THE WHOLE IN THE WORLD (published 8/29/2021; article #240)

The Eagles “Hole in the World” (2003)

I hope that you pause, click, and listen to the YouTube link in the above section title. This is the first time in 239 articles that I have used a song as a section title in an article. I am doing so in this 240th article. It is fitting. The lyrics are:

There's a hole in the world tonight.
There's a cloud of fear and sorrow.
There's a hole in the world tonight.
Don't let there be a hole in the world tomorrow.

They say that anger is just love disappointed.
They say that love is just a state of mind,
But all this fighting over who will be anointed.
Oh, how can people be so blind?

There's a hole in the world tonight.
There's a cloud of fear and sorrow.
There's a hole in the world tonight.
Don't let there be a hole in the world tomorrow.

Oh, they tell me there's a place over yonder,
Cool water running through the burning sand,
Until we learn to love one another
We will never reach the promise land.

There's a hole in the world tonight.
There's a cloud of fear and sorrow.
There's a hole in the world tonight.
Don't let there be a hole in the world tomorrow.

From SongFacts, Hole In The World, by Eagles:

Don Henley started writing this song on one of the darkest days in American history: September 11, 2001. He wrote in the liner notes for The Very Best Of The Eagles compilation: "I sat down at the piano in my home studio and started putting some chords with the phrase 'hole in the world.' Months went by, but I didn't show it to anybody. Then, other things started happening that gave additional meanings to 'Hole in the World,' particularly after the [Iraq] war started. The fighting was supposedly over in May, and yet one or two or three of our boys were - and still are - getting killed every day, which means somebody's daddy is not coming home. So that's another 'hole' - a huge hole in somebody's life - a child, a wife, a mother, a father, a brother, a sister.”

The Eagles website doesn't mention the song or the reason for the song. It should. It is a timeless song.

The Holes in the World

The above photograph is included in “Photos show what life is like in a Siberian diamond mining town on the edge of the Arctic Circle, which is home to 40,000 people and where the sun is up for 20 hours a day in the summer,” on Business Insider, by Katie Warren, updated 8/7/2020.

The above hole is or was a diamond mine in Eastern Siberia, according to the link that I have cited.

On this Sunday afternoon, about 3:30 PM, as I type this sentence, I have about had it, haven't you? The hole in the world is too large. I am despondent and pensive as I write this article.

I had planned this article to be about “poly-ticks” (from Greek, poly, or “many,” plus ticks, or blood suckers). I will not write on that topic, except briefly below. A deeper article on “poly-ticks” would leave me more despondent and pensive than I am already.

Let's start counting the holes in the world. I wish that I didn't have to write this. This is not a complete list. I wouldn't stop writing, if I composed a complete list! Here we go!

(1) Afghanistan. It started on 9/11/2001. They hit us first. The USA hit back, weakly, over almost 20 years. The first president of the Ununited Socialist States of America (USSA) plans to get the troops out on 8/31/2021, two short days from today. He has no clue. The folks that pull his puppet strings have no clue. The USA, from 9/11/2001 to now, has been losing an almost 20-year war against an enemy who uses “pitchforks” for weapons. The “war against terror” could have been won in a year or two. The USA and its allies won World War II in about four years or less.

In its mindless rush to get out of its 20-year lost war in Afghanistan, the USSA is leaving behind countless millions of Monopoly money dollars worth of military equipment and supplies. Who cares? The USSA doesn't.

On Thursday, 8/26/2021, an enemy suicide attack killed thirteen USA (as I must respect them, so not USSA) soldiers. One soldier who died was a 2016 graduate of Gibbs High school. The high school is about a two-mile drive north of our home. Local media have articles about it.

Afghanistan is a hole that hit close to home on 8/26/2021. The hole will widen. The deaths will multiply. I am despondent.

(2) Illegal alien invasion. The USSA southern border remains wide open! All the illegals -- desperate, poor, hungry, evil and good, adults and children, COVID-19 infected or not -- can come on into the USSA. This once-great nation will transport them to their favorite location and give them a house, a car, food, and spending money, even if local citizens object or don't even know! It's only fair! The equal distribution of wealth needs to happen to make everyone poor and dependent on the USSA. The socialists need more illegals to enter to ensure that the socialists get enough votes to keep them in power, until voting won't be legal anymore!

Aren't y'all tired of it? I am. I am despondent.

(3) Monopoly money. The USSA will keep printing Monopoly money to support its socialist utopian dream! “It's all good,” as it is said! The USSA needs to fund “infrastructure” improvements and other pipe dreams! No worries! Enough RINO Republicans joined the Democrat socialist utopians to get the bill passed. The first president of the USSA (a puppet) was glad to sign the bill into law, after the ones who pull his strings loaded him up on whatever medications he needed to be somewhat coherent in speech to sign the bill.

I had a working document on the details. I'm glad that I deleted it. I am despondent.

(4) Corona Myopia Psychosis. The multiple “variants” are hitting the USSA in spades! I wrote "Corony" Epsilon (published 8/22/2021) seven days ago. I'm fine now. It was a minor cold virus. I didn't miss work. It didn't matter.

Yes, I know that medical providers are feeling the burn from the new cold virus. Folks are either getting sick and recovering or dying from it. I know all the websites. I deleted my working document that included several details.

Folks are dying every day from old age, cancer, heart trouble, strokes, vehicle accidents, and many other maladies. I had information in a deleted working document. It would have wasted my time to publish the details.

Corona Myopia Psychosis, as I call it, is a tool that the USSA socialist utopians are using to keep the fearful afraid. I am not one of the fearful. I am despondent.

