and I dry, my husband says the same thing every evening, "How can two people create all these dirty dishes and silverware?" So, I go through it piece by piece--this fork was used for cat food, this spoon was for the Cool Whip, this spoon served the main dish, this one the vegetables. It's like talking to a toddler who asks "why," you explain, and he then says, "but why?" "

Our menu tonight:

bratwurst

potato salad

cauliflower soup

corn, frozen fresh in summer 2023

fresh fruit--green grapes, cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries

The Fourth Wiseman

 https://youtu.be/82lEsYdPh64?si=5_QDv6ku26TwD3kN  1985 movie

Based on Henry van Dyke's classic, The Story of the Other Wise Man, this fictional story set in Biblical times is told in gently comic terms. A Magi named Artaban (Martin Sheen) sees a sign in the heavens that he hopes will lead him and his faithful servant to the Messiah. Artaban takes with him three precious gifts to present to the Messiah. For 33 years Artaban pursues Jesus, only to miss Him at every turn. 

Along the way, Artaban uses his gifts to help people in dire need. He now has nothing to present to the Messiah when he finds Him. The story culminates on Easter Sunday as Artaban, old and dying, finally encounters the new King, bringing peace to his life. A deeply moving experience examining what true faith really means.

The Fourth Wise Man (Film) - TV Tropes

Body wash return

This morning I hope to return a 24 oz bottle of Renpure body wash because I can't get the pump/cap to work. I thought I would exchange it for a different bottle. But since I'd never tried this product before, I decided to go on-line and read a little about it. There I did look at the customer reviews. Some raved about the product, but. . .

Customer comment: "But these bottles are basically impossible to open. Exceedingly frustrating to spend 30min or more struggling to push down and turn, passing it around to family members to see if they can open it, before hopefully the spout pops up. Some sort of serious design flaw and by far the worst “childproofing” mechanism I’ve ever encountered in a beauty product."

Also, lots of discussion about the scents--seems they don't match the advertising. Although a few loved the scents and disagreed, many said there was no vanilla scent in the vanilla--smelled like grapefruit. Others (who had ordered on- line) said the caps leaked and made a mess, or the pump didn't work. Also, I was sort of surprised at some customer reviews. Why would you buy 8-10 bottles of something you hadn't tried before?

Customer comment: "I have been ordering their product for a while now. Love the body wash. I just received my new order of the vanilla scented. It honestly smells like grapefruits. No vanilla scent whatsoever. The other ones I have bought have been terrific. Also the pump would not open up so I had to take the old bottle I had and use that pump."

Most reviews were very positive. But I laughed at this one: 

Customer comment:  "This smells NOTHING like Shea butter OR Vanilla [which is what I bought]. It smells citrusy (not in a good way), and per my husband’s feedback, he said it smelled freakishly similar to Round up. If I could have given it a negative star on smell, I would have. In addition, this soap is not gentle on delicate parts of the body... you know what I am talking about, Ladies... It did not dry my skin out, I will give credit for that. If you want to walk around all day smelling like rotten orange Roundup, with your girly parts on fire, then go ahead and buy it. Good luck! Yuck, yuck, yuck."

So maybe I'll just take a credit.

International Slave Trade

There are an estimated 46.9 million enslaved people around the world. About 70% of them are women and girls. “Sexual slavery is the most profitable industry with annual returns of 90%,” states award-winning human rights activist Jánelle Marina Méndez Viera, author of “The Pathway Towards Peace: U.S. Human Rights Manifesto.”

When I retired in 2000, international slavery was on my list of problems I hoped to address--right up there with abortion. At that time most figures (and they are all a guess) was 28 million slaves, both sex, labor, and domestic servitude. The State Dept TIP program was started under Pres. Clinton, and each year issues an annual report. I see little improvement and I hope there are real people being saved behind all that country data.Fact Sheets for 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report - United States Department of State

"Boys represent the fastest-growing segment of identified human trafficking victims. UNODC’s 2022 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, released in January 2023, notes that the percentage of boys identified as victims of human trafficking more than quintupled between 2004 and 2020—a much larger increase than for men, women, or girls. The same report notes males (including boys and men) account for 40 percent of all identified victims of human trafficking. While women constitute about twice the percentage of identified trafficking victims as men (42 percent to 23 percent), the percentage of trafficking victims who are boys and girls is almost identical (17 percent and 18 percent, respectively). The growing awareness of boys exploited in human trafficking is fairly recent. While male trafficking victims are receiving more attention than in years past, “social and health services as well as legal and advocacy frameworks still predominantly focus on female victims of sexual exploitation,” according to the UNODC report. Media and civil society groups alike consistently refer to boys and adolescent male human trafficking victims as “unseen and unhelped,” a “silenced minority,” “invisible,” or “secret victims.” "

Because our own country spins its wheels focusing on the slave trade of the 18th c. and the results of the Civil War to free the slaves, little is said about a slave trade that far surpasses the Atlantic slave trade. It's easier for groups with a different agenda (punishing Americans) to ignore today's pressing needs. Also, our border situation which allows sex slavery to walk in the door would need to be addressed, and Democrats don't want that distraction.

Fall out from George Floyd riots in 2020

There is still a lot of fall out (deaths, crime) from the BLM/Antifa scourge of 2020 when they lionized an ex-con druggie and demonized the police. Seattle isn't the only city suffering. BLM only mattered to fill the wallets of a few. This nationwide crime spree is far worse than anything that happened on J-6, but since Democrats can't tie it to any but their own lackies, no one will be punished. Focus must remain on Trump for this cover-up.

Seattle homicides to surpass 3-decade high among nationwide crime spike (yahoo.com)

From 16 homicides in 2016 to 52 in 2022. "Per data compiled by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, homicides had been on a steady decline since 1994, reaching an all-time low of 16 in 2016 before beginning to climb. In 2022, per the department's end-of-year report, 52 homicides were reported, up from the previous year's 42. There were 53 homicides in 2020, according to the department's reports."

Christmas cards on a snowy day

What could be better? I opened 11 Christmas cards and it's snowing outside! I love them all, but really enjoy the notes and letters. It's a big project--opening, cutting off labels, taping them inside the card, and cutting off the cancelled stamps hoping I'll find someone who wants them.

The stamp bonanza was on an envelope from a non-profit. Someone must have sent their donation in stamps. 

1993 .29 Hank Williams; 

2016 .05 grapes, 

2022 .04 blueberries; 

2 1987 .10 Red Cloud ; 

2 1957 .03 stamps of NEA honoring teachers  

2 1957 .03 stamps of 200th anniversary of LaFayette; 

1985 .22 Special Olympics; 

1988 .25 Carousel horse (Cedar Point, OH). 

I remember when 3 cents was the first class postage rate.

 
Rather than wait in a line that went to the door at the only USPS branch around here, today I purchased my stamps at the machine. First time.

Who will be left?

Michelle Wu, daughter of Taiwanese American immigrants, is the racist mayor of Boston. She decided company (i.e. city) holiday parties based on ethnicity, color, sexual preferences and disability could add some festive cheer to equity and diversity. Does she know nothing of the roots of what is now called Wokeism, but the rest of us know as Marxism? Did her parents never tell her about Chairman Mao? Once you successfully get people separated by political cause, skin color, disability, LGBTQxyz and gender confusion, and the people you insult just go along with it, then further division is required. Lesbians and gays have little in common, so they'll be in separate party rooms; then blacks by shades of white privilege; then immigrants from Mexico from Cuban immigrants; then Jamaicans from Haitians; then quadriplegics from amputees; and then short, fat transmen from tall, muscular transwomen, and of course the Taiwanese speakers from the Mandarin speakers. The guest list and room arrangements could get messy, not to mention tacky.

I wonder if Mayor Wu would be in office if no whites had voted for her.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/boston-mayor-takes-heat-electeds-color-holiday-party-george-wallace-would-approve

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj9L871jQtk  The non-apology apology "we add to traditions"

https://www.legit.ng/ask-legit/biographies/1528958-who-conor-pewarski-mayor-michelle-wus-husband/