Obfuscation?

Zack Davies

The attack earlier this month occurred in Mold, Wales. Muslims and Sikhs have long been enemies.

Please see specific information about the attack in the article UK: Media’s ‘Racist White Supremacist’ attack on Sikh in Tesco supermarket was a Muslim attack. On Facebook, Zack Davies used the name "Zak Ali."  Apparently, he used a machete and a hammer during the attack.

Please note that this blog post is not labeled as a "machete jihad" attack. But if is was an Islamic kill-the-infidel attack, would the media state that it was such an attack? Islamophilia rules the day in the the mainstream media. Orwell's Ministry of Truth has arrived.

This Week On The Gathering Storm

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, hosted by WC and Always On Watch.

The show broadcasts live for 30 minutes every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is 646-915-9870. Callers welcome!

Our scheduled guest this week is Mr. Ducky. Topic: dystopian film.

Listen to the January 30, 2014 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

If you are interested in an interview on The Gathering Storm, please send me a notification thereof.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

The Islamic State's Goal

(with a hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance)

Former ISIS Prisoner on last Sunday's Meet the Press: “They Want Something Worse Than 9/11.″

Update On Bowe Bergdahl (With Addendum)

Right now, I have only enough time to post a quick link and a video on this topic.

Obama Advisor Ben Rhodes Hiding Bowe Bergdahl Desertion Charges – Bergdahl Attorney Notified Of Army Charges (video).


Today, at Reuters: Bowe Bergdahl to face desertion charges.

ADDENDUM

After I posted this, the following appeared in the Army Times: Bergdahl reports are untrue, no decision made.

The Army says there is no truth to media reports claiming a decision has been made to charge Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion.

The Army continues to review the case against Bergdahl, said Paul Boyce, a spokesman for Forces Command, on Tuesday morning.

"Sgt. Bergdahl has not been charged with any crime," said Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.

"No decision has been made with respect to the case of Sgt. Bergdahl," Kirby said. "None. There is no timeline to make that decision, and Gen. [Mark] Milley is being put under no pressure to make a decision."...

Good Deeds

Delaware State Police Honor Guard acting as the pallbearers for Valeria V. Mayer (d. age 64 after long illness), whose remains were not claimed by her relatives or friends.

Have you heard about this one, dated January 24, 2015?  If that link refuses to load, try this link. I guarantee that you'll want to know about this story! It is a stark contrast to yesterday's blog post.

Video below the fold.

America Today?

Mind-numbing idiocy on display! Note the ages of those interviewed:


What do you want to be that most of those interviewed have college degrees? Maybe even PhD's!

Musical Interlude

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

The theme from the 1971 film Nicholas and Alexandra is one of my favorite movie themes. Here is Henry Mancini's arrangement of that theme?


I love Henry Mancini's music and arrangements! He was a musical genius who specialized in composing film music and television-show pieces.  He wrote symphonies as well although they were overshadowed by his film and television theme songs.

Please take a moment to read about Henry Mancini.

Strangeness

Maybe somebody can explain to me why President Obama stooped to an interview with GloZell Green (incredibly, a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theatre) — aside from the fact that she is a YouTube sensation, that is. Who are her fans, anyway?

Check out this famous GloZellvideo: GloZell's Cereal Challenge, too weird on so many levels (hat tip to Bunkerville):


9,772,780 views? Are you kidding me?  I couldn't manage to watch the entire thing!

The January 22, 2015 GloZell interview of President Obama was held in the White House:




GloZell is quite subdued in her interview of the President and even asked some valid questions. Nevertheless, what does the President's reaching-out-to-YouTubers say about the leader of the free world and about American culture today?

If this pathetic display is indicative of American culture today, I'm going to have to become a hermit!

Are Somebody's Ears Burning?

North wing of the Capitol, containing the Senate Chamber

Yesterday, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who serves on the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, uttered the following words:

“You know, I, I have to be honest with you. The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Iran. And it feeds to the Iranian narrative of victimization.”

