Monday, November 28, 2022

Ukraine in 2022: Dark and Colder Times

Ukraine in 2022: Dark and Colder Times

    People saw it coming from last year, 2021, the end of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. Russian troops amassed on the Ukrainian border and went to take it at the end of February, the end of winter. Very cold climate; there was more fuel, food, supplies, and living people then. Now we are approaching December, times are cold again. Russia and Ukraine are locked in a deadly and awful battle.

    A lot of suffering, death, destruction. Outrage. I am not sure how we can effectively communicate this sentiment and reaction. This is not acceptable. The United Nations? Wow. Russia/ U.S.S.R. was a founding member. And the People's Republic of China inherited another spot, one of five key foundational members. It is a joke, and not funny at all.

    Sorry, Ukraine.

    We did not do the right thing back in 2008 when we let Russia bully and brutalize Georgia with South Ossetia. We did not do enough to help Ukraine in 2014, giving up the Crimea.

    We have not done enough. But hopefully the plucky and brave Ukrainians will.

    Long live Ukraine!


Home School Fans Episode 12 - Week 12: BYU Football Gets One Back

Home School Fans Episode 12 - Week 12: BYU Football Gets One Back

    The regular season is over for most teams. Some championship matches remain, plus Army and Navy. And Akron and Buffalo, or some MAC team like that, that was postponed for snow or something. BYU is done. Indiana is done. About 90 percent of the 131 teams are done for the year, except over half who have bowl games. 70 plus have bowl games in the next month, including BYU, but not Indiana.

    The Cougars outplayed Stanford, and the Cardinal coach resigned.

    More in a bit. 

    I should write about Ukraine. They deserve more ink.

    


Sunday, November 27, 2022

Inner Dialog

Inner Dialogue

 Hola,

Mom says you had questions about this. Fascinating topic.
It makes me think of a few things.
The "writer" voice that many of us try to develop is usually close to our own. We have a style, our grammar, syntax, thought patterns, themes, perhaps tropes, which are unique to us. In fiction we create other voices, other characters outside of our own, but they all reflect voices from within. All that come from one subject is intrinsic to that person. Meaning, we all create our own versions of our thoughts, albeit with different personas.
Some people believe that all of us are subsumed into one collective consciousness. That we all amass to share one great, collective thought process, or that all of us are connected through our minds, brains, souls. Social media makes us more connected than ever before. It is interesting to see the vitriol and hyperbole that takes place there. In some ways it is like one person who simply is at constant debate and dispute with himself/herself.
Some who believe in the omniscient God, or others who posit confidence and creed in multiple deities, believe in knowledge that is cabal, complete, known, determined. We the little ones, the creations and followers, acolytes, simply need to fill in the gaps and then we will know all that there is to know. To be like God or the gods.
Others, more empirical or cynical, or some would argue pragmatic and realistic (subjective notion, in my opinion), believe that life and existence are more random, arbitrary, that there is no overarching plan or rhyme to the universe or of why we exist.
To each his/her own. 
I tend to identify with the former, that there is reason and purpose behind things. Big things, even little things. Little things could be explained easily by known science: chemistry, physics, biology. Simple enough. Bigger things get murkier, more ambiguous, more opaque, more debatable. Harder to know teleology.
So yeah, it is settled that none of it is settled. A lot of freedom to believe many things.
Back to the inner dialogue. I consider all these things, and I go with what lines up and feels right. I am optimistic, and I hope for good things that result as a consequence of our best efforts. I am hopeful for the triumph of good and love.
I like to write and blog, and I know that my voice has been consistent all my life. I think that that pattern will continue. I enjoy but I am also embarrassed by some past writings, in my journals and blogs, letters, and scraps and recordings long forgotten. Or the readings that we accumulate. Good, bad, and ugly.
It is all a part of me, you, us.
So, I think that those things are parts of my inner-dialogue, and I feel like it is a part of everyone else's. But we all have different agendas and attitudes. We are all separate and autonomous in so many ways, but in the end, we may not be as separate as some would like to think.
If God is our uniting parent, along with a mother, then we are not too far apart from one another as some might claim.
And, I think that we all have competing voices for our thoughts. That is utterly natural.
One more thing. Me being LDS, I definitely have an inner dialogue with personas like Nephi and Book of Mormon prophets, and modern ones, like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, etc. Whether fiction or real, their prophesies and beliefs, their thoughts and aspirations, they have a place along my thoughts and voices, whether I accept them or not.
Some people figure that the voices of their childhood, that beliefs and other thoughts projected on them as youth or later, are to be detached and disregarded. That we have to find our "own" voice. Sure, we have to know our own voice. But do we have to eliminate the other voices to "have" our own? I think not. I think that all the voices combine and grow together. Our growing voice becomes better and richer.
I think that all the things are there in me, along with thoughts and voices of my mom, now passed, my adopted grandma Ruby, now in my past, and many other people who have moved on, some of them being those in books and shows that I have never met in person, are part of me. Those voices can daily or occasionally bear on my inner dialogue.
Does that clear things up? Sure.
--Dad


and other appellations- 3 November 2022 



Micah of Old Saw Things of Today - God Knows All

Micah of Old Saw Things of Today - God Knows All

    We trust that all things are known to and under the power of God our creator, and as Christians specifically, that He rules through His Son, Jesus Christ. Over the ages God has sent prophets to guide us and speak to us, and it would behoove us to listen to them, heed their words, follow their counsel. 

    Micah prophesied of the last days, which we are living in, that there will be signs or fulfillments of God's promises to His people. His people are those that believe in Him and try to obey Him, do their best to recognize His love, authority, and commands. Some people believe that God does not have organized or very organized faiths or structures that would follow His will. Others, like me, believe that He does authorize and organize His followers.

    Micah has some good foretelling of the "end times" in Chapter one.

    I will list some of them with my interpretations.

