Tom Faranda's Folly

Kanye West may be wacky, but he got this right

Yes. And Margaret Sanger was a racist; her organization still is.

“Over 22,500,000 black babies have been aborted over the past 50 years,” West tweeted to his 30 million followers. It was not immediately clear where West got these numbers from.

According to the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute, the abortion rate for black women in the United States is almost five times the abortion rate for white women.

West tweeted about abortion multiple times earlier Friday. In one tweet, he noted that he “cried at the thought of aborting” his first born child. (RELATED: Kanye Says He’s ‘Concerned For The World That Feels You Shouldn’t Cry’ About Abortion)

Bishop Barron on understanding St. Thomas Aquinas in context of Vatican II

I've been posting short videos of Bishop Barron on the issues of Vatican II.

Bishop Barron on Vatican II and Catholic traditionalism

Bishop Barron: "What Went Wrong After Vatican II?"

And here is another -

 

Article: "Do Children Spread COVID 19?"

This came out July 31st. Hit the link for the whole article. My extensive excerpts below - this was published under creative commons license.

We are three pediatric infectious disease specialists who live and work in West Virginia. The West Virginia University health system serves 400,000 children and according to our internal data, to date, 2,520 children up to 17 years of age have been tested for the coronavirus. Sixty-seven of them tested positive and one became sick enough to be admitted to the hospital.

Based on current research and our own experiences, it would seem that kids 17 years old and younger face little risk from the coronavirus.

Nearly all children have asymptomatic, very mild or mild disease, but a small percentage of children do get very sick. Additionally, there is evidence that children can spread the virus to others, and with huge outbreaks occurring all across the US, these realities raise serious concerns about school reopenings and how children should navigate the pandemic world.

Children at risk

When considering the role of children in this pandemic, the first question to ask is whether they can get infected, and if so, how often.

Of the 149,082 reported cases of COVID-19 in the US as of late April, only 2,572 – 1.7 percent – were children, despite children making up 22 percent of the US population.

But current research shows that children are physiologically just as likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 as adults.

This discrepancy between case numbers and biological susceptibility may be due to the fact that children generally generally have minimal to mild symptoms when infected with the coronavirus and are therefore less likely to get tested.

It also may be that children in general have had less exposure to the virus compared to adults. Kids aren't going to work, they are probably going out to stores less than adults, and in the states that had relaxed quarantine measures, they aren't going out to bars or gyms.

Even though children are less likely to get sick from the coronavirus, they are definitely not immune. Data shows that children less than one year old and those with underlying conditions are the most likely to be hospitalized.

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

Children as spreaders

So if kids can catch the coronavirus, the next important question is: How easily can they spread it? Since children have milder symptoms, some experts think that children are probably not the drivers of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, recent research has shown that most kids who catch the coronavirus get it from their parents, not other children.

Small children may have weaker coughs and therefore would release fewer infectious virus particles into their environment. A recent study from South Korea found that while young children seem less able to spread the disease compared to adults, children 10 to 19 years old spread the virus at least as well as the adults do.

The lack of evidence that children are major sources of transmission may simply be because the pathway of infection was interrupted due to the nationwide school closures in the spring. As children resume more of their normal daily activities – like school, sports and day care – we just might find the answer to how easily children spread this dangerous virus.

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

Given all this information, a question naturally arises: Should schools reopen in the coming weeks? In places where transmission rates are low, reopening schools could be a viable option. But at the present time, in the US, new case numbers are surging in most states. This requires a more nuanced approach than a full-scale reopening of schools.

Since young children face low risk of getting seriously ill, are less likely to spread the disease and benefit greatly from in-person interactions, we believe in-school learning should be considered.

Opening schools for elementary school children, and coming up with increasingly online options for the older grades, could be one way to approach this thorny problem.

Susan Rice as Biden's VP? Well she's smarter than the other VP candidates.

I've been reading Rice's autobiography - I started reading it a couple months ago and am slowly working my way through it (lots of other books on the go). Interesting note - her maternal grandparents are both from Jamaica. Her grandfather was born in Mandeville, the town where I lived for two years. Rice is a good writer and very smart. I think she'd be a good VP candidate - bright, very ruthless/ambitious, all coming across in her book. She's certainly two steps above all the other women being vetted. Rice has really extensive foreign policy experience, from Ambassador to the UN to Obama's National Security Advisor.

That said, she has multiple skeletons in her closet, nicely exposed in this video. Good luck explaining away her comments about the motivation for the Benghazi attack that killed our Libyan Ambassador and three other Americans. Yes I know, the investigation more or less cleared her - she was working off a CIA talking points memo, blah, blah, blah. But - when did she ever correct her misleading, terribly incorrect, explanation?

Anyway here's the kind of questioning she'll be getting if nominated.