Speaker of the House John Boehner, without consulting the President, has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on February 11 on the topic of the Iranian threat.  White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has called that invitation "a breach of diplomatic protocol."

As sick as I've been — and still am, for that matter — I haven't cared one whit about the news for the past week. Readers, clue me in. Is the United States Congress positioning itself to override the President's veto of new economic sanctions imposed upon Iran? Or are the developments cited in this blog post merely political theatre?

Musical Interlude (With Update)

Update: There will be no further blog posts here at Always On Watch until Mr. AOW and I have sufficiently recovered from the horrible respiratory virus (Influenza?) that felled both of us last week.  Intermittent comment moderation. Thank you for your patience.

Last October, I attended a choral concert of Finnish music. One of the selections was Jaakko Mäntyjärvi's Come Away, Death:


A great deal of beautiful music is still being composed, and concertgoers still attend the offerings on a regular basis — some of the offerings free of charge. What a shame that more of us don't take advantage of the many musical opportunities that we have!

Open Thread

So, what's on your mind?

Here is your chance to opine within the parameters listed below:

We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. Comments that include any of the following are subject to deletion:
1. Any use of profanity or abusive language
2. Off topic comments and spam
3. Use of personal invective
Note: comments consisting of blog gossip will be deleted as soon as an administrator of this blog becomes aware of such comments.

Obama And Gitmo

Dated January 15, 2015: Freed Gitmo Captive Opens ISIS Base in Afghanistan.

Also dated January 15, 2015: five more Gitmo detainees were freed this week.

Question for readers here: Why is Obama so determined to empty Gitmo?

Obama White House: Moral Responsibility To Abrogate The First Amendment

The end of anti-jihad journalism and anti-jihad blogging?

Enforcing Islamic blasphemy laws?

Shari'a via executive order? 

The real explanation as to why Obama didn't send a high-level representative to the march in Paris on January 11, 2015?

The Daily Caller article White House: Obama Will Fight Media To Stop Anti-Jihad Articles in its entirety below the fold (emphases mine).

Halal And Schemes

A few weeks ago, I purchased hamburger at my local Safeway Grocery Store. I hadn't purchased hamburger in some time and was surprised to discover that nowhere on that meat counter was there ground beef that was not halal.  All the beef in the store was halal and bore a halal certificate.

Huh?  When did that prevalence of halal beef become the norm in my local grocery store?

It turns out that halal is about much more than food, including a global scheme to trick non-Mulsims into funding Islamic organizations! Please make time to watch the video below. You are guaranteed to find some surprises therein!


Important information about Islam and halal food (from the YouTube blurb):

Nowhere in Islamic scripture does it say Muslims should eat only halal-certified food. Most observant Muslims know perfectly well that nearly all our food is by default halal:

Koran Sura 2:173 (Al-Baqarah) reads: "He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swine flesh, and that which hath been immolated to any other than God. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! God is Forgiving, Merciful."

Koran Sura 5.5 (Al Ma'idah) prescribes: "The food of the People of the Book (that is Jewish and Christian people) is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them."

And from the hadith narrated by Aisha (Bukhari Volume 3, Book 34, Number 273) Muslims know: "Some people said, "O Allah's Apostle! Meat is brought to us by some people and we are not sure whether the name of Allah has been mentioned on it or not." Allah's Apostle said, "Mention the name of Allah and eat it."

Additional information about stealth Islamification at The Q Society of Australia.

Books! Glorious Books!

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Location: Admont, Austria Architect: Josef Hueber. Year: 1776.  The library's ceiling frescoes were inspired by the Enlightenment..

For the rest, see the slideshow 11 Libraries So Astounding You'll Leave Your E-Reader at Home.

Open Thread

So, what's on your mind?

Here is your chance to opine within the parameters listed below:

We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. Comments that include any of the following are subject to deletion:
1. Any use of profanity or abusive language
2. Off topic comments and spam
3. Use of personal invective
Note: comments consisting of blog gossip will be deleted as soon as an administrator of this blog becomes aware of such comments.

