Message Forum

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Since things are slow this weekend I thought it was a perfect time to post a few things. Forgive me Madam God.

The only reason why God created man is because he was disappointed with the monkey. Mark Twain

Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it. Anonymous

There are two views of interpreting the Bible in America: that every word is literally the truth without qualification, and then the other view is, it's called plenary inspiration, which holds that all religious truth taught in the Bible is true from God, but each word is not necessarily interpreted literally. Evangelical Minister

05/28/23 10:46 PM

#12689

Yesterday, I attended the 5th graduation of a grandchild from our alma mater. I hope this short video portion of her graduation brings back some fond memories.

Happy Memorial Day!

https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aje-Oei-AkEOgZ8jldeqDGfMPZqLNA?e=Xp5RXt

05/29/23 08:26 AM

#12690

Joseph Gentilini

After having several theology courses at Ohio Dominican years ago, one on the Old Testament and one on the New Testament (plus others), I do not believe the Bible literally. It has to have critical analysis in order to realize what it is really saying.

05/29/23 02:40 PM

#12691

Did you know that on the Canary Islands there's not one canary? And on the Virgin Islands? Same thing-not one canary!

05/29/23 02:46 PM

#12692

You know when you're dead you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.

The same thing happens when you're stupid.

05/29/23 09:25 PM

#12693

Every day I take a walk by one of the creeks by us. A few days ago I was fortunate enough to see, and with my Iphone take a picture. Not as good as Jim's photos, but I tried.

05/29/23 11:34 PM

#12694

James Hamilton, M. D.

Joe McC.,

The best camera with which to take a picture is the one that you have with you when the photo op arrives. That, in this day and age, is usually a cell phone.

Your picture is quite good, no need to apologize.

What I don't know is what kind of birds are those? I suspect a fish eating raptor since they are watching a creek and appear to have curved beaks.

Jim

05/30/23 12:14 AM

#12695

Not being an Ornathologist, if that's the right spelling. I took them to be Red breasted hawks.

05/30/23 12:25 AM

#12696

Bored, tired, and lonely, so l just feel like rambling.

I Hope you all enjoyed a pleasant Memorial Day.

I attended our local commemoration ceremony and had a very odd experience.

The main speaker was a guy from my own church, whom I have known for several years. He was an Army Major General with 33 yeas of service. In front of a crowd of about 300 people he gave a talk that was so boring and so utterly void of any kind of intersting content that I was embarrased for him. It has occurred to me in recent years that some people can serve a long military career and never get out from behind a desk. I even heard a few people I sat next to commenting on their disappointment in the time spent.

Four years ago, I was asked to be the main speaker for this same ceremony. I will brag a bit and say that I gave a pretty intense talk to an audience of about 200 people, and received a wonderful ovation, along with some really nice personal compliments - two from local politicians.

But more importantly, I received and even better result from that day. I met and have become friends with one of the most interesting men I have ever met. He is the pastor of our largest and most vibrant Black church - Campbell AME Chapel (AME = African Methodist Episcopal. Note, most American Black Christians are either Baptist or AME). He is Reverend Doctor Jon Black, former head chaplain at Walter Reed hospital, in chrarge of 7 other chaplains of varying Faiths. He also has "only" five degrees - three Theological and two Science degrees.

He gave the benediction and closing prayer four years ago (and also today), and that is how and when we met. What first called my attention to him was not that he was this tiny little Black man, but that in a crowd of dark suits (American Legion guys) he was wearing Navy "dress whites" - and with Lieutenant Commander rank clusters. Navy "dress whites" are hard to miss and he stuck out like a sore thumb in this crowd. After that we had several meetings in his office, became good friends, and ocaisonally visit back and forth. We were sharing thoughts and prayers by text during a very racially charged murder trial in Brusnwick Georgia (the one where the father and son followed the kid in their pickup and shot him). I visited his Sunday service after that and he called me up front and handed me the microphone at the close of his service. "I see brother Dave Mitchell is here with us today. Would you like to say a few words?" I was stunned!

Today we agreed we need to get together again. I can't tell you how I enjoy his conversation. He's like a breath of fresh air.

(NOW BACK TO NORMAL - and less boring - CONVERSATION)

05/30/23 08:23 AM

#12697

Joseph Gentilini

Great story, David M! One never knows how his or her life touches others, even people we have never met. Obviously, you both touched each other's life. Moving. joe

05/30/23 11:17 AM

#12698

Michael McLeod

Dave:

Jealous, I am.

That sounds like a fascinating friendship.

I've met many interesting individuals as a journalist but only a small sampling of those folks became friends.

I never get bored but it's because I have more than enough problems and ongoing jobs to keep that from happening. Would like to consider myself retired some day just to see what it's like.

