Watch-fire.net

16/08/2024

If you look up the word “lunacy,” you’ll see that it is based on the belief that the phases of the moon affect behavioral disorders. In fact, a fairly recent article in a prestigious psychiatric journal notes that “as many as 81% of mental health workers” believe that the full moon correlates with people losing their minds. That would make it once every twenty-eight days. ...

If you look up the word “lunacy,” you’ll see that it is based on the belief that the phases of the moon affect behavioral disorders. In fact, a fairly recent article in a prestigious psychiatric journal notes that “as many as 81% of mental health workers” believe that the full moon correla...

16/08/2024

The term Apartheid was first used in 1948 in South Africa to describe a separate, if not equal, segregation of the races, including these four categories: Whites, Bantu (black African), Mixed races and Asian. The term was a new compound of words from different languages. The first segment of the word (“apart”) is clear enough in its meaning. It refers to some sort of ...

The term Apartheid was first used in 1948 in South Africa to describe a separate, if not equal, segregation of the races, including these four categories: Whites, Bantu (black African), Mixed races and Asian. The term was a new compound of words from different languages. The first segment of the wor...

14/08/2024

This post is a continuation of a previous post titled Omi's Aneurysm. In this post, I plan to journal what I hope will be a very uneventful recovery in the days and months ahead following my dear wife's surgery, which occurred on August 9, 2024 for a 7 mm saccular, intracranial aneurysm. The word "intracranial" means within the cranium, or inside the bones that form the head....

This post is a continuation of a previous post titled Omi’s Aneurysm. In this post, I plan to journal what I hope will be a very uneventful recovery in the days and months ahead following my dear wife’s surgery, which occurred on August 9, 2024 for a 7 mm saccular, intracranial aneurysm. The wor...

10/08/2024

I can tell you all I know about Kevin Durant in maybe five seconds. I know he plays basketball and at the moment is representing the U.S.A. in Paris, France at the Olympics. I can guess that he is also an outstanding athlete because he was asked to be on the All-Star team. Finally, I know he loves this country, based on his comment yesterday when he said at once to the world in general, and to no one in particular: “A lot of bu****it happens in our country....

I can tell you all I know about Kevin Durant in maybe five seconds. I know he plays basketball and at the moment is representing the U.S.A. in Paris, France at the Olympics. I can guess that he is also an outstanding athlete because he was asked to be on the All-Star team. Finally, I know he loves t...

08/08/2024

The Fermi Paradox is a discussion of why, if our universe teems with life, have we not discovered it yet? Or, why have the ET's have not discovered us. According to legend, a group of scientists (including Entico Fermi, a noted physicist from Italy), were sitting around a table some seventy years ago, just chitter chatting about science or the weather or the war and what not....

The Fermi Paradox is a discussion of why, if our universe teems with life, have we not discovered it yet? Or, why have the ET’s have not discovered us. According to legend, a group of scientists (including Entico Fermi, a noted physicist from Italy), were sitting around a table some seventy years ...

06/08/2024

Well, Rump. I bet you never thought you'd hear from U.S. (your Uncle Satan) again. I hear things are heating up the the U.S.A. with the election year in progress. Things are heating up down here, too (after all, they don't call this Hell for nothing!) I should not need to remind you what side you are on in this battle....

[With apologies to C.S. Lewis] Well, Rump. I bet you never thought you’d hear from U.S. (your Uncle Satan) again. I hear things are heating up the the U.S.A. with the election year in progress. Things are heating up down here, too (after all, they don’t call this Hell for nothing!) I should not ...

06/08/2024

Deena and I have been focusing on the word "sentinel" lately, in the context of her aneurysm. This is a word that has largely escaped me, probably because we used the term "precursor" back in the day. "Sentinel," seems slightly more romantic to me, however. Yet, there is nothing romantic about the problem your sentinel wants you to be aware of....

