Month: November 2023

I just read a Jeff Childers C&C on two separate, interestingly, but  ironic stories about ‘death’ and ‘dying.’ One was concerning a physician, Dr. Bruce Wilkoff, whose specialty is preventing sudden cardiac death  by inserting AICDs (defibrillators).He has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 turbo pancreatic cancer.

The second story was about professor of cancer biology at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Albert Reynolds, PhD, 66, who died suddenly and unexpectedly at his Nashville home.

I found these two individual stories to be ironic because the cancer specialist died suddenly, while the sudden death specialist is dying from cancer. Additionally Dr. Wilkoff had an interview with Dr. Eric Topel, in which he expressed gratitude for not dying suddenly, as he has been given time to reflect and cement his legacy, which is substantial.

My first thought after reading what Dr. Wilkoff’s said, is whether or not he has ever known or even has heard about what actually happens when someone dies from pancreatic cancer. I know one person who died of such, and it is a horrible way to die.

In contradistinction, I do not obviously know anyone who has died suddenly … as they are dead. While I cannot be one-hundred percent sure that they did not experience severe pain, I can be sure that any pain that they might have had was extremely short. (I do have experience with sudden death individuals who were promptly resuscitated, and none of them related any remembered pain prior to their episode or their resuscitation.)

Upon further reflection it seems to me that a slow drawn out death might be helpful to those who must deal with the deceased post-mortem bills, estate, etc., as there has been plenty of time for planning. However, sudden death is better for the individual, as long as that individual is ready to meet his/her maker.

If I were to be given such a choice, a slow painful death from cancer which is what is going to happen with Dr. Wilkoff  … “No! Not me!”

Sudden death like what happened to Albert Reynolds … “bring it on!”

11/30/23

To be honest right from the top, I have often wondered how individuals choose who to vote for. If one agrees with candidate A on all of the issues, then no problemo. Candidate A will get that individual’s vote. Likewise if one disagrees with candidate B on just about everything, then again no problemo, as candidate B is not going to get that individual’s vote. These examples are exaggerated and pretty straight forward, and little actual decision making will be involved.

However, let’s make the situation a bit more difficult. For instance, let’s assume that one agrees with candidate A on only seventy percent of the issues, but agrees with candidate B on a measly thirty percent. Will candidate A still get that individual’s vote? Yes, as long as all of the issues have the same weight for an individual, then the candidate with the higher percent will be the one he likely votes for. But if not all of the issues are of equal importance to an individual, then the situation becomes more complex. If one particular issue is of tantamount importance to an individual, will that individual even pay much attention to the rest of the issues? In today’s world, in fact, the answer is that one issue voting is commonplace. 

For the left this issue is abortion. If candidate A is pro-abortion, then in all likelihood he/she will get that leftist’s vote. Does it matter what else candidate A promotes? Usually not. Is this purely a leftist thing? …No, it is not. When I asked one of my conservative friends what he thought about RFK Jr., his response was basically, “no way,” as RFK Jr. does not hold my views on global warming and going green

I bring this up today because on 10/9/23, RFK Jr. declared himself to no longer be a Democrat, but to now be an Independent. While it is extremely unlikely that an Independent could be elected President, RFK Jr. is certainly in a position to be a spoiler, stealing votes from both the Republican and the Democratic candidate. At present none of the other present Republican Presidential candidates have been smart enough to declare solidarity to Donald Trump, and thus be in a good position to be considered as Trump’s V.P. 

How would a Trump/RFK Jr. ticket sound? I wonder, “Could my conservative friend back this combo?”

11/29/23

A copy of this letter was sent to me, and I feel that it is very apropos for a “Tuesday truth”blog.

To  me this EV craze is unsustainable, and this Professor agrees.

A huge machine is required to move 500 tons of earth/ ore which will be refined into one lithium car battery. This machine burns 900-1000 gallons of fuel in a 12-hour shift.”

