Tom Faranda's Folly

Saint John Leonardi - Feast Day today

Pure luck that I stumbled across this today. Born in 1541, founded a religious order, Clerics Regular of the Mother of God and died in 1609 caring for the sick during a plague. He is the patron saint of pharmacists named such in 2006 as he was a pharmacist before becoming a priest!

John lived after the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. He and his followers projected a new congregation of diocesan priests. For some reason the plan, which was ultimately approved, provoked great political opposition. John was exiled from his home town of Lucca, Italy, for almost the entire remainder of his life. He received encouragement and help from Saint Philip Neri, who gave him his lodgings—along with the care of his cat! In 1579, John formed the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and published a compendium of Christian doctrine that remained in use until the 19th century.

The Loop/CatholicVote - "Pray for Peace", October 12-20

Yes, 100%. Looks to be a very good event which you can attend online for free. JOIN link is below.

The amazing Sister Deidre "Dede" Byrne, surgeon and retired US Army Colonel is one of the presenters.  

PRAY FOR PEACE  Our Lady needs your help NOW to prevent and stop war! Our Lady says, “Through fasting and prayer one can stop wars.” Join The International Week of Prayer & Fasting (IWOPF) Conference Oct 12-20 with other prayer warriors to intercede for peace in the world. Remember the words of Pope St. John Paul II: “Jesus Himself has shown us by His own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil.” #ad  JOIN

Tuesday wordle

Kamala Harris teleprompter malfunction (Not satire or Babylon Bee...)

I guess the print stopped rolling, so she just kept repeating it? The #32 I thought of was OJ (see the video end with Dave Rubin, former Liberal).

 

Monday wordle

Is "hate speech" protected by the First Amendment?

The answer is ... yes! From the WSJ a few days ago. I bolded and enlarged the obvious point below in the Journal excerpt.

Criticize Harris and Walz While You Still Can. One thing they haven’t been able to hide is hostility to free speech.

It’s a curious thing that Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Gov. Tim Walz (D., Minn.) are enjoying generally friendly media coverage even as they set modern campaign records for avoiding media scrutiny. Odder still is that while avoiding discussion of the policies they will employ to govern us, they’ve clearly expressed contempt for the bedrock liberty that allows all of us to criticize government policies.

Recently this column noted Ms. Harris’s history of hostility to free expression. Now we know that if voters give her the promotion she seeks, we can’t expect her vice president to serve as a moderating influence.

Writing for Reason, Robby Soave notes that at this week’s vice presidential debate, Gov. Tim Walz repeated his false claim that the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment does not protect misinformation or “hate speech.” Mr. Soave writes of Mr. Walz:

Walz defended his position by glibly asserting that it is constitutionally impermissible to yell “fire in a crowded theater.” This is an oft-expressed sentiment—and one that’s completely and utterly false. It comes from the Supreme Court’s odious opinion in the 1919 case Schenk v. United States, in which the majority held that the government could stop people from distributing leaflets opposing World War I. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes likened such activism as akin to yelling fire in a crowded theater; in other words, he believed that raising doubts about the desirability of the U.S. participating in such a global catastrophe was dangerous, and could be prohibited.

Today we recognize that the right to criticize U.S. military policy and oppose foreign wars is an essential component of the First Amendment. And the Supreme Court agrees: Schenk was gradually overturned by subsequent decisions. The right to engage in speech that the government might deem reckless, dangerous, or hateful was explicitly affirmed in the 2017 case Matal v. Tam, in which Justice Samuel Alito observed “the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express ‘the thought that we hate.’” It could not be more simple: Hate speech is protected by the First Amendment.

This shouldn’t be surprising; after all, if hate speech constituted unprotected speech, it would create all sorts of problems. What counts as hateful speech is purely subjective. Religious people, for instance, might find blasphemy to be hateful—but it’s sufficiently obvious that the federal government cannot criminalize criticism of religion. Similarly, political figures might determine that their opponents running attack ads against them are examples of hateful messaging. If censorship was allowed on this basis, there would be no end in sight.

Sunday wordle

NY Giants v. Seattle; two really crazy plays!

NFL does not allow embedding videos, so hit the links. And sorry for the commercials.

First there's this as Giants mount a long drive and on 4th and goal on the one, go for it. And the result...

YIKES! DOUBLE YIKES!!

Then as the Seahawks look to tie the game with a minute left, this happens

Good on the Giants!

Franciscan priest on "No salvation outside the Church" & other cool stuff

I've posted Fr. Casey Cole, OFM, before - as he gives the correct explanation to Pope Francis recent statement which gave some people ants in their pants.

 

Saturday wordle

Perplexity AI answers "What's a good bench press for a 73 yo man weighing 156 lb?"

Here's the answer - and they noted "the advanced age of 73"...

To determine a good bench press max for a 73-year-old man weighing 156 lbs, we need to consider several factors, including age, weight, and fitness level. Here's a breakdown of what could be considered a good bench press max for this specific case:

## Age Considerations

At 73 years old, it's important to recognize that strength typically declines with age, especially after 50. However, regular strength training can help maintain and even improve strength levels[4].

## Weight-Based Standards

For a man weighing 156 lbs (approximately 70 kg), we can use general strength standards as a starting point:

- A beginner lifter at this weight might bench press around 46 kg (101 lbs)[2].
- An intermediate lifter could bench press about 78 kg (172 lbs)[2].
- An advanced lifter might bench press 94 kg (207 lbs) or more[2].

## Adjusting for Age

Given the advanced age of 73, we need to adjust these expectations downward. A good benchmark for older adults is often considered to be around 75-80% of what's typical for younger adults[4].

## Good Bench Press Max for a 73-Year-Old Man (156 lbs)

Considering all factors, a good bench press max for a 73-year-old man weighing 156 lbs could be:

- **Beginner**: 75-85 lbs (34-39 kg)
- **Intermediate**: 115-130 lbs (52-59 kg)
- **Advanced**: 140-160 lbs (64-73 kg)

These numbers would be considered impressive for a man of this age and weight[1][3].

Remember, the most important aspect of strength training at any age is consistency and gradual progress, rather than comparing oneself to specific numbers or standards.

Citations:
[1] https://www.tuffwraps.com/blogs/news/breaking-down-the-average-bench-press-how-much-should-you-bench-press
[2] https://www.strengthlog.com/bench-press-strength-standards-kg/
[3] https://marathonhandbook.com/average-bench-press-by-age/
[4] https://betterme.world/articles/average-bench-press-by-age/
[5] https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/bench-press/lb

So I - who can bench more than 160 - exceeds the "Advanced" level. Ta Dum!!

 

Friday wordle

President of the Longshoreman's Union (ILA); nice work if you can get it

So the port strike is over and looks like the longshoreman did well; Dockworkers strike suspended, tentative agreement includes 62% pay raise over 6 years

So maybe this guy is worth his pay?

From the WSJ -

Bentley Drivers of the World, Unite! Meet the union boss making $900,000 who shut down U.S. ports.

Mr. Daggett could have been a character from the 1950s movie classic “On the Waterfront.” While presenting himself as a man of the people, the union chief made more than $900,000 last year. The New York Times reported in 2017 that he owned a 76-foot yacht and rode around in a Bentley luxury car.

Friday cocktail: The Paper Plane!

This is a very popular cocktail and was only "invented" in 2008. It is an equal parts cocktail (modeled on The Last Word which I will post next week). I've had it as per the recipe and also with compari subbed for the aperol, and with slightly less lemon juice than the recipe in the video and below. I used a different amaro than the one recommended and it was fine.

 

The Paper Plane is a modern variation on the Last Word, a classic, equal-parts drink composed of gin, lime, maraschino liqueur and green Chartreuse. At first glance, the bourbon-spiked Paper Plane might not seem too similar. But it follows the same template and consists of equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and lemon juice. Both drinks strike a beautiful balance between bitter, sour and herbal notes.

It is a shaken not stirred cocktail but it's fine just putting it over ice when Like me, you are lazy.

Ingredients

• • 3/4 ounce bourbon

  • 3/4 ounce Aperol

  • 3/4 ounce Amaro Nonino Quintessentia (I used a different amaro)
    

  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Thursday wordle

NY Mets win first round wild card playoff in dramatic fashion.

I'm a Yankee fan, but good on the Mets. The ninth inning, down 2-0 against the Brewers in the decisive game. Here's the inning.

 

WSJ: "Vance makes a better case for Trump than Trump"

UPDATE: The NY Times seems to agree with me - Who Won the Debate? A Crisp Vance Fends Off Walz

For the first time in at least 20 years I actually watched (most of) a presidential debate - in this case the VP debate, JD Vance v. Tim Walz. I watched because I took a strong liking to Vance after he was named by Trump & I then read his book Hillbilly Elegy & he's only 40, so will be around awhile. And unsurprisingly he was very good - composed, calm, made many good points. He was better than Walz, who looked nervous and constantly looking at his notes. And Walz is only 60 years old, but looks much older. Below the WSJ excerpt I've posted the closing statements of both the men. 

Hard to compare with the Trump-Harris debate, since I only saw some excerpts on youtube. I thought they were both mediocre, with Trump more mediocre. Governor Sunnunu of New Hampshire, speaking on CNBC yesterday, said he thought both the VP's were better than the presidential candidates.

Mr. Vance in particular helped the ticket and himself. The sarcastic candidate of “childless cat ladies” fame was nowhere in sight. The Ohio Senator was respectful, well prepared, articulate, and relentless in reminding voters about the flaws of what he called “the Kamala Harris Administration.” This is a case Donald Trump was unable to make in his debate, or for that matter anywhere in the weeks since President Biden left the race.

Mr. Walz was likable and avuncular, though he sometimes seemed frenetic and overstuffed with too many facts and prepared attack lines. On presence and command, Mr. Vance won the debate going away.

The Senator was especially effective in sanding down the sharper edges of GOP policies that Democrats and the press portray as cruel. He addressed abortion policy by conceding that the voters of Ohio had chosen to pass a policy he opposed, but in a democracy that is what you have to accept. He also conceded that Republicans had to do more to win back the trust of Americans on the issue.

Mr. Walz offered the restoration of Roe v. Wade in a national law as the only possible answer. And he seems not to understand what the Minnesota law he signed actually says about what doctors can do with a late-term fetus who survives an abortion attempt. The law allows abortion at any stage in pregnancy if a doctor approves.

************************

Neither candidate was all that good on the economy, as both men seem to think that tariffs and domestic manufacturing are the key to prosperity. Mr. Vance suggested that this was crucial to the success of the Trump economy, but his policy history is wrong. The reason for the burst of growth and rising incomes was the 2017 tax reform and deregulation. The tariffs that began in 2018 detracted from growth, as economic studies have shown.

As for Mr. Walz, he’s a government man. When he speaks of “investment,” he always means more spending. And it’s too bad Mr. Vance didn’t nail the Biden-Harris spending as the main cause of inflation.

The debate was hosted by a pair of CBS anchors, and their choice of topics predictably focused on the priorities of Democrats: child care, healthcare, abortion, gun control, climate change, democracy and Jan. 6. They did ask about immigration, but not about energy or the electric-vehicle mandate that is emerging as a sleeper issue in Michigan.

Just once in an election debate before we die, we’d like to hear moderators ask a question that showed they read something outside their mainstream media bubble.

***

It was especially disappointing that they asked only a single question on foreign policy given that the men could become Commander-in-Chief. Nothing on China, nothing on the Ukraine war, or the decline of America’s military deterrent.

Wednesday wordle

The pope on women ... and men

Commenting while in Belgium. The point - the Church is the women - the bride. Christ is the bridegroom. An ancient analogy.

 

Tuesday wordle

NY Post: Jimmy Carter becomes first President to turn 100

UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal has a nice editorial on Carter today, which I will post tomorrow.

Today is Carter's 100th birthday. He was a disappointing President, but a good ex-President.

 

Pope Francis comments on abortionists: "hit men"

I lifted this posting from this website. -  Pope Francis (again) refers to abortionists as "hit men"

 

On his flight back to the Vatican from Belgium. The issue was the former King of Belgium resigning rather than sign a pro-abortion bill.

Monday wordle

Took five minutes; longer than it should have.

Pete Rose

Wow. Gone at 83. I was not a fan; he played for the Cincinnati Reds and was (my opinion) an arrogant obnoxious character. BUT he sure could play baseball. He got the deserved nickname Charlie Hustle when Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle commented on him running to first base after being walked!

this is posted on wikipedia -

Rose died at his home in Las Vegas, on September 30, 2024, at the age of 83. He had attended an autograph event in Franklin, Tennessee, the day prior.^[97][98] He was the first player to die while still ineligible after being banned by one of Landis's successors, as well as the first player to die while still ineligible since William D. Cox's death in 1989.

 

Here is the NY Times on Rose -

Pete Rose, one of baseball’s greatest players and most confounding characters, who earned glory as the game’s hit king and shame as a gambler and dissembler, died on Monday. He was 83. His death was confirmed by the Cincinnati Reds, the team with which he spent most of his career. No cause was given. For millions of baseball fans, Rose will be known mainly for a number, 4,256, his total of hits, the most for any player in the history of the game. But he was a deeply compromised champion.

Hamas Commander killed by Israel led UN Refugee Agency Teachers' Union

So Hamas has infiltrated UN Agencies?

A Hamas commander in Lebanon who was killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight was an accredited member of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the embattled agency confirmed after his death.

While leading terrorist activities, Sherif also headed the UNRWA teachers’ union in Lebanon. Though employed by the U.N. agency, Sherif was suspended without pay in March due to allegations involving “his political activities,” UNRWA told the Times of Israel in a statement.

Pope's politically incorrect message in East Timor: Keep having babies

Yeah very politically incorrect. Excerpt from this column, which is by Phil Lawler in the online magazine Catholic culture, is below the link.

“How wonderful that here in East Timor there are so many children,” Pope Francis said during a homily preached at an outdoor Mass on September 10.

That sentence is not taken out of context—not the sort of line a friendly pastor might toss off to calm down parents of restless children in the congregation. The Pope’s entire homily was about children and birth. In a meditation on the day’s reading from Isaiah (“A child has been born for us, a son given to us”), the Pope remarked that the arrival of a child is “a shining moment of joy and celebration,” a sign of hope.

At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis returned to that theme in impromptu remarks. “I hope you continue to have many children,” he told the faithful of East Timor. He warned them to be wary of foreign influences that might change their attitude toward children, of those who “want to change your culture, want to change your history.”

The mainstream media in the West paid scant attention to the Pope’s natalist message (perhaps because the editorial slant of most major media outlets favors those foreign influences that the Pope decried). But consider how rare it is for a major public figure from Europe to advise a Third World audience to keep having lots of babies. The ideology of Planned Parenthood and Zero Population Growth holds sway in the Western world. And since that ideology has always been heavily infected with racism, the West has come to discourage the birth of babies, but especially the birth of brown and black and yellow babies.

Brigid does dinner with her England crowd

Not the whole England crowd since her nephew Tom, his wife Tamazin (sp?) and their three children aren't there. Names are below the picture.

Clockwise, the seemingly wild-eyed lady is Brigid's saintly sister Libby. Next to Libby is her daughter (and Brigid's niece) Rachel, Rachel's son Richard, Brigid, Rachel's husband Shadi, and their two daughters Charlotte and Lizzie.  Libby has six grandchildren.

Sunday wordle - a failure

Oh well. Lost my 21 day streak. Correct word is RIDER.

Whacko Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones - getting what's coming to him

With his Infowars website and unfortunately he had a following for his "ideas". End of the line for him though - claiming the Sandy Hook school shooting massacre was a "false flag" or never happened.  For more of Alex Jones "thoughts" go here - other opinions

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars show is likely to be shut down within a few months, after a federal bankruptcy judge ruled Tuesday that plans to sell off the assets of Jones’ media company, Free Speech Systems, can move forward. Net proceeds from any sales will go to Sandy Hook families who won some $1.5 billion in damages from Jones for spreading lies that the 2012 school shooting never happened. Some of Jones’ followers harassed and threatened the families for years.

Attorneys for a group of the families called Tuesday’s decision “a significant step forward” toward a “fair and equitable” resolution for all of the families.

“FSS will now be sold at auction, meaning Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built,” said attorney Chris Mattei. “This brings the families closer to their goal of holding him accountable for the harm he has caused."

A court-appointed trustee for Jones’ personal bankruptcy case has already begun the process of auctioning off the components of Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars. Listed for sale is everything from production equipment to domain names and the Infowars vitamin and supplement online store.

Saturday wordle - an ace !

Yes, again luck trumps skill.

NY Times: "The Greatest City in the World, Some Really Lousy Mayors"

Fun essay; although they unfairly paint Ed Koch - I think he was an excellent mayor and without a corruption stain. It's not a long article.

You have to go way, way back — to the days of the secular saint Fiorello La Guardia — to come up with a New York mayor unencumbered by enough baggage to sink an ocean liner. Why this is so is open to debate. It may well be that in a city that is the nation’s financial, media and fashion capital, the best and the brightest find local politics a less than worthy pursuit; there are so many other ways to make money and a name for oneself. It is also possible, in a city whose principal defining endeavor has been the pursuit of wealth as far back as when it was called New Amsterdam, that political exigencies and human frailty almost inevitably lead even well-meaning politicians down perilous rabbit holes.

 

Friday wordle

3 minutes.

Friday cocktail: the Fine and Dandy

The guy spends 3/4's of the video talking about the 1930's musical Fine and Dandy (the first successful Broadway musical to feature a complete score by a female composer, Kay Swift)    but I've skipped ahead to the actual making of the cocktail.

Here's a similar recipe - this recipe and the video says it's a shaken not stirred cocktail, but we've done both and stirring is fine. Experiment and vary ingredients to taste. For my taste 3/4 oz. lemon is preferred.

INGREDIENTS

2 oz. gin

1 oz Grand Marnier (or any orange liqueur, we have Grand Marnier on hand)

1 oz lemon juice

Dash of orange bitters (or angostura bitters)

 

Brigid in England - I asked her to send me a selfie; instead -

She sent me this - 

Brigid actually missed her 6PM flight from JFK Tuesday, but they put her on a 9PM one and she made all her connections to her sister Libby's house.

Thursday wordle

Took 3 minutes

 

NYC Mayor Adams responds to his federal indictment

The indictment has something to do with money.

 

New speed record (set by a woman) for completing the Appalachian Trail

Amazing. I've excerpted come stuff below the link but if you are into big sports accomplishments hit the link for the whole story.

One of the most grueling records in American endurance sports fell late Saturday night in northern Georgia. Tara Dower, a 31-year-old ultrarunner and long-distance hiker born in North Carolina and based in Virginia, reached Georgia’s Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, at 11:53 P.M. She completed the arduous southern thru-hike of the iconic trail, crossing 14 states and 2,197 miles, in 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes. It’s the fastest known time for hiking the iconic trail in either direction.

Her finishing time cleaves approximately 13 hours off the 2018 benchmark set by Belgian runner Karel Sabbe, who in 2018 hiked the trail from south to north. It also returns the overall record to a woman for the first time since 2015, when Scott Jurek eclipsed Jennifer Pharr Davis’ then-record by only three hours.

***********************

“The number of people that have hiked the Appalachian Trail before Tara in less than 50 days is ten, only one of them a woman,” explained Liz Derstine, who set the women’s record for a northbound hike in 2020 at 51 days and joined Dower for a stretch of the trail earlier this week.

“And Tara has done it faster than all of them, including the men,” Derstine added. “This is one of the greatest achievements of all time. It’s huge.”

*******************

Appalachian Trail guru Warren Doyle told me that one of Dower’s secrets to success was her consistent speed on the trail. On most days she hiked slower than Sabbe’s pace, he said, but she traversed more total miles. “She put in longer workdays,” Doyle explained Friday, just as Dower neared the North Carolina-Georgia border. “I hope this puts it to rest: It’s not about speed. It’s about endurance. It’s not the Fastest Known Time. It’s the Shortest Known Time.”

********************

In recent years, as the popularity of FKT attempts have grown, corporate sponsorships and larger support crews on trail have become de rigueur. Dower, however, kept her posse small, with only her mother, Debbie Komlo, and a hiker she befriended on the AT in 2019, Megan “Rascal” Wilmarth, joining her the entire time. (Multiple other hikers others paced her or arrived at assorted trailheads to offer help, but they came and went.)

Dower and Wilmarth slept in a Ford Transit van nicknamed “Burly,” while Komlo trailed them in her Dodge Durango. They worked relentlessly to get her in bed by 10 P.M. and up at 3 A.M., feeding her upwards of 10,000 calories each day. They also replenished Dower’s massive snack box of, as Komlo put it, “not a lot of healthy stuff” with Rice Krispies Treats, Twizzlers, Gushers. Four times a day, Dower downed a 320-calorie protein shake.

“At stops, we just shoveled food into her face,” Wilmarth told me. “We’d always have a sit-down meal, but, of course, she wouldn’t sit down.”

 

 

Wednesday wordle

Two minutes