Puffs

I’ve watched my share of basketball lately, most of it being high school and college action. Last week, as I was watching the Cornhuskers play, a thought came to mind after watching those “big” men bump into each other.

Many years ago, I remember hearing a number of parents of high school age boy’s debate over the decision of letting their children play football or basketball in high school. Part of that conversation centered around the fact that basketball used to be called a “non-contact” sport.

Watching those games last week brought those memories back to me, and I laughed. Basketball today, is certainly not a “non-contact” sport.

I still enjoy it and feel bad for the Cornhusker teams losing in both NCAA tournaments. However, there is nothing I can do about it other than moral support for the teams next year. (‘O, yes, I can watch the Cornhusker baseball and softball games now.)

A O

I know there are some readers out there that are plant lovers. I have a question for you.

Our aloe vera plant has sent up a spike with flower buds on the end of them. I never knew the aloe vera plant to have flower buds and I assume seeds.

If anyone has had similar experience, please let me know.

A O

Almost 260 years ago (1765, to be exact) the British imposed what they called “The Stamp Act” upon their American colonies. The British needed money to help pay for their on-going wars in Europe and elsewhere.

This was one of the earlier reasons for the American War of Independence. We all know how that ended.

There are times when I wonder if our present American government has not taken the place of the British. We citizens are taxed, and taxed some more year after year. Joe Biden seems certainly at ease giving billions of dollars away time and again. To Planned Parenthood, to Iran, to former college students who haven’t paid back their loans, to unknown entities thinking they need some of our federal money.

I know that 260 years ago, a war was fought because of “Taxation Without Representation” and that both political parties today have given away so much of our money that even our tax rate today doesn’t pay for what we give away. We have to borrow money to keep doing it.

Has our federal government replaced the British?

It may not be fair to compare the two and there are a million ways they are different, and I don’t object to giving away money to places and things that are needed. However, when is enough, enough?

I think it is time to change who leads our government at the federal level.

A O

Is the climate changing ? ? ?

Other than politics, the climate seemed to be the favorite topic of discussion in many circles. Climate change to be exact.

And, when talking about climate change, many people say the reason for the change is carbon dioxide emissions, hence the effort for what is called “clean energy.” You know, wind power, solar power, electric cars among other changes.

One of the favorite examples of climate change many note is the rising sea levels. The reason for rising season levels they say is the amount of carbon emissions by us humans in the last century or two.

However, a recent special report from the Heritage Foundation written by David Legates, a climatologist and professor emeritus at the University of Delaware, suggests a vastly different point of view.

Mr. Legates writes: “because many media outlets and academic journals falsely assume that only warming periods and human activity can have significant impacts on sea level rise, they typically seize on definitions that are “ambiguous” and insufficient.”

Professor Legates argues that sea levels have been rising since the end of the last ice age, about 22,000 years ago, and more is at work than carbon dioxide.

He notes: “Seas levels were rising at an accelerated rate between 7,000 years and 15,000 years ago, and that change in the rate of global sea level rise was not solely because of atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentrations.” He continues: “a much better explanation is that most sea level rise is a response to the interglacial period and that equilibrium of the polar ice caps has not yet been attained. The often circulated idea that sea levels will rise between 15 and 30 feet from 2023 to 2100 is ‘clearly political hype’ and does not represent the science, even as advocated by climate alarmists.”

As I read the information, two thoughts came to mind. First, Professor Legates does not argue that climate change is not taking place, he is just giving an alternative reason for the change. When the whole discussion of climate change came up a few years back, what Professor Legates calls “climate alarmist” gave you two options: either you agreed that carbon dioxide was causing the change, or you didn’t. Now you have an alternative.

Secondly: I remembered back in the 1950s, reports were made that the polar ice was increasing and that we were coming into another “ice age.” Well, that didn’t happen.

My personal opinion is that many of the ‘climate alarmists’ are among the “liberal” groups we have and they think they can control everything, even climate change. They fail to realize that government cannot control everything, especially the climate. It takes thousands upon thousands of years for climate to change.

God is still in control and even ‘well-intentioned’ liberals can’t change that fact.

A O

The Good News

Is That The Bad News

Is Not The Only News

I recently came across the above three lines as a headline in another newspaper. I thought it good enough that I might just frame it and put it someplace where I can see it daily.

A O