Lithium is refined from ore using sulfuric acid. The proposed lithium mine at Thacker Pass, Nevada is estimated to require up to 75 semi-loads of sulfuric acid a day.!  The acid does not turn into unicorn food as AOC believes. 

Refining lithium has created several EPA SUPERFUND SITES.  IT ISVERY TOXIC TO THE ENVIRONMENT.! 

A battery in an electric car, let’s say an average Tesla, is made of: 

25 pounds of lithium,

60 pounds of nickel,

44 pounds of manganese,

30 pounds of cobalt,

200 pounds of copper, and

400 pounds of aluminum, steel, and plastic, etc…. averaging 750-1,000 pounds of minerals, that had to be mined and processed into a battery that merely stores electricity … which is generated by oil, gas, coal, or water (and a tiny fraction of wind and solar)

That is the truth, about the lie, of “green” energy. There’s nothing green about the “Green New Deal.”

Dr. Phillip A. XXXX

University of South Alabama

Mobile, Alabama

11/28/23

“I used to favor immigration, but now, not so much.”

This type of sentiment seems be increasing in many European countries.

From REMIX:

Nearly two-thirds of all German citizens want the country’s federal government to impose a ban on migration from predominantly Muslim nations, a damning survey has revealed.

Polling conducted by INSA on behalf of the Bild tabloid newspaper showed that 61 percent of respondents now advocate refusing any more migrants from Islamic countries with many explaining they no longer feel safe in their own country and believe an increasing number of new arrivals despise German society.

Meanwhile in France, from Breitbart:

“Senators in France started debating a bill Monday that is intended to toughen the country’s immigration law but advocacy organizations have criticized as a threat to the rights of asylum-seekers and other migrants.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the legislation “is about being firm” on immigration. The bill especially is aimed at “being tougher on foreigners who commit crimes, expelling them all,” he said, speaking Sunday night on TV channel France 2.

The legislation includes a provision that would give legal status under certain conditions to undocumented individuals working in specific sectors with labor shortages.

‘There’s a political compromise to be found. What counts is the general interest,’ Darmanin said.”

Meanwhile in Scandinavian countries … from American Thinker:

Increasing crime numbers may explain why Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland are beginning to take steps to get rid of illegal immigrants:

While the Europeans once sneered at America’s high crime rate, they’re now grappling with high crime, too. That seems to be thanks to the influx of Middle Easterners and Africans flooding their once safe, homogeneous little countries 

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden announced a new agreement on Tuesday that they were to combine their efforts on removing migrants, saying they would launch joint deportation flights and other initiatives. The agreement came out of a two-day Nordic nations summit in Copenhagen where the group said they had come to a “strong commitment” to strengthen their cooperation on migrant returns.”

From the Washington Post:

“The latest victory came in the socially liberal Netherlands, where hard-right icon Geert Wilders and his anti-European Union, anti-Muslim and anti-immigration Party for Freedom landed a shocking first place finish this past week in parliamentary elections.”

From JusttheNews:

“Caring for illegal aliens currently within the United States could cost American taxpayers up to $451 billion per year, a Monday interim staff report from House Republicans has concluded.”

$451 billion per year is a lot of moola. Will this be the straw that reverses the influx of illegal migrants, and could perhaps even swing the U.S. in the same direction as is happening in many places in Europe?

11/27/23

www.californiacontrarian.com

On Sundays I write about individuals who stand on principle, and should be praised for such. This Sunday is no different.

As an aside, if you look up the word, “cojones,” there are two separate meanings … For those who are aware, there are women without cojones who demonstrate courage, and men with cojones who have no courage. The following two real life stories demonstrate both species.

From a BlazeMedia headline:

“Female boxer learns at last moment her opponent’s manhood was kept a secret, drops out of women’s competition”

An Australian transvestite won a Canadian women’s boxing competition in Quebec by default in late October because his 36-year-old female opponent, Dr. Katia Bissonnette, refused to fight a man.

