It looks like parts of the U.S. federal government will be shutting down tonight at midnight EDT. This is due to an inability of the House and Senate to agree on a resolution to keep the government running. How long? What's the impact? |
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As a conservative white male, I resent the implication that I am “racist” against people of other colors, particularly African-American or Black people. Some of my best friends in life have been black, brown, yellow, and other colors. Against Black Republicans? |
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The so-called “Affordable” Care Act, also known as Obamacare, will take effect, officially, in a few days. On October 1, the insurance exchanges nationwide will open. People without health insurance will be going to these exchanges to purchase coverage. Mount As Oct. 1 Launch Nears On October 1, Obamacare's Price Tag Will Surprise Americans |
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The end of the brutal attack on the upscale Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya, finally may be near. For three days, Islamic Al Shabab militants have killed and injured shoppers in the mall. They have been targeting non-Muslims. group may include Americans Some of the attackers have been identified as having come from the USA, including from Minnesota and Kansas. There also are reports that some of the Islamic militants are from Canada, Finland and the UK. |
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This is the first day of Autumn in the northern hemisphere (and first day of Spring in the southern hemisphere). I stood some raw eggs on end, one on the narrow end and one on the wide end, which I like to do on the Autumnal or Vernal Equinox. It’s just one of my things. 8-second slideshow Try it yourself, but be careful that an egg doesn’t topple over and roll off the table. I guess you could make a scrambled egg with it if that happens. |
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Today is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles (= Sukkot), the seventh Hebraic feast of the year. It began last evening at sunset. According to Leviticus 23:42,43, all native-born Israelites were (and are) to construct and to live in booths or “sukkot” (which is the plural of “sukkah”) for a week. The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name. ... Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:9,16) |
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I enjoy walking around Balboa Park and hadn’t been there in awhile, so I drove over there. They eliminated a lot of parking space there a few months ago, so it usually takes longer to find a place to park. 45-second slideshow |
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At sunset yesterday, Yom Kippur began. It also is known as the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32, 25:9; Numbers 29:7-11), and it will end this evening at sunset.
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I returned to San Diego yesterday afternoon after having a great time in No. CA for a couple of weeks. While there, I didn’t eat any Thai or Japanese food, and I was craving it when I got back. So I had an early dinner at Ichiban and lunch today at Taste of Thai. That will satisfy my cravings for awhile. 15-second slideshow |
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The events twelve years ago on September 11, 2001, were a stern warning to America from God. However, over the years, the enormity of that day has been discounted, and not many continue to heed God’s admonition.
The basis of Rabbi Cahn’s message is this significant passage in the book of Isaiah: The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. All the people will know it—Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—who say with pride and arrogance of heart, “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig [sycamore] trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars. ... But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 9:8-10,13) All of this reminds me of ancient Judah. Josiah, one of the last kings of Judah, began to reign at the young age of 8 years old. During the majority of the 31 years that he reigned, he kept God foremost in all that he did. Nevertheless, the destruction of Judah, at the hands of the Babylonians (2 Kings 25:8-11), already had been determined by God; and even a near-perfect king could not change God’s mind. This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched. (2 Kings 22:16,17) You can read the account of King Josiah in 2 Kings 22:1 through 23:30 and in 2 Chronicles 34:1 through 35:27. Basically, the stiff-necked, foolish people and most of their leaders had forsaken God and had worshiped other gods. They were not going to repent and alter their allegiance and behavior, though they were implored repeatedly by God to do so (2 Chronicles 36:14-16). The most righteous king who ever ruled over Judah humbled himself and reformed the official policies of the nation to conform to the Book of the Law of the Lord, given through Moses; yet God would not recind His inexorable judgment on the nation. This was because the king could not change the minds and hearts of the people. Collectively, they might have been able to change God’s mind by humbling themselves before Him, seeking His face, and turning from their evil ways (2 Chronicles 7:14); but they would not. |
