Wagler Wisdom

Plain & common things can help us or hurt us , hindsight is great for seeing which it is….

Newest items always at the top of the page.

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2. We usually eat out for lunch , to cool off ,and rest too. eating lunch between 12;30 & 1;30 PM does present it’s own set of drawbacks. We like to see our food being prepared , so that means no fast foods. The help is often somewhat disgruntled by then ,and places like Subway can look a bit disheveled ,by then ,but less crowded.

The several local Mennonite Restaurants can have good food , though often rather generic tasting .

Mexican and Chinese foods make one take a long nap afterwards , with all the glue-glue in it . Maybe we should carry a lunch Pail , like we used to.

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1.The Japanese Nuke Plant that imploded over a year ago is still there , in Limbo. What is dangerous about it is all the used and unused Fuel rods , still in the pool of leaking seawater ,in an unstable building. If they melt down , it would be like several hundred large Nukes exploding , in the fallout they would produce for , guess who , North America.  May 16-12

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We have from time to time mentioned this obscure band of “hutterites” , that we used to occasionally be in contact with in the 1960-1970′s time period. As a religious entity they went completely to nothing , though a remnant of them still reside there on the Community farm , but not under any religious reason, just economic….

Turns out a College student working on his advanced degree Thesis , infiltrated them in about 1967 , as a pretending seeker . Here is the link to his 183 page effort , a very concise look at a very hard life lived supposedly to serve God,that ended in utter chaos, in the late 19 70′s. He calls it a Cult , and we believe rather accurately. A rather heavy read, click here.

We thought the Amish Life was hard , this was much harder and more controlled in every degree then that . Among the things this writer mentions is that the Community prayed to God only as a group ,and believed personal prayer to God is not possible …Odd, if so.

Plain & Simple may be it for some folk , but nature is fixing to surprise us , because Spring is about here , with all it’s glorious colors and wonderful sounds .

Latest items always at the top of the page. Up to a ”Baker’s Dozen” or 13 items .

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13. The story in the news about the California family who bought a Stock certificate at a yard sale , they claim it is valid and worth up to 130 Million.Does that mean an old bank savings booklet is worth money too ?

The same with Marriage certificates , they are simply a record, not the deed itself. The moment a couple is legally married ,is when a duly state licensed 3rd party pronounces them as so in some way,after all legal stuff has been applied for beforehand . And it does not have to be a religious ceremony or a preacher that performs that.

There have been instances when one or other of the couple has collapsed and died during the vows (Stress, perhaps)?. The Courts have always upheld it as a legal marriage for the survivor’s benefits , as long as the vows were under way.May 15-12

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12. And so , Lord Willing , and if health and funds permit , we will be taking in an Auction May 12 , The Methodist Men’s group on Grace Ave ,at the big new Church building,here in Abbeville SC ,is putting on it’s 2nd annual Sale to raise funds. We were there last year and did quite well . We haven’t been to an Auction for some months , and feel somewhat deprived , of opportunity ,and stuff to admire.

And do we need anything in particular ? Well , perhaps . This is an ordinary , “”bring what you can, or don’t need “” sale , Many of our own benefit sales have lost that concept ,and are all into ”projects”,or brand new stuff , that usually won’t bring what it just cost ,that’s weird..

Results…..A newer washer- & a dryer .The washer has a small leak in the drain area ,confidence is high we can fix it. about 8 boxes of non-Chinese made dishes .A nice old school desk, 1st grade sized. And ,oh , a couple dozen old waxed piano recorded rolls , all over a hundred years old.A huge ceramic owl . And about a dozen assorted old lamps. and that is the mostly usable stuff. About $125.

We almost had a batch of 10 old pre-school wooden chairs , until a man stepped up and said ”I saved those from the old Church Buildings’ Sunday School room. ” They quad-drip-led in price in 30 seconds . Good for him .

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11. We attended the funeral of Mary Schrock in Barnwell . SC on Sun. May 06. At Funerals one meets a variety of folks , some you have not seen in decades.

At this funeral there were about 70 folks from Buffalo, Mo. (Sleeping Preacher folks). All are dressed severely Plainly . And all are friendly and love to visit . And they have the aura of $$$$$ about them , if you deny yourself enough , it does tend to stack up , we suppose.

I learned they do not refer to themselves as ”Sleeping Preacher” , but as ”Spirit led” followers of several swooning characters in the early 1900′s. These ,they believe ,will never again be superseded .

The 4 main rules they follow, I was informed there, are ,1.Men wear Full beards .2.Men wear lay-down suits.3. Only Black vehicles owned.4. German language used in Church Services. There were 2 of them going about the same time .

Educated people that managed to attend several of these happenings back then reported it as a jumble of inane words , which gullible folks interpreted as they wanted to.

The ”Sleeping Preacher” thing is quite common in history. There have been hundreds of them ,though these are the only Amish Mennonite ones we are aware of now .That they have a large following a hundred years later shows a lack of something.

We have been around enough Cults lately to recognize just another one.

May 09 -12

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10, The “Daily Mail” has a full length article . It says that scientists have now noted that excessive Power in people , acts almost like Cocaine in the Body chemistry .And leads to debauchery in many cases. Ah , that does explain a lot ,especially in cases of religious powers.

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9. To those of you playing ”Farmville” , and such online , Forbes magazine has an article on that . Somehow we do not envision anyone that does both , play ”Farming” . and read serious  business material.