 

Bishop Barron on priests offering the Latin Mass

Hint: Spoiler - he thinks they should learn Latin first. Kind of a no brainer. I am not a Latin Mass aficionado - but  for people who favor it, fine with me.  

 

Big Apple: More shootings this year already then all of 2019

So - the answer  - reducing the police budget by $1 billion (17% if my math is right).

And if Mayor De Blasio were running for office this year, he'd still win.

A 24-year-old man who walked bleeding into Lincoln Hospital in The Bronx on Saturday night has pushed the city’s total number of shootings this year to 777 — topping the 776 recorded in all of last year, NYPD data compiled by The Post reveals.

Met by police at Lincoln Hospital, he explained that he was outside at 135th Street and Alexander Avenue, just outside the Mitchel Houses project in Mott Haven, and had heard the sound of gunfire, a law enforcement source told The Post.

He only realized he had been shot when he felt the pain of his injury.

“I’ve been living here 55 years, and I’ve never seen it this bad,” neighbor Mario Martinez said later Saturday night.

”There’s more guns. I’m telling you when I grew up here the worst weapon was a knife,” he said.

“Chains and bats. That’s when I grew up. Then came the next generation. Guns.”

He added, “I don’t think it’s going to get any better.”

CDC warns of "significant health consequences" if schools DO NOT reopen this fall.

Cutting the legs off of people who say schools need to remain closed.  This is so obvious I have to wonder what the debate is about.

 

Nice St. Francis of Assisi quote

"The deeds you do may be the only sermon some people will hear today."

 

Absurd - in Washington, 2 students arrested for CHALKING "Black Pre-born Lives Matter" on public sidewalk

See the link below. They did everything they were required to do - and got arrested anyway. I look forward to seeing the two on national television - and we know who won't show them - and a lawsuit filed against Washington DC.

This AM; 2 students arrested for CHALKING "Black Pre-born Lives Matter" on public sidewalk

Representative John Lewis - his final statement

A brief op ed he wrote and asked to have published on the day of his funeral. He died at the age of 80, on July 17th. It's only nine paragraphs long so hit the link for the entire essay.

Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars.

Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.

Croton-Harmon School re-opening plan for 2020-21.

I have no dog in this hunt (although I am a taxpayer!), but this is of interest to some people who read this blog. Thanks to Maria C. for sending me this.

The CHUFSD has submitted their re-entry plan----2020-2021----and it is a must-read. At 68 pages, it's a lot to absorb but all taxpayers should make the time to read the report in its entirety. There appears to be much to be concerned about, many unanswered questions, etc. Questions should be directed to the district.  The report is here.

Family panic: Three baby bears like their house!

Haha. Good thing Mom stayed outside! And it's very cute as long as it's not your house.

 

Bishop Barron: "What Went Wrong After Vatican II?"

A short video. What went wrong? Vatican II became "The Spirit of Vatican II".

The Bishop doesn't use the expression, but that's it in a phrase.

Lifestyle changes that can reduce the risk (by perhaps 40%) of dementia

From the Guardian (UK). With some further links in the article for more details.

Around 50 million people around the world live with dementia, including about 850,000 people in the UK. By 2040, it has been estimated there will be more than 1.2 million people living with dementia in England and Wales. There is currently no cure. However, while some risk factors for dementia cannot be changed, for example particular genes or ethnicity, many are down to lifestyle.

While Livingston said the 40% figure was optimistic as the 12 risk factors are unlikely to be completely addressed, small steps could make a difference. Research has suggested that the incidence of dementia in Europe and North America has fallen by around 15% per decade for the past 30 years – likely because of lifestyle changes such as a reduction in smoking – even though the numbers of people with dementia are rising as people live longer.

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

“I don’t think it is any coincidence that the reductions in dementia prevalence to date have been in high-income, highly educated people who have more control over their environment,” said Livingston. “We are expecting by 2050 that two-thirds of people with dementia, if trajectories continue, will be in low-income countries.”

It is not clear whether all the risk factors are purely a cause rather than an effect of dementia. The report notes: “Depression might be a risk for dementia, but in later life dementia might cause depression.”

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

“The crucial component is that in the absence of treatments that delay or postpone dementia, reducing everyone’s risk is the best method to slow the increasing numbers of people with dementia that we would see due to population ageing,” she said.

No need for outrage, just a coincidence. Black Trump supporter murdered in broad daylight.

Yes one of those weird coincidences. Probably in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe a Trump supporter killed him, thinking Trump haters would be blamed! There are numerous videos (will try and post some) of him saying how he'd been threatened with death numerous times. Trammell was a well-known community activist who also supported Black Lives Matter. Another coincidence - most of the media is very silent on this.

Trammell, 60, was gunned down on July 23 near the very spot where he gave a video interview a few hours before explaining why he supported Trump. Milwaukee police are seeking what they described as “unknown suspects.” The motive is not clear, including whether or not the slaying was tied into Trammell’s political beliefs or Trump support. Some news outlets gave the victim’s name as Bernell Tremmell, but he goes by Trammell on social media.

The Milwaukee Police Department released a photo of the suspect in Trammell’s homicide. “MPD is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect wanted for a homicide that occurred on the 900 block of East Wright Street on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at about 12:30 P.M. The victim of this incident was identified as 60 year old Milwaukee man, Bernell Trammell,” police wrote.

Here's the suspect:

Bishop Barron on Vatican II and Catholic traditionalism

I have friends who are devotees of the Latin Mass. The legitimate Latin Mass, not some triumphalistic breakaway sect. Not I. I was an altar boy and midway through my altar boying we transitioned from Latin to English. My problem withthe Latin Mass is... it's not in English. Duh. But I can understand it's attraction.

 

Attack and defense; Attorney General Barr and the House Judiciary Committee.

Some interesting stuff. I must say, Representative Nadler doesn't help his cause by preventing Barr from responding.  Not sure if it's on this video, but Nadler also tried to deny Barr a bathroom break (5 minute recess). Classless.

 

Sad reminder - the genetic impact of the African slave trade

An insightful, terribly sad reminder of the horror. Article from the BBC & the study was through the consumer genetics company 23andMe. I've excerpted below the link; you need to hit the link for the rest.

Steven Micheletti, a population geneticist at 23andMe told AFP news agency that the aim was to compare the genetic results with the manifests of slave ships "to see how they agreed and how they disagree". While much of their findings agreed with historical documentation about where people were taken from in Africa and where they were enslaved in the Americas, "in some cases, we see that they disagree, quite strikingly", he added.

The study found, in line with the major slave route, that most Americans of African descent have roots in territories now located in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What was surprising was the over-representation of Nigerian ancestry in the US and Latin America when compared with the recorded number of enslaved people from that region.

Researchers say this can be explained by the "intercolonial trade that occurred primarily between 1619 and 1807".

Researchers said a strong bias towards African female contributions in the gene pool - even though the majority of slaves were male - could be attributed to "the rape of enslaved African women by slave owners and other sexual exploitation".

In Latin America, up to 17 African women for every African man contributed to the gene pool. Researchers put this down in part to a policy of "branqueamento", racial whitening, in a number of countries, which actively encouraged the immigration of European men "with the intention to dilute African ancestry through reproduction".

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

The study highlighted the "practice of coercing enslaved people to having children as a means of maintaining an enslaved workforce nearing the abolition of the transatlantic trade". In the US, women were often promised freedom in return for reproducing and racist policies opposed the mixing of different races, researchers note.

 

These are protests, they are not riots!? (not satire or parody)

What a sad mess. I didn't know about the African American Trump supporter in Milwaukee who was murdered days ago, until seeing this. And this has nothing to do with Black Lives Matter.

 

For Lord of the Rings Fans: Are Orcs inherently evil? Or - Are there ever any good Orcs?

A six minute video. My idea of cool.

Oakland A's start season with a walk-off grand slam. Fun video for baseball fans.

On the relief pitcher's first pitch - he may have a short career ... And notice the fake fans in the seats behind home plate! Baseball gone weird.

 

Birthday today - Always subtract seven years, so I'm 62 again

Here I am on top of Sugarloaf, north of Cold Spring. The view south - that's Storm King across the river. This was June 13th as I tested out my partial knee replacement from last August. Knee passed with excellent grade!

From Aleteia: "The Six Oldest Images of Jesus"

The first one - dating from the 1st century - you need to read the explanation! The picture here is the second oldest image. Hit the link for all of them.

In the Gospel of John (10:11 and 10:14), Jesus states: “I am the good shepherd … the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” So it is not surprising that many early Christian artists choose the image of the shepherd to depict Christ. And they mostly did it by incorporating already existing shepherd motifs typical of Greek and Roman art. This image, painted on the walls of the St. Callisto catacomb in Rome, shows Jesus as he is carrying a calf on his shoulder, following the iconic figure of the “moskophoros,” literally the “the bearer of the calf,” whose first depiction in ancient Greek art dates to 570 BC.

Washington Post settles the Covington Catholic teen's $250 million lawsuit.

Nick Sandman settles for undisclosed amount, signing on his 18th birthday. CNN previously settled with him. Sandman tweeted the following:

“On 2/19/19, I filed a $250M defamation lawsuit against the Washington Post. Today, I turned 18 & WaPo settled my lawsuit…Thanks to my family & millions of you who have stood your ground by supporting me. I still have more to do,”

And then another tweet -

“The fight isn’t over. 2 down. 6 to go.”

I suppose the "6 to go" are other media outlets, including NBC.

Here's the NY Post article -

It’s the teen’s second win in a whopping $800 million defamation battle against a number of news outlets including the Washington Post, CNN, ABC, CBS, The Guardian, The Hill and NBC.

And the article in the local Lexington, KY paper -

According to media reports, the lawsuit claims the Post “wrongfully targeted and bullied Nicholas because he was the white, Catholic student wearing a red ‘Make America Great Again’ souvenir cap on a school field trip to the Jan. 18 (2019) March for Life in Washington, D.C.”

The media were licking their chops when they saw the initial (false) video. The perfect target - White - Male - Catholic - Trump supporter - Prolife. Failure to do their due diligence is costing them tens of millions. But Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post and he can afford the hit.

 

John Stossel - Minneapolis as a "progressive paradise"

John Stossel is a libertarian and I am no libertarian. But he's right on with this video.

 

Bishop Barron on cancel culture and canceling St. Junipero Serra

Good job by the Bishop - one of the Catholic Church's leading evangelizers.

 

Another NY City cultural icon gone; "Occupy City Hall" is no more.

De Blasio drew the line at occupiers demand to air condition the entire outdoor park.

A line of NYPD officers in riot gear cleared out the remaining Occupy City Hall protesters from their month-long encampment early Wednesday, police confirmed.

Baseball back today! Sort of. Here are famous "first pitches"

As the season starts today. Sort of.  No fans in the stadium. It will be weird.

Haha. Some awesome first pitches. And this sister knows her way around a baseball.

Gov. Cuomo: honored for his COVID response in ceremony at now-vacant nursing home

From the BB. This is so appropriate. I hope the full story on the colossal failure of the NY State Health Department eventually comes out.

ALBANY, NY—A ceremony honoring Governor Cuomo's fantastic response to the coronavirus pandemic will be held at a convenient location: a now-vacant nursing home upstate.

"We just had all this free space opened up," said Cuomo. "This is a great new space to host all kinds of cool events. They've got a cafeteria, lots of available beds for a little shut-eye, and a room to play Bingo. I could get comfortable here."

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

The ceremony concluded with a game of shuffleboard.

At last! Planned Parenthood disavows their racist founder, Margaret Sanger.

Not only did she have a program in the south called "The Negro Project" but she also hated Jews and Catholics.So will Time magazine also disavow her?

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York is removing the name of Margaret Sanger, the founder of the nation's largest abortion provider, from its New York City clinic due to her "harmful connection to the eugenics movement," the group said Tuesday.

The announcement comes after more than 350 current and former staffers at the Manhattan clinic, as well as 800 donors, supporters and volunteers, called Sanger "a racist, white woman." An open letter on June 18 to Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, criticized the organization as "steeped in white supremacy," the Washington Times reports.

For decades, pro-life activists pointed out Sanger's racism, but in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, Planned Parenthood said it is addressing the problem.

KANYE WEST SAYS PLANNED PARENTHOOD WAS CREATED BY 'WHITE SUPREMACISTS TO DO THE DEVIL’S WORK'; ORG RESPONDS

“The removal of Margaret Sanger’s name from our building is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood’s contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color,” Karen Seltzer, the chair of the New York affiliate’s board, said in a statement.

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

The national organization has defended Sanger in the past, claiming she was well-intentioned in her outreach to Black communities.

Sanger launched the Negro Project, in 1939, which was aimed at "helping Negroes to control their birthrate," while advocating for a federal "population bureau" to police reproduction. She worked with Black leaders like W.E.B DuBois and Mary McLeod Bethune, but also addressed the women’s auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan in 1926. Planned Parenthood stated it strongly disagrees with Sanger’s decision to speak to an organization that spreads hatred. The national Planned Parenthood group also criticized Sanger's support for policies to sterilize people with disabilities that could not be treated, and for “placing so-called illiterates, paupers, unemployables, criminals, prostitutes and dope fiends on farms and in open spaces as long as necessary for the strengthening and development of moral conduct,” the group said in a 2016 fact sheet.

Rev. Dean Nelson, the executive director of Human Coalition Action and an African American minister, told Fox News in a statement that the decision is “long overdue” and said more action is needed.

“You cannot acknowledge the racist person and history without admitting to the racist vision that has resulted in nearly 80 percent of Planned Parenthood’s surgical abortion facilities being located within walking distance of Black neighborhoods,” Nelson said.

“This is the fulfillment of Margaret Sanger’s vision. It is unconscionable that the taxes of Americans go to an organization with racist founding and mission. There’s no redeeming Planned Parenthood’s tainted origins and current-day racist practices, and I call on Congress to follow Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s lead and fully defund Planned Parenthood.”