Day 120+40 – (AD 1,282) – 20.5 Miles Today – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

To date, since I began Jim’s Trek on December 2, 2012, this past month of January 2017 has had the most number of Pageviews, 11,703. A new record, a record that just keeps climbing.

This late morning I cycled 20.5 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals: 27,300.4 miles; 43,935.8 kilometers.

And I am getting closer to my next destination and goal point, Mädler Crater. I now have 57.7% of the distance to go.

Soapbox –

Education of youth is the backbone of one's country. I do NOT support Betsy DeVos as a candidate for Education. I do believe that even though she may have positive attributes as a person, she is NOT qualified as a nominated candidate to head the United States Department of Education.

Per one article at MBCTimes "20 Best Education Systems In The World" the order is as follows:

1. Finland, 2. South Korea, 3. Hong Kong, 4. Japan, 5. Singapore, 6. UK, 7. Netherlands, 8. New Zealand, 9. Switzerland, 10. Canada, 11. Ireland, 12. Denmark, 13. Australia, 14. Poland, 15. Germany, 16. Belgium, 17. USA, 18. Hungary, 19. Slovakia, 20. Russia

I am not arguing the statistical ordering of each country. This article points out the location of our country in that list. The current US standings in education in the world necessitates an expert who is knowledgeable and well-educated in the field of universal education. Her appointment should not be based on her philanthropy and advocacy of school choice, voucher programs, and private schooling.

The appointment of a new Secretary of Education should be contingent on the evaluation and results that our country, our children, all our children are provided with the best and a first-class education. The results of that educational process should result in a correct and lasting climb upward in the current world standings.

And I guess with the form of government now in place in Washington, an exponential number of possible charlatans seem to be increasing and appearing, especially with ads of bogus miracles and the such. (We need them now.)

One such ad I happened to catch on TV the other night was Peter Popoff’s Miracle Spring Water.

“The minister states that this water reduces debts or provides healing benefits for those who imbibe the water. To receive the water, one must fill out a prayer request form on Peter Popoff’s official ministry page or call the toll-free number. The requester receives both a packet of the Miracle Spring Water accompanied by the miracle tool, which is a cross made of wood…”

What a bunch of crock!!!

Peter Popoff declared bankruptcy in 1987 per the Los Angeles Times Archives.

In 2011 and according to Business Insider (Christopher Maag) “Scam Everlasting: After 25 Years, Debunked Faith Healer Still Preaching Debt Relief Scam”

“Debt cancellation is part of God’s plan,” Popoff says in the video posted to his website, as a little dog sleeps in his lap. “That’s why God sent me to you. How would you ever know about miraculous debt cancellation, erasure of your debts if someone didn’t tell you about it?”

Bloody hell, this sounds familiar.

Tried them again last night, Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburgers.

I think I am converted.

This is my 1,385th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 139,983 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 119+40 – (AD 1,281) – 21.3 Miles Today – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I cycled 21.3 miles on my Schwinn 170. My totals are now 27,279.9 miles; 43,902.8 kilometers.

I have completed 2,378.3 miles on Part V which translates to 17.88% of the total intended mile I will complete on Mars. Also, I have now pedaled 36.6% of the distance between Ada and Mädler Craters.

Cardiologist exam yesterday morning went well. EKG showed normal and my blood pressure recorded at 118/75. My doctor was quite pleased. But due to a chest incident that happened last week, he has scheduled me for a Nuclear EKG stress test next week. He said that even though I am very healthy, he just wanted to make sure.

Soapbox –

Is it my imagination or are there scores of far-right fanatics who are somewhat, and I use the adverb liberally, illiterate? Do they truly believe that there is some credence to the lack of a correct usage of the English language? I glance over retorts and recommendations by those who are truly inept at using a computer keyboard to convey their thoughts and, albeit too quick, responses. It is almost, metaphorically speaking of course, akin to hearing the scraping of nails down a blackboard.

Memorial to Dag Hammarskjöld
JS AB 2017

Check out the new posting at Quilts SB – Q147 – Memorial to Dag Hammarskjöld. This is Andy’s and my 147th quilt. And more updates to Quilts SB to come.

And my 2nd attempt at homemade pasta. This time dinner was Pasta alla Carbonara. I made the “linguini” and then sort of followed Tyler Florence’s recipe Spaghetti alla Carbonara. My FSB did drop 20 points.

This is my 1,384th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 139,456 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 118+40 – (AD 1,280) – 20.5 Miles Today – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Pageviews of Jim’s Trek have gone wild. With 3 days remaining in January, the number of Pageviews has crossed the 10,000-mark. As of this morning 10,674 Pageviews, the largest number ever.

This morning I pedaled 20.5 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals now are at 27,258.6 miles, 43,868.5 kilometers. I have also completed 2,357.0 miles of Part V. Only 10,943.0 more miles to go.

I have currently completed 30.7 % of the distance to my next destination and goal point on Mars.

And I was not sure about doppelgängers. But this morning I think one was found; of me that is. His name is Murray Head. Check him out at about 31 seconds into the video. He sang a few the 1971 promo songs for Jesus Christ Super Star.



When I saw this video, I truly thought that I was looking at a mirror. But I do have to point out that I am 5 years younger than Murray Head.

And yes that is me, 2nd from the left in about 1972/73 singing a role in the stage musical Show Me, Jesus.

I’ve just read an article by Eric Black at MinnPost dated June 30, 2015 – “How much nepotism is there in U.S. politics?”

“Anyway, the topic is the power of family dynasty in U.S. politics. It’s embarrassingly big, this tendency to elect people from the same families, and awkward in a country that prides itself on the idea that any (native born) American can grow up to be president.”

And of course, our current President is not necessarily “guilty” of nepotism. But could we see a sort of neo-nepotism in a current manner that he has presented himself and the awareness of his “inner-circle”, his family?

I am thinking forward to the next 4 years and the current insinuation and blatant acts and lack thereof, of the words and ideas that continue to surround the current Oval Office. His business concerns, the lack of forthcoming, the qualification of the restrictions, the residencies, is this not a new construction of the insular family swerve? Could this mean that the American populace will be holding on to possible thoughts that this could be a new dynasty?

In Seth Stephens-Davidowitz New Times’ review of March 21, 2015 – “Just How Nepotistic Are We?"

“The presidency is obviously a small sample. But the same calculations can be done for other political positions. Take governors.

Because it is difficult to be sure that you have counted all the sons of governors, let’s assume that governors reproduce at average rates. This would mean there were about 250 baby boomer males born to governors. Five of them became governors themselves, about one in 50. This is 6,000 times the rate of the average American. The same methodology suggests that sons of senators had an 8,500 times higher chance of becoming a senator than an average American male boomer.”

I am not certain that I will be around to see the development of any new political dynasties, but I am certain that the golden brocade drapes and paraphernalia currently introduced along with the five-letter signs on buildings may signify a current acceptance of an absolute monarchy.

This is my 1,383rd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 138,755 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 117+40 – (AD 1,279) – 20.3 Miles Today – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled 20.3 miles on my Schwinn 170. Jim’s Trek breakdown is as follows:

Trek Distance Part I – 4,257.1 miles
Trek Distance Part II – 4,360.0 miles
Trek Distance Part III – 10,362.4 miles
Trek Distance Part IV – 5,922.1 miles
Trek Distance Part V – 2,336.5 miles; 10,963.5 miles to go.

Total Miles to date – 27,238.1 miles; 43,835.6 kilometers.

I have now completed 25% of the distance to my next goal point and destination on Mars.

Soapbox –

All-things-being-equal and the current state of our government I would tender a guess that there will be an increase in appointments and lines to see personal psychologists and psychiatrists.

With the bantering of "fake" versus "real" news, the expediency of social media to run with the hint of a storyline, for example, from USA Today "Trump mulls 20% border tax on Mexico; aides later call it just an option" the general American populace, exponentially, are sludging through an ever-growing mire of "what the hell is going on?".

And it is unbelievable that in less than 1, that is ONE week, the levels of mistrust in our Executive Branch of our government is snowballing.

As everyone else appears to be creating and retracting stories, I felt that I should have the leeway to create my own verb – “to sludge”.

Yesterday I had an encounter with an individual who wanted to get into an argument with me. This person’s train of thought and choice of argument was what he considered that the only reason President Barrack Obama received his education scholarship. He repeated that “Obama got a scholarship because of his immigrant status.” He was adamant.