And here we thought this was all just a harmless and cost-free way to wile away time. They make almost all their money when the virtual “farmers” speed up the process by buying $10 ”buy-ons”.

Why not just spend the money on lottery tickets ,at least it will make someone really rich ?Apr 25-12

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8. We lately picked up another ”Skillsaw” , the  ultimate  standby for the hobbyist and contractor . Since we have always bought the lightest one on the rack , with a brand-name ,  we end up paying between $30-$40 . either Ryobi or Skill make good light, cheap,  saws , that you can drop 10 feet and still cut with .

In the mid-70′s ,Black& decker came out with the first of the cheap saws like that , at about $25 ($105. in today’s dollars). We still see them every now and then , with the very tall handles,almost impossible to use , even back then .

Today’s comparable saws are much,much cheaper and a lot  better made . Also we throw the supplied blade away , without using it , and put on an $8 carbide blade. They last till you hit a big nail.

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7. Some of the advantages of eating at ”Cracker Barrel” , the rustic food restaurant.

a. The food is always predicable , breakfasts always available.

b.Anyone that weighs less then 250 lbs will feel fit and exercised , just sitting there.

c. one should be extra nice to the wait staff there , most are involved in rather desperate straits , otherwise why would they be working there ?

d. Relax , the food is really quite good , and the bill will be very reasonable for a sit-down place .

e, A good place to show off the new machinery bill-cap , just do not wear it throughout the whole meal , like many tend to do there . Apr 10-12

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6. We have ordered our own Birthday present , a medium priced Metal detector. Stay tuned as we attempt to join into this national past-time . The problem with finding anything of value here in the South , is that folks were often so poor that they did not have a dime to lose.  … One silver dime has a $2 value to it , so here goes.

We think we will try it out around that big 60 ton rock at 301 W Greenwood street , Abbeville SC , That has been there possibly since the retreating Glacier dropped it like a pebble eons ago . We recently purchased the rock , and lucky for us , a house came with it . After all the house can produce a bit of income , but the Rock will not .Apr.05-12

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5. Are things getting continually worse in this country and in the World in general ? Spiritually ,politically ,economically , or whatever way one can describe the times we are living in .

Actually , we have it good in a lot of ways . we are living longer , working less, and have oodles of possessions if we want them . Crime has dropped in most areas of the nation , food is ridiculously cheap, historically.One could buy a wheelbarrow filled with bread for several hour’s work.

The heart of man has always followed evil on it’s own way  , and in spite of what some preachers insist , that is not necessarily getting worse and worse. Even the winters are milder now then they used to be ……. Count the blessings , it’s Springtime…

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4.Some of the news the last few days is quite interesting . A Captain of a Jet Blue airliner full of passengers runs screaming up and down the aisles , Because the Co-pilot managed somehow to lock the kooky Captain out of the cockpit. It is only the last few decades that all the USA flight crews are trained to evaluate and take over , in a unique situation like that, where a Captain flakes out . Before that, The captain of a boat or plane was considered unquestionable at all times. The Co-pilot undoubtedly saved a planeload of people from destruction.

A Japanese or most far-eastern Co-pilot would possibly go to their deaths before questioning their superiors. It is a bit hazy in my mind , but it all started to change in the USA in the 70′s when a US airliner slammed into the Florida everglades , because the timid Co-pilot was afraid to mention to an irate Captain of a large airliner that the ground was coming up .

And that thing in Sanford , Florida , where a 17 year old black man was shot to death by an older Spanish man ? A very unfortunate thing indeed , it seems to me it may have something to do with the Florida populations , instead of being a racial flashpoint that it has become. Mar 28-12

Update Apr 03-12 The news media has really inflamed this unfortunate thing by editing the 911 tapes , and only showing photos of the 2 men involved that are completely outdated . One photo is 7 yrs ago , and one is 4 yrs ago . makes one wonder about a lot of news we hear of today .

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3 Are you tempted to put your excess cash into gold bars , and keeping them ? Be aware that most gold bars traded today are faked in some manner . Even Fort Knox gold is believed to be seriously diminished in value by all the faked bars .Better just put the $$$$ in the bank.

Old silver dollars bought recently are problematic , too. I recently witnessed an old man showing off a pair of old Morgan dollars in a thrift store ,that he had just recieved somehow. (Of all places).

He proudly dropped them on the counter , they made a solid ‘thonk” , instead of the ‘ringggg’ they are supposed to . We refrained from saying anything there.

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2. Last weekend, Mar. 15-17 , we camped at the local Calhoun Falls SC state park, on a lakefront site with a Million $$$ view , for $21 a night . Beautiful weather to start out a hopefully mild summer season…..At the gate of the park is a fancy would-be housing development called ”the sanctuary at lake Russell”.Several miles of paved , curbed streets with all hook-ups , only missing houses on it .

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1.Land prices are very high all over the USA where cash grain Crops can be raised . Where do the Amish go now to start out with cheap land prices? .Missouri used to be a prime state , then Wisconsin and those cold climes . May we suggest upstate SC , where large land tracts have been dropping in prices ? Huge tracts of planted pine forests are being let go by the big Timber companies here . From $1500 to $2000 an acre for 100+ acre tracts . The Timber companies may know something about the future prices of pulp and lumber . and growing trees requires few if any horses. … Mar24-12…

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Plain & simple thinking may just make one simple , or it may make one a wise  old person, with enough of it ,as it can accumulate…

Simple-mindedness can grow with  ”under a shell”  type of thinking , with little or no  Biblical basis. A good thing to avoid in the New Year…

Newer items of interest  & possibly wisdom always at the top of the page …

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19. When it comes to auto fuel additives , stabilizers ,etc. ”Lucas oil” brand is by far the best buy for the money . It was started ,and is still run by a man who at one time ran a  small stable of semi-trucks , and knew that about all the major oil company fuel add-ons were mostly fluff & advertising.  Feb.27-12

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18. Still want to go on the Sail & Sing Cruise Feb 27?