(5) Race war. My deleted working document included, “Juneteenth, on the 19th day of June annually, will be a day off work!” I found “All Information (Except Text) for S.475 - Juneteenth National Independence Day Act” on Congress.gov, which you can check if you are bored. Critical Race Theory (CRT) ideology is making the rounds in the various media.

I thought that the content of character mattered, not skin color. Well, that's what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said. He referenced God's moral code. I am despondent.

(6) PGI/PGO. Apparently, the Commission for LGBT People at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has no clue that God created us male and female.

Some fools think that there are either 16 (source: “Here's Your Comprehensive Gender Identity List, As Defined By Psychologists And Sex Experts: Understand everything from intersex to gender-expansive;” on Women's Health Magazine, by Perri O. Blumberg and Emily Becker, as updated as of this article date) or 58 (source: “Here's a List of 58 Gender Options for Facebook Users,” on ABC News, by Russell Goldman, 2/13/2014) different genders. You can click the links, if you are bored. I deleted my working document on this, which had several points of information, about which I no longer care.

Some readers may wonder what “PGI/PGO” means. PGI is “person with genitalia innie.” PGO is “person with genitalia outie.” If anyone questions his or her gender, as there are only two options, then I suggest strongly: drop your drawers in private, please. Look between your legs. Do you have a genitalia innie or outie? If you have an innie, then you are a female. If you have an outie, then you are a male.

PGI/PGO folks should use the proper restrooms and play sports on the correct teams. Are you not tired of this silliness? I am. I am despondent.

The Whole in the World

The Oak Ridge Boys gave a great rendition of “Jesus Is Coming Soon.” I hope that you click their official OAKSTV YouTube channel, “Jesus Is Coming Soon,” and enjoy their version of the song, after skipping the advertisement!

The holes (immoralities) in the world are a bunch of gnats. The gnats get in the way of looking for the coming whole in the world (i.e., the second coming of Christ). I have wiped the gnats away from my eyes finally by writing this article! I hope that reading it helps you do the same.

Keep replaying the Oak Ridge Boys singing “Jesus is Coming Soon!” It helps. I will have this article published well before supper for a change!

By the way, “Jesus is coming soon” means that a year is as if a day. Soon, from Jesus' perspective, may take several more decades or centuries. I hope not! Come back, dear Lord! Come back now! Well, he didn't yet. I am still waiting as patiently as an Appalachian Irishman can!

MRS. FOWLER JACKIE IS A FRAUD! (published 8-28-2021)

Introduction

On 9/3/2006, I posted a public service announcement, about Mr. Garuba's fraud attempt. Wow! That was almost 15 years ago! It was my 24th article.

This is my 239th article. How time goes by!

Mrs. Fowler's 8/27/2021, Friday, E-Mail

On 8/27/2021, Friday, I received the following e-mail, from Mrs. Fowler Jackie (or Jackie Fowler, if she knows which name comes first). Note: I had started to correct the grammar, style, and punctuation, in red and add my comments in blue, but I gave up! The errors were far too many. Can you count the number of errors? If you do, post a comment. I gave up!

Mrs. Fowler Jackie (or Jackie Fowler) wrote:

Gooday[,] My Beloved [as if I am her “beloved”],

It's my pleasure to contact you to seek for your urgent assistance in this humanitarian social investment project to be establish in your country for the mutual benefit of the orphans and the less privileged ones, haven't known each other or met before, I know that everything is controlled by God as there is nothing impossible to him. I believe that you and I can cooperate together in the service of the Lord, please open your heart to assist me in carrying out this benevolently project in your country/position.

I am Mrs.Fowler Jackie. a dying widow hospitalized undergoing treatment for brain tumor disease, I believe that you will not expose or betray this trust and confidence that I am about to entrust on you for the mutual benefit of the orphans and the less privileged ones. My late husband made a substantial deposit with the Bank which I have decided to hand over and entrust the sum of ($ 12,500,000.00 Dollars) in the account under your custody for you to invest it into any social charitable project in your location or your country. Based on my present health status I am permanently indisposed to handle finances or any financial related project.

This is the reason why I decided to contact you for your support and help to stand as my rightful beneficiary and claim the money for humanitarian purposes for the mutual benefits of the less privileged ones. Because If the money remains unclaimed with the bank after my death, those greedy bank executives will place the money as an unclaimed Fund and share it for their selfish and worthless ventures.

However I need your sincerity and ability to carry out this transaction and fulfill my final wish in implementing the charitable investment project in your country as it requires absolute trust and devotion without any failure. Meanwhile It will be my pleasure to compensate you with part of the total money as my Investment manager/partner for your effort in handling the transaction, while the remaining amount shall be invested into any charity project of your choice there in your country.

Please I'm waiting for your prompt response if only you are interested. I will send you further details and the bank contact details where the fund has been deposited for you to contact the Bank for immediate release and transfer of the fund into your bank account as my rightful beneficiary.

May god bless you and your family.

Respectfully.

Mrs.Fowler Jackie.

Written from the Hospital.

Conclusion

Mr. Garuba was a fraud, back on 9/3/2006! I warned readers about him, almost 15 years ago. “Mrs. Fowler Jackie” is a fraud! This is a public service announcement, to all viewers! If she emails you, don't buy the fraud! She does not have 12.5 million dollars! She does not have a brain tumor, as far as I know.

I hope that “Mr. Garuba” and “Mrs. Fowler Jackie” figure out the evil of their fraud schemes! They need to turn right and go straight – by believing in God, accepting the Good Lord's free gift of salvation, and living in appreciation of God's gift!

