COUNTDOWN CONTINUES

I have to check into the hospital for my hip replacement at 5:15 tomorrow morning, which means getting up at 4:30, so I can drink my high-protein beverage, pack my things, get dressed, etc. Surgery will start around 7:30. (I was told by the nurse that I'm first in line.) I have to drink 2 high-protein beverages after supper tonight; nothing to eat or drink after midnight. I have to shower before I go to bed & change into clean pajamas. (Doesn't that seem outrageous?) Tomorrow morning I can take a few of my meds with a sip of water. If everything goes according to plan, I should only have to spend one night in the hospital, which means I should be home by sometime on FRI.

FRAUDS

"God does not want frauds--those who only pretend to be good on the outside. God wants perfect people on the outside & the inside . . . Who can do this? No one! Jesus is the only one who is good outside & inside. He is the only one who perfectly kept the Law (outside) in His actions & inside (in His heart). He is the only one who is truly good in God's sight. So look to Christ. As you do, know that He does not keep His goodness to Himself. He gives His goodness to you so that you can wear His perfect goodness like a robe." Matthew Richard, Minute Messages

NATIONAL FRENCH FRY DAY

That's right! July 13 is National French Fry Day. Here are some fun facts, courtesy of Fox News Online.

* Americans eat more than 4.5 billion lbs. of French friends each year.

* The average American eats nearly 30 lbs. of FFs in a single year.

* Potatoes that are popularly used for make FFs are russet, Yukon gold & sweet potato. 

* While "French" is in the dish's name, multiple countries claim to be the originators, including not only France but also Belgium, Spain, & Russia. Blogger's comment:  I can neither confirm nor deny that Joe Biden once claimed that he invented French fries.

* I could mention how many calories are contained in a small serving of FFs, but I won't.

* The North American FF market is expected to surpass $9.9 billion by 2026.

And on a personal note, I give top ratings to Runza fries, with McD's coming in 2nd.

TRENDING *

* Compliments of Babylon Bee

> Trump's children change their last name to Biden so that the media will ignore them.

> Biden vows to help all minorities whether they are 'Black, Yellow, or Taco.'

> Study shows U.S. 4th graders now gay at a 12th grade level.

> Study finds 100% of work meetings ever held in human history have been entirely unnecessary.

PRIDE IN AMERICA

"And, according to Gallup, this July 4, the lowest number of Americans in recorded polling history identified as extremely proud to be American. That number breaks down in highly partisan fashion:  58% of Republicans say they are extremely proud to be American, while just 26% of Democrats do. That gap is consistent across time. But for everyone--Republicans, Democrats & Independents--the number has declined. 

"There is a reason for that. We no longer have a common vision of what it means to be an American. From the right, it seems that the founding principles of the nation, as articulated in the Declaration & Constitution, are under attack; therefore, pride in American has declined, particularly since 2019. From the left, the founding principles themselves are the problem; movement away from those principles has coincided with increase in Democrat pride, which means the Trump & post-Trump era (2017 onward) correlates with an extraordinary drop in pride in America.

"All of this materializes in the constant polarization of nearly every issue. For communities with a shared set of principles, individual maladies do not represent deeper philosophical cancers; for communities with heterogenous principles, every malady can be attributed to cancerous divides multiplying & manifesting. Thus, every mass shooting turns into a referendum on deeper American divides, rather than into conversations about best political policy; every Supreme Court decision turns into a debate over whether American ought to overthrow all existing institutions or to reinforce them." Ben Shapiro, column in Norfolk Daily News, 7/9

GOING GREEN

"The Wall Street Journal carried a story last week about the rising cost of electric vehicles. General Motors has added $66,250 to the price of its Hummer electric pickup truck. That vehicle now costs between $85,000 & $105,000. Tesla has increased prices three times this year for a performance version of its top-selling Model Y SUV, raising it to $69,900. Ford has also increased prices on its EVs.

"There are less expensive electric cars, but challenges remain. These include the availability of batteries. The lithium in them comes mostly from China. Do we really want to underwrite more of the Chinese economy & its military when Beijing is a threat to American interests?

"The last time I filled up my tank with gasoline it took me about two minutes (& cost $75, twice what it cost two years ago) While there are several variables, the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle, according to Carfax.com, ranges from less than an hour to 12 hours, depending on which of three charging levels one chooses.

"Suppose you are stuck in traffic during an evacuation from a hurricane & your battery runs out of juice? If there is no charging station nearby, what do you do? If your vehicle stalls, a massive backup is likely to ensue & your plan to flee the hurricane will be thwarted with potentially disastrous results.

"Technology should precede ideology, not the reverse. The Biden administration & its green allies want to force us into electric cars before most people can afford them & before they become as practical & convenient as gas-powered cars." Cal Thomas, column in NDN, 7/9