Aprox. 500 Mennonites are setting out on a 4 day ‘singing” cruise out of Miami on Feb 27-12 .  As of Feb 23-12 , one can still get on the boat , cabins are still available at $249. and up PP on the particular cruise . But you may be among the 1500 passengers that will not get tickets into the ”singing” part , or the hoop-a-loo of it. (and you pay extra for that !) That has been booked up for a while ……….Bon voyage…Update Mar. 05-12 …Well , they all got back , we were looking at photos online. It is reported that some of the 1500 non-Mennonites on the boat were curious.

Someone overheard a man asking his wife, on the ship’s elevator..”How did you ever manage to get us on a cruise with this many Amish on it ?”

Someone else was heard  asked .”Is this spring Break for the Amish?”.

We ourselves went on one of the ‘Big Red Boat” singing at sea  Templeton cruises in the late 1990′s . It was great . We got on the last day because of a cancellation , and was our 1st experience about cruise trips. We tired quickly of the almost non-stop preaching  & singing, but enjoyed meeting people . Don’t recall exactly the price for the 4-night gig then , it was around 2K for 2 people . But it was on an older trans-atlantic type of  Steam powered ship , launched originally in 1964 as the Olympic. It felt more like a real Ship and the food was awesome.

That same boat later became a Japanese ”Peace Ship” , during which time it was attacked by pirates , but outran them because of the speed put on by the Steam powered engines. Two years ago the ‘old ‘Olympic” was beached on an Asian shore , and scrapped by hand by thousands of workers , it was too expensive to run.

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17 So what or who is in a Cult ? The world’s foremost expert on Cults , Dr Margaret singer (1926-2003)

”If a religion weakens ones spirit and personal religious growth , it is a cult , If it strengthens one’s personal experience , that  can be true religion ”. End of quote

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16.This week’s Time,Feb13 issue, has an intriguing small note on a new Mexican photojornalist’s upcoming book ,”Las Majeres Flores”. The compiler befriended and photographed ,and somewhat described Mexican Mennonite Women’s lot in the Northern Mexican areas, over a two year period . It is all in Spanish ,except the pictures.         Feb 05-12

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15. The Great Uncle Sam’s Tax refund check sweepstakes is now in full swing . A single person or a couple with a child or two that make 10K-12k ,(Minimin wage) per year are now looking at a ‘refund’  check for 5-8 K. That is good. What is not good is that it is almost always all gone in a week or two . Payday lenders have been lending against these checks for months. Landlords, too have patiently waited on them . It is noted ,too that lots of renters move right now , it is called take-and- run, till next year’s check. ….Jan 31-12

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14. Political junkies are astounded at the ongoing Republican Primary . This is the most interesting saga ever . Even better then 1984 when Stompin’ Gary Hart was on a roll , winning little states like Maine before he self destructed  dramatically……Jan 26-12

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13. Mitt Romney , the leading Republican contender for President , has not had a Job for years , but still made over 21 millions last year on investments. Maybe we need to put him in to plug the deficit in Federal USA spending. The USA has spent almost 5 trillion dollars more then it brought in over the last 4 years . That is over 150 million dollars borrowed every hour of every day , that supposedly needs to be paid back some day . Wow, and Wow again ……Jan 25-12

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12 The fungicide in the Brazilian Orange Juice in the news now. It seems to be a politically sponsored thing . The Florida O.J. Folks who reported them on this ,had always used the same thing too , until 09 , when they went on to something milder , and failed to renew the yearly request (and permit) to the EPA to use the stuff ,for Oranges.

A lot of other USA fruits like apples , peaches etc. still are sprayed with exactly the same stuff , and legally in the USA. Makes one about want to go organic.At least wash the fruits real good…….Jan 21-12

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11.Wow , that big boat is not going anywhere . The biggest passenger ship to ever go down , is laying on it’s side near Italy , in shallow waters. After seeing a photo of the boat Captain , we hope the authorities thought of giving that chap a breathalyzer test.It weighs in at 120.000 tons . The Great Titanic was only 45.000 tons, a hundred years ago… Jan 15-12

On a related note , the worst ever Known Shipwreck loss of life was the ”Wilhelm Gustloff’ a German refugee ship loaded with over 10.000 people , about half  of whom were children . In 1945 a Russian sub torpedoed her and she went down with approx. 9500 lives lost .

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10.  we in the mainland USA are having a very mild winter , so far . Not so in Alaska , they are having an extraordinarily harsh winter .   And why would anything but Polar bears live in Alaska in the Winter ? Jan. 10-12

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9. So you feel like Bungee jumping ? Watch the video of the “Australian girl falls in bungee cord break in Africa sky news” on Dec 31-11. She miraculously survived.

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8. Just because it’s on EBay does not say it is a good deal . We were recently looking for a Werner 22 ft multi-ladder . EBay has one for $299 plus shipping . Our local Lowe’s store has the exact same item for $169 .