Bissonnette, a recovered drug addict turned psychologist, figured she had fair shot in the 0-5 fights, 165 lb. super welterweight category. That dream was dashed by 27-year-old Mya Walmsley, a man evidently keen on beating up women.

Denis Gravel, Katia’s trainer, indicated that neither the QOBF nor Boxing Canada bothered to mention that Mya Walmsley was a man, reported La Presse.

Bissonnette, accustomed to fighting women, recalled worrying whether they’d be facing off “on equal terms,” noting that she “could have after-effects, end up in hospital with a concussion or in a coma.”

Are her concerns valid?

Still from BlazeMedia:

“A 2020 study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that “males’ average power during a punching motion was 162% greater than females’, with the least-powerful man still stronger than the most powerful woman. Such a distinction between genders … develops with time and with purpose.”

A 2021 study published in the journal Sports Medicine revealed that the “performance gap between males and female becomes significant at puberty and often amounts to 10-50% depending on sport. The performance gap is more pronounced in sporting activities relying on muscle mass and explosive strength.”

The second cojones-courage dichotomy is from Wales and involves a non-contact sport.

From BlazeMedia:

“Female pool player forfeits championship rather than compete against a man — and the crowd goes wild”

On Sunday, 11/12/23 a crowd of pool enthusiasts gathered at a resort in Denbighshire, Wales, about 240 miles northwest of London, for the women’s 2023 Champion of Champions tournament. In the final round, Lynne Pinches was scheduled to play against a man whose name was once reportedly Chris Haynes but who now pretends to be a woman and calls himself Harriet Haynes — or “HH” on the competitive pool circuit.

The Daily Mail noted that Pinches could have opted not to appear at the final round at all, but if she had, would have been declared a no-show. By showing up and going through some of the tournament procedures, Pinches may have been sending a “message” about men competing in women’s sports, the outlet indicated.

A social media user stated that Harriet Haynes was once a mediocre pool player and began winning tournaments only after he started competing against women. While Blaze News cannot independently verify his record in men’s competitions, Haynes has had tremendous success in women’s competitions.”

Whereas Katie Bissonnette refused to fight a male transvestite because she realistically feared for her safety, Lynne Pinches refused to compete against a male transvestite out of principle.

Both women deserve our respect for standing up for what is right!

11/26/23

I just watched part of a recent Megyn Kelly podcast interview with Dr.  Drew Pinsky, a cardiologist with forty years of experience. Basically Dr. Pinsky was aghast that a recently published article in Circulation(a premier worldwide cardiology journal) has not received more attention. The article had to do with Covid-vaccine myocarditis, and the long term consequences of such. 

The study basically followed 39 people up to 10 months after COVID-vaccine-induced myocarditis. Of these 56% had persistent features of myocarditis and 2/3 had abnormal findings overall.

Dr. Pinsky’s take home:

Most people who get myocarditis from the COVID vaccine have long-term changes to their hearts.

 I agree with his frustration that this article in Circulation did not get more press, but what is missing is the amount of cardiac tissue that is involved by this vaccine induced myocarditis. If a large amount of heart tissue is affected by any type of myocarditis, then I would agree that it portends a very poor long term prognosis. However, there is no info on the degree of involvement. At this point I would have to assume that the more heart tissue is involved, the poorer the prognosis, and vice-versa. But in reality, at this point we do not know the answer to that question. If the amount of myocardium involved is not a crucial piece of this puzzle, then I would have to agree with the extremely pessimistic outlook of Dr. Pinsky.

Personally, this myocarditis-long term outlook segues into the present status of Damar Hamlin who was used on the Bills’ special teams unit only for kick returns in the fourth game of this season. Very hard for someone who does not live in Buffalo to know what Damar Hamlin’s playing status is from week to week. Did Damar Hamlin have myocarditis? Furthermore, since the NFL  mandated that the players receive the Covid vaccine, is the league legally responsible for what happens to a player who gets myocarditis from the vaccine?

