Introduction
On this clear and crisp Monday, it's time for a life (such as it is) update. This entry is the 108th in that topic section.
As is often said in Appalachia, “A lot has been going on recently.” Yes, it is a common expression, spoken elsewhere. The meaning is either good or bad, depending on the context.
So, what is happening today? What recent events have been noteworthy? Let's explore!
Happening Today, Monday, January 20, 2025
Today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. This article honors his legacy. My article from 1/18/2021 includes the following statement about Dr. King, Jr.'s heritage: “Moral character matters. Skin color is not relevant. All lives, each created in God's image, matter equally. Lives must be lived in honor of the Creator. Lives that are not are wasted.”
Coincidentally, Inauguration Day was today. The Constitution of the United States, Amendment XX, Section 1, established that the incoming president will be sworn into office on January 20, at high noon. Former President Biden vacated the office to President Trump. This article hopes and prays that President Trump will pray for and follow God's guiding hand to lead this nation along the right path.
As a further point of coincidence, I happened to catch the news today that a former Planned Parenthood (a euphemistically named organization) president died today. Source: “Former Planned Parenthood president, women’s rights activist Cecile Richards has died at 67.” The Associated Press (AP) News, by Holly Ramer, 1/20/2025. Research indicates that Cecile Richards was the daughter of the former Democrat governor from Texas, Ann Richards, who died in 2006. During her life, I wonder if Cecile Richards was ever thankful that her mother didn't take her life, while she was still in her mother's womb.
Shifting to sports, this evening at 7:30 PM, the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia, will be televised. The 7th-seeded Notre Dame takes on 8th-seed Ohio State. I look forward to watching that game.
Finally, the snap of cold winter weather is making the news. This morning's low was 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The high topped out in the upper 20s. It would have been a good day to hike! Unfortunately, early this morning before I awakened, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had already brought Molly, our ol' puppy, upstairs from her basement “condominium,” where she was being kept properly warm. I decided to write this article and hang out indoors with my wife and Molly.
Recent Events
On Friday, 1/17/2025, the US Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that banned TikTok, with specific allowances to continue. The ban was supposed to go into effect yesterday (Sunday, 1/19/2025). The timing of the presidential transition, however, granted TikTok leeway for a while.
In humor, I thought that TikTok was the sound that a mechanical clock makes. I was wrong! Ticktock is the ticking sound of a clock, not TikTok! But, wait! Doesn't TikTok sound similar to Tic Tac®? I remember those mint candies. Shaking the little box of mints inspired the name "Tic Tac," not TikTok.
On a somber note, the timing of yesterday's ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was noteworthy. One of multiple online sources is “Hamas Releases Three Israeli Hostages as Ceasefire Moves Forward.” Newsweek, by Peter Aitken, 1/19/2025. Hamas started the war with Israel on October 7, 2023, by their cowardly invasion.
Two previous articles include my comments on this conflict. First, in the entry from 4/22/2024, I wrote:
The Israel-Hamas conflict began when Hamas attacked Israel on 10/7/2023 -- a day that will live in infamy in Israeli history. The Israel-Iran engagement began when Iran struck Israel with an airborne assault on 4/13/2024.
My written prayer is that all will accept the Prince of Peace. If so, the world will find lasting peace. I pray that antisemitic protesters will realize the error of their ways and turn to the Lord. I wish Jewish friends a happy and peaceful Passover and encourage them to find the Prince of Peace, if they haven't. I have known Jewish Christians, who observe Passover and who know the Passover Lamb as their Savior.
Later last year, the 5/8/2024 article includes the following words:
The unprovoked and unspeakably cruel attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens, on 10/7/2023, and the subsequent and ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict set the tone for Holocaust Remembrance Day, on Monday, May 6th. Recent and ongoing antisemitic protests, across college campuses throughout the United States, focused special attention on the day. Thankfully, Israel's Iron Dome protected the nation against the Iranian airstrikes on 4/13/2024. Israel retaliated on 4/19/2024.
On October 7, 2023, who started the Israel-Hamas conflict? Who can end it? Israel would not need to defend itself, if every Palestinian (Arabs, Jews, and others) could live in peace, as close relatives.
Thankfully, antisemitic protests have died down. Israel's conflict with Iran was limited.
Conclusion
As suppertime approaches, I will conclude by saying, “A lot has been going on recently.” It has been interesting. In the context of life, such as it is, the meaning seems to be good.
Let us all hope and pray that worldwide conflicts find peaceful resolutions. Let us live in hope that this nation turns right and goes forward. That is my prayer.
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