CATHOLIC: [4:14] – Grok reports that the most common pronunciation for “ex cathedra” is eks kuh-THEE-druh, though some Americans go with eks KATH-i-druh. Rarely, some may use the pure classical Latin pronunciation (eks ka-TAY-drah).
CIVILIZATIONAL COSMOCRACY: [14:29] – It’s well worth your time to listen carefully to understand what “CIVCOSM” means and how it coheres all of Trump’s foreign policies.
CLIMATE: When the Mascots were here, they visited the Museum of the Earth. I’m going through the photos and noticed this one. Have any of they global warming alarmists heard that “We Still Live In The Ice Age”?
OTTERS: CLICK https://x.com/awkwardgoogle/status/2045567264208937326 [:32] to watch otters get ice cubes for picking up their toys. After watching this, I asked Grok, “Do otters like ice cubes?” Grok informed me that otters enjoy tossing, sliding, wrestling, hoarding, or chasing ice cubes, which helps keep them mentally and physically stimulated. Eating ice also helps hydrate them. Zookeepers often freeze treats, like fish or crab, inside the cubes, because chewing ice helps scrape plaque off their teeth and keeps their gums healthy. Naturally, I had to got to YouTube and google “otters ice.” Lots of hits. I posted only one.
STUPID PEOPLE: “Trump is the reason gas isn’t 24 cents a gallon like it was before 1973.” When will this reign of terror end?!
GRAMMY NOTES: Actually, the point of the lid and base rugs are there for the women who approach toilets backwards and clean the bathroom floor. The lid rug forces the lid back down. The base rug catches man-pee before it ruins the floor.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Show us the way to all that is true and eternal. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic games formally opened in Athens, Greece. The United States sent a total of 14 athletes, who won 20 medals overall, the most of any nation.
CONNECTICUT: [9:05] – A man in western Waterbury, Connecticut, intentionally set his home on fire to escape after allegedly being held captive by his stepmother for more than 20 years. Police said the 32-year-old man was “extremely emaciated” and the Waterbury Chief of Police called it “the worst treatment of humanity” he has witnessed in his 33-year career. The stepmother, identified by police as Kimberly Sullivan, has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Riiight … cuz it’s totally normal to have all your windows blocked with plywood and your adult stepson looking like a Holocaust survivor.
COVID: On Mar 26, 2026, Conor Friedersdorf, a staff writer at The Atlantic, posted the following at his X account: “A question for everyone: survey data suggests that by the end of the Covid-19 emergency trust in public health institutions had decreased significantly. If you are among the people who reacted that way, why specifically? I’m hoping for long, diverse, individualized answers.“
I think @CynicalPublius summed it up best: “Because we were lied to as a means of state control over our lives.”
EDUCATION: Finally, some good news out of my alma mater! A Cornell University German teacher got fed up with her students turning in homework assignments that had been translated by ChatGPT. So, she found a few dozen old manual typewriters in thrift shops and online marketplaces, and created what her syllabus calls an ‘analog’ assignment. Her students have to use them to do their homework.
In 1972, when I was preparing for college, I bought an old second-hand, manual clunker for $5. I typed my own stuff and sometimes earned a few bucks typing other students’ papers as well. I love computer digital processing, because it allows me to edit without having to retype everything, not so I can let some computer program think for me!
NORTH CAROLINA: CLICK https://x.com/mattvanswol/status/2039354195518603753 [1:13] to hear the news report. The driver, Khalil Burney, is on camera revving his car before running over a little girl, then fled the scene. Despite video evidence of intent and the facts that this man had no insurance, a revoked license, and was using fraudulent registration, some jerk of a judge decided to let him out of jail with just a $1,000 bond.
ONE SPACE or TWO? On typewriters, every letter takes up the same width, so a single space after a period makes sentences blend together visually. Thus, the rule was to use two spaces. Computers and word processors use proportional fonts, making the second space not only unnecessary, but unattractive, since it creates too much visual space after periods.
RESCUE: The F-15 pilots who were downed over Iran last week are home. Trump posted, “He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine. This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation. This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory. WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND! The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies. This is a moment that ALL Americans, Republican, Democrat, and everyone else, should be proud of and united around. We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal Military in the History of the World. GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!”
SPIRITUAL WARFARE: Six surprising habits that rebuff demons. [10:46] – A friend of mine was waiting for me on a mezzanine above my college’s cafeteria eating area; she wasn’t on my meal plan, so couldn’t come into the cafeteria. Later, when I joined her, she told me she had seen many of my fellow diners turn and stare when I bowed my head for grace. I have often wondered how much of an impact small things like that have.
