So, life at Beth Shamar continues to move along. We have another couple arriving in the next couple days to stay with us until they get their feet on the ground. They are coming here from the 48, friends of Patrick and Canaan, our grandchildren. They'll be living up in the loft of the kid's new house on our land.
We are moving Susan into John Alex's bedroom and visa-versa. She needs more room for her school work and stays here 24-7, while John Alex is gone more than half-the-time, over in Soldotna. For those of you who don't know, Soldotna is at least 65-miles one way from our house. We measure our driveway to Fred Meyers Department Store. The first of the super stores in Soldotna. Kenai, a town of similar size is roughly 8-9 miles north from Soldotna, but you have to drive through there to head for Kenai. Both communities are on the western side of the Kenai Peninsula. Homer, is 70-miles approx. south of Soldotna. All three of the communities run 3-5 thousand people, more in the summer as the hunters and fishermen arrive. The western side of the peninsula has 3 active volcanoes within sight, but thankfully they are on the opposite side of the Cook Inlet. We may have a concern for ash clouds, but it is almost impossible for the lava to reach us, with the exception of lava bombs. Been hundreds of years since something like that struck. Ash clouds have buried the peninsula under several inches of ash though. Exciting to watch. Some idiotic engineer decided to design and build a large oil tank farm below one of the more active Redoubt Volcano and a few years ago it was closed down due to lava flow. Now its closed for good. I guess it made easy access for the tankers to refuel, but they took a big chance on the employees. I don't recall anyone being hurt, but they risked a good number of lives betting on an active volcano. Alaska has a lot of active volcanoes, with most of them located on the Aleutian Chain. If I remember right, one is erupting right now, or has been. This closes down the flight patterns for the different airline routes. Yes, I truly love it up here, especially since there's no volcanoes on our side, not that we don't receive a lot of quakes and landslides. We always have to be prepared for lengthy power outages because our lines were knocked out by a land or snow slide. This is why having a wood stove to heat the house is a blessing. It's been a real long time since we heated our home with oil, though we do run electric heats quite often in the individual bedrooms. I find that as I grow old, I like my warmth.
I've been blessed recently in that our good friends, Lisa and with John Alex's back-up help, have set my bedroom up so I can write from my bed. Often I can only last 2-4 hours at my desk, but now I can write from my bed now. Sometimes, while working on one of my books, I'll write for up to 10-hours. Being able to be braced up in my bed now allows for me to do this. Lisa brought me a new computer and installed it, and John Alex has it set up for me. Between the blessings of the two of them, it is a wonderful gifting. I still recall the day, so very long ago, when Lisa showed up at our door in Fairbanks, she'd been sent to us by God to become part of the family. Poor girl, she didn't realize at the time exactly how much that entailed, as she became an aunt to our children. A lot of fun followed and still does.
Guess I'd better hit the news, some good things here:
JERUSALEM ONLINE: Terrorist group HAMAS sets up tents near Gaza Border head of today's/Friday's scheduled protect/march, which they plan to approach Gaza Border with Israel. ALSO: Palestinian Terrorists armed with grenades and knives arrested near inside Israel Defense Zone. ALSO- French police treating murder of Holocaust survivor as ant-Semitic crime.
GATESTONE INSTITUTE NEWS: Since Turkey, a NATO alley, launched its Afrin Attack against the Kurdish People's Protection Unit; only recently a main U.S. Alley and now Turks have taken Afrin. Turks announced it was also a joint battle against ISIS. But, it was the Kurdish people who suffered, ISIS had already been driven out of Afrin.. The Kurdish people had driven ISIS out, but now that the Kurds have been driven out of Afrin, ISIS has returned in force. As a result, ISIS attacked a Syrian oil field, killing 25 Turkish troops and attacked the City of Damascus, killing 60 government troops. ISIS has arisen again in Syria, launching at what NATO has allowed to occur by not protecting the Kurdish people from the Turks. Before, the ISIS front was afraid of the Kurdish people, supposedly listed as an ally to the United States. But, the Kurdish people did not have the numbers to stand up against both ISIS and the Turks. Worse is how the United States allowed for the Kurds to fall, for the Kurds are mostly Coptic Christians and they were abandoned by the US. They have been our alley in Iran and Iraq, and we've now thumbed our noses at them. ( I wonder how this makes us look to the world, in how we treat our allies? Especially our Christian allies.)