Yes, I know! This was only a funny sidetrack! I may get around to writing a “poly-tics” article tomorrow. Wait for it! At 6:02 PM, I hear taters being mashed! Let's eat supper!

"CORONY" EPSILON (published 8/22/2021)

Via “KABC: What Do You Need to Know About the Epsilon Variant and Its Risks?” On Cedars Sinai, 7/27/2021.

Introduction

I was mistaken. I thought that I had come down with the “Corony” Iota. I was wrong. I had come down with “Corony” Epsilon. “Corony” Epsilon is a self-discovered variant of the “new cold virus.” The “new cold virus” has been around almost two years. As far as I know, I am the only one, in the USSA, who has contracted the “Corony” Epsilon variation of the “new cold virus.”

Don't y'all get worried! I have almost fully recovered! Folks in Pakistan, apparently, have had “Corony” Epsilon.

The “Corony” New Cold Virus Variants

The World Health Organization (WHO) goes into multiple minutia to ensure that those, who are afraid of the new cold virus, are aware of the Greek alphabet variants of the virus. The WHO indicates the following new cold virus variants, by their Greek alphabet names:

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta are, apparently, “variants of concern,” to whomever are concerned.

Eta, Iota, Kappa, and Lambda are, apparently, “variants of interest,” to whomever are interested.

The Greek Alphabet

The Greek alphabet consists of 24 consonants and vowels. I learned Koine Greek, in 1983 to 1984 – with further self-education over the decades later.

Sidetrack, with apology: decades ago, I translated the apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians, the Gospel of Mark, and sections of other New Testament texts from Koine Greek to English – for my own study and sermons. I may unpack the details, if the Patheos.com writer – who doesn't have his own website – wishes to engage me. I commented on his Gospel of Mark article today. I will not use his borrowed forum to debate. He doesn't own that forum. I own this website. That writer is welcome to meet me here.

The following is the Greek alphabet, in upper case, lower case, and English transliteration. The bold, black letters (or letters of color) indicate the WHO's “variants of concern.” The bold, blue letters indicate the WHO's “variants of interest.” The bold, red letters indicate the Greek letters that the WHO, apparently, skipped (or does not know that exist in the Greek). The underlined Epsilon is the new cold virus variant that I have. I have diagnosed myself.

Α α alpha (a vowel)
Β β beta
Γ γ gamma
Δ δ delta
Ε ε epsilon (a vowel)
Ζ ζ zeta
Η η eta (a vowel)
Θ θ theta
Ι i iota (a vowel)
Κ κ kappa
Λ λ lambda
Μ μ mu
Ν ν nu
ξ ξ xi (The upper and lower cases are the same, as I was trained.)
Ο ο omicron (a vowel)
Π π pi
Ρ ρ rho
Σ σ,ς sigma
Τ τ tau
Υ υ upsilon (a vowel)
Φ φ phi
Χ χ chi
Ψ ψ psi
Ω ω omega (a vowel)

My “Corony” Epsilon Status

On 8/19/2021, Thursday, I awakened about 6 AM. My work-at-home Monday to Wednesday was done. My work-at-office (doing the same job) Thursday and Friday routine was starting, sadly. I've been doing this since 2/1/2021, Monday. I'm used to it, sadly.

I felt well, for a “bionic” man. My chiropractic adjustment on 8/16/2021, Monday, helped. My chiropractor taught me what neither he nor I had figured out, over my last five plus years of “bionic” life! Hold a 15-pound weight in both hands while standing. Relax both shoulders. The pulling from my left shoulder to my left hip will relax! Hey! It is working! It was a better-late-than-never medical “miracle” (or “murakl,” as folks in upper-east Tennessee pronounce it)! No, it was no “miracle!” My chiropractor figured out, finally, what no other medical persons (i.e., surgeon, inpatient therapists, outpatient therapists, massage therapists, etc.) nor I had figured out before! I had been focusing on the fulcrum point in my lower back. That was my error – over these last few years! I have fulcrum points in my shoulders also! My chiropractor figured it out! Thanks, “Doc Art!” (Well, I have digressed. Forgive my digression.)

On Thursday, once I was out of bed, I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. Why were both eyes red – especially my left eye? I used my over-the-counter eye drops several times that day. My left eye hurt a little. The left side of my nose had some type of junk in it. I felt drainage down the left side of my throat, which I hocked up enough. I drove to and from the “Hadean realm” to work. I endured. I also used my over-the-counter nose spray. That evening, I used salt water in my nettie pot.

The next day, Friday, my left eye wasn't as red. At the “Hadean realm,” I took one of my red pills (for the snots) that I've had in my desk drawer for years – even before 3/29/2016, when I became the “bionic man.”

Yesterday, my left eye wasn't too red. Today, that eye is almost back to normal. I assume that it will be normal tomorrow. The junk in the left side of my nose is gone. I have no drainage down the left side of my throat.

I have concluded that I am the first person in the USSA to have had the “Corony” Epsilon variant of the new cold virus! If you get it, it's not too bad. You won't run a fever. Your left eye will get very red. The left side of your nose will have junk in it, which will drain down the left side of your throat. You will cure yourself, by over-the-counter remedies. Use a nettie pot with salt water!

Conclusion

This article is my “public service announcement,” to help folks. I still wonder where I contracted “Corony” Epsilon. I don't know. Did I get it, last Tuesday evening? Molly (our doggy) and I played a while, out in the rain that evening. Molly didn't get the “Corony” Epsilon from that fun in the rain. I don't think that's where I got it. Either way, I'm almost over this first ever recorded USSA case of “Corony” Epsilon!