Also a 50 ft round-type drain snake . Online for $75. At Lowe’s for $26 .

Some folks ship Harbor Freight tools with a mark-up on Ebay.

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7. All you ex-Aylmerites , Look up ”RCAF Station Aylmer No 14” on Utube. The commander of this base took film of the fliers training there in World War II .(This is 3 miles west of the Current Aylmer Ontario amish Colony) Over 4100  fighter pilots from the British Commonwealth trained on Harvard aircraft there , before going off to Europe . 26 students and 12 instructors  died there in training accidents , 11 are buried in the local cemetery .

Base Commander Irwin returned there to a Memorial dedication in 1983 , and as a flight of old Harvard war-birds roared over in a salute , he dropped over dead of a heart attack.

I’ve never  since seen those huge fluffy Clouds , like they have around the great lakes  up there , they are on the film ,too , from the early 40′s……Jan 09-12

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6. Dwight Eisenhower was elected USA President in Nov. 1952 . He had only let himself be persuaded to Run 5 months earlier , The Democrats and Republicans both wanted him for their Nominee.Compare that to today’s marathon run , lasting years and years each time.

A slight problem arose when it was discovered Eisenhower never had a Birth Certificate filed in his own name. It was filed in Oct. 1952 , one month before the Election . (Sounds familiar ?)

He had 6 brothers , each to whom the Nick-name Ike was given . (Fat Ike, Little Ike, big Ike , Etc) . His Nick-name at home was Ugly Ike.

The most famous US army General in World War Two , he never saw action in his entire military career.  He was a terrific manager , and used those skills very well in his presidency , A cold analytical thinker , with no known close friends , He made a very great President.

And what about all those ”I like Ike ” buttons, with the huge grin ? A brilliant marketing ploy , indeed.   Jan 08-12

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5. “As a tree falls . so will it lay” . The second most quoted meaning from a Bible verse in Amishland is taken out of Ecl. 11-3.

And what is the most quoted Bible verse  in Amishlands ? Phil 2-12 .. ”Working out our salvation with fear and trembling “‘.  All quoted in German language , of course.

And what is the most quoted , misused , and misinterpreted verse in the rest of Christianity, one hears it almost every day in Church gatherings if discussions arise.  ? Matt. 7-1 .. ”Judge not ,,,,,,,,” .    Jan 06-12

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4. President Obama is vacationing in Hawaii . His Republican Opponents are slugging it out trying to figure out which of them is to oppose him next fall . Almost the entire news media , and White House press Corps treat our Pres. Obama  about like a King and rarely pose any meaningful questions to him , just fawning admiration. After all , this President did win a Nobel Peace prize , just for ”giving people hope”.

They used to savage President Bush almost every day , with tough questions , and who can forget the ”off the record” photos and videos of him in odd postures , like when they were getting him ready for speeches , etc. ?

It looks like Mitt Romney , the Mormon .

Whether he can win , or not , we shall see .Pres. Obama is a really nice guy ,and all … After all, the nation is not all like California , where it is now not viable for a republican to win any state-wide contest .Dec 31-11

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3. We were looking up the Amish Family Life magazine online. They of course have no On-line presence, being Amish .

A Christian ,Perhaps Anabaptist company called Scroll Publishing ,Sells about all the Pathway products , and has a very accurate write-up on the Amish Pathway folks , including it’s magazines . We notice they also offer about all of David Bercots’ books , too. They have a lot of worthwhile products and projects , and are upfront that they are only selling, not representing, Pathway products. At least there is a good  On-line presence for them .

We did not see any of Frank Viola’s books offered , the ones we have mentioned several times on here. Perhaps it is because he is not Anabaptist oriented , like Bercot is.

We have read several of Viola’s books , and can say they will stir one’s thinking .

Back to the Amish Family Life monthly Magazine , It was originally set up to be called the ”Family Circle” , back in 1968 , until someone pointed out to them that there was already a national magazine by that name , available at all supermarkets , etc. We suppose they had never noticed that .  Dec 31-11

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2.Texting on the cell phone is a never ending thing , it seems like . Perhaps it may be a good tool to keep in touch , but there are boundaries to it .

You probably should not do it in Church , certainly not as you are trying to carry on a conversation with a real person on the side , and not when you are driving .

one of the above activities may cause a loss of friendships , and one may cost your , and or other’s lives . Dec.30-11

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1. We are sitting here eating a seasonal concoction , an old fashioned fruitcake . The Fruitcake has a well deserved reputation of something that is perhaps an ordeal to eat . Once a year is enough, at Christmas  , is the thinking .

There is the old joke about that there is only one cake in the whole country , people keep passing it from one to another hoping someone will eat it ……Then it is gone .

The ones you buy at the store , the ones you send for , even the ones at the bakery ,almost always have the same characteristics. Too dry, or  too crumbly, over-baked , or perhaps the ”fruity”  things taste funny . or the whole thing has a reminder of cardboard chips to it .

But the one we are eating just now is absolutely superbly perfect , and will age out well .

And who baked it up ??   Dear Wife Lynda did , of course . Dec.29-11

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Actually, a plane does not have a rear view mirror,  if it would ,you would not want to watch it . That is how we went to spend our last 8 days in Florida by.

Buying super-cheap tickets is fun , especially if one gets to really use them months later. We purchased and paid for them the last week of November-2011 . With taxes, $175 covered 2 round trip tickets between GSP and Punta Gorda, Florida, (Inside the plane seats , too).

Our main destination was Sarasota , also Ft Myers , about 90 miles down the coast from there.

The Mennonite enclave there in Pine craft , Sarasota , has got to be the most unique Anabaptist centered gathering place around.

Some types of more lenient Amish , All and any flavor of Mennonite , even Holdermans ,and Coveralls-and denim bill-cap wearing Sleeping preacher folks are seen wandering the streets there , from exactly 6AM to 9PM every day.

3 wheeled bikes are the approved way to get around on , renting out for about $5 a day . About every thing is within walking distance , if one chooses that way .

The several supposed ”Dutch” and ”Amish cooking” restaurants there ,shamelessly prostitute the Amish name to make $$$ on, with the only Amish-owned and operated restaurant there going by the unlikely name of ”Olaf’s Ice Cream Shop”. Not only do they serve homemade Ice Cream , but Pizzas too.

We ate once at the Huge ”Dutch heritage” Restaurant complex . Serve yourself was the method , with a very well stocked salad table , even 2 colors of pickled eggs on it.

The food on the self-serve bar was plentiful ,if not overly tasty . The Waiters and waitresses very efficient, friendly, and business-like . The whole place feels like a well oiled money machine , and must be for the owners of it. A bit of Ohio in Florida, perhaps.

We preferred the  smaller ‘Yoder’s ‘ restaurant down the street for it’s sit-down service , and hot just -off- the -griddle food. The wait staff there had a somewhat harried air about them that may mean they are short-staffed , or perhaps over whelmed by personal problems,or both , and it’s showing.

We walked into there one morning at about 8 O’clock with no waiting at all . Most of the time one sees a line of folks out the parking lot waiting to eat there. We suppose that should not be a problem , as there is not much to do there for many but eat and walk about.

And not a horse in sight , among thousands of Amish .

Once in a while the Sarasota police Mounted Horse patrol spends an afternoon at the main Intersection of Kaufman and Bahia Vista there , nailing speeders . We watched it there last year , with hundreds of onlookers . This year we missed it by a week . We were told that the horse Patrol not only ticketed speeders , but also handed out some jaywalking citations too a few too excited Amishmen , who were trying to get a better view of it all .

The main stoplights there now have cameras mounted on them to make folks in cars behave ..It works .

To be continued

We recently ran across an article online by Peter Hoover .. ‘Radical Anabaptists part one”, a fairly lengthy 6 part writing about the Life and times and Spiritual quests of  Harry Wanner .

Over the last 50 years or so there have been  a shadowy  group of seeking Anabaptist , that constantly were on the move .Mostly from Amish backgrounds .Often moving perhaps from Pa. to Ky. ,to Tennessee , to Belize and then perhaps Michigan . And then start the moving all over again.Lobelville Tennessee is sort of a center for them  . All in the long quest to find someone to be ”enech” , or unified with . The so called unity hardly ever lasted more then a week or a month . At one time in Belize there were 7  factions among 11 households there, among that set of believers .

No modern conveniences allowed , certainly not cars and often no motors at all allowed , continuously seeking that elusive peace ,and or. perfection. Women in these settings are often treated like dirt or as things to own and use, not as people. Each man as a little private dictator, is the way to be ,seemingly.Weird.

Peter Hoover’s background is from this rather eccentric group setting, Although he has embraced modern media technology , and is a good writer . He  lives in Australia at a place called ”Rocky cape” , in an Anabaptist Commune .If that setting is in a dictatorial role , we do not know.

We enjoy his writings , though one notices that he admires Hutterites and their culture , and is somewhat affiliated with a Hutterrite  group in the USA Midwest. That he admires these wandering Stars , that spent perhaps all their lives searching and searching for someone to ”unify” with ,  raises several questions .

Harry Wanner is the subject of his 6 part article , with a lot of names of other such minded seekers too.  Nicolas Stoltzfus,brothers Harold and Victor Stoll, Albert Stoll , Joe J Millers, and many others of like goals if not minds are mentioned.Seeking and moving , the ever elusive “unity ” being just out of reach , seems the norm here.

Harry Wanner had 22 children , married twice . We never met him ,though we have met most of the others mentioned. Knowing some of the Background history  and information on him and those he was around , gives one pause.

Much of that thinking is basically selfish . ”My interpretation , and application of scripture is ground zero , for everything”. Treating those whose views are not exactly as one’s own like trash seems to be part of it ,too. Re-baptizing oneself or one another seemed rather the norm, from time to time .

On the subject of Hutterites , it is our observation that about all the attributes of a cult are found in the way they operate now. We used to visit a Group of them that later went totally to nothing as a group , in Bright, Ont. Called ‘Community farm of the Brethren”, founded in 1940 , they did well until their leader , an avowed dictator , died in the early 1960′s .He once made one of his defeated Rivals live in a Pig-pen there on the colony.(Peter Hoover lists this Leader in his Cloud of Witnesses section, as an inspiration) .

They were all such nice folks , and they all worked very hard like Amish  do, from about age 14 on up. (Note .We desire first hand historical information on this ,on or off record),

Several Factions developed among the Bright, Ont . colony, to where they lived separately on the same compound , but were not on speaking terms. One faction even marched around the other every evening, singing and praying , somewhat like Joshua and the Israelites marching around Jericho.

Sometime in the  1980′s , the young people of  there rose , and said “Enough is enough ”. They ended up selling everything and splitting the money , it was a well to do crowd .They all assimilated into neighboring Churches and communities very well. Maybe some Hutterites get along better then that ,at least on the surface .

Jan 17-12

The  small  town of Stutthof  Poland (West Prussia), was mostly known as a fertile farming region until 1939 . It was also the largest German speaking Mennonite conclave in the World up to that time .It was from here that they had spread into Russia well over a century before. By 1935 the colonies in Russia had all been dissipated by Stalin’s purges ,while  the Polish Mennonite colonies were in their zenith.

Names like Loewen, Peters ,Shraader , Riemer , Wiebe , Klassen,Wall, and Fehr proliferated in the region in the 1930′s . Not Polish names at all , but Mennonite ones.

In 1939 the Nazi Regime  in Germany  was looking around the newly overrun area to establish a ”Resettlement” camp.  They chose Stutthof , in a rural secluded setting, on the edge of this oldest of Mennonite settings . The Mennonites mostly were opposed to it , but were promised lots of jobs , building it .

Today, The somewhat little-known Stutthof Extermination Camp site , is a memorial , to the at least 70 thousand peoples exterminated there that were registered ,and  perhaps that many more that were not registered , but died there , many in the most brutal fashion imaginable . Until recently , the Memorial was not even written up in English . The gas chamber and the crematorium are still displayed there .

Only in the past 20+ years has the story evolved , from records lost in the ”cold war” . The meticulously kept German records are still there , in microfilm now , all the expenses paid out to local people , and all.

Mennonite contractors built almost all the buildings there ,with the supplied slave labor , Mennonite sawmills supplied much of the Lumber , And as the War continued to drain the German manpower pool , Several   dozens of  Mennonite Men , and a few Mennonite women appear to have joined the SS, as ethnic Germans, to be guards in the Stutthof region concentration camps. Some of them were as brutal as they come , and in the SS corps that was quite bad .

Stutthof is also known as a   Nazi concentration camp where some bodies were rendered to make ”Pure Jewish soap” in neatly packaged and labled bars.(This is controversial among historians)

Local farmers , including Mennonites , hired squads of  inmates to help with the harvests , paying the SS for that .  Most , though not all Mennonites were kind to them , giving them food , and not working them too harshly. (As in making them work 12 hours a day , instead of just 8 hours).

Jews were the main target of the Camp Interments , also Gypsies ,captured English servicemen , and about anyone with a physical handicap. It is hard to imagine that kind of brutality taking place , especially that normally peaceful Mennonites sometimes joined in it .

When the Red Army liberated Stutthof Concentration camp in Jan. 1945 , it was the last one to be liberated . They found it almost empty , except for a hundred or so poor souls who had hid when the camp was evacuated by the SS. The last 4000 internees had been marched to the nearby sea , 2 miles away ,the week before , into the water, and all machine-gunned to death . There are allegations today that the local population helped herd this last ”March into the water”.

The Red Army had a rather unique method to deal with any SS solders they found in these situations anywhere close to the concentration camps  . They were always executed on the spot . If anyone was found in the vicinity with any German Army connection , they were executed too . so it would not have been a good idea to even wear military shoes or overcoats , even if they were salvaged . They did immediately  hang a number of guards they caught there in the vicinity , including several women SS guards.

The free Polish came in and conducted 3 sets of trials among which there were a number of local Mennonite men that had been involved as guards at that particular camp. One Fritz Peters , a Mennonite man , was tried and duly hung . The rest of the Mennonites on trail at that time got prison sentences , mostly in the 5 year range for their war crimes against humanity .It is believed that between 25-30 stood trial .

The MCC (Mennonite Central Committee)  sent Plattdeutsch speaking representatives into that area to help displaced Mennonites the next year . They were able to help a number of them immigrate to Canada and to the USA , through their Menno-pass program , which sometimes bypassed regular channels .

In The Mid 1990′s Some of the World’s Nazi-hunting Organisations approached the MCC about accountability on who all they gave Menno-passes to in the late 1940′s . It is unfortunate that it appears that several War-Crime monsters posing as peaceful displaced Mennonites escaped through their perhaps inadvertent  help .

They were especially irked that MCC had helped a Jacob Riemer , born 1918,to escape Europe with a Menno-pass . For 45 years he proclaimed his total and complete innocence , while living in New York  State . In the early 90′s , after The Russians released all the records , enough evidence was found  for the US government to strip him of US citizenship and to deport him back to Russia . In 2005 he had exhausted all his appeals , and was days away from being deported , when he died a natural death in the USA.

The very worst example of the ”Mennonite turns into a monster war criminal ” in the Stutthof  area ,was of a rather meek  natured farmer Named Heinrich Wiens.  Born in 1906 , he signed up to be a member of the SS in the mid 30′s  . In his application to join up with the special program to join the SS Guards , He noted that he was a ”Lover of God”.A rather risky thing to put down , one would think.

Perhaps he had a few reservations about the whole thing . Within a short while all reservations must have been swept away . Perhaps Wiens discovered he just loved brutalising and murdering helpless peoples. Over the next several years he graduated from being a guard to joining a mobile killing squad , the kind where a buses’ exhaust killed the occupants . He was promoted up the ranks until he commanded his own personal  killing squad . He was directly responsible for many , many thousands of murders ,in the area and to the East .