Something that I would like to discuss: President of Egypt Gave Speech Obama Should Have Delivered in Cairo. Video:


Transcript of the above:

Is it possible that 1.6 billion people [Muslims] should want to kill the rest of the world’s inhabitants—that is 7 billion—so that they themselves may live? Impossible!

I am saying these words here at Al Azhar, before this assembly of scholars and ulema—Allah Almighty be witness to your truth on Judgment Day concerning that which I’m talking about now.

All this that I am telling you, you cannot feel it if you remain trapped within this mindset. You need to step outside of yourselves to be able to observe it and reflect on it from a more enlightened perspective.

I say and repeat again that we are in need of a religious revolution. You, imams, are responsible before Allah. The entire world, I say it again, the entire world is waiting for your next move… because this umma is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost—and it is being lost by our own hands.

Recommended Reading And Breaking News (Paris Hostage Situation)

See The Blame for the Charlie Hebdo Murders in The New Yorker.  This essay in a major publication makes a direct link between the terrorists and Islam.

BREAKING, JANUARY 9:

Paris: Islamist Takes Man Hostage in Kosher Grocery Store A report from AFP just now stated that there are five hostages at the grocery store. Women and children are being held hostage. Weasel Zippers has updates. Fourth shooting near Eiffel Tower.

Politics Today

A successful strategy (graphic from Western Journalism):

Now, how do we stop this death spiral of Balkanization?

Islamic Humor And Breaking News About Charlie Hebdo

[Point of clarification: this blog post was queued up several days before the attack on Charlie Hebdo. It an eerie confluence]

No humor in Islam?

Think again!

From Living on Mars is un-Islamic, and five other weird fatwas from 2014:

1. Take a stealthy look at your bathing fiancee

2. The return of concubation

3. Open buffet is “haram”

4. Elections prohibited

5. Lying is halal

6. Living on Mars impermissible

Read the rest HERE at Jihad Watch.

BREAKING NEWS, JANUARY 7, 2015

Not funny: Gun attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo kills 11. The satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is famous for these cartoons.

BRRRRR!

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

One of my better photo captures.

Winter has arrived with a vengeance to the Washington, D.C., area.  We're expecting a bit of snow today, then will go into the deep freeze for the rest of the week.  Mr. AOW has entered winter hibernation. Venison chili (Love my crock pot!) with cornbread are on the menu here for the foreseeable future.

Economic Realities

Obama supporters are promoting the idea of the Obama boom.

But is there really an economic boom?

Please see the following graphs, which seem to indicate that the Obama boom consists of smoke and mirrors (hat tip to The Flying Camel; click directly on the graphs to enlarge them):

So, what do the above graphs mean for each of us and for America as a whole? According to The Flying Camel, citing Charles Hugh Smith:

Look Who Was In Jail...

...on New Year's Day:

Will explain this photo later — in the comments section.

[If you must have politics, please scroll down]

Nincompoopery Poll

(Nincompoopery — and worse — abounds! This edition of "Nincompoopery" offers specific links, and readers have the option of taking a poll as to which story they find the most outrageous. Discussion available in the comments section)

Links to read:

ONE: Hands Up – Don’t Serve: Chipotle In Brooklyn Refuses To Serve Cops Over #BlackLivesMatter

TWO: Obama: Racial tensions surfacing 'probably is healthy'

THREE: Happy Holidays: FDA Moves to Ban Cake, Donut ‘Sprinkles’

FOUR: Unreal: Gay Kids Now Think Graduation Gown Colors Are Discriminatory

FIVE: Taliban indoctrinates kids with jihadist textbooks paid for by the U.S.

Please cast your vote in the following poll, which closes on Tuesday (Note: Unrelated comments will be subject to deletion):

web survey

Relief At Last!

Nerves on fire

After weeks of agony, I got relief on Thursday from a spine specialist, who administered several lumbar-spine adjustments and several epidural blocks.

These were not pleasant procedures, but they have tamped down all the leg pain and most of the weird sensations (tingling, burning, etc.).  I finally got a full night's sleep!

Happy New Year!

The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy (1902):

I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.

The land’s sharp features seemed to be
The Century’s corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.

If an aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small can find something to sing about in the growing gloom, we should try to do the same — at least from time to time.

Additional reading from one of my former students of decades ago: Thank God We Get Another Year.  Worth your time and consideration.  Well said, Becky!

[Note to readers of this blog: "Nincompoopery Poll," a regular feature here at this blog, will return on Saturday, January 3]

Blog Break

Comment moderation intermittently enabled.

Merry Christmas!

Please read about the origin of the beloved Christmas song "Silent Night." Then enjoy the music and the video:

DEUTSCH

Music: Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818
Words: Joseph Mohr, 1816/1818

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!

=========

ENGLISH

Music: Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818
Words: John Freeman Young, 1863

Silent night, holy night
All is calm all is bright
'Round yon virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia;
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

A blessed Christmas to all who stop by here!

Cameo And The Christmas Tree

(This re-post will be stuck here throughout the Christmas season. Please scroll down for more recent material, including political topics.  And I will have another post specifically for Christmas Day 2014)

With many thanks to Stogie, who made the graphic for this post in 2011! Click directly on the picture to enlarge it:



I wrote the story below the fold in 2005. Over the past few years as she has aged, Cameo has mellowed — somewhat, anyway.  But the memories of those bygone days Cameo's terrorizing the Christmas tree still bring a smile to our faces. I hope that the anecdote will bring a smile to your face, too.

Welcome All Wonders

Many years ago, I had the privilege of working under the baton of Richard Wayne Dirksen at the Washington National Cathedral. Below is one of his choral pieces, a glorious celebration of the birth of Christ the Lord. Ever since I obtained a recording of "Welcome All Wonders," I never let a Christmas go by without listening to this glorious musical celebration of the birth of Christ the Lord:

"A Christmas Visitor" by Warren

HERE.  Worth your time.

O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" and Jack Schaefer's "Stubby Pringle's Christmas"

The final sentences of the story reminds us of something that we too often lose sight of when giving and receiving Christmas gifts: true wealth is not material but rather spiritual love.

...[I]n a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi.

Updated reading of the classic 1905 tale by O. Henry (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910):



A lesser-known Christmas story, with a drastically different setting, by another American author:

Jack Schaefer, best known as the author of the 1949 Western novel Shane, wrote a delightful Christmas story called "Stubby Pringle's Christmas."  Read the 1964 story HERE.

Of such is the Christmas spirit as the characters in the two above stories illustrate.

May each of us find that same spirit in our own hearts this Christmas!

The Tragic Truth

Not that Mr. AOW and I go to the movies very often, but just sayin':

Related reading: Sony DID Reach Out To Obama, Even Though He Says They Did Not.

Note: Nincompoopery Polls and Open Threads are on hiatus until January.

This Week At GWU

More than two-thirds of the students approached in approximately one hour signed the petition in the name of social justice:


Read the Campus Reform article HERE.

Okay, in the comments section, let's list specific Americans whom we are willing to trade for illegal immigrants.

Sony's Cowardice And Obama's Cuba

Cowardice on display — cowardice which further shreds the First Amendment. 

Sony Pictures Entertainment, a multinational conglomerate owning Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, and more has canceled the Christmas Day release of The Interview.  Read about the film HERE.

Sony has apparently announced no release whatsoever of the film — not even online or via DVD. North Korea must not be offended!

undated photo of Fidel Castro

Meanwhile, on the political front, the big news is that Obama has decided to normalize relations with Cuba after 50 years of Cold War policy.

The Washington Post has more information about the details of this "normalization."

The upside of this "normalization" is the availability of Cuban cigars — or something.

Smoke And Mirrors

Two proverbs: "A rose by any other name smells as sweet" and "A rotten mackerel by moonlight still stinks."

