23 - Today's Report, The Manufactured Debt Crisis, What Influences Us?

Today's Report

I've been absent for a few days, but I've been doing my best to keep one of my legs elevated through this time. The problem area is much better today, and I've got a doctor's appointment to look at it tomorrow, but I shall not push things by staying at my computer too long.

It's nice today. We've had rain off and on, mostly at night, so the grass is growing (much to my nephew Timmy's chagrin). I remember those days quite clearly, and I find myself missing the opportunity to do a lot of the things I once viewed as work. However, when I flip that coin, I also know that I have found retirement to be more fulfilling than I imagined. While it's true I still have daily chores (laundry, dishes, and cleaning up after the puppy decides everything chewable needs to be chewed), I also enjoy sitting outside beside the pond. These days I'm using the time to not only watch the birds and fish, but to also listen to an audiobook or two. 

The Manufactured Debt Crisis

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this one. When I watch the news, I'm often reminded of the many movies and television shows I've watched through the years when disaster looms on the horizon. There was a time when you still got caught up in it all despite knowing the cavalry would come over the hill at the last minute, and then there was a time when disaster overtook everyone. I really enjoy a well-done disaster movie more because it shows the resilience of humankind than anything else, but I'm also aware that sometimes it doesn't matter how resilient we may be, sometimes that disaster washes over us like a tidal wave sweeps across the lowlands. If you're up on the mountaintop looking down on it all, you suddenly understand the true meaning of helplessness. That's how I feel as I watch the manufactured crisis threatening our country. Hopefully they'll find a way out of it, but the radical right is feeling powerful right now, and I'm not sure invoking the 14th Amendment will be enough to prevent more such nonsense in our future. Where is that cavalry when you need it? Someone blow that horn loud and strong!

What Influences Us?

I saw an article today that said most of us are influenced by information that reinforces our attitudes. For instance, if I believe the GOP is an evil force in today's world (I do, obviously), then I'm pleased to find evidence of that in the news (which I must admit I do more often than I'd like). On the other hand, I find myself longing for the days when people could disagree while also finding the way to compromise. Some of the best things that have happened in this country happened not because one side or the other forced them down the other's throat, but because both sides talked with one another and found a way through to making things better for everyone. 

I'll take one example as proof of my premise.  The Food Stamp Program is also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). While I am astonished that anyone could find a problem with a program that helps people survive as much as SNAP does, I'm amazed at how short-sighted those who oppose it must be to take that position. Here is a program that doesn't hurt anyone. It's a small part of the budget. In fact, it's part of the Department of Agriculture's budget. It supplements the ability of individuals and families below certain income guidelines to keep food on the table. That's why the word supplement is in the program name. Those guidelines are based on the Poverty Level. A large part of those eligible for this program are children, the elderly, and the disabled. There ARE work-requirements for the able-bodied despite what those who oppose it say. I've got more to say on the subject of work requirements, but I'll save it for another day.

When I speak of the power of compromise, I'm talking about the fact that SNAP was supported by both Democrats and Republicans. Together, they took a good idea and hammered out their differences to achieve something that actually helped a large number of Americans.  

Facts that support your attitudes are good facts. Facts that don't support your attitudes are still good facts. Toss the concept of fake facts out the window. Fake facts don't exist. A lie is still a lie no matter how you dress it up, and if you believe a lie without questioning it, your belief is wrong. That's all there is to it.

And that, my friends, is enough for today. It's time to go get my leg elevated again.

Have a nice day.

Take care, and stay safe.

cma 

 

 

22 - Daily Report, Alien Contact,

Daily Report

I've taken a few days off from writing this blog for a couple of reasons. First (and it's the strongest of the reasons in the long run), I was doing a rewrite on one of the chapters in my current book. The original version wasn't bad, but the entire book took a tailspin and changed dramatically after an unexpected idea popped into the story. That's one of the things I love about writing. While the logical side of me knows I came up with the idea, the creative side of me understands that ideas are often snatched out of thin air. It caused me to repurpose a character (or two), and it meant the story changed direction. I find writing is often a journey, and that's one of the reasons I don't outline.

The second reason was I ended up getting older. I don't get too worked up about birthdays, and that's not going to start just because I turned 70 a few days ago. When I was growing up, we didn't celebrate birthdays. They simply happened. No cards. No specific presents. It was just a day when we sang birthday greetings, maybe even gave playful licks, and then moved on. My only birthday presents for a long time came in the shape of chocolate pies. My mother was a wonderful cook, and she made them from scratch. Delicious, flaky crust, smooth and sometimes still warm chocolate filling, and meringue topping, browned along the top edges!!! Wow! I miss those pies! She made one for me, and one for the rest of the family.

Today's picture is of one of our local squirrels. I've decided to name him Secret Squirrel after a cartoon character I enjoyed in my younger days. He is definitely secretive. He's posing on some yard furniture that needs to be moved, and he's doing it as seven dogs patrol the yard looking for something to chase and bark at. Brave fella--Secret Squirrel!

Alien Contact

"The Truth Is Out There!" was a popular quote from the X-Files, and it continues to resonate with many people who believe the truth is known, but it's being withheld for some reason. Over the years, I've paid attention to news about UFOs and Extraterrestrials (Aliens), and I've come to the conclusion that something's going on. I'm not sure what it may be, but I know something is definitely going on. The stories of UFO sightings are just too common for it all to be simply a matter of misinterpreting what folks are seeing when they look into the skies.

Yesterday, while I was waiting for Sandy to come home with some pizzas, I watched a program about UFOs (I believe it was National Geographic), and one of the witnesses described UFO behavior very similar to something I witnessed over thirty years ago. I sat up a little and squinted as I looked at the video, and I thought, "The only thing they left out was a description of the colors." 

So here are my ideas about extraterrestrial life:

• There are no extraterrestrials. (Boring, but it's necessary to keep it handy.) 

• Extraterrestrials are there, but the distances between stars means we'll never meet. (Again, boring, but definitely possible based on our current understanding of physics.)

• Extraterrestrials are watching us but keeping their distance. (Still boring, but it explains UFO sightings, and it probably makes sense. Prime Directive rules aside, contact would be bad for a variety of reasons, including potential biological contamination.)

• Extraterrestrials are watching us but keeping their distance because we're not ready for them. (Not boring, but stupid. There are a LOT of things I'm not ready for, including Donald Trump continuing to be free, but aliens don't make the list. If they wanted to invade, they would have done it a long time ago when we were less likely to destroy ourselves while trying to destroy them.)

• Extraterrestrials have made contact with our leaders who have talked them into not being obvious about being here for political reasons. (I'll buy into this one. Stories of alien contact with our leaders go back to FDR, and I can see how they might deem it profitable to keep the aliens in their pockets. Area 51 comes to mind as potential evidence of this. However, and I must have a however to accompany this one, it falls apart in the long-term. That's especially true after Trump hit the scene. Unless the aliens are picky about who they work with, and they probably are smart enough to steer clear of folks like Trump.) 

• Extraterrestrials are actually invaders. (This one's the fodder for many science fiction movies, but I tend to believe they're not going to send an armada to conquer us if that's their goal. We're too busy doing their work for them. All they need to do is tweak a politician or two, and they can get the results they want without the expense. This one DOES explain Trump.)

There are other ideas, but they're basically variations on the ones listed above. Personally, I don't think we're alone. I do believe they're watching us, and I do believe they're not all bad guys (who said there was just one alien civilization out there?) 

That's enough for now.

Take care. Stay Safe.

cma 

 

 

 

21 - Daily Report, Mass Shootings Continue, Trump Loses Once Again

Daily Report

It's been a few days since my last entry. I was busy writing on other things. It's funny how creativity runs in my life. There are times when I simply can't write fast enough to get every idea down, and there are times when it all just comes in bursts. I write a paragraph, and then I have to move on to something else. Yesterday was focused on getting the laundry caught up and getting dishes taken care of. Then there was cleaning up after Clementine who seems determined to find new ways to turn large things into little things while she takes a break from getting the innards of her dog bed to abandon their nice, pretty outer covers. I've got both a long and a short grabber that allows me to reach down and get most of it without having to bend over, so that's a good thing.

Over the weekend, after the storms came through, I discovered a limb had broken off from one of our trees. Clementine discovered it as well. The subject of today's first picture is her decision that Mother Nature had delivered a new chew toy. 

I also noticed the county was out trimming the trees in our front yard where they overhang the county road. It's a shame we didn't manage to get all the broken limbs that have accumulated over the past month out there so they could cart them off. Maybe next time...

Mass Shootings Continue

I'd originally titled this section "It's All About the Money," and that's still true. I decided the title needed more focus on the effect because the cause has been well-established. I'm not brave enough to get on a search engine and pull up pictures of people who have been shot by weapons designed for the sole purpose of killing people. I've heard they are horrific, and I'm more than willing to accept that judgment. However, a meme popped up today that drove this home, and I'm going to post it here.

 

As someone responded in a post following this: SHE HAD NO FACE!

The impact of those four words ought to grab at you and refuse to let go until it sinks in. It ought to be the thing of nightmares. No. Let me correct that. It IS the thing of nightmares. Friends, we took measures to prevent people from putting poison in medicine bottles. They outlawed lawn darts. We wear seatbelts. We have smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Trucks have a bar to prevent cars from going under them and decapitating people. We have to sign and show ID to get certain medicines. They regulate fertilizer. We have regulations to prevent rivers from catching fire from chemicals being dumped into them. There's a massive lawsuit over using weed killer. I'm convinced posting before and after pictures of the mass murder victims would make all of us throw up, but who's going to be brave enough to post them? Heck, who's going to be brave enough to even look at them? 

The folks who all claim to be Pro-Life need to go look in the mirror and admit they're liars and hypocrites if they believe the 2nd Amendment trumps mass murder. They aren't shootings! They are murder--plain and simple.

Second Amendment adherents are the puppets of the NRA and the firearm industry. Both manufactured the environment we now live in, and they profit from it. They buy politicians through campaign donations and threats. We keep electing people who fall down and worship at their feet. 

It's time to un-elect these sycophants. It's time to do something. Stop supporting those who support the NRA and military grade weapons. Start demanding meaningful reforms.

No one is safe.

Next time, it may be someone you know whose face has been blown off.

It might even be you. 

Trump Loses Once Again

This news arrived a few minutes after I'd originally published this entry, but it couldn't wait for my reaction until later.

Donald Trump was found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation in the civil lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll. He has been ordered to pay $5 million in compensation as well as fines. Trump, of course, denied it ever happened, and he was seriously upset over the verdict (no surprise there). While there will almost certainly be an appeal over this, that may take years.

There is also reasonable concern that Trump cultists may attempt revenge by attacking E. Jean Carroll. They were prepared to overthrow our government on his command. I hope she has good security.

That's enough for now.

Take care. Be safe.

cma

20 - Daily Report, Tangled Webs, King Charles, SCOTUS, & Just Piddlin' Around

Daily Report

Yesterday's severe storms fizzled. It got cloudy. I'm almost certain I saw one flash from lightning, but no rain. No hail. No tornadoes. Since we needed the rain without all the rest of that, I guess we were consigned to "take it all or leave it" territory. Sandy and I got up this morning and watered her garden, and the soaker hose just started up a few minutes ago, so the plants should all be doing well.

Today it's supposed to get up to 95 degrees. Right now, it's 88, and since I just returned to enjoy our air conditioning, you may assume without a concern for being wrong that it is hot outside. That's good for Sandy. She works for an air conditioning company, and hot weather is when they do best, though they have branched out into electrical and plumbing work as well as solar. I've also noticed a lot of cottonwood fuzz floating about. If you live near cottonwood trees, be aware that the little white fuzz can clog up the vents on your outdoor unit and cause it to work harder. That means less efficiency and higher bills.

Another consequence of warmer weather is more people are walking past our house. They're either out for exercise, out for the scenery, or walking their critters. Our dogs get their exercise running from window to window then to the side dog yard and all over again as they tell those miscreants they are invading their territory. Then they run to me to see if I'll give them a treat for protecting me. 

Tangled Webs 

We live in a wonderful location. There's a lake within a block of our house. We're in the county and not in the city, so we don't have to abide by the pet limitations, and we also don't pay city taxes. We have cows and horses across the street. 

Parker County, TX, celebrates itself as the Quarterhorse Capital of the World, and they have an annual peach festival. The first Monday of each month also serves as an opportunity for people to come from all corners of the state for a large swap meet. Out here by the lake, we have lots of cardinals, but we also have lots of vultures. The vultures are everywhere, and one house down by the curve on the east side of the lake has a tree they all seem to love. I think I'd move. Another thing we have is lots of spiders. Their webs are everywhere, and that's probably because we have lots of gnats and mosquitos. The web pictured below is outside our back door. It wasn't there yesterday. I'm not sure why the siding is curving around. It's straight, but maybe it finds the spider web icky.

King Charles

Tomorrow is the coronation of King Charles III in Great Britain. We'll never know why his mother didn't abdicate her position as Queen as she aged, and I'm not saying she should have done so. Charles is 74 years old, and it has been 70 years since his mother's coronation. I don't think he can beat her record in terms of time, but I hope he continues her tradition of doing her best to represent the British people.

President Biden is sending the First Lady to represent this country. Some folks don't think she should be going. Some folks are upset that the president isn't attending. Some people! Sigh. We have enough problems on our plate these days. We will be well-represented by the First Lady. That's all we need to know or care about. Beyond that, I just hope they have great security.

SCOTUS 

SCOTUS, also known as the Supreme Court of the United States, is having its share of scandals lately. Actually, in the world as it should be, the justices of the highest court of this country ought to have a ZERO share of scandals. Clarence Thomas is wading hip deep in the muck created by his lack of ethical behavior, and now his wife is showing she's walking right alongside him in muck of her own making. We've got other Supreme Court Justices with similar issues. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. They should each resign. Their decisions past, present, and future are now worth reexamination.

Just Piddlin' Around 

You may not be aware that I have a second blog. It's one that I use to cover items that really don't belong here. Today's entry covers a series I plan to write on musicals. Read my introduction, and I'll try to publish the others on a weekly basis.

The Website is  https://mikes-musings-and-comments.blogspot.com/.

That's enough for now.

Take care. Be Safe.

cma 

 

19 - Daily Report, May the 4th, Can You Spell Bribe?, and Is Your Phone an Open Line to Alien Civilizations"?

Daily Report

It's been a cool, windy day here at Adams Pond. It's 75 degrees, and the promise of severe thunderstorms with hail and possible tornadoes lies just a few hours in the future. The weather radar doesn't show anything close yet, but the predictive radar shows strong storms coming through our area around 5 or 6 PM (Central Time). We can always use rain, but hail and tornadoes need to visit unpopulated deserts somewhere.

Sandy was up most of the night dealing with ATT over router problems where she works. They kept promising someone would be at the building soon, yet soon never arrived. They do VOIP for calls coming into the company, and that means their customers (old, new, and potential) can't call them. She had her call center folks work from home today so they could alleviate that problem. I think she only got a few hours' sleep during the night, and when she got through to ATT again this morning, she was definitely not a happy camper. Hopefully things will get fixed, and hopefully she can take off work early and get home.

And those storms better play nice, or she'll really get mad.

May the 4th

Today is Star Wars Day.

I remember the furor that occurred back in May 1977 when the first Star Wars movie came out. That was before they started numbering them and giving new titles and doing prequels that didn't really capture the energy of the originals (my opinion). I stood in line for over an hour, but I lived in a fairly small town at the time, so the entire population could have been there and I wouldn't have noticed a difference. Then that first burst of music combined with the title appearing and receding from view followed by the bad guys shooting at the good guys and the really bad guy (wearing black, of course) showed up, and then...and then...well, you know the story. Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, C3PO and R2D2, Obiwan Kenobi, the Force, and "that's not a moon" followed by "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Yes. I saw the movie quite a few times. Today is Star Wars Day.

May the Forth be with you. 

Can You Spell Bribe?

News has just come out that Clarence Thomas has a child he's been raising as his son, and that "son" has been going to expensive private schools. His billionaire friend has been paying a minimum of $6000 a month for all of this. Calculations I've seen total over $150,000 in potential payments made for this child. I'm not blaming the "son" for all of this, of course. I do blame Clarence Thomas as well as the system that ignored his unethical behavior. The Republicans have been supporting all of his previous "benefits," and that's partially because they've eaten of that same forbidden fruit.

So, when is a bribe not a bribe?

Evidently when you're a Supreme Court Judge or a member of Congress. 

The solution to all of this is for us to "unelect" these criminals when election day arrives. As long as they have power, they're going to get all their wagons in a circle and shoot at us with budget reductions and more illegal activities. The GOP has effectively become a criminal enterprise.

Is Your Phone an Open Line to Alien Civilizations?  

The cat may already be out of the bag, but are we releasing an entire herd of cats on the universe? That idea relates to the reality that we began broadcasting our presence in the universe the moment radio went on the air. The first jokes of Jack Benny are spreading the news and will continue spreading the news that we're here until the universe drowns them out. But never fear, every time you talk on your cell phone, you're broadcasting our presence.

"The Earth is already anomalously bright in the radio part of the spectrum; if the trend continues, we could become readily detectable by any advanced civilization with the right technology," Mike Garrett, the director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The University of Manchester, said in a statement. He's talking about leaking signals from cell-phone towers.

Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen. I guess it depends on who's listening. 

We're listening as well, and as our technology improves, so does our ability to hear any alien civilizations that are out there broadcasting just like we are. Fortunately for them, we're a long ways from being able to pay them a visit.

That's enough for now.

Take care. Be safe.

cma 

 

 

 

 

 

18 - Daily Report, It's Magic I Tell You!

Daily Report

Our day started out early this morning when Clementine decided the water bowl was empty. Well, it was--right after she took it in her teeth and flipped it over. Sandy got up, threw a towel over the water to soak it all up and prevent a possible slipping hazard, and she filled it up again. She was not a happy camper by any stretch of the imagination. I coerced Clementine to come over to my side of the bed and lie down. She did. I think she knew her mother was angry, and no one wants to make the mother unhappy at four in the morning.

On a much brighter front, the sun came up a few hours longer, and Alexa awakened us to an Electric Light Orchestra tune. After getting up and letting the dogs out, I took Clementine to the cage we have set up for her in the dining room. She's not quite old enough to be left without supervision. She's well trained, though. She runs right into the cage because she knows she'll get a treat afterward. Maybe she's got me well-trained...?

Sandy and I went to the chiropractor, then we grabbed breakfast and went to our doctor (I mentioned her yesterday). When I got home, I turned on the waterfall, and I sat with the dogs as they wandered around the yard doing everything but notice the squirrels trying to attract their attention. One even ran over and perched on top of the waterfall, but he scampered off when I grabbed my phone to take his picture.

We have a lot of birds visiting our bird feeders. And squirrels. Taking care of Mother Nature isn't easy, but it's something we all need to do. Besides, I get the side benefit of watching the wide variety of avian critters who like our birdie buffet. We've got some really large blue jays who've been in attendance, and yesterday I snapped a picture of our resident woodpecker. I'll resist the urge to call him "Woody." Enjoy.

It's Magic I Tell You!

Normally when I think of magic, I think of the sort of sleight of hand that's always been popular in Las Vegas. Back in my single days, I'd take the train to Vegas to see the shows. I've never been much of a gambler, and Branson hadn't attracted my attention. I saw quite a few magicians in those days. The highlight of those experiences was Melinda--the First Lady of Magic. She had one trick I remember quite well, as she disappeared in a cloud of smoke on stage, and then she suddenly reappeared at the back of the auditorium moments later. It was so fast I imagined a certain Scottish engineer had a hand in it. She's still performing from what I understand. At one time she was associated with Rick Little, but that relationship fell apart after she discovered he'd been taping them in bed. The resulting lawsuit made national news and changed my opinion of Rick Little quite a bit. She later married Lance Burton, another Vegas Magician I'd seen in the past. That marriage lasted about as long as her trip from the stage to the back of the auditorium.

Then, of course, you can't mention magic in the current world without mentioning Harry Potter. I've read the books. I've seen the movies. Watching the three kids that started out as Harry, Hermione, and Ron grow up was something we all share in a sense. I'll confess that I had to look up how to spell Hermione, but I've got it committed to my short-term memory now.

In 1975, during my senior year in college, I had the rare opportunity to spend three days with Arthur C. Clarke (the fellow who wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey). I talk about this fairly often because as a science fiction reader and writer, meeting Arthur C. Clarke was akin to meeting Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein (and shame on you if you don't know who they are!). 

I mention Arthur C. Clarke because he created a concept that's relative to the subject of magic. He said that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Relate that to UFOs, and you've got an explanation for their ability to make right corner turns in an instant or their ability to vanish right in front of your eyes (I've had that happen).

