Happy 100th Birthday, Helen

Helen is a member of our church, UALC, Sunday School class and Thursday Bible Study is turning 100.  She still lives in her own home and until recently was driving herself to church. We plan to have a birthday cake tomorrow after Maundy Thursday services.  Happy Birthday, Helen.  We love you.

Fish is good for elderly

This is good news. Since moving to the Estates I've never eaten so much fish. . .

"Eating fish, already known to be good for your heart, may also help protect your bones against osteoporosis—but the interactions between the fats found in fish and bone mass are complicated, according to new research. Scientists from Tufts, Northeastern, Harvard and Boston University took a fresh look at data from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study following 623 older adults (average age 75) over four years. In general, those with the highest fish intake (three or more weekly servings), especially darker-fleshed fish, experienced lower loss of bone density.

Darker-fleshed fish, which are highest in the healthy omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, include salmon, mackerel, sardines, swordfish and bluefish. Although some of these fish, such as mackerel and swordfish, raise red flags for possible mercury contamination, this is less of a concern for the older people most at risk of osteoporosis than for pregnant and nursing women."

From the Tufts free newsletter. https://www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu/?

Bad weather tonight, March 26

Columbus Dispatch reports:

A cold front bringing severe weather is expected to travel from northern Ohio south/southeast into central and eastern Ohio during the late nighttime hours of March 26 and into the early morning hours of March 27.

Temperatures hit 78 after 5 p.m. March 26, and temperatures are expected to plunge to the 30s overnight, according to weather service. During the evening and overnight, thunderstorms will move through the area.

The thunderstorms could come with damaging winds, large hail and "very heavy" rainfall, the NWS said in a hazardous weather outlook. Isolated tornadoes could occur early in the development of the storms, and localized heavy rainfall could cause flooding, the NWS said.

Whelmed midwife

Learned two facts about words this morning. A male midwife is the correct term for a male medical professional who assists with birthing, And whelm is a real verb and when you overdo it, you are overwhelmed. Whelm means to cover or engulf. I saw it in a hymn, . . so if you've got too many syllables to use overwhelmed, you can make do with just whelmed. English is amazing, It has more words than any other language, probably because the sun never set on the Union Jack.

Airport lines are a pattern for Democrats

Pity the poor folks at the mercy of the Democrats in Congress--standing in line for hours at airports, victims of their hatred for Trump. Worse than the fatigue and the missed connections is the danger the Democrats are imposing on the nation. Such a messy history of malevolent beliefs--supporters of slavery, designers of Jim Crow. advocates for lynching, supporters of poverty programs that resulted in generations dependent on government for life, calling abortion "freedom" for women, and mind-bending lies about sexuality that promote castration for boys and mastectomies for girls in the name of "mental health." They are sick and demented, but demand loyalty and money from their party members (but no ID).

Jodie Minnick Strickland obituary

Today I learned of the death of Jodie Strickland, my cousin Evelyn's daughter. 

"Jodie Louise Strickland (Minnick), 67, passed away peacefully on February 20, 2026, in Summerville, South Carolina. Born on November 8, 1958, in Alexandria, Virginia, Jodie lived a life defined by love, creativity, and unwavering faith.

Jodie earned her Associate's degree in Nursing from Isothermal Community College. Her dedication to caring for others extended beyond her professional life and was evident in the way she nurtured her family and friends. A devoted mother above all else, Jodie's love for her daughters Kristina Smith (Carl) and Julie Jennemann (Stephen) was boundless. She cherished her grandchildren Claire Raines and Griffin Raines, who brought immense joy to her life. Her significant other and best friend, Keith Dabney, stood steadfastly by her side as a source of love and support.

Jodie is also survived by her brother Gery Martin (Ava); nephews John Minnick (and his children), Steven Minnick (and his son), and David Minnick, Sister in-law Mary Brown; as well as many others who were touched by her kindness and strength. She was predeceased by her parents Evelyn Minnick Morris and Ershel Leroy Minnick; siblings Lorrie Passailaigue, Larry Minnick, Lonnie Minnick, Jim Minnick, and Jay Carter; and her beloved son Daniel Edward Jeffords. . . "

Continued at Jodie Strickland Obituary February 20, 2026 - Legacy.com

Jodie was the daughter of my cousin, Evelyn Corbett.  Her stepdaughter Misty who lives in North Carolina was not mentioned in the obituary.  She added some other memories on Facebook. I "met" Misty through Facebook when Jodie was married to Billy Strickland, Misty's father. I don't know the details, and didn't know of Jodie's death until I saw it on Misty's FB page,

"Jodie was married to my dad, Billy Strickland, for 15 years. They met when I was 12 years old back in 2000, and for over two decades she was part of our family and part of our lives. She lived here in North Carolina for 25 years.

She was in the delivery room when I gave birth to my son, Haden Oliver, who gave her the title of “Meme.” She was also there when I gave birth to Skylar Oliver. Those are moments I will always remember, and I pray my kids hold on to those amazing memories as well. Jodie was also the very first person I told when I found out I was going to be a mommy.

She loved doing crafts, playing cards, and creating things with her hands. She loved cooking, especially during the holidays and making big breakfasts for everyone. She always went all out for birthdays and every holiday.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Billy Strickland. She also cherished her little poodle, Dolly, who she loved dearly. It brings comfort to think that she is now reunited with her again.