I wonder if the WHO will get around to learning that they skipped ”Corony” Zeta and ”Corony” Theta. The WHO made me think that I had ”Corony” Iota. The WHO owes me an apology. I doubt that they will give me one.

Don't let the USSA Socialist Utopians fool you, folks! The Corona Myopia Psychosis that they have been using is just one tool – of their multiple tools – to lead us to Socialist Utopia! Do you buy their deception? I do not!

This article was a sidetrack, with apology. I may get around to writing my “Poly-tics Smorgasbord” article eventually. That article will cover more temporal topics that the new cold virus (Corona Myopia Psychosis). The article I wrote yesterday still puts this temporal triviality into everlasting perspective.

But wait! One website claims that an Epsilon “Corony” variant exists! Another website state that Epsilon “Corony” started in Pakistan. Hum. I have never been to Pakistan. (I've been to India, but that was decades ago.)

Am I still the first person in the USSA to have self-diagnosed with the Epsilon “Corony” variant? The truth is out there – if anyone cares!

ANALOGY OF THE ANTS (published 8/21/2021)

"The Thinker (Le Penseur), model 1880, cast 1901" (on National Gallery of Art, Public Domain)

Introduction

Auguste Rodin, a French sculptor (1840 - 1917), created “The Thinker.” I like it! A person donated the (above image) 1880 model, cast 1901, to the USSA National Gallery of Art. The website (under the image) has more details. Also, “The Thinker: sculpture by Rodin” (on Britannica, by Alicja Zelazko, fact-checked by the Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, last updated 5/9/2018) provides further information.

The thinker, Bronze, Sculpture image, by guy_dugas, 12/14/2015, on Pixaby. Free for use. Content License.

The above image is a free download, from Pixabay. The image is where the original “The Thinker” is located. Pixabay would be glad to get any donated money, if you want to give it to them.

I ain't a sculptor, but I was in the toilet, at the office, yesterday, to answer the call of nature. While “sottin' thar thinkin',” I had a thought! I will explain this Appalachian Irishman's “the thinker” moment.

The Ant Colony

A colony of ants are on a redwood tree. The redwood tree had fallen into a big river. The ants live on the redwood tree, as it floats down the river.

How did the redwood tree, river, and the ant colony originate? They evolved! Nothing existed. That nothingness exploded. The explosion led, over billions of years, to the evolution of the river, redwood tree, and ant colony -- in that order. (This is “Just My Imagination,” folks, as “The Thinker” that I was yesterday. I hope that you like the Rolling Stones song. I do.) Over the last few million years, the ant colony built on the redwood tree. The tree fell into the river, due to a rift in the space-time continuum. The ant colony has been floating down the river on the redwood tree, for the last several thousand years.

The ant colony is organized well enough. Some ants affirm, with logical proof that validates them, that a divine and eternal creator has always existed -- who created their ant universe, in their temporal, space-time continuum. They worship their creator. They try to live according to the morality that the creator dictated. They have a document -- which they know, by various points of evidence, is inspired by their creator -- that guides them. They are correct, of course, as any ant trained in logic knows.

Other ants, however, laugh at the “believing” ants. They speculate that their colony was created from nothing. These ants can't prove their theory. It's their hypothesis. They, however, affirm that proper organization of the ant society and their ant-defined moral code is good -- even if they can't define absolutely what “good” is. They don't have a logical reason for thinking that way. Thinking that way, however, gives them comfort and conviction. They think that they are superior in thought to the “believing” ants, whom they regard as uneducated and uninformed. The “unbelieving” ants, however, have no proof to support them, but they are very firm in their speculation. Some “believing” ants back down, in fear of the “unbelieving” ants' conviction -- with no proof -- since the “believing” ants are cowards.

The Ant Colony Purpose

The purpose of the ant colony varies -- based on “believing” verses “unbelieving” ants. The two groups try to live with each other well enough. They have social and moral conflicts. The “unbelieving” ants win usually -- since they control most of the ant media propaganda networks, in their ant “Interweb,” radio, and TV media.

The ant colony is weakening and becoming disorganized. The “believing” ants are worried. The “unbelieving” ants are happy. Some ants think that a male ant can become a queen ant. They disdain the terms “he and she ants.” Some ants think that defeating the termites on the other part of the redwood tree is good. Other ants disagree. Some ants think that eating the tree bark that is available is okay. Other ants think that they can create more tree bark from nothing. They call it “Monopoly money tree bark.”

The ant colony, divided such as it is, continues to float down the big river. The “believing” ants think and know, as they have logical proof, that the end will be a paradise location, with plenty of good ground and eatables. They will see ant ancestors, who have already died. The “unbelieving” ants laugh at the “believing” ants. They assume that “Socialist Ant Utopia” awaits all ants!

The Ant Colony Ending

What happened? Well, the ant colony, on the redwood tree, on the big river, went over a huge fall in the river. The “believing” ants went up, to the ant creator and all the “believing” ants who had died before them.

The “unbelieving” ants took a great fall, into a dark and hot place of fire, which was below the huge fall in the river. They did not perish. Instead, they have an everlasting reality to contemplate the error in their thoughts, while they had been on the ant colony that had been on the redwood tree, as it had been floating down the big river.

The ant CREATOR had been the JUDGE. HE JUDGED THE “BELIEVING” ANTS. HE JUDGED THE “UNBELIEVING” ANTS. The ant CREATOR's judgment was FINAL.

Conclusion

These were my thoughts, while “sottin' thar thinkin'” in the office outhouse yesterday. I hope that you enjoyed my thoughts. I am a thinker also -- even if I don't have a naked statue of myself anywhere!

This article will set the context for my “Poly-tics Smorgasbord” article that I plan to write tomorrow. It will be a temporally irrelevant article, but I recon that I will write it anyway. I'll get off of here now, to start writing that article or eat supper.

Y'all enjoy the ride on the redwood tree -- while it lasts!

USSA Lowers Flag at Kabul Embassy: USA 8-14-1945 Compared to USSA 8-15-2021 (published 8-16-2021, updated 6-26-2022)

Publisher's note, 6/26/2022: I improved the sources referenced in the original article and clarified some original wording.

Introduction

This article is brief and sad. I assume that you know about the sorrow and tragedy that occurred yesterday.

I regret writing this article. I must write it.

USA, 8/14/1945

Did you remember that Saturday, 8/14/2021, two days ago, was the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day)? It did not dawn on me until yesterday. I did not see, hear, or read any media coverage that highlighted the anniversary.

On May 8, 1945, Allied forces, including the United States of America (USA), defeated Nazi Germany. On August 14, 1945, the Allies defeated Imperial Japan. “Victory Over Japan Day: End of WWII,” U.S. Department of Defense, is one source that includes much historical information.

August 14, 1945, marked an honorable moment for World War II (WW II) allies, including the USA. The Allied victory over the Axis powers in WW II has inspired me from my childhood until now.

USSA, 8/15/2021

After September 11, 2001 (9/11), the USA declared a “war on terror.” That was twenty years ago. I do not wish to delve into the details of that 20-year, “politically correct” war.

My January 11, 2021, article, “Status of a Once Great Nation,” explains how the United States of America (USA) became the Ununited Socialist States of America (USSA), on January 6, 2021. Readers are welcome to comment and explain why, if they disagree.

Apparently, the USA did not learn from its mistakes during its involvement (1965–1973) in the Vietnam War (1954–1975). Sources: “Vietnam War: 1954–1975,” Encyclopædia Britannica, by Ronald H. Spector, updated 7/6/2021, and “Vietnam War Timeline,” by History.com Editors, original 9/13/2017. A nation cannot fight a politically correct war!

The day after the 75th anniversary of V-J Day, the USSA lowered the American flag at its embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Sources: “US lowers flag at Kabul embassy, secures airport,” Manila Bulletin, by Agence France-Presse, 8/16/2021; “August 15, 2021, Afghanistan-Taliban news,” CNN, by Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Melissa Mahtani, Melissa Macaya, Maureen Chowdhury, Brad Lendon, and Joshua Berlinger, 8/16/2021; and “Afghan President Ghani flees, US Embassy lowers American flag with Taliban takeover nearly complete: US Embassy has been evacuated, American flag lowered,” Fox News, by Ronn Blitzer, 8/15/2021.

Conclusion

As I await supper, the USA's demise into the USSA is depressing. It is sadly ironic that President Biden's administration would select the day after the 75th anniversary of V-J Day to end the 20-year “war on terror.” This once-great nation is very quickly going down even further. Unlike the USA, the USSA has left very little honor, strength, and moral influence.

This article honors soldiers, who served to defeat the Axis powers during World War II. It also honors soldiers, who fought in the “war on terror.” Words cannot fully express the depths of my profound sorrow and regret, caused by the wartime losses of life and limb, and of all the trauma. If you are a soldier, who served during the “war on terror,” you are honored! Do not lower your eyes! You have no shame! The “powers that be” are responsible, not you!

I'll stop. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman has supper ready. The USSA needs to wake up! This once-great nation is fast sinking into oblivion.

FRIDAY the 13th & MY BIONIC FOOT (published 8-15-2021)

Introduction

Howdy, dear reader! We are an “online family.” I'll continue to write, as you keep reading! Well, I write anyway. I hope that you enjoy reading.

About 3 PM yesterday, I noticed this website's viewer totals for the last seven days. Views were as follows by nation:

Indonesia 1.17K. USSA (former USA) 177. Canada 26. Netherlands 16. Singapore 16. Ireland 11 (my ancestral country that I visited in 1998). Germany 10 (several layovers at the Frankfurt airport). France 5 (airport layover in Paris). Russia 4 (our home from 1994 to 1999). China 3. Argentina 2. Portugal 2. Sweden 2 (airport layover in Stockholm). Brazil 1. Czechia 1. Finland 1 (a few visits to Helsinki). Other 2 (unknown nations).

Of course, view totals keep increasing. I don't know why Indonesian viewers visit this website so much. I've never been there. Greetings to Indonesian viewers! I don't think that these views are from “bots.” I am regulating the number of “bots” that hit my website.

Yesterday, I finally got a much-needed haircut! It had been seven weeks. I would rather not go without a haircut for more than four weeks during warm weather. Tony's Best Clips gave me a much needed and perfect as usual haircut. It took about 15 minutes. Thanks much, Tony! I finally dropped a couple of pounds of hair!

Yesterday also involved the usual and mundane chores. Let's move to the purpose of this article.

Friday the 13th in Greek

In Greek, the fear of Friday the 13th is Ο φόβος της Παρασκευής 13. That is fear (φόβος), beside or a long side of (παρά), utensils, literally, or Friday (σκευή, noun form), and the number 13. The English transliteration is paraskavedekatriaphobia. The English translation is fear of Friday, the 13th. Paraskavedekatriaphobia is a 12-cylinder word! Readers educated in phonetics, as I was, can pronounce that 12-cylinder word.

I enjoy saying triskaidekaphobia. (I mastered the pronunciation of the word decades ago.) From Greek, it means fear of 13. Folks may fear the number 13 at any time, not just on Friday. I'm still working on my phonetically correct pronunciation of paraskavedekatriaphobia. I'd rather say fear of Friday the 13th. It's easier.

On the morning of Friday the 13th, I asked Mrs. Appalachian Irishman to say, to her colleagues, “happy triskaidekaphobia!” She didn't. Working at the office that day, I had fun saying paraskavedekatriaphobia! The four women there were confused. I never explained the word. I hope that my colleagues recommend that I be given a “crazy pension.”

Photographs of My “Bionic” Foot

For now, I work at the office on Thursdays and Fridays and from home Monday through Wednesday. After returning home from work, on Friday the 13th, I noticed that the red spot on my “bionic” right heel was gone! That was my luck on Friday the 13th!

Yesterday, after my haircut and chores, I took the above photograph of my heels. I was on my back with both legs elevated. My trusty Samsung phone took the photograph. (Don't mind the ironing board leg and iron cord in the background. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman still irons stuff, for some strange reason.)

Do you see my right heel? It looks almost like my left heel! A small callus is still on my right heel. (Don't mind the “black tape.” I use it to help a little when I walk. I despise that “black tape!” I'll not need to use it in a few years.)

To get rid of that red spot on my right heel has taken over five years (since 3/29/2016)! On 10/27/2019, while hiking on House Mountain hike for the 160th time, the scab on my right heel bled through my sock. (The 11/3/2019 article mentions it.)

Also, yesterday, I took the above photograph. (Please ignore the “black tape!”) Do you see the ongoing improvement? The red dot under the toe next to the big toe, on my “bionic” right foot, is still there. It has faded slowly over the last five plus years. My right big toe still needs to point straight (as my left big toe does). The two farthest right toes on my right foot need to get over their desire to become hammer toes! I keep beating down their efforts! So far, I am winning! (You do not want to know all the day-to-day details, over these last five plus years.)

Today, I took the above photograph. (Every Sunday, I replace the “black tape,” i.e., kinesiology tape.) The red line below my ankle marks where Dr. Scott T. Smith, UT Medical Center, operated on my foot on Wednesday, 4/13/2016. (I don't fear the number 13.) He had already operated on my left shoulder and right knee, when the concussion was still affecting me, so I don't remember those surgeries. My 3/21/2021 article goes into more detail. (If you are not too squeamish, you are welcome to read it.)

I know that focusing on one “bionic” joint (and surrounding muscle groups) is not beneficial. Daily, my ongoing recovery focuses on my left shoulder, right knee, right foot, and the surrounding muscle groups. Day by day, I move on.

Conclusion

This article focused on my “bionic” right foot. My right ankle needs to figure out how to bend forward! I keep trying to get that ankle to bend forward like my left ankle! My “bionic” right knee is doing well enough. It's still not the same as my left knee. My “bionic” left shoulder aggravated the heck out of me in May. (I didn't write about it.) The big muscles down both sides of my back, into my hips, and down both legs are still trying to figure out how to be a balanced group of muscles. My “bionic” left shoulder is the main culprit. It is slowly improving.

My friend and nuclear scientist, Dr. Stoyan Antonov, seems to have been right. On 12/3/2017, he examined me, during my 141st hike on House Mountain. He said that my recovery would take about ten years. (In 2017, I published only one article, but not about that hike.) Of all the medical folks, who have speculated about my recovery, I know that Dr. Antonov was right. I do not wish to endure my “whatevers” until I die. Well, the apostle Paul endured his “whatevers” until he died. I guess that I'm man enough to do the same.

Dr. Stoyan Antonov, my Bulgarian hiking friend, hiked together or met while hiking 12 times: 1/2/2011 (first meeting), 1/30/2011, 2/6/2011, 3/13/2011, 10/9/2011, 10/27/2013 (my 93rd hike), 1/19/2014, 12/7/2014 (Pearl Harbor Day), 12/16/2015, 1/3/2016 (my 129th hike), 2/7/2016, and 12/3/2017 (my 141st hike). The details are in my memory and in my hiking log. I hope that Dr. Antonov is doing well. I haven't seen him since 12/3/2017.

The inspired apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7, “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” (The full context is in verses 1 through 10.) Thank you, Lord, for giving me my “bionic messenger of Satan” on 3/29/2016. I can endure, just like the apostle Paul did. Why don't you use me, as you once did, in your service? Will you let me know when you will do so? Once again, God has not yet answered my prayer.

Dear Lord, I still believe! This temporal triviality does not concern me. I'll see you, once I reach my heavenly home.

Today is Sunday. At about 4:50 PM, I see the storm clouds and rain coming! We need more rain! I'm still working on an article about “poly-ticks” smorgasbord. It will explain what PGI and PGO mean. Do you know what they are? If not, I'll let you know, once I finish and publish the article!

Y'all keep turnin' right and goin' straight out there! The current insanity, in this once-great nation, is a temporal triviality that we must sadly endure.

By the way, as of 4:54 PM today, website views for the last seven days were:

Indonesia 1.29K. USA (USSA) 219. Canada 27. Netherlands 22. Singapore 16.
Ireland 11. Germany 8. France 5. Russia 4. Argentina 2. China 2. Spain 2.
Sweden 2. Czechia 1. Finland 1. Portugal 1. Other 1.

Life, “Such As It Was,” Highlights: 7/4 - 8/6/2021 (published 8-8-2021)

Introduction

Howdy, y'all! I hope that you are still turnin' right and goin' straight. Thanks for stopping by to read for a while.

I plan to get back to writing the usual nine to twelve articles a month. July was a “rich, full” month. I wrote only three articles. This article is about “life, such as it was,” by topical focus, from 7/4/2021 to 8/6/2021. The theme is “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” I hope that you are entertained!

This article is six pages long. Please don't give up on it, unless you don't have the mental focus. I hope that you don't have a short attention span. Social media is a cause of short attention span. I have read Война и мир (War and Peace), published in 1865–1869, by Leo Tolstoy. I read the English translation, which was my failing. One day, I hope to start reading the original Russian.

I started writing this article when East Tennessee air was smoky. The smoke is mostly gone now. Along with the hot and humid weather, we inhaled “second-hand smoke.” Forest fires from far western states were bringing it. On 7/31/2021, while driving nearby, I could barely see My Mountain (House Mountain)! It made me think about the "Johnny Smoke” public service TV announcement from the 1960s. I hope that you watch the YouTube link. It brings back memories for those of us, who are old enough to remember.

Folks often begin conversations about the weather, before moving to deeper topics. Let's dig a little deeper into the conversational well!

The Good

July started off well. My 7/5/2021 article was about the family gathering on 7/3/2021. That was a very good day!

Independence Day was the next day. We rested. That afternoon, I completed various requirements to renew my “ever two years” Tennessee life and health insurance license. I have not been working in life and health insurance since 2012, but I still renew my license every two years. It is not that expensive or time-consuming. I got the license in 2005, so I might as well keep it renewed.

The USA celebrated its 245th birthday (as the latest and fairly young experiment in a republican form of government). The 245th birthday assumes accepting that the USA still exists. I have determined that the United States of America ended on 1/6/2021 and that the Ununited Socialist States of America (USSA) started that day. (Previous articles have commented on this.) I cannot comprehend the political and moral insanity any longer! Folks either honor the USA and its flag or hate them. The haters should move to another nation and leave the rest of us alone! (Okay, that's my “poly-ticks” soapbox. I'm done!)

As a theological aside, the Good Lord determined that a person needs to rest one day a week. For the Hebrews, it was on Saturday, as instructed in the Ten Commandments. By the way, the Fourth Commandment was the only one that was nullified by Christ's death and resurrection. The New Covenant includes all the Ten Commandments, in principle, except for the fourth. A person needs to rest one day a week. The Good Lord knew what he was doing. Seventh-Day Adventist friends are wrong. Sunday, not Saturday, is the day when Christians gather for worship.

On Saturday, 7/17/2021, I attained the age of 6.1 years. (It is easier to count in decades.) I took it easy and did the usual chores. I found the two store-bought cards that Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had hidden for me. (She likes to play “hide the cards” on birthdays and anniversaries.) One card was made in China. The other was made in the USSA by a socialist group. I researched them. My wife made a traditional “lemon birthday pie,” which I may get around to eating over the course of a few months as usual. I received phone calls and emails. “Farcebook” friends (in real life also) offered birthday greetings. My birthday this year was better than last year. (See the 7/26/2020 article.)

The next day, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman attained the age of ____. (She won't allow me to tell you, but she's three years younger than me!) She found her card that I had made and hidden! We ate dinner (or lunch, as the Yankees call it) at Applebee's, which is near the former Knox Center (or East Towne) Mall. We used to live in an apartment on the ridge, behind the main entrance to the former mall. We lived there after returning from Russia, in 1999, and before moving into our house on 6/7/2003. (The area where the mall had been looked like an asteroid had hit and left a crater! Eventually, Amazon plans to build a distribution hub at the location.) After dinner, we had a good visit with her folks.

I wish that I had photographed the crater where the mall once was. A local television station has the following article with photographs of the demolition stage as it looked on 4/8/2021: “PHOTOS: East Towne Mall demolition begins,” WATE-TV, by Robert Holder, 4/8/2021, updated 4/10/2021. The following is one photograph from that article:

July ended well! The last day of July was on a Saturday. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I had dinner (or “lunch,” as Yankees call it) with another couple. We dined at the Texas Roadhouse, near the crater that once was the Knox Center Mall. About 35 years had passed, since we had seen our friend and sister in Christ! We met her husband, who is our brother in Christ, for the first time. We talked. We laughed. Tears welled up in our eyes. The meal and conversation afterward, of over two hours, were a joyous re-acquaintance! The four of us plan future get-togethers. My wife and I look forward to them!

Getting together with friends and fellow Christians is a foretaste of the heavenly gathering that awaits us! Eventually, we will have everlasting gatherings at Home! Won't it be wonderful then?

The Bad (financially)

My income has been the only way to “hold down the fort,” while Mrs. Appalachian Irishman has been enjoying her unpaid summer vacation.

On Tuesday, 7/20/2021, we received our summer propane fill, as I had arranged. The underground propane tank was about 15% full, before the fill. I could have gone without propane for a while. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman likes warm showers and warm or hot water for laundry. I could have taken cold showers and worn clothes laundered in cold water. The bill is paid.

On Monday, 7/26/2021, our “mower guy” and his crew removed the brush and scrub tree limbs from our “back 40.” The job, using manual tools, would have taken me a few days, and I would have had to take time off from work. That crew did the job in a few hours, using gas-powered and manual tools. That was much faster than I could have done! The cost was about what my “mower guy” had told me last fall. I was surprised, initially, by the cost. Later, I figured out that the cost was about what my “mower guy” had told me last fall. Before he started, I wish that our “mower guy” had indicated his plan to do the work that day. I would have put him off about a month or so. I still recommend highly LTD Lawn (our “mower guy”). My “bionic body” would rather not mow, trim, weed-eat, and clean up. It used to take me at least an hour and a half. They can do a better job than me, in about 20 or 30 minutes! They have better equipment. The cost for excellent mowing, trimming, weed eating, and clean-up is very reasonable!

Norfolk Southern actually owns the scrub brush, trees, and fence, which are located about two feet south of our southern property line. I researched it and know. Norfolk Southern should be responsible for cleaning their brush, trees, and fence line, not me! It would be lucky if I could get Norfolk Southern to reimburse us for the work that we paid to have done for them. I won't bother. The “mower guy” bill is paid.

On Monday, 8/2/2021, we received our chump change, “Monopoly money,” 2020 Federal Income Tax Refund. That was a little good news, amidst the financial ugly. We mailed our tax return on 4/15/2021. We usually pay the “Uncle Sam Scam” a few dollars every year. (I don't want a “Monopoly money” refund from “Uncle Sam.” A tax refund does not draw interest.) My tax preparation indicated a small “Monopoly money” refund, since we didn't get the second (or whichever) round of “stimulus Monopoly money.” I didn't think that we would get it. Over four months had passed. Well, the “stimulus Monopoly money” arrived. We used it.

From Friday, 7/30/2021, to Thursday, 8/5/2021, our 2008 Honda Civic (Mrs. Appalachian Irishman's car) was in the “hospital.” She needed a new starter. Also, she got new tires and a new alignment. Tom's Auto Clinic healed her. The bill is on a credit card. The bill will be paid in full next month, once it arrives. (We had to have a little financial “breathing room.”)

At least Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I know how to keep a “rainy day” fund. By the way, we had good soaking rains on August 3rd and 7th. We need more rain. In the early evening rain, on Tuesday, August 3rd, I took my 2006 Nissan Frontier on a drive around our subdivision. He enjoyed a “country boy truck wash!” Yes, the Civic is a she, and my truck is a he. There are only two genders for vehicles. Wait for my next “poly-ticks” article! It will focus on PGI and PGO. You may not know what those mean yet. I will tell you.

The Ugly

On 7/19/2021, I emailed Roger Goodell (rogergoodell@nfl.com), as follows:

Roger Goodell:

I found your (if valid) email address via “NFL Headquarters Address, HQ Email Address, Corporate Office Phone Number, and More,” on HeadquartersOf, by John Mathew.

Yesterday (7/18/2021), a friend emailed to me the following link: “NFL to Double Down on Viewership-Killing Wokeness With 'Black National Anthem',” on mrcTV, by Matt Philbin, 7/16/2021.

Of course, I had already learned about the NFL’s “Black national anthem” (as if there is one, really) and the NFL’s “politically correct,” “woke,” and “socialist Utopian” agenda. My agenda, for the 2021 – 2022 NFL football season, is to WATCH SOMETHING, ANYTHING ELSE! (I have been a Pittsburgh Steelers “fan” for decades.)

You will not respond to this email, if you do, with any “politically correct” gibberish! I do NOT want to read it!

Regards,

A former “fan” of the NFL

Roger Goodell has not responded. My email to him did not bounce back as undeliverable. I spoke my mind, as any Irish-American would have. Y'all email him too, if you wish. He will not reply. The NFL will not change. I'm done with the NFL.

Since 7/25/2021 (including August 3rd and 6th, so far), I have been trying to educate my hometown newspaper, The Rogersville Review. During my senior year in high school, I worked as an “inserter,” every Wednesday after school. My hometown newspaper has become “new, better, and improved,” meaning worse. They don't have their website and billing “ducks in a row.” I'm trying to teach them. So far, I have managed to restore our postal delivery of The Rogersville Review. I'm still trying to help them understand the details about my gift subscription to my youngest brother. I'll educate them. It may take me awhile.

On Tuesday, 7/27/2021, while working at home, I had enough of my job. Konstantin Jireček (born in Vienna, Austria, 7/24/1854; died 1/10/1918) could have been the one who first said:

We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.

Decades ago, I memorized that phrase. I submitted my online retirement that Tuesday! I was done. Enough was enough! My Irish dander was up! (I'm sorry, Lord. Thanks for forgiving me!)

The next day, after I had cooled down, I decided to un-retire. I was retired for one day!

My employer will never figure out that expecting one person to do the work of two or more is not rational. I have over four months of paid leave. Instead of assuming that I can find another and better job, after retiring from my current job, I decided to continue to endure the “we, the unwilling,” insanity, until I find another job. I plan to give a month's notice, before I retire from my state job. I plan to start a new job a month later. My current employer will have to pay me over four months of leave time, while I am working my new and better job! Well, that's my plan, as the Lord wills.

Wisdom overcame my stubborn Irish temper, at least on 7/28/2021. Tomorrow, we will see. The weekly routine continues: work from home on Monday through Wednesday and at the office on Thursday and Friday. I'm on a short fuse. The total “Gaggle alert dump” tomorrow, which some unknown “colleague” somewhere assigns to me, could be the deciding factor. We will see!

Conclusion

Mrs. Appalachian Irishman has returned from her afternoon visit to her folks. The mundane details of another day in temporal life are winding down once again.

I'm whittling down the backlog of working documents. Seven remain. (I started them on 5/29/2021, 6/12/2021, 6/14/2021, 6/19/2021, 7/17/2021, 7/24/2021, and 8/7/2021.) I plan to summarize these seven under one “poly-ticks” article. Do you remember what “poly-ticks” means? My next article may be about “poly-ticks smorgasbord,” just to get this backlog behind me.

Y'all keep turning right and going straight out there! We will meet in heaven one of these days, unless we meet sooner.