Deena and I have been focusing on the word “sentinel” lately, in the context of her aneurysm. This is a word that has largely escaped me, probably because we used the term “precursor” back in the day. “Sentinel,” seems slightly more romantic to me, however. Yet, there is nothing romantic...

05/08/2024

Iran issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) OIIX TEHERAN (ACC/FIC/FIR) early this Monday morning. Most of it looks like code to the average person, but a closer look reveals that it contains GPS locations, radio frequencies, and specific warnings buried in it. Such as: "PROBABLE GPS (GNSS) FAILURE OR DEGRADATION WI TEHRAN FIR,PILOTS SHALL REPORT TO ATC AND CONSIDER GPS (GNSS) ANOMALIES…...

Iran issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) OIIX TEHERAN (ACC/FIC/FIR) early this Monday morning. Most of it looks like code to the average person, but a closer look reveals that it contains GPS locations, radio frequencies, and specific warnings buried in it. Such as: "PROBABLE GPS (GNSS) FAILURE OR DEG...

04/08/2024

I wanted to add my two cents (currently 0.018 Euros) to the Olympic controversies that have arisen. First of all, I did not watch more than twenty minutes of the opening ceremonies, so I did not see the provocative skit that was alleged to be a sacrilegious takeoff on the Last Supper. I’ve heard both sides of the controversy, but as I did not see it, I cannot personally weigh in on this issue....

I wanted to add my two cents (currently 0.018 Euros) to the Olympic controversies that have arisen. First of all, I did not watch more than twenty minutes of the opening ceremonies, so I did not see the provocative skit that was alleged to be a sacrilegious takeoff on the Last Supper.  I’ve hear...

29/07/2024

https://watch-fire.net/folie-a-deux/

Folie a deux is a description of the mental illness, a movie review and and a comments on contemporary politics in the U.S.

29/07/2024

At the moment, my mind is racing. As I get older (and I’m on the upside of 75), it becomes more of a challenge to organize one's thinking and write academically, and this post will be particularly difficult because it involves a comparison and contrast between two nations in two different time periods, a discussion of an unusual form of mental illness, and a movie review. ...

At the moment, my mind is racing. As I get older (and I’m on the upside of 75), it becomes more of a challenge to organize one’s thinking and write academically, and this post will be particularly difficult because it involves a comparison and contrast between two nations in two different time p...

28/07/2024

We have a problem with squatters today. These are people who move into your house uninvited while you are on a six-week vacation in Europe. They change the locks and set up utilities in their name without your knowledge or permission. Or, you felt sort for a family in crisis and rented them your empty house. But now that they’ve trashed it and haven’t paid a cent in rent for six months, you are demanding that they leave, and they refuse. ...

We have a problem with squatters today. These are people who move into your house uninvited while you are on a six-week vacation in Europe. They change the locks and set up utilities in their name without your knowledge or permission. Or, you felt sort for a family in crisis and rented them your emp...

27/07/2024

The years 1902-1929 were known as the Progressive Era in the U.S. The doors to politics and political participation were thrown open wide to many more people, such as women who were disenfranchised, and it would henceforth be the People, not the states who would decide who served in the U.S. Senate. Immigration exploded as people from non-English European speaking countries started arriving in even greater numbers at our shores, and many were Catholic, or not considered to be white (or both.) In particular, many were Asian. ...

The years 1902-1929 were known as the Progressive Era in the U.S. The doors to politics and political participation were thrown open wide to many more people, such as women who were disenfranchised, and it would henceforth be the People, not the states who would decide who served in the U.S. Senate....

25/07/2024

By now, most of us have heard of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop. We’ve seen photos in the newspapers, perhaps on social media or videos on YouTube.TM Maybe we saw them on television coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Accountability Committee as Congresswoman and committee member Majorie Greene (R-GA) held up the more salacious of the photos barely a year ago for the public to ogle. ...

https://watch-fire.net/sex-lies-and-videotape/

By now, most of us have heard of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop. We’ve seen photos in the newspapers, perhaps on social media or videos on YouTube.TM Maybe we saw them on television coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Accountability Committee as Congresswoman and committe...

25/07/2024

I am a bonafide tree hugger. I love trees as much as Joyce Kilmer did. Trees, to me, are majestic living entities and serve as mentors to careful observers about the need to grow deep roots upon which to build your life, with limbs that invariably stretch towards the heavens. Plus, it is clear from Scripture that God loves trees. After man and God, Himself, trees among all living things are third in the amount of attention in Scripture....

I am a bonafide tree hugger. I love trees as much as Joyce Kilmer did. Trees, to me, are majestic living entities and serve as mentors to careful observers about the need to grow deep roots upon which to build your life, with limbs that invariably stretch towards the heavens. Plus, it is clear from....

17/07/2024

The Dog Days of summer are upon us. Most of us have heard that term. It refers to what is popularly considered to be the hottest time of the year, typically the months of mid-July until mid-August. And this year, like last year and likely during these summer months for the next few centuries, the characterization still stands and will remain true....

The Dog Days of summer are upon us. Most of us have heard that term. It refers to what is popularly considered to be the hottest time of the year, typically the months of mid-July until mid-August. And this year, like last year and likely during these summer months for the next few centuries, the ch...

15/07/2024

I have been following the news very closely since the assassination attempt on the life of Donald J. Trump. I have also been interested in the first interview he gave following the shooting, his postings on his Truth Social site and the response from his followers. There are very few things that former President Trump could say that I would agree with....

I have been following the news very closely since the assassination attempt on the life of Donald J. Trump. I have also been interested in the first interview he gave following the shooting, his postings on his Truth Social site and the response from his followers. There are very few things that for...

14/07/2024

know Ron was hoping I would add a few words about my upcoming surgery to this blog, so I will attempt to explain the last few weeks and where I see myself in another month. Even though it was hard to hear, I am grateful they found my unruptured aneurysm. The night I got the diagnosis in the middle of the night, I shook life a leaf in late Autumn. ...

know Ron was hoping I would add a few words about my upcoming surgery to this blog, so I will attempt to explain the last few weeks and where I see myself in another month. Even though it was hard to hear, I am grateful they found my unruptured aneurysm. The night I got the diagnosis in the middle o...

14/07/2024

It's been barely four hours since the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump while he addressed a rally in Butler, PA, a small town with a population of barely 15,000 people. At the moment, we know that the shooter is dead as well as an attendee at the rally. Two more attendees were critically injured. But we know nothing about the identity or motive of the shooter....

It’s been barely four hours since the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump while he addressed a rally in Butler, PA, a small town with a population of barely 15,000 people. At the moment, we know that the shooter is dead as well as an attendee at the rally. Two more attendees were critically i...

14/07/2024

It's been barely four hours since the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump while he addressed a rally in Butler, PA, a small town with a population of barely 15,000. At the moment, we know that the shooter is dead as well as an attendee at the rally. Two more attendees were critically injured. But we know nothing about the identity or motive of the shooter....

It’s been barely four hours since the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump while he addressed a rally in Butler, PA, a small town with a population of barely 15,000. At the moment, we know that the shooter is dead as well as an attendee at the rally. Two more attendees were critically injured....

13/07/2024

The images and stories coming out of Houston, TX in the wake of Hurricane Beryl are positively heartbreaking! The only good news is that more people have not died this week than the seven or more unfortunate souls who have so far, and the event is not nearly over yet. It seems like in and around the modern city of Houston with all of its services and stunning skyline, people are either freezing in winter or simmering in the summer heat. ...

The images and stories coming out of Houston, TX in the wake of Hurricane Beryl are positively heartbreaking! The only good news is that more people have not died this week than the seven or more unfortunate souls who have so far, and the event is not nearly over yet. It seems like in and around the...

