GENDER AND DRESS IN THE PARIS OLYMPICS

I wanted to add my two cents (currently 0.018 Euros) to the Olympic controversies that have arisen. First of all, I did not watch more than twenty minutes of the opening ceremonies, so I did not see the provocative skit that was alleged to be a sacrilegious takeoff on the Last Supper.  I’ve heard both sides of the controversy, but as I did not see it, I cannot personally weigh in on this issue.  What I did see in the opening ceremonies had little...

SENTINEL EVENTS: WARNINGS FROM WITHIN

Deena and I have been focusing on the word “sentinel” lately, in the context of her aneurysm. This is a word that has largely escaped me, probably because we used the term “precursor” back in the day. “Sentinel,” seems slightly more romantic to me, however. Yet, there is nothing romantic about the problem your sentinel wants you to be aware of. One of the hallmarks of a teacher is the desire to share something new and interesting with the “class.”...

Folie à deux

Folie à deux

At the moment, my mind is racing.  As I get older (and I’m on the upside of 75), it becomes more of a challenge to organize one’s thinking and write academically, and this post will be particularly difficult because it involves a comparison and contrast between two nations in two different time periods, a discussion of an unusual form of mental illness (Folie à deux), and a movie review.  About the only thing missing here is my mother’s recipe for Sauerbraten, though I’ll include it...

My mother was an illegal immigrant

HOW I CAME TO LOVE AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

The years 1902-1929 were known as the Progressive Era in the U.S.  The doors to politics and political participation were thrown open wide to many more people, such as women who were disenfranchised, and it would henceforth be the People, not the states who would decide who served in the U.S. Senate. Immigration exploded as people from non-English European speaking countries started arriving in even greater numbers at our shores, and many were Catholic, or not considered to be white (or both.)  In particular,...

Why Let the Devil Live Rent Free?

WHY LET THE DEVIL LIVE RENT FREE?

We have a problem with squatters today.  These are people who move into your house uninvited while you are on a six-week vacation in Europe.  They change the locks and set up utilities in their name without your knowledge or permission.  Or, you felt sort for a family in crisis and rented them your empty house.  But now that they’ve trashed it and haven’t paid a cent in rent for six months, you are demanding that they leave, and they refuse.  You call the police....

Confessions of a tree hugger

CONFESSIONS OF A TREE HUGGER

I am a bonafide tree hugger. I love trees as much as Joyce Kilmer did. Trees, to me, are majestic living entities and serve as mentors to careful observers about the need to grow deep roots upon which to build your life, with limbs that invariably stretch towards the heavens. Plus, it is clear from Scripture that God loves trees. After man and God, Himself, trees among all living things are third in the amount of attention in Scripture. For...

Sex, Lies and Videotape

SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE

By now, most of us have heard of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop.  We’ve seen photos in the newspapers, perhaps on social media or videos on YouTube.TM  Maybe we saw them on television coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Accountability Committee as Congresswoman and committee member Majorie Greene (R-GA) held up the more salacious of the photos barely a year ago for the public to ogle.  This is definitely cringe-worthy material.  As USA Today described it:  THE PLOTLINE The story was that Hunter Biden dropped off...

Dog Days

DOG DAYS

The Dog Days of summer are upon us. Most of us have heard that term. It refers to what is popularly considered to be the hottest time of the year, typically the months of mid-July until mid-August. And this year, like last year and likely during these summer months for the next few centuries, the characterization still stands and will remain true. The first reference to the Dog Days in English is found in John de Trevisa’s book, Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus,...

God and Trump

GOD AND TRUMP

I have been following the news very closely since the assassination attempt on the life of Donald J. Trump. I have also been interested in the first interview he gave following the shooting, his postings on his Truth Social site and the response from his followers. There are very few things that former President Trump could say that I would agree with. However, he believes that God spared him from being assassinated and that he should be dead, and I...

Ballots, not bullets

BALLOTS, NOT BULLETS

It’s been barely four hours since the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump while he addressed a rally in Butler, PA, a small town with a population of barely 15,000 people. At the moment, we know that the shooter is dead as well as an attendee at the rally. Two more attendees were critically injured. But we know nothing about the identity or motive of the shooter. Those who follow my blog know that I am not enthusiastic about Mr....

Verified by MonsterInsights