JERUSALEM ONLINE: Reports show new data that nearly an equal number of Jews and Muslims are under Israeli Sovereignty. ( Personally, I am reluctant to believe this, as Jews from around the world continue to return home to Israel. I do believe polls and report data can be slanted , as shown in those conducted in the U.S. and Canada in last few years.) ALSO- 15-European countries, in a coordinated move, have announced their intention to expel Russian diplomats, while Russia announces plan to expel 60- U.S. Diplomats from Russia. ALSO- U.S. Congress approves record amount of $750 Million for Israel's Missile Defense Program. ALSO- Report that 100 National Security Experts draft statement urging Pres. Trump to maintain Nuclear Deal with Iran. (WHY???? Or is this a party deal. Why can't we put aside the parties and just defend our country?) ALSO- Hundreds of illegal aliens arrested in Israel ahead of Passover Holiday to help the expected violence, but Police Commissioner in Israels reports no severe security alerts to be taken ahead for Israel's Passover.
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON: United Nations U.S. Ambassador Haley states to the UN, "We're not going to roll over", and let Russia get away with U.K. poisoning.
THOUGHTFUL MIND QUOTE: "I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live to what light I have." Abraham Lincoln.
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON: "The U.S. Electric Grid has become increasingly vulnerable to what the federal government is describing as an unprecedented wave of attacks that threatened to cripple the nation. According to a new investigative report that warns the energy industry is lagging in efforts to boost physical security of these critical sites." ( Not only physical attack, but computer caused and those by satellites.) ALSO- Officials in Orange County , 3rd most populous county in the State of California, are revolting against their state's 'Sanctuary State Laws', which limit local law enforcement from communicating with Federal Government. "County and city officials considering proposals to join Department of Justice in suing the state." Cops and the people have grown weary of the growing high crime rate caused by migrants.)
Normally I do not add the news from the New York Times, but I'm starting to depending on the story. NEW YORK TIMES- North Korea is firing up a Nuclear Reactor, that may upset upcoming Trump- Kim talks. Facility makes fuel for nuclear weapons. Shown by satellite evidence. ALSO- So far, 12 states plan to sue President Trump over his planned citizenship question in census plan and possibly in voting plan. States say the question would hurt their individual states and they want it stopped. (If citizenship cannot be verified, I personally do not feel they can be added to the roles, nor should they be allowed to vote. It appears far too many politicians rely on the illegal migrants to obtain office and therefore, they are elected illegally and cause my vote not to be worth of value.) LA TIMES: added to this by saying, "President Trumps census plan would hurt the state (their State) and want it stopped."
JERUSALEM POST- ISRAEL ONLINE- Catholic educator makes Holocaust studies mandatory in Kentucky schools. ( I agree with this and I had German relatives on both sides.) ALSO- Israel Defense Force tanks strike at two HAMAS Observation Posts after Gazans set military equipment on fire.
THOUGHTFUL MIND QUOTE: "Football is like life- it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority." Green Bay Coach Vince Lombardi. ( He took his teams to win the first two Super Bowls. My head-high school coach played for him for 3-years and our team learned to hate Coach Lombardi. He had some of the most grueling practice sessions, made the military look soft by comparison.)
THE DAILY CALLER: "President Trump can now use recently allocated Border Security funding to build the Mexican Border Wall. Initial staging estimated at $1.6 Billion, but more costs expected. Still, Congress says only $650 million can be used to bolster the existing fencing. (Right! I doubt the costs will easily rise above $10 Billion and maybe more before it's done and all the additional people are hired, plus the costs of maintaining it and vehicles needed for patrolling- both on land and on the river.)
