The Pope and off the wall remarks. A Limerick.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”  Pope Francis.

The Vatican City’s old wall.Vatican_City_map_EN

A sign they’re not Christians at all?

For the Pope said as much

about Trump, walls and such.

Humpty Dumpty did fall, I recall.

The moral of this story: Be careful not to make off the wall remarks.

 

Thought for the day. Real love on Valentine’s day.

 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)

Once at bible study as we studied John 15, a great chapter on love, this verse came up and the leader asked if we really were willing to die for someone we loved. Trying to be spiritual I volunteered I probably could die for my wife. She immediately answered “Oh no, you don’t get away that easy; you have to live for me.” She has a way to put things in perspective. I had forgotten all about that episode until one day I heard Ravi Zacharias speak on the air, and he said: All love is costly.   Suddenly I realized, this is true for all real love.

When we got married we gave our vows, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health until death do us part. There is no excuse. We have to live for each other. This is God’s plan for our lives.

Looking around at recent trends this seems to be more and more a minority view.

My grandson goes to preschool. As Valentine’s day approached his teachers came up with rules what to do on this very special day to celebrate its core message: Love. So the little ones were encouraged to make Valentine’s cards, but as they did, they had to write identical messages to every other person in the class, something like: Be my Valentine (printed) , make a heart and add the names. To do any less would hurt some student’s feelings, causing envy and strife. Group harmony must be enforced.

This is how far we have come in our understanding of love. We are only important as a part of a collective, no longer equal opportunity, but equal outcome. This seems to be designed to stamp out initiative and the entrepreneurial spirit from preschool on. They get indoctrinated in collective thinking, so by the time they finish high school they are convinced individual responsibility is no longer in, it has been replaced by collective thinking. That is in my opinion why so many of the millennials are ready to campaign for Bernie Sanders, even to the point of giving it all in the campaign.

What I still cannot understand is why so many New Hampshireans agonized over whether they should vote for Trump or Sanders.  All I know is that love has nothing to do with it.

One more verse to the Hillary Clinton Nursery Rhyme. Hillary the felon.

Hillary, Hillary, where have you been?th19XAEMTF

“It’s none of your business, for  am the queen.”

Hillary, Hillary, are you a felon?

“In a dream that the right wing conspirators dwell on.”

The whole nursery rhyme: https://lenbilen.com/2015/05/17/hillary-clinton-as-a-nursery-rhyme/

Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Donald Trump worth ten points. He blew it all on skipping the debate in Iowa. A Limerick.

When Palin endorsed, her act bumped Trump up ten.

With Kelley the Trump-killer in it again,

he refused to debate,

lost it all, sealed his fate.

A second place loser, all pain and no gain.

Donald Trump was solidly in second place in Iowa, about 5 points behind Ted Cruz. Marco Rubio was way behind. Then, on Jan 19 Sarah Palin endorsed him, an endorsement worth at least ten percentage points. See graph:Iowa-Republicans-graphThen Donald Trump refused to debate right before the Iowa caucus unless Megyn Kelly was removed as a moderator. Unlike CNN, which caved in to Trump’s demands, Fox News stood their ground and refused to cave in, “on journalistic grounds.” print2The media should never cave in to political pressure. Having skipped the debate, Cruz and Rubio had the leadership fight to themselves, and could shine, all at the expense of Trump. The chart to the left shows the high water mark for Donald Trump.

Between the debate and the Iowa caucus Trump lost all the ground he gained from the Palin endorsement. Ted Cruz held his ground, but the big gainer was Rubio.

It is now a three way race, and this will very likely lead to a brokered convention.

All bets ate off.

I can understand Sarah Palin’s initial endorsement of Donald Trump, with his broad crossover appeal to disenchanted people, then having a chance to win the primaries outright. With his refusal to debate we are almost ensured a brokered convention. Personally I prefer Sarah Palin to enter the race on her own, making it a brokered convention, containing a majority of true conservative delegates.

 

 

 

 

The BDI index hit a twentyfourth new all time low of 290 today. The worldwide economic downturn is gaining speed. Update 5.

The Baltic Dry Index has been in new all time low record territory since Dec 14 2015, hitting its nineteenth all time low.  Before that the all time low was 509 on Feb. 19 2015. Today, February 3, it hit a value of 303, a 40 percent drop since Dec. 14. In the spring of 2008 it hit a record high of 11793 before dropping to below 700 a couple of months before the financial crash of 2008.

What is the BDI you say?

From the Economist:  THE Baltic Dry Index (BDI), which measures the rates for chartering the giant ships that transport iron ore, coal and grain, has long attracted the attention of commentators hoping to take the pulse of world trade. The cost of shifting the basic raw materials that are the ingredients of steel, energy and food supposedly provides a leading indicator of the state of the world economy. If so the forecast would suggest that a storm at sea will shortly make landfall. The index, a composite of rates charged on a variety of important trade routes, has hit an all-time low, after sinking by 65% in the past 13 weeks alone. Even in the depths of the financial crisis shipping rates kept their heads further above water. Why are they so remarkably low now?