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Even when I am away from home, I put together my raw oats and fruit concoction to eat—along with toasted corn tortilla, crunchy peanut butter, and coffee—virtually every morning. I even eat the orange peel, which is a great source of fiber. More details can be seen in my Aug. 24, 2012 entry. 15-second slideshow After making my breakfast today, I put a whole bunch of small golden tomatoes (picked yesterday) in a ziploc bag. In case we go somewhere, I want to take them with me to munch on. They are a great snack. They also are an excellent source of the anti-oxidant lycopene. |
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We were out in the garden harvesting again today. Besides an abundance of tomatoes, we collected egglants, Thai peppers, jalapeño peppers, red bell peppers, and a butternut squash. Soon thereafter, I made myself a little snack of tomatoes and basil leaves. 15-second slideshow |
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A couple of friends and I drove into San Francisco today. One of them is Indonesian, so our main destination was an Indonesian food fair that was going on at Fort Mason Center. There were lots of friendly people and great food there. 15-second slideshow Nearby, in San Francisco Bay, the first day of the America’s Cup catamaran races were taking place. The New Zealand team beat the U.S. team in the first of several races. Since we were near the water, we saw a few of the vessels participating in the race. 1¼-minute slideshow The weather was perfect in San Francisco. On the way back to Marin County, my friend’s car thermometer measured 100°. When we got home, I took the heat sensor for the clock and placed it in the sun (usually, it is in the shade). It registered 110°. 30-second slideshow |
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The Feast of Trumpets began at sunset last evening and will continue to be observed today and tomorrow. It also is known as Rosh HaShanah or the Jewish new year. There is a new moon, and it is a special Sabbath: Say to the Israelites: “On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.” (Leviticus 23:24,25) Today begins the ten days known as Yamim Nora’im or Days of Awe. This period will end on Yom Kippur, which begins this year at sunset on Sep. 13 and continuing until sunset on Sep. 14. Various dates for Hebraic feast and holy days in upcoming years can be seen in the Calendar of Hebraic Holy Days 2012–2020 table. |
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We picked another load of fresh vegetables today. There were habanero and serrano peppers (red and green), red cayenne peppers, red Thai peppers, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, and spaghetti squash. 45-second slideshow At one point, we were laughing about something and I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. Thinking I had picked a small red tomato, I popped it into my mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it in just a few seconds. |
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The friend I am visiting is an excellent cook, whether on the stove or on the grill. This afternoon, he grilled eggplants, red bell peppers, and chicken breasts. 15-second slideshow I hope you had a happy Labor Day. It is late Monday night, and I see that the new portion of the Bay Bridge just opened a little while ago, several hours ahead of schedule. Someone on the news just said that it is the largest self-anchored suspension bridge in the world. Wow. |
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The traffic around the Bay Area, where I am visiting, has been especially crazy since Wednesday night. This is because the Bay Bridge (connecting Oakland and San Francisco) is closed. The brand new 2.2-mile eastern span of the bridge is expected to reopen Tuesday morning by 5:00 a.m. open decades after '89 quake I recall the big 1989 earthquake, which took place at the beginning of the third game of the World Series. Coincidentally, the series was between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, teams on either end of the Bay Bridge.
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I flew up to San Francisco a couple of days ago and am visiting a friend in Marin County. I like coming up here because we go on a long walk with his dog everyday, and he has an elliptical machine that I use for 30 minutes a day. Best of all, though, he always has a bumper crop of vegetables this time of year, and I go nuts eating all of them. 30-second slideshow Recently, he went on an Alaska cruise, where he caught fresh salmon and had them shipped home. Along with the salmon, he had grilled some eggplant and mushrooms. Plus he had baked some red and golden beets and some spaghetti squash. Most of it was from his garden. I put together a plate of food for dinner that would have rivaled that of any gormet restaurant. Yum. |
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Just like Egypt, Syria has been involved in a revolt of its people against the government. Tens of thousands of civilians have been slaughtered by the Syrian regime over the past couple of years, most recently by chemical weapons. China are standing by the regime Of course, another consideration is that if the U.S. sends forces into Syria, there could be a subsequent retaliation by Syria against Israel. In that case, I certainly would not expect Israel to sit idly by and take it. |
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A friend and I ate at one of our favorite places for lunch. It is the Asia Seafood Buffet in Buena Park. There is a wide variety, and we both think that the food is excellent. 15-second slideshow Looking at that food, it’s amazing to me that I ate all of it. But I did. |
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FINALLY, San Diego’s Mayor Bob Filner has resigned. What a relief. I hope the next mayor will respect women, not exploit them.
To celebrate, I ate lunch at one of my favorite Thai places, Taste of Thai. As usual, I had a ped mak mak (extremely spicy) red curry vegetarian plate.
It was super-duper yummy, as it always is. |
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It seems that there always has been a heated debate, within Christendom, about the “predestination vs. free will” issue. Personally, I believe that both of these things are equally true. That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the two. Someone emailed me with some questions about this and related topics; you can click here to see my response: |
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The rebellion and chaos in Egypt has become much worse. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood have persisted in protesting the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi since July 3.
I continue to wonder how near Egypt is to civil war and when the series of events in Isaiah 19 might begin. |
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Tonight, from about 11:00 p.m. to just before dawn, will be the best viewing of the Perseid meteor shower. Look mainly in the northern to northeastern sky, where the constellation Perseus is located. On average, there should be about 50 to 70 meteors seen per hour. |
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Tonight at sunset, the Hebrew month of Elul begins. There also is a new moon, which always takes place on the first day of every Hebrew month. |
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During the Benghazi, Libya attacks of Sep. 11, 2012, Americans Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Tyrone Woods were murdered. Since then, many have suggested that there was a cover-up, by the Obama administration—specifically, about who issued the order to prevent military offensive actions that could have neutralized the terrorist’s actions, thereby saving lives that were lost.
Actually, though, this is old news. The following article from Nov. 19, 2012, only a couple of months after the Benghazi attack, points to Valerie Jarrett’s possible involvement:
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A giant coronal hole in the sun, about 400,000 miles across, was observed by NASA on July 18. The diameter of this hole is about 50 earth widths. It is an area of cooler, less dense material in the sun’s atmosphere, the corona. This caused me to think about something that I’d never considered before. I wonder if this, possibly, could have anything to do with the sun turning dark as one of the cosmic disturbances associated with the opening of the Sixth Seal. At that time, the sun will turn “black like sackcloth made of goat hair” (Revelation 6:12), and then the day of vengeance will be imminent. |
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New Israeli/Palestinian “peace talks” are taking place in Washington, DC, today. The Israelis will be represented by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Yitzhak Molcho, and the Palestinians will be represented by Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat and Mohammad Shtayyeh.
These are the first peace talks in almost three years, which began on Sep. 12, 2010. Those talks turned out to be unproductive, as I expect these new talks to be. |
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Officially, there have been two temples in Jerusalem: the First Temple (Solomon’s Temple) and the Second Temple (Zerubbabel’s Temple). Some have wondered why Herod’s Temple should not have been considered to be a Third Temple. The reason is that it actually was an expansion of the Second Temple. Here is a question about that; click on it to see my response: |
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There is no doubt in my mind that the personal freedoms and liberties of Americans are at risk. There is a great deal “behind the scenes” about which we are unaware. Preparing For 2nd Revolution |
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The protests in Egypt not only are continuing but are escalating. This is due, in part, to an appeal by General Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi to the Egyptian people. It appears to me that Egypt is one step closer to civil war. If so, the events in Egypt described in Isaiah 19 could be near. |
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The city of Detroit, Michigan, declared bankruptcy today. It is the largest city in U.S. history to do so. Detroit has lost over half of its population over the last 60 years, from 1.8 million to 700,000. Besides Detroit, MI, here are other localities in the U.S. that are bankrupt:
When there is a very low ratio of people who produce to people who live off of the government, this happens. No doubt there are other U.S. cities and counties that are bankrupt but that have not filed yet. I have little doubt that such bankruptcies will continue to increase. |
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Today is Tisha B’Av or the 9th of Av, which actually began at sunset last evening. It is a day of mourning to commemorate the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people in the past. |
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Embattled mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner, has insisted that he is not going to resign. This was hours after three former supporters revealed details to the media about the sexual harassment allegations made against him. Several members of the City Council, Democrats and Republicans alike, have called for Filner to resign.
Admittedly, I am not thrilled with Bob Filner as the mayor of my favorite city in the world. San Diego needs a leader who can respect women, not take advantage of them. I hope that he will peceive the necessity of stepping down soon. |
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Iran was getting closer to the “red line” that he had set for that nation’s nuclear program several months ago. Netanyahu had conveyed the imminent danger of this “red line” in a speech to the United Nations on Sep. 27, 2012, when he said that Iran could reach that threshold by mid-2013. Today, Netanyahu warned the international community not to be distracted by the crises in Syria and Egypt. He noted that Iran must be stopped before amassing enough uranium to fuel one nuclear bomb. I have been craving lasagna, so I made two of them today. They’re almost identical to the ones I made on Jan. 20. This time, though, I used whole-wheat lasagna noodles, which are more healthful. 1-minute slideshow I put one in the refrigerator and stored one in the freezer. I also made some cornbread with whole kernels of corn in it; I was craving that, too. All of that food will last me quite awhile. |
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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano confirmed today she will leave her position to lead the University of California system of schools. Napolitano, a Democrat, also was governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009. Interestingly, a poll of visitors to the L.A. Times website revealed that 78% of them felt Janet Napolitano is not a good choice to head the UC system. |
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A Palestinian jihadist group, Masada al-Mujahideen, has indicated that it is to blame for recent wildfires in Arizona. The Yarnell Hill fire, which tragically killed 19 firefighters (members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots), caused the most devastating loss of life for wildfire firefighters in 80 years. Responsibility for Arizona Wildfires Officials in Arizona have felt that the Yarnell Hill fire, and some other fires, probably were caused by lightning. However, al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for setting fires in several European nations, and I have no doubt that they would like to do the same in the USA, if they have not already done so. |
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A day after Mohamed ElBaradei’s appointment as interim prime minster on July 6, his selection now is in doubt. Apparently, this mostly is due to intense objections by members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt's interim PM thrown into doubt It does not sound like the new government in Egypt is at all stable. This seems to me to be further evidence that Egypt is headed for more chaos and even civil war. |
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Liberal opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, 71, was named as Egypt’s interim prime minister today. He is a former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN nuclear watchdog.
Adly Mansour, who became Egypt’s new president on July 3, named ElBaradei as prime minister. ElBaradei is expected to be part of transition negotiations with the military, as well as taking a leading role in developing a new constitution. |
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Thank God everyday for your freedom and liberty, as well as your independence from tyranny and from governmental totalitarianism, fellow Americans. Never, ever take these things for granted, as they can be lost relatively quickly and readily. |
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Millions of Egyptians have been protesting for days, calling for President Mohamed Morsi to step down. He has refused, so today Egypt’s military toppled the country’s first democratically elected president, who now is under house arrest.
The head of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, 67, will replace Morsi as Egypt’s interim president. He will be sworn into office tomorrow. Also, Egypt’s constitution has been suspended indefinitely. Basically, I do feel that what is happening in Egypt right now probably is the precursor of the events included in Isaiah 19. If an Egyptian civil war ensues, it would seem to hasten the onset of those events. And if we are near the end of the age (see my July 1) entry, then all these things probably will take place sooner rather than later. |
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The U.S. Treasury Obama administration announced late tonight that it will delay, from 2014 to 2015, a key part of the president’s signature health law. This pertains to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as “Obamacare.” Specifically, what will be delayed is the requirement that companies employing more than 50 people must provide health coverage for employees working over 30 hours per week. health law is delayed, and who's affected I firmly believe that the ACA is going to be a complete failure. If this disastrous health care law were to be fully implemented in 2014, more Americans would realize how terrible it is and would be less likely to vote in the Nov. 2014 elections for Democrats, who were the ones that voted for it. Most likely, this is a big reason why full implementation of the ACA is being delayed until after those elections. |