He faded away and disappeared sometime in late 1944 , and was never heard of again ,anywhere . Not even by his family. The Russians and Americans kept a close look-out for him for several decades . It was not believed he had that much money that he could have escaped that way , he was more interested in killing helpless people then in money.

The conclusion most investigators have come to ,over the years ,is that he probably died in some muddy ditch in 1945  , rolled over by a Russian tank perhaps , and left to rot like the animal he had become . No one knows . Being born in 1906 , surely he has met his maker now.

Most Mennonite men, in Poland and Russia that joined the SS were never brought to justice , in this life. They were not military men , but almost always  solely recruited to kill ”undesirables”.  This is not the story that has been put forward by most writers since then , that seek to show the peaceful, blameless side of the Russian and  Polish Mennonites during the war.

to be continued…

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1.On new Year’s Night , Just go to Bed and get some sleep , it is a long year ahead . Staying up late will just tire one out the next day , the first day of the year ….

2.Our Country will survive , (unless the Lord returns) , and there is no use to worry about that . ….

3.A fair percentage of all Tradesmen are scamsters , and always have been . That is why it is so important to build a working relationship with your Plumber, carpenter , car repair shop etc.

We recently heard of a Roto-rooter man who wanted $1400 to unplug a sewer . A painter who asked 22K to paint a house ..Somehow ,they never get ahead , even with an occasional sucker.

4. This is for the men.Never ever Climb into a septic Tank , or into a sewer manhole , for any reason . A lot of the poison but odorless gases stay down , and can kill you in seconds.

5.The louder a preacher shouts , usually the less he has to offer.

A New exhaustive study published recently online,”Preachers who are not believers ” by Daniel Dennett & Linda LaScola, shows there  may be more  unbelievers behind pulpits , then are before it ,and that  is rather sobering . None of their studied preachers mentioned were Anabaptist , but we think the thing would apply there too..

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These Rainy , (but not snowy) December days make for reading times . So much information out there , not just on-line , but in old fashioned book form , too.

We are slowly working our way through Leroy Beachy’s ”Unser liet”‘ , his compilation of Anabaptist history he has called ”The story of the Amish.”

We would note here that if Jacob Ammon’s historic efforts took place Around 1700 A.D. (Give or take a dozen years either way ), That would mean that Amish history started rather late in the Anabaptist movements.

The last execution of an Anabaptist in Switzerland took place in 1614, in Holland about a dozen years earlier . Long before anyone was known as “Amish “.

There is an old Wagler story, we have heard since our youth , about a group of Waglers that arrived in Ontario, Canada , in the early 1800′s . Someone pointed them the general direction that the ”Amish” lived at .

The newcomers were confused , as they had never heard that description of themselves , until in America , to refer to themselves as Amish .

The ”Ausbund” the well known Anabaptist compiled Hymnal used to today by most Amish  , and the ”Martyrs mirror” , the tome of the persecuted ,had been around for generations before Jacob Ammon, founder of all things known today as ‘Amish”,  did his work .

We would wonder if one in Twenty Amishmen today would know that, that no Amishmen were ever burned at the stake of fire , for his beliefs ?

The final 2 months of the Year are upon us , Holiday times are and can be a blessing to all. It is estimated that over 90% of Anabaptist are passive folks, and feel good about it  . Well , you will note that we do not intend to run with the flock on that one. If Amish ways are too hard , and “English”"  ways too modern , why not go somewhere in between ?

Latest items always at the top ,

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20. Wendy’s is now overtaking Burger King in fast food sales ……Wendy’s is for sure a better deal , and seems like better food , then either Mcd’s or Burger-king .And they have about a thousand less stores .too, then Burger King.

But we would still prefer “Cracker Barrel” , That feeder of the common man, (with a job).

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19.today ,Dec 19-11 we bought cheaper gas . The per gallon price is not as important to us as exactly how many gallons go in the tank from a $20 bill . We haven’t been able to pump over 7 gallons for that money for quite some time .7.007 gallons ,to be exact. ($2.82 a Gallon.)

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18.We yesterday teased a dear niece , who is obviously , rather pointedly pregnant.

”The next time you eat watermelon, just spit the seeds out ” , was our clever remark.

Her rather quick  reply .”I happen to be pregnant , what is your excuse?”……Now that is meddling …

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17. Thanksgiving is past , but we can still be thankful , for all things.

In the Medical field , appendicitis, diabetes, even gall stones meant a painful death , not that many decades ago. Sure , the medical procedures are ridiculously expensive and all , but we can expect to pay for progress . A small cut while shaving could mean death from infections , until the “miracle’ drug , penicillin came in the early 1940′s.

We can still remember a time when older folks fought to keep from going to a hospital for any reason, because a hospital was just thought of as  a place to go and die . And it was , too.

So , some things do get better , with time and knowledge……Dec.19-11

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16. The crazy beard-cutting Amish Bishop has run up against something he cannot handle , the federal government .  He has all the Amish Women he desires , all the money he wants , which may have affected his thinking some.

His 700 acre spread is smack-dab in the middle of that shale oil frenzy in Ohio, He recently reportedly banked a check for a cool $2 million from that.    What would an Amishman do with $2  million Bucks?  He’ll need to spend a good bit of that on lawyers , now.  Dec 14-11

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15.    A couple of sayings that can make sense …….

a.  Life is too short to put up with dial-up Internet service.

b. If you are not comfortable inviting those you meet during the week , to attend Church with you on Sundays , you may be wasting that day.

c. Time proves out most arguments, also tends to put them in perspectives.

d.Good fences make for good Neighbors.

e.A clever person, in the final analysis , seems clever only to oneself.