But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

    Some people believe that "the mountain of the House of the Lord" is the temple. The temple of God in the past was established in various ways, including a mobile tent called the tabernacle of the Holies, that was maintained by the Twelve Tribes of Israel as they had come out of bondage in Egypt. These peoples settled the Holy Land of Palestine, where eventually the Temple of Solomon was built in the holy city of Jerusalem, followed by later edifices in the Temple of Zerubbabel and the rebuilt temple of Herod, the one that Jesus cleaned out of the money traders and sellers with a braided whip.

    Some believe that the "top of the mountains" in the last days, as Micah explained, could be Utah, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been rooted since 1847. This Church and its people built temples that would fulfill the promises, covenants, and blessings of the ancient times of the Bible. Joseph Smith Junior, who was a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln, but dying younger in 1844, learned what was needed to build these modern day holy places, serving all the people, the covenant chosen of God. 

    I met a man who thought it was preposterous that Utah, in the United States, would be the place of God's choosing for the restoration and foundation of God's chosen peoples. Most people see the Latter-day Saints as fanciful and odd, or peculiar, even others go as far as to say that they are delusional or bad, sinful, error prone. By any definition or characterization, the Saints of this American Zion have some unusual and bold claims, but they believe that these are the will of the God of Heaven from long ago, going back to Adam and Eve. I am a part, and we believe that the temple of Salt Lake City and the others in Utah and surrounding the globe are the literal and spiritual fulfillments of these prophecies and words of Micah.

And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

    We, Latter-day Saints, believe that the nations are going to the "Mountain of the Lord", the restored temples of the Church of Jesus Christ, in Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., and across the earth. People of all nations.

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

    The prophecies or predictions, promises of God or the Lord "rebuking nations from afar off", is open to interpretation. What does this mean? Are some countries or people converting to peaceful ways instead of the ways of war? has this, or is this prophecy coming true yet? Do we have to wait to the Millenium? The thousand years of peace promised in the scriptures, a time when there will be no more for so many generations?

But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.

    Has this happened? What does it mean? What are our "fig trees"? And the people will have no fear? When or what will this be? What will this look like?

For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

   I know many people of many ages, backgrounds, who believe in this future utopia, a time or place of peace and in effect, heaven. Jewish, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus. We all have future hopes and visions. We all share these goals, even Karl Marx and all the Communists. Apparently Godless, they. But we all have the future hopes of Micah.

    Long live these words, and may they come to fruition!   



Saturday, November 26, 2022

College Basketball in November '22: Trouble in Paradise, Hope for Many

College Basketball in November '22: Trouble in Paradise, Hope for Many

    I got the Lindy's college basketball magazine, which has North Carolina winning it all. 

    Not so fast! They were upset last night by Iowa State, and the Tarheels have not been that impressive, even against lesser squads. Now they have my Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington next Wednesday, and even though Indiana has a few flaws, especially the all-American senior Trace Jackson-Davis being a bit banged up, I am liking the matchup. Perhaps it did not help that UNC just lost last night.

    Speaking of last night, the Tennessee Volunteers walloped the Kansas Jayhawks (defending national champions from last spring), and the Purdue Boilermakers whooped up on Gonzaga, which was previously blasted by Texas. People are high on the Longhorns, and who else? Hmm...

    Baylor? Duke? Kentucky? UConn looks good. Some Big-Ten teams look solid. ACC? Big-12? Yes, the latter looks really strong, especially now with a Cyclone win over Carolina. Gonzaga is not its dominant juggernaut. UCLA may be the best in the West.

    Louisville and Florida State are down. Practically out. Villanova lost to Portland, the ---- Pilots last night, or earlier in the tourney day. The season is young.

    I am excited for the ever-loving and ubiquitous parity. Great to see. BYU has lost to some good teams, but came back from 23 down and beat Dayton in Over Time. Dayton was picked by Lindy's as number 21, Brigham Young was not chosen in the top 40.

    The season is wide open!

    Indiana has a good a chance as any. The Big Ten will not be easy, but if IU plays its cards right, it might meet expectations and win it all. Regular season, tourney and tourney. What a year we may have!

    I am excited.

    We will see the Tarheels soon. Anything could happen this year.

    Teams with losses have good chances to win it all, this early in the season. Oh, yeah, Kelvin Sampson and Houston look strong.

    We can handle them. Indiana all the way.

    


Home School Fans Episode 11 - Week 11: Part III - A&M Stinks

Home School Fans Episode 11 - Week 11: Part III - A&M Stinks

    Well, if you did not know or care, I wanted to report in seven teams this year, the season of 2022, and vary it up from last year. In 2021 I reported weekly on Georgia, Clemson, Brigham Young, Miami, Auburn, Indiana, and Notre Dame. That was based on having people around me that were interested in those teams. I sent them the weekly reports, and I got good feedback on them. 

    This year I picked my two alma maters, plus five other teams that interested me. I thought that Texas A&M, Utah, and BYU would have stellar seasons, even able to go undefeated or near so. I was wrong! So wrong. Utah ended up losing its opener in Florida and two more in the PAC-12, BYU could not win a thing in October, which was wall to wall games, and then there is the Aggies: whooo man! They have been awful! Despite a couple of close losses and a clutch win, they have been pounded repeatedly and relentlessly (thanks the for the suggestion, Blogger).

    They now sit at 4-7, and play LSU. That should not be pretty, but I wish them good luck. They have the same record as IU, which plays archrival Purdue today. That will be a significant challenge to my Hoosiers, but I think that Indiana stands a better chance against Purdue than A&M against the Tigers.

    Purdue is ranked 35 at 7-4, IU is 4-7 at 84th.

    LSU is ranked 6th at 9-2, A&M is 4-7 and ranked 79th.

    Best of luck, ending some tough seasons. Jimbo Fisher, it is hard to believe that your team was this bad.

    Tom Allen of IU? We had chances against beatable Rutgers and Maryland, and that did not happen. There was some improvement in some phases, including the huge OT win over Michigan State.

    


Friday, November 25, 2022

Home School Fans Episode 11 - Week 11: Part II BYU Gets to Six Wins

Home School Fans Episode 11 - Week 11: Part II BYU Gets to Six Wins

BYU, As it Should Do - But not in October! 