WHITE HOUSE INSIDER: A report that "Three-quarters of young Americans do not qualify for military service" They are ineligible "...due to obesity, having criminal records or having a lack of the required education. " (What it failed to say is how some of these men and women come back, having taken care of the obesity problem, and lack of education. As to the criminal records, maybe these should be further investigation, rather than simply righting these people off before details can be brought to light. As a Retired Police Officer I've me a lot of good people who would've made great troops had they been allowed in into the military, and some troops the government clearly wasted a lot of money on for a troop's 4 years in service.)
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON: More than 345,000 Visas for high-skilled employment immigration were awarded in 2016 under the H-1B Program, which was over four times the LEGAL cap of 85,000. This report was made by the Immigration Policy Institute. ALSO- Judicial Watch , a conservative watchdog, has been forced to sue the United States State Department to obtain "Taxpayer" funded "Political Activities of George Soros, left-wing multi Billionaire, who has at least two groups operating in Columbia and Romania that the watchdog has an interest in. (George Soros, who I have followed since he brought about the financial downfall of Greece, and other European countries, announced he was turning his sights on the United States and is known to have visited the White House 43-times, while Pres. Obama was in office. He is hard core left-wing, born to a Jewish family but announced himself to be an Atheist, needs to be under the watchdog eyes of these activist groups.)
ALSO- United Nation Watchdog "blasts" UN Human Rights Council for defining practice of "Judaism" as a "War Crime". ALSO- Report that "at least 21,000 Americans have died while waiting to enroll in Medicaid, thanks in part to the expansion of the government Healthcare Program under Obamacare." Report by Foundation for Government and Accountability.
JERUSALEM POST: "Israel deploys 100 sharpshooters (snipers) on Gaza Border for Palestine Protests. ALSO- Jerusalem speeds up move for its capital move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Trump announced he would be unable to attend the service and the U.S. Embassy move from Tel Aviv, though to be accomplished, has been slowed down. Still, other countries are proceeding with their embassy moves to the new capital.
ARAB NEWS- Report says "Syria has continued to develop their nuclear program," while "Der Spiegel News, (Germany), is first to report of a suspicious site near Lebanese Border in 2015. (This is surely upsetting Israel as how close its being set up to the Israeli Border.) ALSO- Masses of Gazans reportedly are heading to border fence with Israel to demand 'Right to Return'." ( For Israel, this would be like setting loose a pack of coyotes loose into a sheep pen.)
FRANCE NEWS: French politician was arrested for praising a French police officer's death...but not for his courage, by exchanging himself for a hostage and then being shot and killed. No, he was apparently saluting the act of terrorism. But, France has a law that prohibits anyone from "Apologizing for or otherwise praising the act of Terrorism." The man holding the hostages claimed allegiance to IS BGM TV.
JERUSALEM ONLINE- ISRAEL NEWS: "Israel warns the United Nations that HAMAS will attempt to escalate tensions and violence during today's riots and demonstrations." ALSO- 2018 Budget for Palestine reportedly lists $355 million in local denomination for Terrorist Payment Program , which despite America's condemnation, shows Palestinian Authority's Reward Program for awarding various funds for suicidal bombings. Said funds are awarded to family members of the terrorists who die, but might survive and go to prison. The funds are to ensure the family is well taken care of to buy houses or food, and also pay the salary of the soldier while he is in prison. In the case of a child bomber, the funds are paid to the parents, who have volunteered their little ones to become child soldiers.
Well, I'm closing out now. I've got some technical things to do with the computer, hopefully something I can handle with destroying this machine. Actually I have to insert a new CD and a new thumb-drive. In my case, this is a major tech-work.
I pray you all have a fantastic Easter. I pray that you'll remember what this day signifies. I was 27 yrs old when I gave my life over to the Lord and how special this came to mean. God Bless you all and if you have any special prayer requests, send them on. We have a lot of prayer warriors in this house. Love to all, BILL