Morris Hills, Mr.l Scafati

I do hope I'll be excused for many inaccuracies...

At Morris Hills, there was a Mr. Scafati who taught History or Government...or some such thing. This was around 1962, 1963 (or 64) I suppose. At the time, Mr Scafati lived on West Glen Road at Rock Ridge Lake.

Anyway, in some of our classes, he spoke with great emotion of Apartheid in South Africa and often mentioned Nelson Mandela. I had no prior idea what this was all about but I listened intently. I also had no idea there were such inequalities in the world! Our own Civil Rights efforts were still in their iinfancy, yet Mr. Scafati was extremely influential and convincing as he spoke from his heart of the horrible, unfair treatment of minorities (the blacks weren't even IN the minority in South Africa. They were simply treated as...inferior...and separate!).

I have always, fondly remembered Mr. Scafati for opening my eyes just a bit.

It seems he was more than just a teacher. I believe he had been a part of the US Olympic team as a fencer at some point in time. (As such, he was probably the fencing coach at Morris Hills, now that I think about it.) It seems that fencing is not an easy sport by any means and one would have to be in prime physical condition to excel...among so many other things, I didn't know that at the time.

So many years have passed but I always remember the real-life lessons I learned from Mr. Scafati. I hope he's still alive and well even though he would not remember me from Atom.

Does anyone remember this wonderful man? I don't know if he had a family there at Rock Ridge Lake. I know so little. I do know that Mr. Scafati was a wonderful teacher and I'm pleased to have known him.

Tomatoes in the Bible

So...there's a diet regimen called the "God Diet". One of the main ingredients in this diet is the tomato. How utterly strange is that?! Tomatoes are native to western, South America. There were no tomatoes in Europe until the 1500's. They weren't introduced to the Middle East until around 1800!

How is it that the tomato is mentioned in the Bible (Corinthians and elsewhere) when the New Testament was supposedly written around 50 AD...1500 years before those people ever saw a tomato? There were no tomatoes there at the time!

I can only arrive at one conclusion: the areas of the Bible that mention tomatoes must have been written 1500 years later. It must be all the product of the perpetual, continual, creative license taken by the Vatican (or whoever was doing the writing in the mid-1500's).  It appears those authors, having discovered the wonders of tomatoes so long after the passing of the Apostle Paul and his own writings, wanted to glorify the newly discovered treat...the tomato! So...they incorporated it in the Bible to lend credence to...themselves.

One can only imagine what else may have been invented and included in the Bible over all the years! Certainly, the "God Diet" is based on fiction as is so much more!

(Uh...of course it must be a miracle...and God works in mysterious ways.)

Also, maybe the translation was incorrect. Maybe the Apostle Paul was talking about grapes...or olives. I don't think so, though. I don't think he said anything at all about such things. Someone else attributed those quotes to him, 1500 years after his death. (It turns out that this gross mis-quote actually happened nearly 2000 years later!)

Oh...and maybe Joseph Smith really DID find the "Golden Tablets" in the Ohio field and really DID forget where he put them.

Maybe a lot of things...or maybe we should all just think.

Okay...with a little more research, I've discovered there's only one, on-line translation referring to tomatoes in the Bible. It is "The Message" Bible which is a completely crap version. All others seem to be totally different. As such, I'll be removing this post shortly.

Dog Food

A few days ago, I read an article about thousands of Dogs dying, most likely from tainted food and most likely from China. The story failed to mention which brands of food were implicated, oddly.

I have always fed my dog, Origin. Also, I keep a spare bag of Purina, Beneful, for the times when I run out of the Origin. In addition, there are three separate kinds of, supposedly healthy, dog treats in the house.

I read the labels of all five products, to my dismay.

There is really no indication on any of them as to where the "food" comes from. They say things like, "...packaged for so and so". And "...manufactured for so and so". However, even with the most expensive brands, there is no mention where the food actually comes from. It may ALL come from China for all I know! Certainly there are some brands known to come from China...especially those sold at Walmart where Chinese manufacturers lead the pack!

Not all the affected pets have died from this mess. Some developed lingering lethargy and eventually recovered. Many died.

This situation is unacceptable. I want to know where the "food" comes from and I want the producers to be forthright and accountable!

Read the labels!

Detroit/Oakland

I know it may seem silly but I'm listening to the radio with the deciding game in progress...one of the radio guys (probably the "color" guy) sounds a lot like a cartoon character...it's kinda funny to listen to the funny, little voice. This guy gets paid for this!?!? What a strange world! Why wouldn't the media group hire someone who has an adult, human voice? This guy can probably sing the soprano (or counter-tenor) role in any opera. Ah well...so much for professional sports. What a waste!

Boehner...The Scummiest Man in America!

This man is the scummiest man to ever live in the United States!

Just look at him! One can almost imagine him thinking, "I'm so wonderful and I don't care what's good for the people! I care about me and nothing else."

He stands firmly against everyone who isn't rich.

He stands against my continued receipt of Social Security. (Indeed, my benefits can be considered an entitlement. Why? Because it is! I paid into that system for fifty years and I AM entitled to the resultant benefits!)

He stands firmly WITH corporations, big business, Wall Street and the filthy rich of this country...just for them! Not for us!

He is a self-righteous scum!

How can the American people be so blind and stupid? Get this self-serving lunatic to stand aside and let us have our lives and dignity back.


...more to come...

To Obama..."This is not a world we should accept"

Hah! That was the headline in the newspaper today. Syria is absolutely no threat to the US. Leave them to their own devices and look inward for a change. This is not a United States we should accept! There are millions of people with little or no income. There are millions with insufficient food, health care and housing. Look at home Mr. Obama! Instead of wasting time and effort (and lives and money) in Syria, what say you mount a campaign to level the playing field at home? Make a real effort to balance the tax burdens between the rich and poor. Do something (ANYTHING !) right for your own people and stay the hell out of the Middle East! Besides, there are many other areas of the world where horrendous atrocities are occurring every day. Why focus on Syria? Are you (Obama) so deep in the pockets of Israel and corporate America that you can't function rationally? I am so ashamed and disappointed!We don't want another war! We want jobs, decent health care and a fair piece of the American Pie. We want the rich to pay their share of taxes. We want our government (You, Mr. Obama) to work for us for a change. You (Obama) will not be in the next Presidential election. You (Obama) don't have to bow to outside influences. Do the right thing for your own citizens.

Bomb Syria? NO!

Okay, now there's a story in the news that American diplomats are being evacuated from Lebanon. Why would that be? Because they would be in danger if we attack Syria. There would be no (almost) chance for Syria to ward off the United States. There would be high-flying bombers and/or drones coming at them. They would be basically invisible to Syria. What would they do? Go after real US targets nearby. Like Lebanon. Why stop there? Why not just hurl some weapons at Israel too?

This Syria thing is an incredibly foolish fiasco for the US. Americans don't want it. Obama and Congress are way off base.

Here's something else. What if Syria just decides to commit suicide in the face of an overwhelming force coming their way? What if they just destroy their own nuclear facilities and make sure everyone loses? Supposedly, they've already been killing off their own citizens. They could easily launch attacks in Lebanon and Israel while also contaminating the whole area with radiation from their own nuclear plants.

STAY OUT OF SYRIA!

Let them fight their own battles. Let their own neighbors step in. They all hate us anyway and they'll hate us even more if we get involved.