From Obama issues 'executive orders by another name' (USA Today, December 16, 2014):

Santa's Evolution

(Click directly on images to enlarge them)

When you think of Santa Claus, what images come to mind? Probably something along the lines of the two graphics immediately below:

Clement Clarke Moore's poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Undated greeting card

Santa Claus (aka St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle) didn't always have such a jolly physical aspect, however.

This article from Smithsonian Magazine offers some fascinating facts and photos. For example, St. Nicholas had this less-than-jolly appearance in 1837:

As portrayed by Robert Walter Weir (1837)

Quite the impish trickster!  Is he bringing gifts — or burglarizing the house?

Read more about Weir's portrayal HERE (a different link from the one above and the one below).

Click HERE to read the article and to see the slideshow of images.

The Surveillance State

From this source:

Congress this week quietly passed a bill that may give unprecedented legal authority to the government's warrantless surveillance powers, despite a last-minute effort by Rep. Justin Amash to kill the bill.

[...]

The provision in question is "one of the most egregious sections of law I've encountered during my time as a representative," Amash wrote on his Facebook page. The tea-party libertarian, who teamed up with Rep. John Conyers in an almost-successful bid to defund the National Security Agency in the wake of the Snowden revelations, warned that the provision "grants the executive branch virtually unlimited access to the communications of every American."

The measure already passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Tuesday, and it is now on its way to the White House, where President Obama is expected to sign it.

The objections from Amash and others arose from language in the bill's Section 309, which includes a phrase to allow for "the acquisition, retention, and dissemination" of U.S. phone and Internet data. That passage will give unprecedented statutory authority to allow for the surveillance of private communications that currently exists only under a decades-old presidential decree, known as Executive Order 12333....

In the Digital Age, there is no way to insulate oneself completely from such intrusion on the part of the Surveillance State. To some extent, technology owns each one of us. Just try to get through one day without using the technology upon which we depend — whether or not we want or seek that dependence.

Musical Interlude

The easy-listening sound of Crooning Christmas with Bing, Frank & Dean:


Playlist below the fold:

Nincompoopery Poll

(Nincompoopery — and worse — abounds! This edition of "Nincompoopery" offers specific links, and readers have the option of taking a poll as to which story they find the most outrageous. Discussion available in the comments section)

Links to read:

ONE: Malaysia: Islamic scholars say playing guitar and piano against Islamic law

TWO: Illegal Immigrant Smuggling Drugs Across Border Sues After Border Patrol Dog Bites Him

THREE: Beard Baubles Are The Hot New Holiday Accessory For Men [and for pets, too]

FOUR:  GOP Gave Dems Virtually Everything We Wanted [Jim Moran says]

FIVE: Berkeley Protester Whines Over Quality Of Food Given In City Jail During Their Overnight Stay

Please cast your vote in the following poll, which closes on Tuesday:

customer surveys

The Two-Party System

With a hat tip to Political Tea Leaves:

Cutting Retiree Benefits

The cuts involve the ailing Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, an independent agency of the federal government.  This portion of the Wikipedia article explains how the PBGC is funded.

Excerpt from the Washington Post article Congressional leaders hammer out deal to allow pension plans to cut retiree benefits:

A measure that would for the first time allow the benefits of current retirees to be severely cut is set to be attached to a massive spending bill, part of an effort to save some of the nation’s most distressed pension plans.

The rule would alter 40 years of federal law and could affect millions of workers, many of them part of a shrinking corps of middle-income employees in businesses such as trucking, construction and supermarkets....

Note the example cited below the fold.

Liberalism

Accurate graphic (hat tip to Stogie of Saberpoint):

Choose a pillar and expound upon how that pillar has been used to pound away at the destruction of American principles.

Federalizing Police Departments

Shortly after the start of the protests over the death of Eric Garner, I came to this same conclusion about 48 hours ago when I kept asking myself, "What is the Obama Administration up to now?"