STUPID PEOPLE: Don Lemon is a former CNN anchor, now independent hate-mongering journalist who is facing federal charges. He recently said, “I could definitely run this country better than Donald Trump.” But, “As a child, my parents taught me I could be and do anything I wanted, and I believed them. As a person of faith, I’d have to first consult with my creator about that. If she (my creator) gives me a sign, and so do the people, then it’s game on. Somebody has to fix all of the s**t Donald Trump f***ed up.”
TRANS: As Henry Higgins would say, “I think he’s got it.”
USELESS WORDS: Also, bimonthly (occurring either two times in one month or every other month) and biannually (occurring either two times each year or every other year).
GRAMMY NOTES: The Mascots’ prayer table is decorated for the Easter season – i.e., the 50-day period between Easter and Pentecost.
SHORTS:
CLICK https://x.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2040513974878232976 [:51] and watch Champ, the official bat dog for the Columbia Fireflies, living the best dog life ever. His entire job is fetching sticks while thousands of people cheer!
MINNESOTA: In other news, Minnesota has taken voter fraud to new heights, having passed a law that allows a single registered voter bring up to 8 unregistered people to a voting station on Election Day. These 8 people need not provide any standard documents (like a driver’s license or utility bill) provided the single registered voter signs a paper vouching for them.
The one and only limitation is that someone who has become a registered voter by this vouching process may not turn around and vouch for others on that same day. Presumably, now being registered voters (who never produced a scrap of identification), those 8 could vouch for 64 new voters at the next election … and those 64 could vouch for 512 at the following election … and so on.
And just to add insult to injury, the original voter need not have been a citizen, since a Minnesota state law – signed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023 – provides driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status. The law forbids the licenses carry any markings to indicate citizenship status and said driver’s licenses can be used to provide a name and an address for individuals to register to vote.
PRAYER for OUR NATION: Come, Holy Spirit, and grant each of us an abundance of Your gifts that we may worthily proclaim the truth of Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
VENEZUELA: [5:44] – Trump says that, as part of U.S. anti-drug trafficking operations, our troops knocked out a loading facility linked to Venezuelan drug boats sometime before Dec. 26. China and Russia reportedly oppose Trump’s pressure on Venezuela, which kinda makes me think Trump has the right idea.
CLICK https://x.com/NYIslanders/status/2005107346662436870 to hear a 104-year-old WWII veteran play the national anthem on the soprano sax. Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Dominick Critelli fought at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, spending 151 days in combat.
“Every Tuesday at 3 PM, my mother calls the same wrong number.
Has for six years.
“Hello, this is Susan. Is Robert there?”
Same response every time, “No Robert here. Wrong number.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to bother you.”
Then she hangs up. Sets a reminder for next Tuesday.
I thought it was dementia. Mom’s 71. Maybe forgetting she’d already tried this number.
“Mom, that’s not Robert’s number. You’ve called it 300 times. Why do you keep calling?”
She looked at me strangely. “I know it’s not Robert’s number.”
“Then why”
“Because someone answers.”
Turned out, the woman who answers is 83. Lives alone. Has severe social anxiety. Never leaves her apartment. No family. No friends.
“Six years ago, I called your brother’s old number by mistake,” Mom explained. “Woman answered. We talked for two minutes. When I apologized for the wrong number, she said, ‘Please call again anyway. Nobody calls me.'”
“So you just… kept calling?”
“Every Tuesday. We talk for exactly twelve minutes. About nothing. Weather. TV shows. Her cat. Then I say I have to go, and she says okay.”
“For six years?”
“For six years.”
“Does she know you’re calling on purpose?”
“Of course. I’m not subtle. But we maintain the fiction. I ‘accidentally’ call. She ‘happens’ to answer. We pretend it’s chance, not choice.”
“Why the pretend?”
“Because accepting help is hard. Accepting a wrong number is easy.”
Mom’s phone buzzed. Tuesday, 3 PM reminder.
She dialed. “Hello, this is Susan. Is Robert there?”
A pause. Then laughter. “No Robert here, Susan. But I’m here. How was your week?”
I listened to them talk. About the weather. A TV show. The cat’s vet appointment.
Twelve minutes exactly. Then, “I should let you go.”
“Okay, Susan. Same time next week?”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll accidentally dial this number again.”
More laughter. Goodbye.