    It gets the distance and the win on Utah Tech, who had some impressive players. The first half was too close and the BYU defense was rather paltry, as it had been to too many in October, the worst of it I saw in person in Lynchburg. The second half righted the ship (I feel like I have written on this already?), and they won 52 to 26. A Cougar bench player name Fall scored a last minute score. Good for him, sitting the bench all season and showing some gusto. Score!

    Now 6-5, and they will get a bowl. Last game tomorrow late at night is Stanford; we owe them some payback. I was in Palo Alto when they lambasted us in 2004. With my brother-in-law. They beat us in Provo the year before that, in 2003, when the wheels were coming off the program.

    Jaren Hall has had an up and down season, he may go pro. The running backs have been hurt and at times stifled. Ahh, the Liberty game! We were embarrassed, sure. Liberty has gone on to lose a few... Still, a good 8-win season, at least. The Flames have not totally flamed out.

    Beating a down Stanford Cardinal will give this at times disparaging 2022 BYU football a decent finish. What a team, this squad. Now ranked 60th by CBSSports.com.

    That is okay, for what October was. Boise State at the end, the skin of our teeth, saved the season in many aspects. Stanford will continue that salvation, or partial redemption.

    Fresno State: Keeping Track

    The Bulldogs win another game, this time crushing the Wolf Pack (wait! was that last week?). As I blog they are blanking the Wyoming Cowboys 16-0 in the second quarter. This will make them 8-4, and on their way to the Mountain West championship game. Better than my Cougars, overall. Ranked 61st, not bad, not that great.

    Update: Now 23-0, Bulldogs. They seem to be better than 61st, maybe.

    James Madison: A Respectable Year

After two respectable wins, the Dukes are now 7-3, ranked 47. They handled the Georgia State Panthers (right?) pretty easily. They are ranked ahead of BYU and FSU, not to mention Texas A&M and Indiana. Second best in the seven-team round up? I guess so.

    Now: the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina are next. That is who upset the Cougars (my Brigham Young ones, not Houston or Washington State) in the pandemic season of 2020. 

    I predict the Coastal Carolina team wins tomorrow, but never sleep on the Dukes. A really decent season for them, in Harrisonburg, no matter what happens against the Chanticleers.

    That's all.

    Blog it.


Home School Fans Episode 11 - Week 11: Indiana Shows Life

Home School Fans Episode 11 - Week 11: Indiana Shows Life

    Well, a bit of the wind of my enthusiastic sails blew away by October 22, and subsequently, when BYU was proving that it was severely challenged as a good team, and Indiana, too. It has been harder to stay motivated and write about the teams, but this last Saturday was not that bad. My main teams won.

    But first, to start with arguably the most important thing, which is life and death, we will go with the tragic-touched Virginia Cavaliers.

    Virginia Deaths and Cancellation of Season

    The shooter was Chris Darnell Jones, a former player who went to Charlottesville in 2018, but apparently was no longer on the team. After a bus trip to D.C., he took a weapon and shot three fellow classmates dead and injured two more. Not a lot of reasons that we know of. You may know my take: which is that cannabis or THC or some chemical is pushing a lot of triggers to make guys like this, killers. Active shooters, psychopaths, all of them. The high school shooters, like Salvador Ramos in Uvalde, Texas, and on and on. UVA cancelled its last two games and finished a very disappointing 3-7. Cannabis, pot. Killing us one shooter at a time.

    Very sorry for them and the loss of the three young men, who by all appearances and reports were outstanding guys. A huge loss, which definitely transcends the game of football. I hope they can recover and come back better next year, and all those involved can heal and improve from this terrible event.

    RIP Wahoo players. Very sad way to end this football season.

    And I do have to add, I am increasingly convinced that THC or cannabis is affecting all these crazy shootings and murders. I try to bring this up with many people. It is a common thread in all the killers, I am sure of it. And CBSSports has them rated at: 95 out of 131. They played hard, lost some close fought battles, but in the end real life took over, and it will be a longer, sadder, winter, for sure.

    God bless the Wahoos.

    Indiana! What a plucky, lucky win!

    Whoo. Whoo boy. Whew!

    IU pulls off a semi-miracle comeback (down by 17 at the half; they have not won in such a fashion of such a deficit since 2003. 0-38 against such circumstances. Even with some good years when the Hoosiers made it to bowl games. They never had such a comeback in 19 years, since last Saturday.

    It required some major momentum swings, some incredible plays like the TD kickoff return by Jaylin Lucas, and an easy missed close FG by Michigan State as regulation time ended.

    The first and only Over Time got better and it was snowing in East Lansing. And IU scored and won by 8. The Spartans were having an okay year, was 5-5 and trying to be bowl eligible. They need to win their last game now. IU, even with a win tomorrow against Purdue, who is bowl eligible, would only finish 5-7, with perhaps a little bit of a chance of a bowl, because some have predicted that two FBS 5-7 college squads will go bowling.

    What else to say? IU has a lot of injuries, but played well enough. Dexter Williams seems to be the QB for the Hoosiers, for the present and the future. He makes it a better offense, for sure. Despite all the hurt receivers and other defensive guys, we may be able to beat Purdue. We shall see.

    Utes Lose to Ducks, but Still the best of my Seven

    Utah loses a rather close one to the Oregon Ducks, who earlier crushed my BYU Cougars, showing the world that the Cougars were not what we thought they were, or what they would be. Utah is like top 12. (Okay, officially #14 in the CBS poll). It was a late game and I think that I went to sleep early, before it ended. That is good on me, as it is good to sleep and not watch more than 6 or 10 or more hours of college football on a given Saturday. We also watched some movies or a show as a family, so that is good on me. Way to go, dad.

    Sorry Utes, better luck next year.

    Will publish now. Part II next.

    Preview...

    BYU Struggles to get Ahead of Instate FCS Team, but Prevails

    Fresno State:

    James Madison.




Thursday, November 24, 2022

The Swiss Man by the Holocaust Museum

 The Swiss Man by the Holocaust Museum

    Summer 1995. I was blessed to be walking and talking in the Holy Land. A group of us spent two months there, around sixty days learning and sharing. It was part of my college's study abroad that they had been conducting informally and formally for many years.