09/07/2024

We probably all been lost at some point in our lives. I remember getting lost in the woods when I was around the age of ten. I had no idea which way to proceed, and there was no trail to follow. No matter what direction I tried, I seemed to get deeper and deeper into the forest. I panicked, running in one direction or another....

We probably all been lost at some point in our lives. I remember getting lost in the woods when I was around the age of ten. I had no idea which way to proceed, and there was no trail to follow. No matter what direction I tried, I seemed to get deeper and deeper into the forest. I panicked, running....

05/07/2024

Deena and I joined two friends Sharon and Ed Carloni this week for a quick getaway to New York City. We began by taking an Amtrak train 130 miles south to Penn Station located in the heart of Manhattan. The Amtrak ride was occasionally bumpy, but comfortable overall. Penn Station is located near the Madison Square Garden. I remember going to the Garden as a child to see the circus....

Deena and I joined two friends Sharon and Ed Carloni this week for a quick getaway to New York City.  We began by taking an Amtrak train 130 miles south to Penn Station located in the heart of Manhattan. The Amtrak ride was occasionally bumpy, but comfortable overall.  Penn Station is located ...

05/07/2024

https://watch-fire.net/stay-in-your-lane-and-you-wont-get-hurt/

Stay in your lane and you won't get hurt is an editorial on what we might expect during a second Trump term.

30/06/2024

With the 2024 general election barely five months away, I wanted to explore the theme of Donald J. Trump’s campaign, “Make America Great Again.” Win or lose, it has remained the same since he ran for president in 2012. It has become a brand among Mr. Trump’s followers and a mantra for any Republican politician who hopes to keep his job or avoid…...

With the 2024 general election barely five months away, I wanted to explore the theme of Donald J. Trump’s campaign, “Make America Great Again.”  Win or lose, it has remained the same since he ran for president in 2012.  It has become a brand among Mr. Trump’s followers and a mantra for ...

24/06/2024

The feature photo (above) is an AI generated image of the Tree of Life which existed in the Garden of Eden but no longer exists in the world, though God promises to restore it at the end of the age. It shows something that existed at the beginning of life on this planet and which will be restored at the very end when the curse is lifted once and for all....

The feature photo (above) is an AI generated image of the Tree of Life which existed in the Garden of Eden but no longer exists in the world, though God promises to restore it at the end of the age. It shows something that existed at the beginning of life on this planet and which will be restored at...

24/06/2024

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23/06/2024

One of the earliest heroes I discovered in Greek mythology was Antaeus. I’m not sure if it was Edith Hamilton or Bulfinch who introduced me to him, but Antaeus sounded like a pretty cool dude to a ten-year-old like me. Back in the fifties, we didn't have Ironman or Spider Man like kids have now. Antaeus was a giant of person, the scion of two gods, Gaia (earth) and Poseidon....

20/06/2024

The art and science of gaming is increasingly important in politics as it is in other fields. Political games are like the tabletop exercises that disaster responders use to understand what resources they need for a disaster or a threat. Then, there are also full-scale exercises. About twenty years ago while still working at my college, I was asked to chair a disaster exercise involving actors (participants) from various levels of government....

The art and science of gaming is increasingly important in politics as it is in other fields. Political games are like the tabletop exercises that disaster responders use to understand what resources they need for a disaster or a threat. Then, there are also full-scale exercises. About twenty years....

14/06/2024

One of the most important questions Deena and I had to ask of the other when we first met was whether we shared the same faith (or if any faith at all.) We could not at the time foresee my eventual cancer or Deena’s cerebral aneurysm. But having a mutual belief system meant that we had a common stratagem which we could fall back on when the road got bumpy (and as we were both approaching the age of seventy, the question was not ...

One of the most important questions Deena and I had to ask of the other when we first met was whether we shared the same faith (or if any faith at all.) We could not at the time foresee my eventual cancer or Deena’s cerebral aneurysm. But having a mutual belief system meant that we had a common st...