My quick retort “Why are you bothering me? And since when are Americans from the State of Hawaii considered immigrants?" Maybe prior to 1900, and I suppose one can consider the verb immigrate to “leave own’s own country, to settle in another.” But I must be missing something if I thought one could substitute the word “country” by the word “state”. Surely, I was a wee bit confused.

Per West Hawaii Today (December 22, 2016) “Hawaii sees increase in people leaving for mainland in 2016”.

Punto. Some people are just performing beyond the level of grey matter allotted.

In whom do we trust?

This is my 1,382nd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 137,853 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 116+40 – (AD 1,278) – 20.5 Miles Today – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

It is the beginning of a glorious day.


This morning I cycled 20.5 miles on my Schwinn 170. (Boring news?) But on this 1,278th day of cycling since December 2, 2012, something appears to be happening with the number of Pageviews.

To date, for January, 8,807 Pageviews have been recorded by Google Blogger. This is a 222% increase over 4 years ago, January 2013. And January has not yet finished.

My virtual Trek continues on the surface of Mars.

I have now traveled, as Part V, 2,316.2 miles on the red planet. Today I have completed 19.4% of the distance to my next destination and goal point.

Soapbox –

100 days counting down. I’m counting down 1,826 days. I respect the Office. I do not have to respect the occupant.

Supper last night was a filling Buttermilk Potato Soup with Bacon and Roasted Korean Peppers. (Yes, I substituted Korean Peppers for the original recipe’s Jalapeños.) Yes, the supper was great. It is not too often that I admit that my cooking was great. And accompanying the Potato Soup was freshly made Artisan Bread, which I made earlier in the day. The best news, my early morning blood sugar dropped 8 points to 116 mg/dL. So much for eliminating major carbs.

There is one recipe that I continue to keep seeing, or in truth, it is sort of haunting me, which means, of course, I must try it…and I think sooner than later. The recipe is Nigella Lawson’s Eggs in Purgatory. Maybe tonight, maybe this weekend. Check back to hear my results.

And the house now is filled with the aroma of freshly baked No-Knead Hemp Seed Sourdough Bread.

The search for my 3-times Great-Grandmother Marie Ann (née Doret) Smith continues. Family tales state that she was from Martinique and I am currently searching the National Archives of Outre Mer (ANOM). The period I have chosen is 1763 to 1800.

My conjecture is that as I have documentation of the birth of one of my GGG-Grandparents Smith’s children dated 1805 and I figure that that period would be a good one to search, especially for GGG-Grandmother Marie Ann’s birth registration.

Thus far, I have completed 5 towns and am searching the registers of the 6th, Les Anses-d’Arlet. I am yet to come across the surname Doret through any of the registers that I have reviewed.


This is my 1,381st post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 136,955 Pageviews.

This morning, and as of last night, Jim’s Trek hit another Pageviews record – 8,807. This does not make any sense at all, especially for this supposed insignificant blog of my Trek and thoughts. And further, January still has 7 more days.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 115+40 – (AD 1,277) – 20.6 Miles Today – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled 20.6 miles on my Schwinn 170. I’m keeping to my 1-hour time frame. Grand totals – 27,197.3 miles; 43,769.9 kilometers.

And today I completed a total 13.7% of the 360 miles to my next destination, Mädler Crater.

Soapbox –

100 days and George Orwell’s 1984 –

“If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.”

And from The Guardian (Jan 24, 2016) – “Sales of George Orwell’s 1984 surge after Kellyanne Conway’s ‘alternate facts’".






Last night’s supper Pork Meatballs with Ginger Teriyaki Sauce on Rice with Carrots and Snap Peas.

Yes AA, of course, I made it from scratch.

FBS up 2 points but I think it was the bowl of potato chips I had later that evening. I’ve got to stop snacking so close to 9:00 pm.

Our quilt Apollo 1, The Beginning is currently on display at the Johnson Space Center. It is accompanied with 7 other quilts from the Fly Me To The Moon collection.

At the Johnson Space Center January 23, 2017
photo by Susanne M Jones

This is my 1,380th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 136,371 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim