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When I was a boy, we had a telephone.
I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. There was nothing she did not know. “Information Please” was her name, and she could supply anyone’s number and the correct time. My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting the neighbor next door. Houses in San Francisco are built up against each other. Amusing myself in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, and there was no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the niche in the hallway. I held the receiver to my ear, and said, “Information, please.” A click or two and a small but clear voice spoke into my ear, “Information.” “I hurt my finger.” Tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. “Isn’t your mother home?” “Nobody’s home except me.” “Are you bleeding?” the voice asked. “No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.” “Can you open the freezer?” she asked. I said I could. “Then hold an ice cube to your finger.” After that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk eats fruit and nuts. Then there was the time, Petey, our parakeet, died. I called “Information Please” and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, “Why is it that birds sing so beautifully and bring joy to all the families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?” She must have sensed my deep concern and said quietly, “Bobby, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow, I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, “Information, please.” “Information.” “How do I spell fixed?” As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often in moments of doubt, I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated how kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy. My cousins, Nancy and Vickie, answered calls from The Black Telephone.
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A fellow from Discord Nicklas ToryShire sent me the video on Aquinas.
 I just received my 2024 Social Security Stimulus Package. It contained a monthly benefit increase of two cents, a Biden “Build Back Better” bumper sticker, a prayer rug, a Kamala Speech Decoder Ring, a solar powered machine to blow smoke in my mouth, a coupon for a free oil change on my Tesla, and a “Blame it on Trump” sign for my front yard. The instructions were in Chinese. Yours should arrive soon. ring courtesy of Mickey and Cheryl Gill, AbeBooks
 747
1,547 built production period 53 years last one bought by Atlas Air in 2023 tail number N863GT Boeing manufactures its airplanes in the state of Washington (Renton and Everett) and California (Pleasanton). owner ByteDance, headquarters Beijing
nonpartisan issue Panetta is a Democrat and Pompeo is a Republican  Sung at St. Willibrord. Willibrord, Bishop of Utrecht, died in 739. Mozart died in 1791. Both were fluent in Latin. Laudate Dominum omnes gentes Laudate eum, omnes populi Quoniam confirmata est Super nos misericordia eius Et veritas, veritas Domini manet, manet in aeternum Gloria Patri et Filio Et Spiritui Sancto Sicut erat in principio Et nunc, et semper Et in saecula saeculorum Amen, Amen, Amen Praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise him, all ye peoples. For his loving mercy has been bestowed upon us, and the truth of the Lord endures for eternity. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Septuagesima is the ninth Sunday before Easter, the third before Lent, known among the Greeks as “Sunday of the Prodigal” from the Gospel, Luke 15, which they read on this day, also called Dominica Circumdederunt by the Latins, from the first word of the Introit of the Mass. Circumdedérunt is a verb meaning, “surround”, and is in the Introit for yesterday, Sunday: Circumdedérunt me gémitus mortis... The groans of death surround me... The line is the beginning of Psalm 17, and a personification. A psalm is said by the priest as he approaches the altar.  Father Schwab pointed out that the Greeks of Corinth knew all about the Olympic games. Paul was in the city for four weeks, and the Epistle was a letter sent to Catholics after the citizenry ejected him.
“Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) has urgently petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene and suspend West Point’s race-based admissions policy during the ongoing lawsuit. “The legal action against the military academy was initiated by SFFA in September 2023, arguing that West Point’s admission policies are discriminatory on the basis of race, thereby violating the Fifth Amendment....” americandigest.com/cadets-file-petition-with-supreme-court-over-west-point-race-based-admissions/? “Last year, the Supreme Court ruled for the SFFA and blocked race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In its new request, the SFFA called West Point’s admissions practices ‘worse’ than Harvard’s previous use of race.” https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4435220-supreme-court-west-point-race-admissions-factor/ Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. United States Military Academy at West Point, U.S., No. 23A696  Fifth Amendment due process is separate from, and similar to, Fourteenth Amendment due process.
The Charge of the Light Brigade BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON I Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. II “Forward, the Light Brigade!” Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. III Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell Rode the six hundred. IV Flashed all their sabres bare, Flashed as they turned in air Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while All the world wondered. Plunged in the battery-smoke Right through the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reeled from the sabre stroke Shattered and sundered. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred. V Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell. They that had fought so well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred. VI When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!  Photo by Time Life Pictures/Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images Click on his name for a twenty-minute read about a difficult life (family, male friends, marriage).
I want my taxes to go to R&D, not the UN, a foreign entity. Federal taxes are used to buy jet fighters to protect us from our enemies, and the video hints at the importance of mining in America. Voting Biden and his extreme environmentalists out is compulsory. The videographer, Sam Eckholm, is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, and his shoot has 66,000 views.
Skunk Works is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs, providing great opportunities for current and future industrial design engineers and architects, and art and film students.  “The New York Post recently published a piece reporting the UN’s release of the 2024 ‘Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (otherwise known as R4V for short),’ which outlines a $1.6 billion outlay from the UN to 17 Latin American countries.
“That document, the article notes, confirmed that the United Nations, along with 248 identified non-governmental organizations (NGOs), hands out debit cards to illegal aliens, which American taxpayers primarily fund.” By Pat Droney, Jan. 28, 2024 https://lawenforcementtoday.com/the-un-laundering-us-taxpayer-money-is-funding-our-demise-the-invasion-at-the-southern-border Artifact is a combination of two Latin words, arte, meaning “by skill,” and facere, meaning “to make.” Usually, the word is used to describe something crafted and used for a particular purpose during an earlier time. “Earlier this month, newly revised regulations surrounding the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Nagpra) went into effect, mandating that museums and other institutions obtain consent from tribes in order to showcase or research human remains or cultural items. The new guidelines also give institutions five years to prepare all human remains and related funerary objects for repatriation while giving more authority to tribes throughout the process.” -The Guardian (British daily) The American Museum of Natural History in New York is taking steps to comply with recently updated federal regulations under Biden regarding the display of American Indian artifacts. -Conservative Institute (non-profit) The museum is closing two halls. Nativist activists in DC are at it again. This, while real problems go unaddressed. I would be honored if a family artifact, had I one, were in a museum, and I’m sure American Indians are. The first Amerindians are postulated to have come from Asia over the Bering land bridge between 30,000–12,000 years ago based on cultural, morphological, and genetic similarities between American and Asian populations. -National Institutes of Health  Beth is the former Director of Undergraduate Traditional Animation at Academy of Art University (AAU) and is now a kinetic artist – sculptor. I met Beth when I was a patrol officer at AAU. She never needed my help, but we became friends quickly and recently reconnected on LinkedIn.
She was well-liked by everyone, and that means students, instructors, and administrators. Beth is very modest about her art and role at AAU. So here is the truth. Her career at AAU extended to 15 1/2 years. Beth was a director before stepping down from full-time teaching and becoming an adjunct instructor. A director is a dean at other universities, but at AAU, directors carry a full-time teaching load. While at AAU, Beth directed 2D and Classical Animation (i.e. Stop-Motion and other physical techniques) for the Undergraduate Animation Programs up to June 2018, and then pursued her own work. (I left AAU in October 2016.) For two years prior to AAU, she used “Future Splash Animator” (aka Flash) to create animated content for Disney for the animated storybooks on Disney's Daily Blast site. After hours, Beth worked with eMotion studios on programs for The Just Think Foundation. Her other careers included composing for The San Diego Union-Tribune and Art Director for American Film Technologies. She hails from Texas Tech University and the University of Houston. On top of all that, Beth speaks Dutch. She is definitely an individual, as great artists are, and talkative, as great teachers are, and kind as heck. Beth can outtalk the best. https://epsousa.com/  Peter and Paul went to Rome, the Apostolic Age ended with John's death, all the essentials were in place, and the Latin Mass was born. Immutabile est. God, He waited patiently for me to get in line for this.
The Hatch Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321-7326, restricts certain federal employees from involvement in partisan political activity. Partisan political activity is any activity directed toward the success or failure of a partisan candidate, political party, or partisan political group. Justice Department https://www.justice.gov/jmd/political-activities
Upon employment, employees are given a pamphlet explaining what are restricted activities. Moreover, ignorance of the law is not a defense. In law, ignorantia juris non excusat (ignorance of the law excuses not), or ignorantia legis neminem excusat (ignorance of the law excuses no one), is a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content. I post because certain employees in favor of Biden and against Trump in 2020 came under scrutiny for engaging in restricted activities. Stations Of The Cross For Kids & Stations of the Cross Cards & Easel Set 2 Item Set $41.90 Exclusive Set Price Only $37.71  Giving you an update on Alexander. He has written 219 pages, including drawings. We are collaborating on an eBook, but only a portion of the pages written are destined for the eBook, an allegory...if ever completed. I hope you get a sense of his sense of humor. Alexander's intelligence quotient is beyond mine, but we have one thing in common: we are barely fit to live among the living.
 Last week the Harvard presidency job was offered to Obama. He deferred the suggestion. Didn’t outright reject. Deferred.
’94 I met hotshot law student Barack. We shared literary agent Jane Dystel who rep’d the biggies. Her dad, Oscar, the power of Bantam, created the pocketbooks concept. Jane rep’d unknown Obama’s ’95 book “Dreams of My Father,” which sold no place. She babysat it. He became known. Her edited, newly rejuiced version sold like the Bible. His gratitude? He told me, “I am cool, never sweat, never nervous.” Turning on her professionally, financially, he went to Clinton’s book agent. Michelle gave him permission to run for president. Now he’s pushing her. The plan: Indictments tie DJT up in court. Obama — whose presidency began the far left/anti-Israel/pro-Iran shift — back in control. Obama people are White House staffers. High level pols deny Michelle’s a candidate — despite people involved saying it. Supposedly this information’s firsthand. So, believe it or not. A survey to several Dem donors admitted that summer 2022, Michelle met top NYC execs saying, “I’d like your support.” Replacing placeholder Joe was not to be revealed until late May, when he’d drop out. https://nypost.com/2024/01/23/opinion/barack-obamas-deferral-means-he-could-be-harvards-next-president/ Adams, an insider but too old to be arrogant, knows how to write: her clipped style is just right for opinion journalism. I have a sick feeling that the prediction, her ‘gossip’, is correct, and sometimes gossip is just analysis that hits first page first. I wager she wrote this piece short of 30 minutes. Illustration by Tom Bachtell care of The New Yorker On Nov 18, 2023, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz ordained 24 seminarians to the minor orders of acolyte, exorcist, lector, and porter: Israel Alfante, Matthew Davis, Thomas Eggers, Jose Fernandez, Jr, Andrew George, Harrison Godfrey, Jacob Jurkovic, Szymon Kubasiak, Clay Matthews, Ryan Ng, David Prezzia, Sean Sontz, Joseph Specht, Kevin Zaporski, Robert Becker, Alexander Brown, Sean Calderon, Brendan D'Amato, John Falciano, Matthew Lesinski, Daniel Mellino, Dominic Rumore, Jacob Sievek, and Rodrigo Torres Gonzalez. Minors are steps toward priesthood, like the Boy Scouts.  There are no lay deacons in traditional circles.
If planning a trip to Europe in 2024, consider staying at Fontgombault Abbey. Aerial view of the founding location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abbaye_Saint-Pierre_de_Solesmes.webm Home page of Fontgombault: abbaye-fontgombault.fr/website/pages/EN/accueil.html The home page is comprehensive. |
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