    Based in Jerusalem, city of sights and memories, lessons and histories, symbolism and struggles. A small group of us went to Yad Vashem. I think it was me and Sarah Williams, a friend from my Provo Ward, and a young lady from Stanford. And maybe one other? Darby Davis? Not sure, I cannot remember all the details.

    We took the bus to the side of town with this august, somber, important memorial, dedicated to the more than six million Jewish victims massacred in the 1940s in Europe. Sarah, who had been my friend in Provo, had served her church mission in German-speaking Switzerland. Having served my mission in Chile, and more or less falling in love with the language and the culture of that South American country, I thought that Sarah would have such a happy reaction to meeting someone from Switzerland, as I would someone from Chile.

    At the bus stop across from Yad Vashem we met and spoke to a stranger, who was Swiss! He was an older man. I thought that once that we had established that he was from central Europe, where Sarah had lived and learned his native language, there would be some kind of warm conversation from them. But the man was reticent, or silent, and kept his peace a few feet away from us. Maybe he averted our eyes. I asked Sarah: why not talk more to him? She indicated discretely that the man did not want to engage in further dialog, and perhaps he was affected by the place where we were. Yad Vashem.

    I understood. I have tried to understand that moment for a long time. Ever since. How do we deal with such things? How do we survive such loss?

    There were large forest fires in Israel north of Jerusalem that summer, and the ashes of the burnt trees were drifting across the Holy Land that day, as we observed and paid our reverence and respects at the Jewish Holocaust Museum.

    Ashes came falling down on us standing by the bus stop, next to this silent old man from Switzerland. We kept quiet; we let him be to himself. Maybe he visited the museum frequently, as I know some visit beloved gravestones. Maybe this was his first time to frequent this solemn place. 

    I am not sure what memories and visions he was seeing, perhaps recalling and rehashing. He may have been thinking of people long gone, perhaps taken too soon, and in brutal, dark ways. Family, friends, neighborhoods, nations. But, I think that flaking ashes in the air probably said enough about all of that.

    The burnt holocausts of thousands of years of worship of a people based here, next to the Mediterranean Sea, became the name of an awful time in the lives and ultimate destinies of millions of victims and survivors in the mid 20th century. We know it as the Holocaust. In a way mocking the ancient rite.

    The silent ashes of the Holy Land spoke loudly to me and us that summer day.



    

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Paul Bremer and Chris Stephens: American Efforts to Engage the World

Paul Bremer and Chris Stephens: American Efforts to Engage the World

    This would be my dissertation, I think.


Sunday, November 20, 2022

Attacks on the Book of Mormon - Old and New

Attacks on the Book of Mormon - Old and New

    There are at least 100 reasons to discount that the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be, a true document. There are many reasons to believe that it is false. There are maybe three reasons to believe it is what it purports to be, the word of God, meant for the latter days. (I started this post back in October or so, 2022. I have been slow to follow up on it.)

    I wish to account for some of the reasons to disbelieve in this book and to not accept its messages first. In no particular order.

1.) Those who do not believe there is God will not support or give credence to the Book of Mormon. The book is replete with faith in and following the Supreme Being, known to most of the world as God the Father. And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

2.) There are those that believe in God the Father, but do not believe that Jesus Christ is His Son, and that there is no One next to God or like Him. The Book of Mormon is always claiming that Christ is God's chosen Savior for mankind.

3.) Believing in the truth of the Book of Mormon, its veracity in content and its background, translated by Joseph Smith, would make him a modern-day prophet and the Church that he helped restore, true. Many people have too many issues with that.

4.) Joseph Smith was a delusional yet creative man.

5.) Joseph Smith stole the stories and writings of the Book of Mormon from others.

6.) Joseph Smith borrowed from others and their writing talents to produce the book.

7.) Joseph Smith was an instrument of Satan to fool others.

8.) All alleged holy books are self-delusional, based on fanciful lies and fantasies. 

9.) Books of Mormon are part of a Church that is an American corporation to consolidate power and money. The Book of Mormon is a tool to back up the power grab. No Divine or Demonic influence involved, simply realpolitick.

10.) The Book of Mormon has errors and is not based on secular nor scientific history.

11.) The Book of Mormon does not correspond with, or contradicts the Holy Bible, which is true.

12.) The Book of Mormon is racist.

Am I missing any others? That is a good sampling of the main arguments against this Book of Mormon.








Every City has a Black Mall

Every City has a Black Mall

    People on the radio have said that every city (they mean in the United States) has a Black mall. They mentioned that this mall (a conglomeration of many stores and vendors inside one complex) would have more than one Foot Locker. The implication is that the Black community cares greatly about kicks. Shoes. Footwear.

    Huh. A White man, involved with a show about comedy, these people recounted, questioned whether if there really was a "Black mall". I do not doubt these radio speakers, most from Southside Chicago and one from Atlanta.

    I believe them. They are recounting reality.

    A comment from me about malls and shoe stores: I learned about the talking mina bird at a shoe store at my town mall. I grew up in a town, not a city. It is becoming a city. In the 2020s.


    Growing up in the Midwest, frequently visiting Massachusetts and the D.C. area, I was not aware that there were Black Malls. Most of my adult life I was unaware of this, too. We would visit malls in Indianapolis and Louisville. I have been to ones across the country now, Utah and California, Virginia and a few other states. And a few in South America and the Middle East.
_____________

    I believe that a Foot Action southeast of D.C. was in on a heist of my wife's vehicle, which we reported to the law enforcement two different places. Metro PD and national park service. The latter looked at our van but did not see the hole drilled in the driver's door. The former thought that they knew who stole or burglarized our van, my wife's purse and credit card, I.D.s (to include a military one, which can be a headache), and my son's pocketknife.

    I started on writing about Black malls, and ended by describing a burglary of my family.

    The crime occurred at the National Mall of the District of Colombia. The Mall.

    Not a Black mall. The nation's. All of our mall.

    That's all for now.

Friday, November 18, 2022

Winter Light - Question Faith - All the Houses of Worship

Winter Light - Question Faith - All the Houses of Worship

    It is good to see on the silver screen, what man and woman, what children, what some sentient beings, do. Which is: question. Question it all. Questions to all.

    A Swedish film, is it Ingmar Bergman? Likely, I have seen a few. Wild Strawberries. Art of that ilk.

    It had me racing, or slowly glimpsing, times past. All the places of worhip.

    All the places. From Juneau to Muchen. And all in between.


Thank you, and tok. Or dank. Danke.


The Dead are Alive In Christ - Countless Folds

The Dead are Alive In Christ - Countless Folds

    I was talking to my boys yesterday about how many people were on the earth living, today, and traffic on the Internet. 8 billion living souls now. 2022.

    We know that there are many more who came before us. Hundreds of billions, it is reasoned. Arthur C. Clarke said maybe there were 150 billion people who lived as of the 1970s. Depends on how we count people, how early they developed into full humans. 

    Nevertheless, there are more that are dead than living.

    Thursday night (mid-November) I was able to act on behalf of one, an ancestor named Samuel T. Watters. Born in 1855, I am not sure when he died. He has his temple work, higher covenants with God through Jesus Christ, done for him as of 2022. 
    If God is not who he claims to be through His prophets, then this means little.
    But if all the temple work is true, how wondrous it is!

    We are all becoming one big celestial family and kingdom!

    All of us who acknowledge that God is the source of all.

    I believe it.
Not the same Samuel T. Watters. A different one, possibly born in 1838.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Parte de Mí

 

                                                                                   Parte de mí

 

Yo viví en Sudamérica tres veces. Me gustó bastante la primera vez, así que volví para agarrar más vida allá dos veces más. Aprendizaje contínua, se podría decir.

A veces pienso en español, por varias razones. Como por ejemplo, una razón porque pienso en el idioma de Latinoamérica, de Chile y de Méjico y España, es que me esforcé por unos años de aprender a hablar, escuchar, leer y escriber, y hasta cantar y soñar en ello. Y al final de los primeros casi dos años me sentí a gusto con poder hacerlo; me sentí cómodo en poder comunicarme y expresarme así, aunque fuera gringo, no más.

Yo me fuí de Chile despues de veintidos meses allá por la primera vez, cuando era jóven e impressionable. Y claro que me impresioné mucho con todo lo que hubo conmigo, todo. Todo me encantó, y a la vez mucho me chocó también: pero así es el amor y la pasión, el ardor de pena y las emociones fuertes de vivir y andar en otro ambiente, con otro pueblo, con otra vida. Una vida distinta, nueva, profúndamente llegadora, y muchas veces acogedora. Tiempo de comprenderse y experimentar, y agregar nuevos pensamientos y sentimientos, que sí eran punzantes y abundantes.

Así que me fuí del país y del pueblo donde me encariñé, pero ellos no se me fueron de mí. Yo andaba de neuvo en mi pueblo natal, después de dos años formidables, en la tierra de mi crianza otra vez, con el idioma nativo mío, después de haber vivido en Sudamérica, pero aún el alma y el espíritu del sur se me quedaba, no me salía.

Yo salí del país, sí, pero el país no me salió de mí; se me había entrado y no me dejó. No me tenía cautivado, no eso, sino que parte de mí quedó por allá.

Y así es.

Y así quedó parte de mí. Mucho de eso, restante, que mora, en este bonito idioma. Lengua de romance y del base Latín. Bastante anciano e histórico. Rico y extranjero, misterioso y simple. El castellano, como dicen allá.

***

Ahora se entiende mejor cuando digo y explico: a veces pienso, sueño, cuento chistes, predico sermones, discuteo y me río, y hasta canto alabanzas y ofrezco rezos en español.

Y es parte de mí.

_______________________________________

El diecíseis de noviembre, dos mil veintidos.   

Lalín, mi cuate. Eso es.



"Sportswashing"

 "Sportswashing"

    According to a source on the radio, which I find reliable, this is a grave and true phenomenon.

    Countries guilty of it? China, Russia, Qatar. 

    Some could accuse all the Western powers of doing this, but that is a matter of perspective.
Blog it.

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Louisville Cardinals Basketball: Looking Ugly Early, Bruh

Louisville Cardinals Basketball: Looking Ugly Early, Bruh

    Whooo... The Cardinals, a team of historically good import in college basketball, has a new coach. And they are losing early on in the first have of November, the season is young.

    They have lost their first three games: their last one tonight to Appalachian State.

    First game that they lost was  to Bellarmine, which looked impressive. A fellow Louisville team, which has not been Division I for very long.

    Game two loss was to: ______________

    Wright State.

    And every loss was by one point.

    Ouch.

    I have seen IU struggle many years, but this Cardinal team looks ugly...

    And I kind of love it!




I am Still Writing a Book - Slowly Coming

 I am Still Writing a Book - Slowly Coming

    I was going through my book recently, my wife helped me last Sunday by listening to one of my later chapters, "The Dying Man". I made some edits, it was good. I went to Chapter 10, and I found quite a few things that I needed to clean up, add to, improve. So, that is good.

    I am doing some post story reflections, too, so this is taking some time. I am slow. Like, 6 months past the time when most of the core story was done. It is moving, though. Still worth it.

    The Watchman: A Reflection on Afghanistan and the World We Share


    It is coming! Slowly.

    


Monday, November 14, 2022

Lots of Division One College Basketball Teams - Part Three

 Los Angeles, California.

North of West LA: UCLA Bruins.

East of West LA: USC Trojans.

South of West LA: Loyola Marymount 

West of West LA: Pepperdine Waves.


Ashburn, Virginia

North of Ashburn: Mount Saint Mary's in Maryland.

East of Ashburn: American University. 

South of Ashburn: George Mason. 

West of Ashburn:  James Madison to the southwest or West Virginia to the northwest.

Monterey, California

North of Monterey: San Jose State Spartans

East of Monterey: Fresno State Bulldogs

South of Monterey: Caly Poly

West of Monterey: University of Hawai'i Warriors.



Sunday, November 13, 2022

212 Division One Men's Soccer Programs

212 Division One Men's Soccer Programs

    Indiana University has one of the best soccer programs in the country for men. It has been the fastest to arrive at 800 wins in its 50th year of existence. It has eight national championships, second all-time to St. Louis, which has not won a College Cup for a long time, like in the mid 1970s.

    I was surprised that there were this many teams in the nation, considering that the 14 schools of the Big Ten does not every program with a soccer team, like none at Purdue, Minnesota, or Iowa or Nebraska. Nor Illinois. I guess the Big Ten only has nine men soccer teams.

    Rutgers (1) won the Big Ten Tourney over IU today. Maryland (2) won the regular season, barely (by tying IU with 3 minutes to go, last game of the season). Michigan (3) has had some good teams. Michigan State (4), Wisconsin (5), Northwestern (6), Ohio State (7), and Penn State (8), and Indiana (9) rounds out the this rather successful group of athletic schools.

    Where are the 212 teams located? All over.

    Many in the east. Especially northeast. The Western U.S. seems to have a disproportionate amount too, compared to other parts of the country.

1WashingtonPac-1215-0-35-0-20-0-010-0-10-0-0
2KentuckySun Belt12-0-54-0-20-0-08-0-30-0-0
3VirginiaACC10-4-33-0-10-1-07-3-20-0-0
4SyracuseACC13-2-35-0-20-0-08-2-10-0-0
5StanfordPac-129-2-54-1-20-0-05-1-30-0-0
6DukeACC11-1-44-0-10-0-07-1-30-0-0
7ClemsonACC12-5-15-1-10-0-07-4-00-0-0
8CornellIvy League12-3-18-1-10-0-04-2-00-0-0
9SMUAAC10-4-12-4-00-0-08-0-10-0-0
10VermontAmerica East13-2-25-1-10-0-08-1-10-0-0
11LipscombASUN12-2-26-2-20-0-06-0-00-0-0
12UNC GreensboroSoCon12-1-44-1-30-0-08-0-10-0-0
13AkronMAC11-2-54-2-20-0-07-0-30-0-0
14TulsaAAC9-4-23-3-10-0-06-1-10-0-0
15PennIvy League11-2-26-2-20-0-05-0-00-0-0
16MarylandBig Ten10-2-53-0-21-0-06-2-30-0-0
17FIUAAC11-4-15-2-10-0-06-2-00-0-0
18Saint LouisAtlantic 1010-4-15-2-00-0-05-2-11-0-0
19PittsburghACC8-4-52-3-10-0-06-1-40-0-0
20Oregon St.Pac-126-3-63-2-10-0-03-1-50-0-0
21New HampshireAmerica East12-4-05-3-00-0-07-1-00-0-0
22LouisvilleACC9-5-33-2-10-0-06-3-20-0-0
23IndianaBig Ten8-3-62-2-30-0-06-1-31-0-0
24ElonCAA11-3-34-1-12-0-05-2-20-0-0
25Wake ForestACC14-4-03-3-00-0-011-1-00-0-0
26PortlandWCC11-2-32-2-20-0-09-0-10-0-0
27GeorgetownBig East10-4-33-3-10-0-07-1-20-0-0
28Missouri St.MVC10-1-43-0-10-0-07-1-30-0-0
29UCLAPac-129-6-13-2-10-0-06-4-00-0-0
30MarshallSun Belt10-3-33-1-30-0-07-2-00-0-0
31DenverSummit League11-2-57-1-30-0-04-1-20-0-0
32HofstraCAA13-3-36-1-31-0-06-2-00-0-0
33MemphisAAC9-4-42-3-11-0-16-1-20-0-0
34Ohio St.Big Ten10-2-52-2-30-0-08-0-20-0-0
35North CarolinaACC8-5-52-2-30-0-06-3-20-0-0
36Seton HallBig East7-2-74-2-30-0-03-0-40-0-0
37ButlerBig East10-5-33-3-10-0-07-2-20-0-0
38South Fla.AAC7-5-42-3-20-0-05-2-20-0-0
39Central Ark.ASUN6-4-54-3-20-0-02-1-30-0-0
40Western Mich.MAC13-2-27-1-20-0-06-1-00-0-0
41Air ForceWAC8-5-36-3-20-0-02-2-10-0-0
42Georgia St.Sun Belt12-3-35-2-01-0-06-1-30-0-0
43CreightonBig East7-4-62-3-20-0-05-1-40-0-0
44XavierBig East9-2-75-1-30-0-04-1-40-0-0
45HarvardIvy League8-4-42-3-30-0-06-1-10-0-0
46DaytonAtlantic 1010-2-43-1-32-0-05-1-10-0-0
47Loyola ChicagoAtlantic 108-2-61-2-30-0-07-0-30-0-0
48YaleIvy League6-4-55-1-30-0-01-3-20-0-0
49San Diego St.Pac-125-8-40-5-30-0-05-3-10-0-0
50Oral RobertsSummit League11-3-23-3-20-0-08-0-00-0-0
51RutgersBig Ten8-4-63-2-10-0-05-2-50-0-0
52Coastal CarolinaSun Belt5-5-62-3-40-1-03-1-20-0-0
53West VirginiaSun Belt7-6-42-5-11-0-04-1-30-0-0
54Notre DameACC7-7-23-4-10-0-04-3-11-0-0