That was written Mar. 10 2015. Things are much worse now.

At 303, it stands 40% below its December 14 value, and 97.43% below its all time peak value a few months before the crash of 08.

The worldwide recession is coming, and it will be severe.

Update 1: The BDI index is at 298 on Thursday 2/4, down another 1.65%  a new all time low.

Update 2: The BDI index hit 297 on Friday 2/5, a new all time low.

Update 3: The BDI index hit 293 on Monday 2/8. How low can it get?

Update 4: The BDI index hit 291 on Tuesday 2/9. Down, down, down, down, down.

Updqte 5. The BDI index hit 290 on Wednesday 2/10. Can it still go lower? The losses mount.

 

 

Hillary Clinton’s emails. From bad to verse, or at least a Limerick.

Why Hillary Clinton’s mail server

will force FBI to soon serve her.

With  the CIA payroll

laid bare like a blogroll.

Will Federal Prison best serve her?

Hillary Clinton’s e-mails are released in drips and drabs, always on a Friday.

Of the document dump last Friday 243 emails were classified at some level, bringing the overall number of classified Clinton emails to 1,583. The State Department also announced Friday that it is withholding in full and into perpetuity 22 emails that contain “Top Secret” information — the highest classification category. In fact, they are so secret, containing “operational intelligence” such as names, whereabouts and methods of CIA agents, so secret the FBI does not have the security clearance to even read them.

 

 

 

 

Neonicotinoids are killing the bees, not climate change. EPA asleep. A Limerick.

Neonics are killing the bees

a “can’t find their way back” disease.

Neonicotinoids

pollination de-voids.

No apples are found on the trees.

From NeonicsSummary_XercesSociety.pdf:

Neonicotinoid pesticides were first registered for use in the mid-1990s. Since then, these chemicals have become widely adopted for use on farm crops, ornamental landscape plants, and trees. Neonicotinoids (AKA neonics) are systemic chemicals; they are absorbed by the plant and are transferred through the vascular system, making the plant itself toxic to insects.
The impact of this class of insecticides on pollinating insects such as honey bees and native bees is a cause for concern. Because they are absorbed into the plant, neonics can be present in pollen and nectar, making these floral resources
toxic to pollinators that feed on them. The long lasting presence of neonics in plants makes it possible for these chemicals to harm pollinators even when the initial application is made outside of the bloom period. In addition, neonics
persist in the soil and in plants for very long periods of time.
About 95 percent of all commercial U.S. corn and canola crops and most all commercial cotton, sorghum, sugar beets, fruits. vegetables, berries, leafy greens, and cereal grains are treated with neonics.
 Neonics affect the nervous system of the bees making them disoriented and simply disappear rather than finding their way back to the hive. Are neonics poisonous to humans? Probably not since no birds or animals seem to be affected, but the loss of our major pollinators, it is still an ecological catastrophe. The previous way of protecting the seeds with mercury was far more serious, nearly exterminating owls and eagles. EPA needs to immediately ban the use of neonics in orchards and other places where bee borne pollination is taking place. By majoring in climate change, calling CO2 a pollutant and spending an inordinate amount of limited resources going after the wrong targets. They should concentrate on real pollution.

 

Thought for the day: Thank God for pork chops and “frikadeller”.

 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:  You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. (Acts 15:28-29

The other day we found a whole pork loin selling at $1.59 a pound at Wegmans. We picked it up and my wife made the most wonderful stuffed pork chops. The meat juice, when heavy cream, flour, water and some secret ingredients are added, makes the most wonderful gravy. we had our son and family over last Sunday, and the two year old grand daughter, small for her age as she is, ate almost a whole stuffed pork chop by herself, saying “I like it” over and over again.

Another food I love are Danish “frikadeller”. They are like Swedish meatballs, but bigger and made entirely from ground pork. Properly spiced they are just magnificently delicious. See the picture!

884223The principal agricultural export product from Denmark is pork in all of its forms. They have the last few years exported more and more to Russia, but a few months ago, after the collapse in oil prices, they suddenly stopped importing Danish pork. The pork mounds grew, filling up the slaughterhouses. What to do?

It is time to introduce pork in the political discussion.

Denmark has received their fair share of mid-eastern immigrants and refugees. They are now so many that they have started to demand they be served certifiably non-pork based food exclusively. Some communities responded by stopping to serve pork altogether in schools and municipal institutions so as not to hurt the feelings of Muslims. Such was the case in Randers, a seaport city in Northern Jutland, a town with a large slaughterhouse, processing pigs for export.

Monday a week ago the city council had enough. They voted (16 to 15) that pork products must be served at all meals in all schools and institutions. The Muslim children can still opt out of their ham and cheese sandwich, taking only cheese on their sandwich.

