SON DAY

 Happy Son Day!  

At least say hello to the Son.  

Thank Him for all the wonderful gifts you have been given.  

NEWS OF THE WEEK

 Last Friday, George Foreman passed away at the age of 76.  He made a fortune hitting people in the grill  and selling grills.  RIP  The two-time Heavyweight Champion boxer and Olympic Gold Medal winner had five sons (among his 13 children) and he named them all George Foreman.  

Columbia University had refused to make changes to it's DEI program until the President canceled the steady stream of money the government had been giving them for research and other use.  They did make the changes requested last Saturday. 

We have negotiators going back and forth between meetings with Ukraine and Russia trying to work out a common agreement to stop their war.  Good Luck.

The Pope has evidently recovered from his bout with pneumonia enough to go back to his quarters in the Vatican.  He had spent 38 days in the hospital.  

The NCAA mens basketball tournament wittle itself down to the final 16 teams and by tomorrow night their will only be four teams left.

Some scientists think that lonely people have begun to rely on ChatGPS and other AI applications for companionship.  They do talk back to you so kindly.

A group from the Department of Defense exchanged information about our military actions in Yemen on an application called.Signal.  Signal offers encrypted conversations but that doesn't work when you have a news reporter mistakenly included in the chat group.   Egg on their face!

23andMe has filed for backruptcy protection.  They have a lot of personal information about people (15 million or so)  that they could share.  Not gooed!

Trump is still using tariff threats as a means to get other countries to confirm to his liking. Will it work?

Scientists discover that marathon runners use up breain-cell insulation called myelin during races.  It takes about 2 months for them to recover.

Last weekend's box office receipts show that newcomer, Snow White, was on top of the movies playing.

The US stock market indicators were all down this week.  

South Korean automaker, Hyundai, announced 1 $21B investment in new plants in the US.

George Clooney is on the Broadway stage in a play called "Good Night, and Good Luck".  It set a record for income in its first week.  

The Reds opened their season by blowing a lead with two outs in the ninth inning.  What's new/

SPHERES

 You're about to hear more about spheres than you ever dreamed you would hear.  It won't hurt.  Learning something, for the most part, is harmless.

You are standing on Earth; within it's atmosphere.  Looking upward your eyes will see in order the troposphere (that's all around you and about 6 miles up), the stratosphere (airplanes can fly up there to about 30 miles up), the mesosphere (now we're into weather balloons and special planes from 30 miles to about 60 miles up), the thermosphere (watch out, there are satellites flying around here, it extends to 375 miles up), and the exosphere (here's where you'll see the space station or our distant satellites, it goes all the way to 6,200 miles up).  There is an ionosphere which overlaps several of these spheres and bounces radio waves back to Earth.  If you're wondering about the ozone layer, it's up there within the stratosphere. 

You may have heard of all that but you may not have heard about the spheres looking downward.  

The Earth is, on average, about 8,000 miles wide.  That's the mean diameter, give or take.  That tells us  that it is about 4,000 miles to the center of the Earth.  It's not just all mud.  We have some spheres involved there, too. 

You are standing on the crust.  More of the crust is under water but I assume you aren't standing on the ocean floor.  If you dig down a little ways, you'll be into the Mantle of the Earth.  The first 60 miles downward is know as the Lithosphere.  Dig past that for another 370 miles and you've been digging in the Asthenosphere.  Are your fingernails dirty yet?  Now, the next 1,430 miles down is called the Mesosphere part of the Mantle.  

If you've kept up with the math, you're down 1,800 miles right now.  You have reached the Core of the Earth.  The Core is made up of two parts, the Inner and Outer Core.  Remember, the whole distance to the center is about 4,000 miles.  The Outer core goes on for about 1,400 miles which puts you 3,200 miles below ground as we know it.  That leaves another 800 miles of Inner Core.

There will be a test on this next week.  I just love this stuff.

AGING

I'm technically 79 years old but I always claim to be 80 when people ask.  There are so many things people would never ask an 80 year-old to do.  It sounds so decrepit.  People expect much less . . .  and it makes my golf handicap seem better.  

I try to never allow aging to get me down; it's way too hard to get back up. Medical people are always asking if you fell down recently.  If you say "yes" or "no" it doesn't matter.  It never changes anything they do.  I wish they would at least say, "Glad you were able to get back up."

Today is opening day for the Reds (weather permitting).  Old people love baseball.  It moves as fast as they do.  Every bit of action is followed by a pause so there brain has time to catch up to what happened.  Go Reds!

MIDWEEK PRAYER

 Yesterday, our Church celebrated an event that changed everything.  The event is related in the gospel of Luke.  We call it the Annunciation (announcement).  An angel appeared to a teenage girl in Nazareth who had been promised in an arranged marriage to a man named Joseph.  Joseph was a woodworker and descendent of the House of King David.  The young girl accepted the invitation that the angel proposed.  She said, "I am the Lord's servant, may it happen to me as you have said."  Of course, her name was Mary.  The angel, in order to impress on Mary that what he was saying was true, disclosed that her very old aunt, Elizabeth, was six months pregnant.  Mary left immediately to see Elizabeth and to verify that it was true what the angel said.  When Mary got to Elizabeth's house in a different city, to visit and help her.  When Mary arrived, Elizabeth said in essence, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among all women and blessed is the fruit of your womb."  We now say, "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."

BRAZIL

 Not sure why, but I've been thinking about Brazil lately.  How much do we really know about it?

Did you know that it was not only the largest country in South America, it is the fifth largest in the world.  The list goes Russia, Antarctica, Canada, United States, then Brazil.  Larger than India and Australia.  Brazil is the seventh largest country by population.  The list goes India, China, United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria and then Brazil.  Yes, larger than Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico and Japan.  So, any way you look at it, it's big.

Here's some facts:  it's official language is Portuguese.  it's government is a republic like ours.  it has it's own currency, the Real (100 centavos makes one Real) dollar.  the religious conviction is 75% Christian with 49% Catholic.  

The capitol of the country is Brasilia and the largest city is Sao Paulo.  Their climate ranges from rainforest in the north to semi-arid sub-tropic in the south.  The most popular sport in the country is football (the soccer kind).  Auto racing sports are also very popular.  

Now, there is Rio de Janeiro, the second most populous and certainly the most famous city in the country.  From Mardi Gras party to sparkling beaches to Christ the Redeemer overlooking the city, it is world famous. 

Now I remember why I was thinking of Brazil?   Nuts!   I love those big babies.  They go quickly from the mixed nuts can.  Do they really come from Brazil?

LANGUAGE

Of course, languages interest me very much.  I have too much trouble with English to learn any others.  English words keep me plenty busy. 

I came across a Japanese word that I just love.  Most words in English embody a single thought.  I'm told that Chinese symbols convey meanings beyond just a single meaning but a complete thought. 

Okay, this is what I'm talking about.  I really have no idea if this is correct but it is so beautiful that I hope it is.  I use it all the time now.  The word is "KUCHISABISHII".   Kuchisabishii is not hard to say.  Break it down:  "Coo chee sa beesh ee'."  At least that's the way I say it.  I have no reference to go by.  Here's the definition I have:  "I'm not hungry but I'm eating something because my mouth is lonely."  Is that great or what?  The "lonely mouth" thing is a little far out but it conveys the idea.  One eats, sometimes, for no good reason except to pass the time . . . or just because it's been a long time since you've eaten last.  

It's sad but it does happen.  Does it happen to you?  

Now it sounds like the words a mother says to her young child when tickling and trying to induce laughter - "koochie koochie koo"  or "coochie coochie coo."  Babies eat all the time - sometimes it's only food that keeps them quiet.  I'm the same way.

Please never tickle me!

SON DAY

THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT.  

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE.  

NEWS OF THE WEEK

 Most everyone I know survived St. Patrick's Day.

The Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race was held and ended last week.  A former reality TV star named Jessie Holmes was the winner.  He finished in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.    Oh, the Iditarod was 1,129 miles this year.  I ran the 5K last weekend faster than that - didn't I?

The college basketball teams picked to play in the NCAA national championship tourney were announced last Sunday.  XU heard their name called.  Xavier had a play-in game on Wednesday and they made a sterling come-back to win and earn a right to play Friday night in Milwaukee.  I attempted to pick all losers except one team this year.  Can't wait to see how it turns out.  The group I play with gives you your money back if you have the most losses but you could still win if you were the only one to pick the winner.

The price of gold is at an all-time high as the price of stocks took a small tumble.  By week's end, there was not much change in values.

For the week ending Thursday, a flic called Novocaine was the top money winner with Black Bag a close second; both opened this week and are categorized as "thrillers."

The Reds are now less than a week to Opening Day.  I keep telling myself that Spring Training means nothing but some how - I wonder.

The Liberals are striking back at Elon Musk for finding waste, fraud and abuse in our federal government and suggesting that it has more workers than needed.  They fire bombed Tesla vehicles on dealer's lots and shot bullets into them.  I understand that the nationwide group organizing these attacks are planning a big one for the 26th.

President Trump is jawing back and forth with Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin.  He has agreed to send Ukraine only defensive weapons to protect infrastructure. 

Evidently we've had enough of the Houthis in Yemen challenging our Naval vessels and others.  Sounds like we gave them a solid blow.  Further, Iran has been warned that any further attacks by the Houthis would be considered an attack by Iran.

Harvard University announced that it would make tuition free for qualified students of families making less than $200k and all expenses for students from families making less than $100k.  They will draw money from their endowment which is the largest in the world.  Other schools, including MIT have adopted similar stances.  I could have gone to Harvard!

The Cubs and the Dodgers got the Major League baseball season going this week as the first two games of the season were played in Japan.  Dodger superstar Shohei Ohtani was the driver behind $40M of gear being sold there in two days.  

SpaceX sent four astronauts (crew-10) to the International Space Station (ISS) this week so that four there could come home.  Two of those were the ones stuck there because their Boeing vehicle was determined unsafe.  They were supposed to be on an 8-day trip - it turned into 8 months.  Elon Musk revealed he offered to make the rescue 6 months ago but President Biden declined for political reasons.

Hamas in Gaza declined to release prisoners they had promised and Israel re-instituted attacks on the territory.  It's ugly.

China's huge EV manufacturer, BYD, claims it has solved the problem of slow battery recharging.  That could change everything.

Gotta go!  March Madness calls.

THE DUMMYING OF AMERICA

 The dummying of America.  Yes, it has happened.  As compared to the rest of the world, we're not as smart as we once were.  A good deal of that can be laid at the feet of our educational system.  A good deal can be attributed to the emphasis place on education by our families - and to root into it further, to our decaying family structure.  

That's easy to figure out.  Here's my reason - Here's my blame.  We screwed it up when we gave women the right to vote.  You heard me . . . well, I'm jesting of course.  Here's the point.

You see, when I grew up and especially before World War II, a woman was slotted into one of three work careers;  Secretarial - Nursing - Teaching.  In many cases, the best and brightest women became teachers.  The talent pool for teachers was large and the best could be chosen. They educated the masses in the first half of last century.  

When I went to university in the 1960s, the Teachers College was known as "Ding-Dong School".  It was not for the best and brightest; it was for the dedicated or the "can't-do-anything-else" group.   Not enough were dedicated.  Today, the talent pool for teachers has shrunk.  It is difficult to find the best.  Teachers unions protect all and all are not the best.  

What's the answer?  Elevate the value of the teacher in the mindset of the public.  I'm afraid that is a very difficult thing to do.  Elevate the value of education.  I'm afraid that is a very difficult thing to do.  They go together.  It will take a clearer delineation between good a poor education and it's result for everyone to see.

What do we do if people refuse to pay the right cost for a good education?  Public shaming?  Concerted effort by all.  If there were an easy answer, someone smart would have come up with it by now.

AGING

Old age sneaks up to you like a thief in the night.  You kinda get mugged by it.

First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down.  Yikes!

I never meant to be this old.  Don't blame it on me.

Old age comes at a bad time.    

MIDWEEK PRAYER

 Today is the day the Church remembers Joseph, spouse of Mary and foster father of Jesus.  We don't know much about him.  He evidently died before Jesus began His public life and death.  He was a good man, I'm sure.  He did what God asked him to do.  He was chosen - it was planned.

Not everyone born this day was planned.  But, I've found that often the best events are surprises - even if they take months to develop.   Happy Birthday, Stacey Marie.   

Ask Joseph to intercede for you with Jesus.  He surely has some pull with Him. 

Saint Joseph, Pray for us.  Help me to be a good parent.  Amen

THINGS I'VE LEARNED RECENTLY

Recently I've learned that:

A hummingbird's tongue is twice as long as it's beak.

Would you have guessed that?  Do they really like those bell-shaped flowers we see them frequenting  or, do they go to them because no other creature has a tongue that long?  

Do we feed them just so we can watch them eat?  How weird is that?  

Wonder what they feasted on before we taught them to eat/drink sugar water.  There may be baby hummingbirds who think all flowers are plastic.  Could it be that we've ruined this creature?  

Did you know that these birds have no knees.  You've heard the expression "bee's knees" of course.  Well, hummingbirds have no knees.  The can't walk.  They can stand or hop, but not walk.  No wonder they fly while they eat.  

Like most birds - the males are most pretty.  Pretty, but - - - sex occurs in the air between hummingbirds and lasts 3-5 seconds.  Who said, "So?"   Luckily, they can fly upward and downward and backward - they're the only bird that can do that.  

Enough!  Try to see the tongue working at your feeder this summer.

SAINT PATRICK

 You may have heard all this but I hope you enjoy reading it once more.

Saint Patrick

The patron saint of Ireland was born in Britain around 385 to a Christian family. At 16, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery. He was forced to work as a solitary shepherd in brutal conditions for six years, but it was during this time that his fiery love for God came alive. One night, he heard a voice in a dream telling him to escape, and he immediately fled over 200 miles to the coast, where he found a ship and returned home.  

After becoming a priest, Patrick had a vision in which the Irish people called him back to teach them about Christ. He was ordained a bishop and returned to Ireland, where he preached tirelessly and converted thousands to Christianity. He baptized chieftains, ordained priests and established churches and monasteries across the island. Legend credits him with using the three-leaf shamrock to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Despite facing constant threats to his life, Patrick’s missionary work only grew more intense.

Saint Patrick is said to have died on March 17, 461. His work transformed Ireland into a center of Christian faith and learning for centuries. This Saint Patrick’s Day, let’s honor him by praying for his intercession!

"Saint Patrick help us.  Let there be warm sun in our face, a cool breeze to our rear, and a friend in the pub with a beer waiting for us when we get there."

Yes, I made that up!