When it comes to physics, there are a few concepts I understand innately. I can't explain them, and the scientific formulas supporting them look like a foreign language to me, but I understand some of them well enough to get by. Ideas like inertia, for example. The definition of inertia is that an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion. You have to apply force (energy) to move an object, and you have to remove energy (friction) to get an object in motion to slow down and stop. Think about driving your car. When you make a fast turn, you lean in the direction opposite the turn. You hit the brakes to slow down. Anyway, those are my ideas on the subject. I've got a good friend from college who's probably reading this and smacking his head against the wall right now. He's a retired physics professor. He also helped confirm one of my ideas about time travel not long ago. I expect he'll send me an email correcting my gross over-simplifications.

If you move beyond normal, everyday physics like the laws of motion, gravity, and so forth, you eventually end up in the realm of quantum physics/mechanics. I don't understand enough about either to know if they're two separate things or just parts of the same thing. There's where you get into the hazy, fuzzy, mysterious world that springboards into teleportation and even warp travel. 

Now, there's magic!

That's enough for now.

Take care. Stay safe.

cma 

 

17 - Today's Report, Boebert Babble, Duck & Cover, Star Wars Day

Today's Report

It's May 1st here at Adams Pond. Well, really, it's May 1st everywhere, but the impact of May's arrival has been splendid in many ways. Sandy and Timmy spent some time yesterday trying to vacuum the sludge from the bottom of the Pond, but the sludge was apparently vacuum resistant. They didn't have as much success as desired. They did, however, get the pump working properly, so the waterfall has been revived. That also means the Pond needs to be checked periodically, as the leak is still leaking.

Today's picture features Clementine studying the Mulberry Tree just west of Adams Pond. Memory tells me it's a Mulberry Tree. I'm not really very good at distinguishing trees unless they have some special characteristic that sets them apart. My mother had a magnolia tree in front of our house, and she loved it tremendously. We had a redbud tree in the back yard that served as a perch for me when I was younger. My research has established our tree is a Red Mulberry tree, and that's based on a picture of its flowers, which are extremely annoying in the spring because they have a tendency to fall into the Pond.

Back to the picture. You'll notice Clementine is looking at the tree, but the tree isn't really the object of her attention. What you can't see is the squirrel on the other side. I tried to get a shot of it as it ran in circles around the tree to tempt the dogs into barking, but it was faster than my ability to push the little white button on my phone. So, take my word for it. It's there. On the other side of the Red Mulberry Tree.

Boebert Babble

Lauren Boebert has been doing her best to stay in the news, and she doesn't care whether what she's saying makes sense or not. There are a lot of folks in the GOP that are like that, but she's aiming for the prize. Lately she's been encouraging "patriots" to stand up for their rights and force airlines to throw them off planes. She isn't specific about what rights they're protecting, but that doesn't matter. Just make a lot of noise and babble along like a brook heading swiftly downhill so it can plunge off the side of that hill and make a big splash at the bottom. Everyone say "Oooooh" in unison as they fall. This is the same--shall I stretch the boundaries of reality and call her a lady?--er, person who wore a shirt proclaiming the AR-15 was a "hole-puncher" on the same day as the latest mass murder in Texas. With an AR-15. Five people dead. Killed because their murderer declared he could do whatever he wanted on his own property. Seems he wasn't about to limit himself to his own property. Hopefully the good people of Colorado will remedy the Boebert Babbler's ability to represent them in Congress, but that won't stop the noise level.

Duck & Cover

When I was growing up, the threat of nuclear annihilation was both very real and very frightening. School kids were taught to "duck & cover" as a consequence. The idea was a nuclear weapon would ignore you if you were hiding from it. Today, that sentiment has evolved into sheltering in place if you can't escape the attack of a murderer with an AR-15 and countless other weapons. While working in New Mexico, I had to take annual courses in dealing with active shooter situations. Even in the best circumstances, survival may rely as much upon good luck as taking the right action. Kids now have the option of purchasing bullet-proof backpacks. I can't help but wonder if the same industry profiting from the proliferation of military-grade weapons isn't related to the industry trying to sell things like that. Just as in the crime shows on television, it's always good to follow the money. Who profits by keeping this terrible chaos in place?

Star Wars Day

It's May, and this Thursday is Star Wars Day. As a true Trekkie, I'll hold up my hand with my very best Vulcan salute and say, "Live long and prosper, and May the Fourth be with you."

That's enough for now. 

Be safe. Take care.

cma