05/30/23 02:41 PM

#12699

There is an interesting side story to the retired general from my church - the one who gave the boring address. His wife Jane, who I also know pretty well from church, was herself a Colonel in the Army. But her life story is one with a horrific tragedy.

She was one of the 50 plus rape victims of the "California Rapist" (James DeAngelo), who's story broke in the news a few years ago. He also murdered about a dozen women - and he was a cop! The final details of the last few days of the search (after maybe 30 years of him remaining un-caught) are crazy. They finally nailed him after matching his DNA from the garbage in his dumpster.

I learned of the story almost by accident from an NBC News special one night about 3 or 4 yers ago. I was lying on my couch, sort of half paying attention to the story on the TV. I kept seeing a woman's face that looked familiar. She was one of the living victims who was part of the news story. Then, on about the fourth time they showed her, she was speaking on camera and I realized who it was. I almost jumped off the couch as I yelled to myself, "My God, that's Jane!" As a young single mom, he broke into her house and tied her 8 year-old son to the bed where he then raped Jane in front of her son.

After all those years, there were only about four people who still actuvely pursued the case, one of whom was a TV comedy writer who followed it as an amatuer detective (He died before the arrest). There were also about three cops or retired cops who kept on it for years. One of the few active detectives still following the case actually pulled up in front of the guy's apartment, knowing that he had him, but decided not to go to the door and make the arrest without backup. The next day was his retirement day, but other officers went back and made the arrest that next day.

It's simply an amazing story, and Jane was one of the women who were able to attend the trial.

05/30/23 11:16 PM

#12700

Mark Schweickart

Jack -- sorry that I am a day late in responding to your jokes, but I just read them and have got to say that they were definitely laugh out loud funny. Thanks for the guffaws.

05/30/23 11:36 PM

#12701

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Yes, Jack. Ditto from me too.

And I should tell you that we have no laws against stupidity down here in South Carolina, or Georgia for that matter.

The lady who ran third in the last Georgia Governors race on the platform "Jesus, Guns, and Babies", was recently elected to some minor local chairmanship in the Georgia Republican party. She is somewhere on You Tube arguing that all these people who insist on promoting that idea that the world is globe shaped are crazy. "Globes everywhere you look. They are forcing this on my kids."

I wish I could find the video, but I think I read somewhere that she is a school teacher.

God help us!

05/31/23 10:26 AM

#12702

Dave - stupidity or ignorance or lunacy, however you identify it, is rampant throughout the leadership of both parties......just sayin'.

05/31/23 11:00 AM

#12703

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

Jack, we spent our honeymoon in the Canary Islands and I can confirm this to be true.

Not so sure about the Virgin Islands. Ok, have any of you guys gone there to do research on the.....ahem, bird(s)?

05/31/23 12:35 PM

#12704

Thanks Dave. It's comforting to know I'd fit right in, in the South, guh.

Mark, I was beginning to get concerned.

05/31/23 09:12 PM

#12705

I don't know about the rest of you, but I just don't think we get enough news about Harry and Meghan, William and Kate, and the rest of the Royal Family.

Don't you all agree?

06/01/23 12:29 PM

#12706

Janie Albright (Blank)

Dave, you think you are getting too much news about the royals? This is just for you.

06/01/23 07:49 PM

#12707

Gee! Thanks Janie

06/02/23 12:39 PM

#12708

It's nice to know that there are funnybones out there that enjoy a good tickle. Of course no one can account for sticks in the mud. Just finished a short book from John Cleese about creativity. Good stuff. Still working at Henry Ford. Been presenting in the printing office. They have an 1858 model of the Washington Press.
We use a rubber based ink, that takes a day to dry. We hand out copies of the stuff we print to the guests. There are quite a few criteria to fullfil before the press prints exact copies. The hardest is getting the ink thin enough to be consistant. Who knows which decade had the most daily newspapers established in America. One of the things I've discovered was that the small print shops that dotted the countryside were just as plentyful in the big cities, dispite having a major newspaper. The shop in the neighborhoods were mostly printing in a foriegn language. The shops were started by immigrant entreprenuers who fullfilled the desire of the neighborhoods to get both local news and the news from the old country. The beauty of this, I believe, is that everyone, regardless of their native toungue, they all got the news the same way. Out in the rural areas they got the local news and ads plus a boilerplate was usually provided by the big city newspapers covering national, international news and advertising. When Franklin invented syndicating, he would print the writings of the time on one side of his paper and print copies to send to all the colonies. I always wondered how everyone got on the same page re the revolt. Next up Armington and Sims, incubator for the Military Industrial Complex. Its a cool story.

06/02/23 04:32 PM

#12709

Professor Mike. The Wall Street Journal had a very interesting story, in today's edition, regarding the way to combat "AI" on final eams. A number of professors are using a 2000 year old method. ORAL EXAMS.

What is your take on the subject?

06/02/23 05:07 PM

#12710