Yes there is pork in Danish politics. How about good old U.S.A.?

Iowa is holding its annual Pork Congress January 27-28, just before the Iowa caucus. Time for pork politics?

As for me and my house: Thank God for pork chops and “frikadeller”!

 

 

alpolitikerne har stemt ja til et forslag fra Dansk Folkeparti og Venstre om, at det skal være et krav hos alle kommunens institutioner, at svinekød skal være en del af madplanen.

Byrådsmedlem i Randers for Velfærdslisten Kasper Fuhr Christensen var et af de 15 byrådsmedlemmer, der stemte nej til forslaget.

Han kalder beslutningen »unødvendig«, fordi der ifølge ham ikke har været problemer på kommunens institutioner.

»Jeg synes, at det er fuldstændig absurd, når der nu ikke har været henvendelser fra utilfredse forældre. Det er et problem, som man har opfundet ud af den blå luft. Det er stor svineståhøj for ingenting,« siger han.

Forslaget om at servere svinekød for både de muslimske og ikke-muslimske børn blev stillet efter, at flere af kommunens institutioner havde valgt at ophøre med at servere svinekød for børnene.

DF’er i Randers: Frikadelleforslag er blevet misforstået

Et af de steder, hvor man havde valgt at tage hensyn til de muslimske børn ved i stedet at servere halalkød, var Børnehuset Jennumparken, som Jyllands-Posten beskrev sidste år.

Dengang sagde institutionens leder Bente Gråkjær, at det vigtigste ifølge hende ikke var, hvordan kødet blev slagtet, men derimod om børnenen fik en ordentlig kost.

»Der er jo efterhånden også mange etniske danskere, der ikke spiser svinekød. Hos os har vi mange vigtige udfordringer at arbejde med, og så skal maden ikke gøres til en konflikt. Det vigtige er, at børnene får god og nærende kost,« sagde hun.

Muligheden for at forbyde svinekød har institutionerne i Randers Kommune med mandagens beslutning ikke længere. Fremover skal institutionerne i stedet sikre, at »dansk madkultur skal være en del af de kommunale institutioner.«

Danske muslimer ønsker, at der bliver taget hensyn – men får et nej

Under byrådsmødet stillede medlem af Børn- og skoleudvalget, Mikael Firlings Mouritsen (S), ifølge Randers Amtsavis spørgsmålstegn ved, hvordan en forældrebestyrelse skal kunne forstå begrebet dansk madkultur

Manden bag forslaget, byrådsmedlem for Dansk Folkeparti Frank Nørgaard, understregede dog ifølge Ritzau, at forslaget ikke handlede om mistillid til institutionerne og forældrebestyrelserne.

»Vi vil bare sikre svinekød i vore institutioner til de, der ønsker det. Det handler ikke om generel mistillid til institutionernes bestyrelser. Men flere steder i landet forsøger man at luske igennem, at der ikke skal serveres svinekød i institutioner,« sagde Frank Nørgaard ifølge Randers Amtsavis.

En undersøgelse, som Wilke sidste efterår foretog for Jyllands-Posten, viste dengang, at 83,4 pct. af de danske muslimer mener, at der skal serveres halalslagtet kød i danske vuggestuer, børnehaver og skoler.

Omvendt svarede kun hver fjerde ikke-muslimske dansker, at institutionerne skal tage hensyn til de muslimske børns madvaner.

 

Sarah Palin on the stump for Trump. A Limerick.

The Lady and Trump on the stump

help Donald get over the hump.

Sarah Palin in Ames

added fuel to the flames.

The burn on the stump is with Trump.

Just imagine that! Donald Trump quiet for 20 minutes while Sarah Palin delivered her message!

Why did Sarah Palin endorse Trump over her previous favorite Ted Cruz?

Sarah Palin is against crony capitalism and Donald Trump epitomizes the crony capitalist.

The best exclamation is that pragmatism wins over purity.

Both Sarah and Donald want to shake up Washington.

Both Sarah and Donald speak their mind and are not afraid to tackle politically incorrect subjects.

And they both agree the most important issue facing us today is the epic battle against Islamic extremism, Jihadic terrorism threatening our very existence.

Way to go!

Obama’s Fast and Furious gunrunning to El Chapo: A Limerick.

Katie Pavlich commented on Townhall: “At least one firearm trafficked into Mexico (and lost) through the Obama Justice Department’s Operation Fast and Furious made its way into the upper echelons of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

According to a report by Fox News’ William La Jeunesse a .50-caliber rifle connected to the program was found inside the lair of notorious drug kingpin El Chapo Guzman.”

No wonder the Obama administration claimed executive privilege and refusing to release the documents to Congress!

Run Guns: It was fast, it was furious.

El Chapo got one, that is curious.

The Divider In Chief

gave the drug lords relief.

His treasonous act: Most injurious.