55UC Santa BarbaraBig West10-3-63-1-30-0-07-2-30-0-0
56Fairleigh DickinsonNEC8-5-35-4-10-0-03-1-20-0-0
57Penn St.Big Ten6-6-42-4-20-0-04-2-20-0-0
58Bowling GreenMAC6-5-53-3-30-0-03-2-20-0-0
59High PointBig South9-4-54-2-40-0-05-2-10-0-0
60Army West PointPatriot8-3-53-1-41-0-04-2-10-0-0
61CharlotteAAC9-5-23-3-20-0-06-2-00-0-0
62ProvidenceBig East5-5-71-3-30-0-04-2-40-0-0
63UCFAAC6-7-03-4-00-0-03-3-00-0-0
64Boston CollegeACC3-7-50-5-20-0-03-2-31-0-0
65FGCUASUN8-4-42-3-31-0-05-1-10-0-0
66James MadisonSun Belt7-7-43-3-30-0-04-4-10-0-0
67Michigan St.Big Ten6-9-20-6-20-0-06-3-00-0-0
68DuquesneAtlantic 1011-3-45-3-20-0-06-0-20-0-0
69ColgatePatriot7-4-74-0-40-0-03-4-30-0-0
70CampbellBig South11-3-55-2-21-0-05-1-30-0-0
71PrincetonIvy League6-5-44-2-30-0-02-3-10-0-0
72VCUAtlantic 103-8-62-5-20-0-01-3-40-0-0
73South CarolinaSun Belt5-8-40-4-30-1-05-3-10-0-0
74QuinnipiacMAAC11-4-33-4-20-0-08-0-10-0-0
75Rhode IslandAtlantic 106-3-72-1-60-0-04-2-10-0-0
76Utah ValleyWAC7-7-12-7-10-0-05-0-00-0-0
77NC StateACC6-7-40-5-10-0-16-2-20-0-0
78BelmontMVC7-3-74-3-20-0-03-0-50-0-0
79UConnBig East6-7-31-2-30-0-05-5-01-0-0
80Old DominionSun Belt6-8-23-4-00-1-03-3-20-0-0
81CaliforniaPac-123-7-60-4-40-0-03-3-20-0-0
82FordhamAtlantic 103-4-92-1-50-0-01-3-40-0-0
83Cleveland St.Horizon9-3-55-2-20-0-04-1-30-0-0
84BrownIvy League8-5-32-4-10-0-06-1-20-0-0
85Seattle UWAC6-9-14-5-10-0-02-4-00-0-0
86VillanovaBig East6-8-31-5-20-0-05-3-10-0-0
87Boston U.Patriot6-5-62-4-20-0-04-1-40-0-0
88LMU (CA)WCC8-6-34-3-10-0-04-3-20-0-0
89UNCWCAA6-4-73-1-40-0-03-3-30-0-0
90UMBCAmerica East10-6-22-4-20-0-08-2-00-0-0
91MassachusettsAtlantic 107-4-73-4-30-0-04-0-40-0-0
92LafayettePatriot9-6-46-2-30-0-03-4-10-0-0
93DePaulBig East4-6-72-4-30-0-02-2-40-0-0
94OmahaSummit League8-5-22-2-10-0-06-3-10-0-0
95UAlbanyAmerica East5-7-62-5-20-0-03-2-40-0-0
96EvansvilleMVC7-4-61-3-21-0-05-1-40-0-0
97DrexelCAA7-5-62-4-12-0-13-1-40-0-0
98WisconsinBig Ten6-6-42-4-20-0-04-2-20-0-0
99Kansas CitySummit League6-4-52-1-30-0-04-3-20-0-0
100NortheasternCAA6-9-33-6-00-1-03-2-30-0-0
101Fla. AtlanticAAC4-9-21-6-00-0-03-3-20-0-1
102MercerSoCon8-4-63-1-21-0-14-3-30-0-0
103San DiegoWCC7-4-65-3-20-1-02-0-40-0-0
104StetsonASUN5-3-73-1-40-0-12-2-21-0-0
105MarquetteBig East5-9-40-5-20-0-05-4-20-0-0
105DrakeMVC7-4-42-3-40-0-05-1-00-0-0
107San Jose St.WAC9-5-33-3-20-0-06-2-10-0-0
108UABAAC3-9-40-6-10-0-03-3-30-0-0
109UTRGVWAC7-6-31-5-10-0-06-1-20-1-0
110UICMVC5-9-22-3-10-0-03-6-10-0-0
111ManhattanMAAC8-4-62-4-30-0-06-0-30-0-0
112DartmouthIvy League6-6-31-3-30-0-05-3-00-0-0
113TempleAAC4-9-31-3-10-0-03-6-20-0-0
114NavyPatriot6-4-83-1-20-1-03-2-60-0-0
115UC IrvineBig West6-12-22-8-00-0-04-4-20-0-0
116FairfieldMAAC8-10-13-6-10-0-05-4-00-0-0
117St. John's (NY)Big East4-8-50-6-20-0-04-2-30-0-0
118CSUNBig West9-6-46-3-00-0-03-3-40-0-0
119Saint Joseph'sAtlantic 103-6-80-3-70-0-03-3-10-0-0
120SIUEMVC5-9-22-5-10-0-03-4-10-0-0
121LIUNEC9-6-23-3-20-0-06-3-00-0-0
122William & MaryCAA5-7-61-3-40-1-04-3-20-0-0
123Cal St. FullertonBig West7-6-52-4-40-0-05-2-11-0-0
124ETSUSoCon8-6-33-3-30-0-05-3-00-0-0
125Saint Mary's (CA)WCC7-6-44-3-20-0-03-3-20-0-0
126PresbyterianBig South9-5-24-5-00-0-05-0-21-0-0
127Grand CanyonWAC7-7-33-3-20-0-04-4-10-0-0
128AmericanPatriot7-6-55-5-00-0-02-1-50-0-0
129California BaptistWAC8-6-32-5-10-0-06-1-20-0-0
130BellarmineASUN6-4-72-3-10-0-14-1-50-0-0
131St. Francis BrooklynNEC7-4-51-4-30-0-06-0-21-0-0
132UC RiversideBig West7-7-42-6-20-0-05-1-20-0-0
133MaristMAAC7-6-42-4-30-0-05-2-10-0-0
134USC UpstateBig South6-6-54-5-10-0-02-1-40-0-0
135MonmouthCAA7-7-13-2-10-0-04-5-00-0-0
136IonaMAAC6-4-51-4-30-0-05-0-20-0-0
137Virginia TechACC3-14-12-8-00-0-01-6-10-0-0
138DavidsonAtlantic 105-8-32-6-10-0-03-2-21-0-0
139San FranciscoWCC7-5-43-1-20-0-04-4-20-0-0
140MerrimackNEC8-6-23-4-00-0-05-2-20-0-0
141SienaMAAC8-5-65-3-30-0-03-2-30-0-0
142George WashingtonAtlantic 108-9-23-6-10-0-05-3-10-0-0
143Sacred HeartNEC7-8-13-5-00-0-04-3-10-0-0
144Loyola MarylandPatriot4-5-82-4-40-0-02-1-40-0-0
145MichiganBig Ten4-10-31-6-00-0-03-4-30-0-0
146North FloridaASUN4-8-42-4-30-1-02-3-10-0-0
147Mount St. Mary'sMAAC7-9-14-4-00-0-03-5-10-0-0
148Wright St.Horizon4-6-62-5-30-0-02-1-30-0-0
149Sacramento St.Big West9-8-25-4-10-0-04-4-10-0-0
150FurmanSoCon6-7-42-3-32-0-02-4-11-0-0
151BinghamtonAmerica East6-8-43-5-10-1-03-2-30-0-0
152UC DavisBig West5-9-43-6-10-0-02-3-30-0-0
153NiagaraMAAC5-8-62-4-30-0-03-4-30-0-0
154UC San DiegoBig West8-8-24-4-00-0-04-4-20-0-0
155LibertyASUN3-6-60-4-40-0-03-2-20-0-0
156WoffordSoCon6-9-25-2-20-1-01-6-00-0-0
157NJITAmerica East5-8-42-6-20-0-13-2-10-0-0
158La SalleAtlantic 105-9-41-6-20-0-04-3-20-0-0
159NorthwesternBig Ten3-9-52-6-00-0-01-3-50-0-0
160Robert MorrisHorizon6-7-32-5-20-0-04-2-10-0-0
161ColumbiaIvy League1-8-60-5-30-0-01-3-30-0-0
162Stony BrookCAA5-11-01-7-00-0-04-4-00-0-0
163RiderMAAC3-8-62-5-40-0-01-3-20-0-0
164Col. of CharlestonCAA5-7-50-7-10-0-15-0-30-0-0
165Gardner-WebbBig South6-5-45-2-30-0-01-3-11-0-0
166IUPUIHorizon6-6-51-4-40-0-05-2-10-0-1
167NIUMAC5-8-43-4-20-0-02-4-20-0-0
168DelawareCAA4-11-21-5-00-0-03-6-20-0-0
169Queens (NC)ASUN4-10-23-5-10-1-01-4-10-0-0
170JacksonvilleASUN3-8-40-5-10-0-03-3-30-0-0
171Holy CrossPatriot5-9-41-7-20-0-04-2-20-0-0
172UMass LowellAmerica East2-9-50-6-20-0-02-3-30-0-0
173BryantAmerica East3-10-10-5-10-0-03-5-00-0-0
174Cal PolyBig West2-11-40-5-30-1-02-5-10-0-0
175OaklandHorizon4-9-50-5-40-0-04-4-10-0-0
176Saint Francis (PA)NEC6-5-44-4-20-0-02-1-20-1-0
177LehighPatriot3-10-31-8-00-0-02-2-30-0-0
178George MasonAtlantic 102-11-20-8-00-0-02-3-20-0-0
179WinthropBig South3-13-11-9-00-0-02-4-10-0-0
180BradleyMVC5-10-31-7-10-0-04-3-20-0-0
181PacificWCC3-10-22-5-10-0-01-5-10-0-0
182Ga. SouthernSun Belt1-14-11-8-10-0-00-6-00-0-0
183GonzagaWCC4-10-31-6-20-0-03-4-10-0-0
184Santa ClaraWCC4-5-53-2-10-0-01-3-40-0-0
185LindenwoodSummit League3-11-11-9-10-0-02-2-00-0-0
186BucknellPatriot3-12-20-7-10-0-03-5-10-0-0
187Detroit MercyHorizon4-7-61-6-40-0-03-1-20-0-0
188Houston ChristianWAC4-8-62-5-30-0-02-3-31-0-0
189UNLVWAC1-9-70-4-50-0-01-5-20-0-0
190Green BayHorizon6-3-74-2-20-0-02-1-50-0-0
191HowardNEC2-11-20-7-10-0-02-4-10-0-0
192Utah TechWAC4-12-22-7-20-0-02-5-00-0-0
193CanisiusMAAC1-10-60-6-20-0-01-4-40-0-0
194St. BonaventureAtlantic 103-10-31-5-20-0-02-5-10-0-0
195Purdue Fort WayneHorizon2-10-30-6-20-0-02-4-10-0-0
196Chicago St.MAC1-13-30-9-30-0-01-4-00-0-0
197Saint Peter'sMAAC3-10-40-10-00-0-03-0-40-0-0
198UNC AshevilleBig South2-11-41-6-10-0-01-5-30-0-0
199Central Conn. St.NEC3-11-10-7-00-0-03-4-10-0-0
200MilwaukeeHorizon1-8-80-5-30-1-01-2-50-0-0
201RadfordBig South4-10-22-5-20-0-02-5-00-0-0
202CSU BakersfieldBig West2-13-20-7-10-0-02-6-10-0-0
203LongwoodBig South2-10-51-6-30-0-01-4-20-0-0
204Northern Ky.Horizon4-11-21-8-10-0-03-3-10-0-0
205St. Thomas (MN)Summit League3-12-20-9-01-0-02-3-20-0-0
206StonehillNEC3-12-22-9-20-0-01-3-00-0-0
207UIWDI Independent2-13-11-8-00-4-01-1-10-0-0
208Eastern Ill.Summit League1-12-31-9-20-0-00-3-10-0-0
209Western Ill.Summit League2-7-71-2-40-0-01-5-30-1-0
210Southern Ind.Summit League2-12-31-8-10-0-01-4-20-0-0
211HartfordDI Independent0-14-00-12-00-0-00-2-00-0-0
212VMISoCon0-14-10-6-10-1-00-7-02-0-0