Mom hung up. Looked at me. “Her name is Dorothy. I’ve never met her. Don’t know her last name. Don’t know her address. Just her voice every Tuesday for twelve minutes.”
“What if you stop calling?”
“Then she stops having Tuesdays.”
Mom died last year. Suddenly. Heart attack.
I found Dorothy’s number in her phone. Called it.
“Hello?”
“Hi. My name is Sarah. I’m Susan’s daughter. I think… I think you were expecting her call today.”
Silence. Then crying.
“She’s gone, isn’t she?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry.”
“Can I ask you something? Did she ever tell you why she really called?”
“She said you needed someone to call.”
“That’s what she told you. But I’m calling to tell you why I answered. Because your mother’s voice on Tuesdays was the only thing that kept me alive. I had the pills ready four times. Four different Tuesdays. And every time, at 3 PM, she called. And I couldn’t do it after hearing her voice.”
I’ve been calling Dorothy every Tuesday for nine months now.
Same time. Same “wrong number” fiction.
Because my mother taught me, sometimes the most important call you make is to the wrong person.
EVERYDAY HEROES: When a regular customer failed to turn up for his daily lunch, the staff at the Shrimp Basket restaurant in Pensacola, Florida, tried to phone him. Getting no answer, one of the cooks went to his house. The elderly man had fallen and was unable to get up again. Because somebody cared, he is in the hospital, recovering.
GRETA THUNBERG: Quoth the Raven asks, “When protest becomes indistinguishable from performance, what’s the real priority — the cause, or the spotlight?”
“Thunberg’s activism depends on saying everything as loudly and as often as possible — with maximum camera coverage. … [But] Greta has never risked more than her comfort. She has not sacrificed her safety, her health, or her future. Instead, she has repeatedly placed herself in situations designed to look dangerous enough to inspire sympathy, but not dangerous enough to demand irreversible cost. The result is a kind of protest theater: gripping to watch, but ultimately more about the performer than the issue.”
LIFE: Trump has shut down the Office of Population Affairs (OPA), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that manages public health programs related to family planning, reproductive health, and adolescent services. IOW, the office that promotes early childhood sex education, LGBTQ+ activism, and abortion.
MEDIA: Note how the tone of the headlines has been modified to appeal to the political majority in the area where the paper will be marketed.
MEDICARE: Our plan is being discontinued, so I’ve begun researching to find the best replacement in time for open enrollment. I saw an ad on Facebook for Medicare School (link below). I’m sharing this because it has 4.9 out of 5 stars at Trust Pilot. The AI summary of customer reviews says:
“Reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the staff for their professionalism, knowledge, and patience in guiding them through the complexities of Medicare. Consumers appreciate the agents’ ability to explain options clearly, answer questions thoroughly, and provide support without any pressure. People also value the caring and helpful attitude of the staff, who are dedicated to finding the best coverage to meet individual needs.
“Many reviewers found the company’s website and social media resources, particularly the YouTube videos, to be extremely informative and helpful in understanding Medicare. Consumers felt well-prepared for their appointments after watching these videos. The booking process received mixed feedback, but overall, reviewers were satisfied with the service and support they received from the company.”
OBAMA: [5:54] – CLICK https://x.com/BGOnTheScene/status/1977798112275014017 [2:33] to see progress on his Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago, which is expected to open next year. “Decades and decades of wrong-headed thinking” will be memorialized in this hideous eyesore. It reminds me of the home of IT in “A Wrinkle in Time”, which was described as a large, rectangular building “of a greenish marble-like material. It had no windows, no doors, only a blank wall with a small circular opening high up, just under the roof.”
PEACE in the MIDDLE EAST: [10:33] – History.
PRAYER for OUR NATION: Dear Lord, We thank You for the privilege of living in the best nation in the world. Grant us courage and wisdom to choose leaders who are humble and righteous. May all our leaders prioritize justice, truth, and peace. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
GRAMMY NOTES: One time, when we were in New York and our military kids were stationed in Alaska, Maryland, and Texas, we exchanged photos showing it was snowing in all four places.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Protect us from the sin of schadenfreude. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
1A: The ACLJ successfully defended the First Amendment rights of Brett Raio and two of his preacher friends who were arrested on the streets of Chicago for telling people about Jesus.
CHARLIE KIRK: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tFo3sXZaZ6s [2:52] to hear Charlie on racism. IMO, two things show how absurd racism is. One is a biracial couple in England who have had two sets of twins; both sets have one white and one black child. The other is cross-racial organ donation. Organ donors have to match recipients so closely that often family members can’t donate, yet blacks and whites have been both donors and recipients of each others organs. QED.
EDUCATION: [5:11] – I’m glad I was able to go to college, especially since I finished free of debt, but strictly speaking, I didn’t need it to be an artist and a homemaker. My husband, however, is an architect, so yeah, college. When Dearest was struggling to get his career started, we bumped into a guy from my old neighborhood who had apprenticed in a trade after high school. We were living in a really crappy apartment, barely making ends meet while we paid off Dearest’s college loans. Eddie was a master mason who owned two houses.
EVERYDAY HEROES: Posted by Save the Storks FB – “Shaye came to a Save the Storks partner pregnancy clinic–Pregnancy Center of Rockford– after walking from a nearby hotel where she and her two young children had just been placed by a local organization. She thought she might be 20 weeks pregnant and came in for a pregnancy test and ultrasound—but it quickly became clear she needed more than medical care.
“As she opened up to her client advocate, Shaye shared that they were fleeing abuse and barely surviving. With so much instability, she wasn’t sure she could keep the baby—not because she didn’t care, but because she did. She asked if adoption was an option. Her advocate gently assured her that they could connect her to a supportive, no-pressure agency where she would remain in control of every decision. The relief on her face was immediate.
“Before she left, the clinic gave her gift cards, pull-ups, food, and hygiene items—things she and her kids urgently needed. She had come in anxious and overwhelmed, but she left with a plan, a sense of peace, and the knowledge that she wasn’t alone. Hope started to grow where fear had taken root.”
PRAYER for OUR NATION: Dear Lord, We thank You for the upsurge in church attendance. Please bless us all to keep it up. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
GRAMMY NOTES: Mama Buzz and I are currently enthralled by the Great British Sewing Bee. She emailed me this photo saying, “I got a double hug from you today while watching our show!” I made both of those blankets for her. ❤
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Grant us the graces we need to see our sins as You see them. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
BOLTON: [17:59] – Mark Levin gives his take on the raid of John Bolton’s home.
CATHOLIC: The Chicago White Sox honored Pope Leo XIV by commemorating the seat where then-Father Robert Prevost sat during the 2005 World Series.
DOGE: Last week, agencies terminated 163 wasteful contracts, saving We the Taxpayers $647 million. Included was a $35 million USAID contract to “acquire contractor support to establish and manage a flexible, quick response mechanism supporting activities that will support democracy and stability in El Salvador.”
HISTORY: Dearest had to drink goat milk. But he did not have to use the actual goat. 🙂
INTELLIGENT DESIGN: Flatfish start out symmetrical like other fish, but during development, one eye migrates to the other side of the body. They lie flat on the seafloor with both eyes facing up. They could not have evolved, because the intermediate forms have no survival value. Plus, they have been found fossilized in layers with many other varieties of fish.
MIDTERMS: [8:23] – Dr. Steve Turley explains the redistricting war that could possibly give Trump a strong majority in the House for his last two years.
MINNESOTA: “Chicken Jockey”, a ten year old skater from Minnesota, went viral after her adorable performance in the Open Inflatables Final competition at the 2025 National Showcase, August 2, 2025, in Rochester, MI. She came in third.
ICE: [15:57] – The Left is sponsoring a 700% increase in violence against agents.
JACQUELINE DURAND: [13:05] – Jacqueline Durand suffered severe injuries from a vicious dog attack in 2022, resulting in over 800 bites and significant facial disfigurement. Dr. Youn interviews her about her experiences so far. At the GoFundMe link (below), there is a CBS documentary about Jacqueline from not long after the attack. Watching both of these videos, I am really struck by how articulate she is consider the amount of damage she sustained to her mouth.
LEFTIES LOSING IT: [20:34] – The latter parts of this video are well worth your time. E.g., I didn’t know that last bit about immigration judges not being part of the judiciary! GROK says, “Immigration judges are not part of the federal judiciary. Instead, immigration judges are administrative law judges within the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a component of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is part of the executive branch.”
MS-13: [1:53] – Two of the worst of the worst have been apprehended. When the Biden administration let them in, one was on El Salvador’s “100 Most Wanted” list while the other had a red notice on Interpol. The latter is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition.
RUSSIA COLLUSION HOAX: In 2016, the FBI launched an investigation called Crossfire Hurricane to follow up on claims that the Trump campaign had colluded with Russia to influence the election outcome.
The 2019 Mueller Report failed to provide conclusive evidence that the Trump campaign had conspired or coordinated with the Russian government’s efforts to influence the election.
The 2020 Durham report criticized the FBI’s handling of the notorious Steele Dossier and noted procedural flaws and confirmation bias in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
“HANDS UP! DON’T SHOOT!” HOAX: In 2014, an 18-year-old black man named Michael Brown was shot by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. Early witness accounts, particularly from Brown’s friend Dorian Johnson, suggested Brown was shot while surrendering with his hands up, saying, “I don’t have a gun, stop shooting!” However, examination of bullet trajectories and Brown’s DNA on Wilson’s gun, supported Wilson’s claim that Brown charged at the officer after a struggle.
Hands Up! Don’t Shoot! became a rallying cry for protests against police violence which protesters claimed was particularly targeted toward blacks. Black Lives Matter used it to raise millions, which the founders spent on themselves. Supporters of the phrase argue it doesn’t matter if Darren Wilson was justified in shooting Michael Brown, because cops are racists.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT HOAX: On January 29, 2019, a gay, black actor named Jussie Smollett reported to Chicago police that he had been attacked by two masked men who had beaten him while shouting racial and homophobic slurs. He also claimed they had poured bleach on him and placed a noose around his neck while yelling, “This is MAGA country!“
The story gained widespread attention, gaining Smollett tremendous sympathy. But when Chicago police investigated, they learned Smollett had hired the two men to stage the attack as a publicity stunt to boost his acting career. In December 2021, Smollett was convicted on five counts of lying to police.
COVINGTON KKKIDS HOAX: On January 18, 2019, a group of students from Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky, attended a March for Life in Washington, D.C. While waiting for their bus home at the Lincoln Memorial, the group was accosted by a Native American activist named Nathan Phillips, who was participating in the Indigenous Peoples March.
A short video of the event portrayed the students as aggressors who had surrounded and taunted Phillips. Longer videos later revealed a more complex situation, but the initial narrative led to the boys being doxxed, threated, and condemned to such an extent that the school had to temporarily closed due to safety concerns. As longer videos emerged, some media outlets and public figures retracted or softened their criticisms, acknowledging the complexity of the situation.
Nicholas Sandmann, the boy who had been most specifically targeted, filed defamation lawsuits. His suits against ABC and The New York Times failed, but he won $250 million from The Washington Post and undisclosed amounts from CNN and NBC.
“VERY FINE PEOPLE” HOAX: [2:10] – Trump’s 2017 Charlottesville comments were misrepresented to suggest he is a racist. The full context shows he was referring to non-extremist statue protesters, yet the “very fine people” lie has been repeated ad nauseum, even as recently as a year ago when Joe Biden was running for re-election.
The Bluebird of Bitterness, aka, Bob, aka, my best researcher sent me this link @ https://scifiwright.com/2024/02/hoax-list/. It’s just a long list of the Breitbart links. I am planning to do bits of it each day (or so) in the format I used above. I included some additional links, but most of what I’ve used is from asking Grok for a run-down on each of the hoaxes.
DAILY PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we ask for You to be at the center of all our families. Help us to pray for Your help in working through our challenges and to remember that love is patient and kind. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
DOGE: Over the last 3 days, agencies have terminated 90 wasteful contracts saving We the Taxpayers $200 Million. These included two DEI contracts, one at NASA for “integrating earth observations toward advancing equitable resilience to geo-hazards in a changing climate” ($911,000) and the other at HHS for “essentials in equity” via “innovative modeling and policy analysis interactive tools” ($4.6 Million).
FAITH: Best comment – “Want to know what makes the enemy mad? Praising God in the midst of turmoil.” [4:31] – Israel and Iran are trading bombs. Trump told CNN’s Dana Bash Iran’s hardline negotiators are now dead. Bash asked, “Does that mean Israel got them?” Trump replied, “Well, they didn’t die of COVID.”
LIFE: [6:58] – In 2009, Cardinal Francis George spoke about abortion at a Parish Leadership conference. (Reminder: I mentioned Cardinal George in yesterday’s post.)
WOMEN’S SPORTS: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jcVkBKGz7zo to see another athletic activity (besides gymnastics) where we do not and will not ever see trannies excel.
GRAMMY NOTES: Feeling a little weepy-joy over this e-note from my daughter – “I am in awe at how wonderful your art class for the kids was. Every time we go somewhere, I learn another lesson from Grammy’s art class. They remember so much of what you taught them and can relay the history so well! It’s quite amazing – I think that is more than any other class they’ve ever taken.” (Graphic from my “Early Middle Ages” art history lesson.)
polination.blog 