On that same Megyn Kelly podcast the issue of the legal responsibility of the future possible deleterious effects of the Covid vaccine as suggested by this Circulation article, and the colleges that mandated those vaccines to young students who had a minuscule chance of dying from Covid. Is it possible that what is now a mere drizzle of an article in Circulation could morph into a huge coming thunderstorm?

11/25/23

A number of years ago a friend of mine had a job offer in Wyoming, so he and his wife went to visit the area. As his wife started to open her car door a gust of wind came up and violently blew the door open! To make a long story short his wife then refused to get out of the car. Her final comment was, “Any place but here!” Needless to say, my friend did not take the job.

Even though that was a long time ago, it is unlikely that the wind has changed as Wyoming’s topography has not changed. Now even though the wind in Wyoming might not make it a pleasant place in which to live, it would certainly be a perfect place for green wind power. Oops! … as Tonto would say, “not so fast kemo-sabe!”

From the Blaze.com:

“Once upon a time, the people of Wyoming enjoyed the lowest electricity rates in the nation, thanks to their supremacy in coal production. A state rich in God’s natural energy is now facing a 29% increase in electricity rates, thanks to Republican Governor Mark Gordon’s windmill grift. Who needs cheap natural fuel when you can have expensive and inefficient wind power?

“Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Rocky Mountain Power, the state’s largest utility company, announced the nearly 30% hike in rates due to rising costs. Residents responded with outrage. They had thought, with good reason, that the state’s abundance of resources would shield them from the national trend.

“It wasn’t always like this. Coal plants accounted for about 71% of the electricity produced in Wyoming in 2022, down from a peak of 97% in 2003 but still second-highest in the nation after West Virginia. What changed? Wind power now accounts for 22% of the share, more than doubling just in the past three years under Governor Gordon.”

To me if wind power cannot succeed in Wyoming, it is unlikely that it will be successful anywhere. (If not there, … where?)

BTW, my friend and his wife settled in Kansas City, and to the best of my knowledge, at last report the wind in Missouri has not violently blown their car door open.

11/21/23

Let’s pretend that you voted for something because it sounded like the “nice” thing to do. If this nice thing then proved to be not so nice, how long would you have to wait before voting again? When it comes to a candidate that you voted for, you would have to wait until his/her term had expired … no matter how poorly that elected individual was performing. But what if the thing that you voted for was not an actual person, but rather a concept. Here I am not referring to Oregon’s recent law that abolished all but minuscule penalties for possession of hard drugs, and has turned out to be a total disaster. Rather I am referring to the populace of New York City voting to be a sanctuary city.

From the Daily Wire:

New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that his administration would be making significant cuts affecting NYPD and Education Department budgets, saying the cuts are necessary to deal with the ongoing illegal immigration crisis. Adams’ budget cuts will freeze police hiring. The budget cuts will also slash the city’s Education Department budget by more than $1 billion over the next two years, affecting school programs and libraries. The cuts to the NYPD come just a month after Adams said the Big Apple needs more police officers as the city faces a rise in felony and misdemeanor assaults and car thefts.

From the Daily Mail: 

The mayor announced a $110.5 billion budget, claiming cuts across all departments were necessary after the city spent $1.45 billion in fiscal 2023 on the migrant crisis. The city is predicted to spend approximately $12 billion on the ongoing migrant crisis within the next two years. The budget cuts would cause NYPD officers to be cut by a fifth, or 13.5 percent, by postponing the next five academy classes, bringing officers below 30,000 – down from 36,000.

So the citizens of NYC are now paying the price for voting to be a sanctuary city, and apparently will continue to pay the price for doing the “nice” thing. Serves them right!

11/20/23

I usually do not get interested in issues involving inmates etc. in prisons, but I found this particular story very interesting because of Roberta Bell who stepped up when somebody had to.

From BlazeMedia:

58-year-old Roberta Bell lives in Vickburg, Mississippi, where she takes care of five of her eight grandchildren. Bell worked as a corrections officer at the Louisiana Transitional Center for Women when she met a pregnant woman who needed help.

Katie Bourgeois only needed to serve two more months on her sentence, but she was about to give birth. No one in her family could take in the child until she was released and she asked Bell if she could take the baby. Bell agreed and alerted her supervisor, who told her that there was a conflict of interest with her job.

“I said, if the hospital calls me to come get that baby, I’m going to get that baby,” Bell told CBS News. “And he said, ‘Well, OK, I’m going to have to terminate you.'”

Bell decided the baby was more important than her job. A week later, the baby was born and she took him home with her.

Bourgeois was released on July Fourth, and she went straight to Bell’s home to pick up her baby.

“She was kind of, you know, a little nervous because he didn’t really know her and she says, ‘He’s crying, Ms. Bell,’ and I said, ‘Well baby,’ I say, ‘He’s got to get used to you,'” Bell explained to CBS News.

Bell found a new calling after word spread in the community and people began to donate money and baby products to her.

“God provided so much stuff,” Bell said tearfully. “People came by, agencies called. It [was] just overwhelming, because I couldn’t do it by myself. That was part of my ministry that I’m getting ready to start.”

Bell, who now works sorting cans at a food distributor, is using the donations to establish a transitional home for women leaving prison called the “Serenity House.”

A truly amazing example of self sacrifice … Roberta Bell stepping up when there was no one else! Roberta Bell is a truly amazing person that we all can admire and hope to emulate.

What makes this even more amazing to me is that while Katie Bourgeois and her baby are white, Roberta Bell is black and lives in Mississippi!

11/19/23

Blast From the Past 

All of the branches of the military, except the Marines, are falling woefully short on recruiting. As you read the following published over two years ago is there any mystery as to why this shortfall is occurring?

Who Would Ever Choose To Work Here ?   9/3/21

All of the branches of the military, except the Marines, are falling woefully short on recruiting. As you read the following published over two years ago is there any mystery as to why this shortfall is occurring?

Let’s say for the sake of discussion that you are in the midst of a job interview, and as fate would have it, you are interviewing with the CEO of the company. During the interview you notice that your potential future commander-in-chief repeatedly glances at his watch. After his fifth glance you actually become a bit irritated, but then you rationalize that he may in fact have something more important to do … like going to the funeral of a friend’s son. 

During the interview the first time that he apparently forgot your name, you rationalized that you may have misunderstood him. However, the second time he called you “Sam,” you felt that it was necessary to tell him that your name was not Sam, but Dan. He responded to that by saying, “Yes, yes, I know,” in a somewhat jocular tone. Nonetheless, the thinning of his lips and the narrowing of his eyes were dead giveaways that he did not take kindly to being corrected … even when he was obviously wrong.

To some of your questions he repeatedly referred to the index cards that he was trying to hide in his lap. It almost seemed that he needed the cards to answer some straightforward questions. In addition twice I asked what I thought was a simple question, and twice his convoluted answer came around to something called ‘bow’ accompanied by a tear in his eye. By the end of the interview I had pretty much made up my mind. To myself I said, “Who would ever choose to work here?”

As you walked out of his office someone in the hall tugged at your arm and whispered, “Be very careful, son. He will never stand behind you in a pinch. Furthermore, if you make a wrong decision based on his advise, he will let you hang on your own. Because he is in charge, he constantly ignores the advice of those that know much more about something than he does. That is why those that evaluate the strength of this company are increasingly giving it a failing grade. The only reason I am still working here is that I am getting close to my twenty year retirement, and if I quit now, I will lose big time. Be assured that I will deny what I am saying to you, as the last seventeen year vet that opened his mouth got fired. Some say that the CEO’s ineptitude is related to early dementia, but I think he was incapable and incompetent long before he became demented.”

Then he added parenthetically … “who would ever choose to work here?”

I predict that we will see a drop off of new enlistments in all the branches of service as those in charge are now too woke, too gutless, and too stupid!

9/3/21

www.californiacontrarian.com