From What’s Really Going on with Holder’s Civil-Rights Crusade against Police Departments: Federal investigations of the Garner and Brown cases are just a pretext by Andrew C. McCarthy:

Incoherence

With a hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance (Warning! Strong language!):


I wonder how many Americans "think" the same way as those spewing the irrationality shown in the above video.

Related reading and video: Protesters flood California highway, throw explosives at officers, police say (CNN, dated December 8, 2014).

Musical Interlude

For this second Sunday of Advent 2014, here is Of the Father's Love Begotten:

Nincompoopery Poll

(Nincompoopery — and worse — abounds! This edition of "Nincompoopery" offers specific links, and readers have the option of taking a poll as to which story they find the most outrageous. Discussion available in the comments section)

Links to read:

ONE: Washington Redskins Blasted for Offensive Thanksgiving Tweet

TWO: Theresa May says tens of thousands held as modern slaves in Britain: The shocking number of people held in conditions of slavery in modern Britain has been revealed by the Home Secretary

THREE: Time magazine’s POPULAR results for MAN OF THE YEAR voting [Ferguson protesters winning by a large margin]

FOUR: Lucky Yodelling Christmas Pickle Ornament

FIVE: Koran should be read at Prince Charles' coronation says top bishop

Please cast your vote in the following poll, which closes on Tuesday:

surveys & polls

Recommended Reading

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

See The Role that Obama’s Runaway Bureaucracy Played in the Death of Eric Garner at PJ Media.  

One sentence from the essay:

This Week On The Gathering Storm

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, hosted by WC and Always On Watch.

The show broadcasts live for 30 minutes every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is 646-915-9870. Callers welcome!

Our scheduled guest this week is Mr. Ducky. We will be discussing film noir and Duck's thesis that the original movement represented a sense of the breakdown of the American myth.

Listen to the December 5, 2014 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

FEATURED QUESTION: Immigration

(This FEATURED QUESTION stuck here for few days. Please scroll down for other material)

Time and again, we hear the following: "These hard-working immigrants do the work that Americans will not do."

President Obama has characterized immigrants, particularly illegal immigrants, as "workers who pick our fruit and make our beds."  As if those are the only tasks undertaken by illegal immigrants!

Another Steep Learning Curve

My Secret Magi in the homeschool group for whom I teach classes gave me an incredible gift on Tuesday. An iPad Mini!

Fortunately, I have a former student who is an Apple guru, who gave me an iPad lesson yesterday. I already had a bit of knowledge about an iPad because Mr. AOW has had such a device since 2010.

I plan to use my iPad Mini primarily for work. Thus far, I have purchased a calculator app and a stopwatch app.  I have also made use of the Notes app, which was preloaded onto the device.

Next up: getting a protective case for my iPad Mini — and an iPhone.

Any advice as to what kind of protective case I should get for my new iPad Mini?

Will Insurance Pay?

Aerial view of Ferguson, Missouri, after riots and looting in November

Will insurance policies pay for those business establishments damaged or destroyed in the recent Ferguson riots?

Most people do not read their insurance policies. Details matter, however, for the process of reimbursement or restoration.

Last summer, I received a notice of change in policy coverages for my homeowner's policy. The change in policy coverages reads as follows:

Coverage is provided for direct physical loss except for losses caused by any of the following:

[...]

3.  War, including the following and an consequence of any of the following:

a. Undeclared war, civil war, insurrection, rebellion or revolution:

b. Warlike act by a military force or military personnel; or

c. Destruction, seizure or use for a military purpose.

Discharge of a nuclear weapon will be deemed a warlike act even if accidental.

Photographs of the documents I received (Click directly on images to enlarge them):

We should not assume that those damaged and destroyed businesses are going to recover because they have insurance coverage.

People from all over the world have opened their wallets to help at least one Ferguson business to get up and running again. That business is Natalie's Cakes & More: A Victim of Ferguson Rioters Finds Justice in Kindness of American People.

After selling her baked goodies at flea markets to get the seed money for a business establishment, Natalie DuBose opens her bakery in June 2014

On the other hand, check out these results from Time Magazine’s poll for Man of the Year: