Author Archives: bfrhodes99

When I Sing

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I sing when I’m in a crowd and no one can hear me. I sing when I’m alone in my car and the windows are up. The thing is, when I sing, I make sure no one will hear me. I always make sure I will make no one will suffer.

Before recording equipment was common, I used to think I had a wonderful powerful voice. Well, I do have a powerful voice. However, I was so disappointed the first time I heard what my voice sounds like.

I was disappointed even with my speaking voice. But when I heard my attempts at singing I realized no one should ever have to hear that. It would be torture.

I really don’t understand. To myself, without the use of recording, to me, I sound so good.

I’m told that it is, at least partially because much of what I hear is the sound that travels through my bones. It makes me wonder. Is there a way of making a microphone that will pickup the sound from my bones, so it will sound the way I hear it.

As far as I know, there is no such thing. So when I sing, I make sure I am alone, in my car, closed up well in my house or the like. I sing when I make sure I am in a large group, where no one will notice me. Even so, I am careful to keep my volume below those around me.

It really is aggravating because I really do love to sing, or I should say try to sing. I must admit, I grossly disobey the 10th Commandment when I see some of these people. Leroy Anderson is proficient on a dozen or so instruments and his specialty was the trumpet, my favorite. Not only that, but he wrote wonderful music; from Sleigh Ride, to Trumpeter’s Holiday and Blue Tango. I have tried to play instruments and it was a horrible disaster. I can’t help but think the Anderson got 1 or 2 shares of mine of talent that was inteded for me.

Why is that so many of these singers and musicians are blessed with those wonderful voices and I was just passed over. I don’t even care about the money aspect. I would just love to be able to make sounds that would not encourage people to put their fingers in their ears.

Then, when I hear those with really great voices waste them in singing trash, it hurts right to my toes. You see, I can’t sing. I can’t even play a kazoo. However, one thing the Lord did give me was the ability to tell the difference between good music and trash.

I have hundreds of recordings of really good music. I have been blessed with hearing uncountable other wonderful songs that I wish I had recordings of.

As to when I hear the trash, as to when it comes to some of that horrid repetitive noises, I would just as soon wear a good set noise canceling headphones.

The thing is, I don’t make others listen to the noise I make. I wish others would have the consideration to do the same.

My Favorite Place to Hunt & Fish

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In answer to the prompt about eating meat

To some degree, I do understand the concepts behind being a vegetarian. I have heard a few. Dining on nothing but veggies and fruits does seem as if it might help a person remain healthier. I mean, I listen to the doctors and it would seem that meats are full of all sorts of horrible stuff.

However, at 74, I’ve seen vegetarians pass on, same as most of us omnivores. However, I do believe some are more sensitive to meat and meat byproducts than others. I have seen folks badly sick almost instantly recover by giving up meat.

On the other hand, there are some that eating bread can bring on death. If I permitted my wife, she would like to eat nothing but peanut butter. Nowadays, we know peanuts are virtually poison to some. By the way, I do like peanuts. From time to time, I eat them by the handfull. It is a very good alternative source of protein.

Are some people sensitive to meat, apparently. Others not so much. We are different. I suspect it is because we have different ansesestry.

Some folks like to go hunting and fishing. I don’t go in for that sort of thing myself. I don’t like killing things. However, I don’t have anything against others doing it. As they say, I do my hunting and fishing at the supermarket. I hate it, but it does amount to the same thing. I just don’t have to deal with the actual shedding of blood.

I don’t know what I’d do if all of a sudden, I had to do all my own hunting and slaughtering. It just might turn me into a vegetarian.

However, as to if it is wrong, I have it on great authority that there is nothing wrong with it. After the flood, God gave us permission to eat flesh. In Exodus, God told us to eat the passover dinner, which included meat. In the story of the wayword son, Jesus speaks of killing the fatted calf. Finally, the proof positive, Jesus prepared fish for his deciples and Himself.

In the old Testament, God makes it quite clear that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Cain’s sacrifice was not acceptable because it contained no animal sacrifice.

I remember the first time reading through the first 5 books and thinking how horrible it was. There was the sacrifice for this and for that. I guess it is a picture of just how horrible sin is that it requires so much sacrifice.

However, how quickly things changed. In the old testament, the sacrice was an animal. In the new testament, suddenly, the sacrifice was a man. Not just any man, but the Son of God.

I have often thought, in order for me to live, He had to die. Up until that time, the sacrifices were temporary and a portrait of what was to come. When Jesus gave Himself, it was the real thing and permanent, past, presnt and future. The need for animal sacrifice went away. The picture was replaced with reality.

Maybe the vegetarian doesnt really see the full significance of the image. I mean, when we eat meat, that animal dies so I can live. Jesus really did die so we can live. More than that, He did it willingly. It is the primary reason He was born into this world.

He prayed that if there was any other way, but there wasn’t. So He laid down His life for us. By the way, that puts the exclamation point to the statement that there is no other way… no other religion will work!

As a side note, it tells us how horrible our sin is. No other sacrifice is sufficient. No other payment will work.

Yes. I eat meat. God said it’s okay. Still I don’t like it that animals must die for my benefit. I have faith in Jesus for my salvation. I believe He died for me. I don’t like it that my sin was the reason for His death. It is something that I will never be able to repay Him for, but maybe I ought to try. For sure I ought to give Him all my thanks and all the credit. He really did earn it, you know.

Who Are the Victims

Posted in Crime, law enforcement, Religion by

The Muslims would like us to believe that they are the number one victims in the world. It is simply not true. The Muslim victims account for roughly 15% of religion based hate crimes while 57 % were committed by anti-Jews. Not even close.

No such crimes should be committed at all. However, I think it is time for the Muslims to find someone else’s shoulder to cry on, not mine. Far more crimes are committed against a far smaller population of Jews. And, I might add, with far less reason.

A Re-Visit of the Prompt, Trusting Instincts

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I have had a while to think it over. I don’t think I have changed my mind a lot, but maybe there is something to trusting instincts, more than before.

One day, while visiting my doctor, he said something that amazed me. He said there are more nerve cells in the intestines than in the brain. Now you could have knocked me over with a feather when he said that. I mean, the brain is where we do the thinking, right. However, he is the doctor. I would most certainly have to defer to him on such things, especially considering he was a GI specialist.

Now, that does bring up the question, do we do any thinking with our gut. Just think about that last time you received that really bad news. Was it in the head you hurt or in your belly? When you get nervous, do you get butterflies in your head or in your stomach? When you get one of those really uneasy feelings about something, just where is it that you feel uneasy?

To be sure, when something bad happens, does it not effect our digestion? Do we not feel better all over when we discover it is all okay again?

It has caused me to speculate some. Do we actually feel things in the gut, that is besides that over-spiced dinner you had last night? I do wonder if any experiments have been done. Has anyone with a bunch of letters after his or her name looked into the matter? Would it profit us some if we did pay more attention to gut feelings?

Maybe, when I had that doctor’s attention, I should have asked him these questions. If there is anyone out there who has some expertise in gut decisions, he or she might leave me a word or two as a comment. Perhaps, one of two out there might have benefited from a gut choice that you would like to tell us about.

I know that there are ways for setting up a poll but I don’t know how. Maybe you can just leave a brief word or two. And, please, keep it clean. Not only is it my preference, but it is conceivable that children might read it. Besides, it follows one of my main rules, respect others. Just because you like to use profanity does not mean everyone likes to read or hear it.

Unexpected Plus for EVs

Posted in Electectric vehicles, Going Green, Uncategorized by

I already explained in another post how I had to $600 for a battery replacement in my HHR. That is important, you know. Repair on gas powered cars is getting expensive. Right now, the HHR another $3000 on other things I am having to put off.

The thing is, nowadays, you cannot drive a car into a garage without paying out $1200 or more for the simplest repairs. To be honest, some of these repairs are are shared with EVs such as brakes, struts and steering. However, my EV does not need oil changes, transmission maintenance and such. The electric motor very likely will outlast me and possibly the car.

As with everything else on the car, the one weak point is batteries. They last anywhere from 7 to 15 years I’m told, quite likely longer than me. Their replacement is expensive, about 1/3 the price of the car. However, their price is going down while the cost of gas car maintenance is going up.

Nonetheless, consider, 7 or 8 trips to the shop for the repair on the gas car would likely cost 10 or 11 thousand dollars. That would take a big chunk out of the cost of the batteries of an EV. Moreover, there is a possibility of recovering core cost on the EV’s batteries. First, they will likely still be usable for things other than cars for years. Second, they just might be able to recover some of the elements out of the batteries and use them for new batteries.

Finally, they are making improvements on batteries all the time. The new batteries might be good for 20 years instead of 7 to 15. Moreover, they just might be able to store more power, increasing the range of the car. Perhaps if I live that long, I will be replacing the current batteries with batteries able to go 20% or 30% farther. On the other hand, who knows, they might have a big breakthrough that will allow the car to go 7 or 8 hundred miles on a charge.

As near as I can tell, with warrantee and all, I don’t think I will pay any maintenance on the Ariya for at least 7 years, other than for tires.

However, with all the good does come a little bad sneaking in the back door. My car is rated at 218 miles, or there about. If the car is fully charged, I can easily see that happening. With the energy recovering capability, on the open road, it will get right around 4 miles/Kwh. This, of course will very, depending on weather. If it is hot or cold, I need some of the power to keep the cabin comfortable. Also, ambient temperature can effect the operation of the batteries.

Also, fully charging the batteries reduces the life of the batteries. It is suggested that if you have an EV, don’t charge them over 80% unless you need the range. On the other side, letting them get below 10% is a gamble. If you don’t get to a charge station before the battery runs down, you’re stranded. Worse, you will not be able to solve the problem with a gas can.

At best, you make sure you get out of traffic and somewhere safe. Then you call for a tow. I had actually joked about getting me a truck and put a level 3 charger on the back of it. I could hook it up to a stranded EV and have a 20% charge on it in minutes. That might be enough to get the car to a normal charge station. (wonder if a bank would give me a loan on that premise) Meanwhile, I could make my way to the next stranded EV.

The point is this. If you only charge the car to 80% and recharge it at 10%, you are operating the car within a 70% margin on the batteries. In the case of my car, it means I have an effective range, or what some call a net range of of 218 – 60 miles or around 150 miles. In my case, I cheat. I charge my car to 90%. Then, I start getting anxious at 30% and put the charger on it. I have this phobia of being in one of those stranded an EV. Still, because I don’t go but a few miles a day, it means a recharge about every 5 or 6 days. Not an inconvenience; but still, I wished I had gotten the model with the 300+ mile range.

Not that it is so important, but the type of electric motor that Nissan uses will likely still be running after the rest of the car is a pile of rust. It is entirely probable that it will be in its 3rd life doing something long after the car is gone.

Careful, Eqates Don’t Always Work

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Christian values, Deceit, Israelites, Lawyers and Representation, Muslims, Politcal Opinion, Religion by

One eqate that is largely wrong is when you eqate Catholicism with all Christianity. Indeed, the reformation was because of very firm disagreements. I must add at quite danger. Those who separated themselves from trom Catholicism were threatened by the leaders in the Catholic Church.

Moreover, it is a mistake to equate the Catholic church exclusively as “The Church.”

Finally, it is a mistake to attribute all the errors of the Catholics to all Christians.

I understand the anger the Jews feel toward the Catholics. And, indeed, there are those who called themselves Christians who behaved as badly or worse than Catholics.

I believe it was Satan, himself behind it, which would mean that people who call themselves Christians have been used as tools by the devil, himself.

I’m not going to go into the details. The Israelis now them far better than me. However, real Christians wouldn’t, or at least should not treat Jews badly, if only for selfish reasons. Who in their right mind would want a curse from treating a Jew wrongly? Why would we as Christians pass on a chance to receive the reward for treating God’s chosen people well.

Besides, treating anyone right is only right. And I will be the first to admit, Jews, in the name of Christianity were frequently treated Jews badly.

But, it is not limited to those who go to mass weekly. The dems have promised the Jews a fair deal. These are the same ones who harbor within their party the folk that have promised the destruction of all decendants of Jacob.

I should not have to tell anyone the line that Old Joe is trying to walk. He says one thing to the Israelis. Then, in almost the same breath, he issues his promisis to those who would destroy every Jew. He paints himself as a peacemaker while requiring nothing from Hamas and everything from the Jews. He suggest compromise of those who refuse to give an inch, unless they are forced.

It is the awkward position he put himself in. He wants the loyalty of Israel while fawning over terrorists. He knows the dems cannot afford to lose either political faction. Then again, he very well might lose both, demonstrating a no loyalty to to either.

Meanwhile, it is the Republicans truly providing support for the nation, Israel.

One more quick reminder. It was FDR, a dem that turned away the Jews seeking asylum from Germany during WWII. Check into it. He was a racist. It is a historic fact.

He could have permitted millions into the US. He chose to let them remain in the hands of the Germans.

This was a double mistake. It permitted Adolf to put many Jews to death, frequently after long periods of suffering. Also, if he had allowed them in, it would have been a huge help to our war effort. Many of those turned away by FDR were very intelligent. Moreover, I imagine the War Department was looking for people fluent in German.

Who Woke Old Joe?

Posted in Adam Schiff, Being woke, Biden, Build the Wall!, Crime, Deceit, Drug Abuse, Elections, FOC, Immigration, law enforcement, News media, Truth by

For over 3 years we conservatives have been yelling from the mountain tops about the deaths caused from fentenyl. Then the other day, he makes it a major part of a speech, as if someone just woke him and told him about it.

Now, will someone please convince him to seal the border. Fixing the drug problem is one of half a dozen problems fixed by a closed border. Just ask the families of those killed by one of many of those who broke the law to get here. Also, they generally break the law to stay here.

How Quickly We Forget

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Mrs Carter dies and suddenly, Jimmy Carter is one of the greatest presidents ever.

I am 74. I was alive back then. I was in the Marines back then. I saw firsthand and I remember it. He wasn’t just a bad president. He set a new standard on bad leadership in every category. By far, the very worst thing he did was to give away the Panama Canal. That was, perhaps the worst strategic mistake of the 20th century by any nation. Certainly, after he signed the papers, as the ink was still drying, the Soviet and Chinese leadership were chorusing, thank you very much.