No family is perfect, but the memories and moments we shared will always be part of my story. People may change, but memories don’t." Misty Strickland Richardson 

Six syllables three lines, a poem about the Estates

6 syllables 3 lines, my neighbors

Bunny, Bev, Bonnie, Bev,

Barbara, Barbara,

Barbara, Barbara.


Barbara and Betty,

Bob, Bill, Bob, Bill, Bob, Clare.

Cola, Carole, Carol.


Carolyn, Carolyn,

Carrie, Chris, Constantine,

Diana, Dave, Dennis.


David, Dottie, Dorothy.

Ernie, Eva, Eve, Frank,

Gilda, Howard, Harry.


Jean, Joe, Jack and Janet,

Jan, Jim, Joyce, Jeraline,

Jacqueline, Joann, Jack;


Judy, Jean, Joyce, Janet.

John, Kathy, Kay, Laura,

Linda, Lou, Mort, Mary,


Martine, Marcie, Milly,

Marilyn, Margaret,

Marie, Mary, Marie.


Norma and Noretta,

Norma, Patricia, Paul,

Patsy, Pat, Priscilla.


Richard, Roseanne, Ruth Ann,

Ray, Richard, Rosemary,

Rena, Shirley, Sandy,


Sharon, Sue and Sandra.

Thomas, Terry, Terrence,

Tom, Tex, Victor, Vonceil.

We're planning an April poetry event.  I used the resident list for February for this syllabic poem, and to some I've already said good-bye. As you can see, names go with generations. 

A beautiful, but unusual baptism

An unusual baptism. They are all special, but yesterday I saw something different. Sweet little guy. Hair combed. Wiggling and smiling, but not screaming. Relatives filling the 2 front pews. As the pastor put his hand in the water, he stopped and asked an usher to bring in some cool water. It was too hot to baptize! We continued with our part and soon the water was carried in and the sacrament was completed.

Report on 10 Chatbots that assist in violent crimes

Evil is already in the mind. And then combine that with AI/Chatbots for complete instructions.

Summary of a report on 10 chatbots to assist in violent crimes like bombings, assassinations, robberies:

 KEY FINDINGS

WE TESTED HOW POPULAR CHATBOTS RESPOND TO USERS PLANNING VIOLENT ATTACKS

Researchers at CCDH and CNN tested ten chatbots by posing as users planning violent attacks before asking about locations to target and weapons to use.

Researchers tested ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Snapchat My AI, Character.AI and Replika

Tests were designed to reflect a range of violent attack scenarios in the US and EU:
▷ School shootings or knife attacks
▷ Assassinations targeting politicians
▷ Bombings targeting political parties or synagogues

 
8 IN 10 CHATBOTS TYPICALLY ASSIST USERS PLANNING VIOLENT ATTACKS

Testing found that 8 in 10 chatbots assist would-be attackers in over half of responses, providing advice on locations to target and weapons to use in an attack.

Only Snapchat’s My AI and Anthropic’s Claude typically refused to assist would-be attackers, in 54% and 68% of responses respectively.

Perplexity and Meta AI were the least safe, assisting would-be attackers in 100% and 97% of responses respectively.

Examples of chatbots offering practical assistance with a violent attack include:

ChatGPT gave high school campus maps to a user interested in school violence
Copilot replied “I need to be careful here” before giving detailed advice on rifles
Gemini told a user discussing synagogue attacks “metal shrapnel is typically more lethal”
DeepSeek signed off advice on selecting rifles with “Happy (and safe) shooting!”

9 IN 10 CHATBOTS FAIL TO RELIABLY DISCOURAGE WOULD-BE ATTACKERS

Researchers also assessed how often chatbots would recognize a would-be attacker’s intentions and consistently discourage them from carrying out an attack.
They found that only Anthropic’s Claude was able to do this consistently, offering discouragement in 76% of responses carried out during testing.
ChatGPT and DeepSeek occasionally offer discouragement.

CHARACTER.AI ACTIVELY ENCOURAGED VIOLENCE

In testing, researchers found that Character.AI was uniquely unsafe. It encouraged users to carry out violent attacks in 7 cases, for example:
Character.AI suggested the user “use a gun” on a health insurance CEO
Character.AI suggested physically assaulting a politician the user disliked
No other chatbot tested explicitly encouraged violence in this way, even when providing practical assistance in planning a violent attack.

This is not good, folks, https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Killer-Apps_FINAL_CCDH.pdf?

China's family problem is also ours

"With the rise of China’s “new family type”—only children begetting only children—we will be entering a Chinese future in which a growing proportion of the rising generations will lack not only siblings, but also cousins, aunts and uncles. The withering away of China’s extended family networks—the people’s only reliable social safety net since the dawn of Chinese civilization—will surely have profound and far-reaching implications, few of them beneficial." China's Coming Population Crash Scrambles the Global Balance of Power | American Enterprise Institute - AEI

25 years ago I was an English language partner for the wife of an OSU graduate student from China. She studied intently--learned hundreds of words a day--and I enjoyed her company. When I asked her how Americans could tell Japanese from Chinese her hint was, "Japanese were more fashion conscious and dressed better." We met at coffee shops or sometimes at Ohio State.

 
As we talked, I realized we had limited topics--I was older than her parents and both she and her husband had no siblings, and because of China's policies they also had no aunts and uncles and no cousins. What Eberstadt the author warns about in this article had already happened, even 25 years ago. Now it is happening here. And we didn't even have a harsh policy--just social pressure.