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14. Cell phones are here , and take over some folk’s whole life. We do not intend to be one of those. We spend about 400 minutes a month , mostly 1-2 minute calls .

Last month we suddenly realized we were about out of plan minutes ,the Verizon folks were calling , reminding us of that . A check on-line , at the Plan ,showed that one of our phones was doing 2-3 hours a day of active time . Whoops, we had ”loaned’ one of our cellphones out to an unemployed man who also is a tenant .

That was fine , though it is in the past tense now . That rates right up there with people asking to use one’s phone ,”Just for a quick call ”. We do this about every day , and will continue to do that , though the callbacks get frustrating .

Just a few minutes ago I got a call from an unknown man asking to speak to an “Ed”.  At those times we resort to what has to be the worst put-down in Southern phone etiquette . I firmly ask ”What can I help you with ?”

That has got to be the rudest phone question imaginable if asked of  an acquaintance. But is acceptable with an unknown caller .

We do hear the Northerners tend to do that to each other , to save time  ,they say.   Dec.06-11

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13. The Old German Baptist Brethren , had a major split in 2009. The splitees call themselves the ”New conference Old German Baptist brethren” .

Yeah , you guessed it , it was mostly over the Internet and having E-mail access . The biggest Invention in the past several hundred years is splitting up plain groups all over . The ”old” , remaining group is giving it’s members 3 years to get entirely rid of all and any Internet influences , including E-mail . That should be interesting to see a try to  unravel that influence, once they have it . Dec.03-11

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12. They are camping out in the rain in Greenville SC to try and enroll their children in a new-fangled ”magnet” school . Some are planning to stay in tents 4 days to get a crack at it for their  children. Rich and poor , famous and unknown  , they all have the same goal,to get their kids in a better school . Our own Christain Schools  are not always the answer , as they can rot from within like a rotton fruit , too , If God does not stay in the center of it . Nov 28-11

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11. Really mild and balmy weather has been had here over Thanksgiving week . We heard several concerns over this weekend that folks have stacked up huge woodpiles , and worry that there may be no real cold weather this winter . Just wait , it will come , though hopefully not as long and lingering as last years’.   We even had a whole tramatizing week of snow last Jan  1-7. That was the most snow we had in 10 years.In SC

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10. Those of our relatives interested in and  related to my Grandfather J K Wagler , and Great Grandfather Christain Wagler , may care to check back to the July 2008 article archive on that subject , as we have just now added a few pertinent details onto the comment section there. Nov24–11

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9. This past weekend Nov-18-20, we attended a series of meetings held at a local BMA (Biblical Mennonite Alliance) Church . Paul Emerson , One of their most senior Pastors , was the featured speaker . It was about the many different Bible translations , and how they should effect us . Paul Emerson is planning to go on to Elnora , Ind , to be the principle of the BMA Bible School there. We believe he will do well there .

Paul is a very Slow -speaking , but well studied up speaker who shuts down right on time or earlier . He is also not at all redundant . (As in repeating one’s point over & over & over in so many slightly different ways, perhaps to kill time , almost all slow religious speakers tend to do that ,).

We have never before noted this particular combination in an Anabaptist speaker , and very much enjoyed hearing him ..

Nov 23-11

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8. A thing of interest to all you ex-Aylmer folks , A time-capsule of Aylmer-Amish  info is found by typing the following into google ……..”Recent Amish immigration to Ontario By Joseph Stoll Oct 1966” .

A thorough scholarly look at all Amish settlements in Ontario at that date . We do not know who is putting this material online , but are confident it is not the author.    Nov22-11

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7.The Amish are modernizing in lots of ways . At least the ones in Daviss County Ind, are. Cell phones are a must . L.E.D. lights on buggies make them very visible , and top buggies are in too . The biggest thing we noted was the lighting in houses . LED lights hooked up to regular house wiring and switches , hooked to banks of batteries and solar panels ,supply lights throughout the house . Now if they could just invent a buggy that runs on solar power, they could get rid of the dumb horse for good.

Motor generators are out , but anything solar is in , so that may be only a matter of time . We have always despised horses , since you-know-when.

We at one point paid a very short visit to Worthington Ind. ,just 30 miles north of  there , to talk to our niece a bit. The Amish group there is in the process of switching from buggies & horses to driving cars . We assured them they would not regret it . It will not solve all problems , but will surely open up a lot of options . We feel sorry for them in this transition time because they are being beset by spiritual violence from some other Amish , who now boldly pronounce them as ”Gone to nothing” ,and treat them accordingly . Thankfully ,the Davies Co. Ind. Amish would not generally act like that .

We were at an Amish store in Worthington ,watching a soon to locally be extinct buggy rattle by . I asked the Amish girl behind the counter …”What are you going to do with your horse & Buggies?”…

“We’re going to sell them” was her immediate reply ..Ah, smart girl indeed.

The big news up there in Southern Indiana now is the I-69 Interstate being built through there now. One Amish friend told how he got up very early in the morning to sneak a horse & wagon load of something across No-man-land of Interstate work to a Nieghbor’s place . A supervisor caught up with him ,and kindly inquired where he wished to go . After helping him across , the Construction Supervisor just off-handedly mentioned that next time he may want to consider using the Roads….

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6. we spent the past few days in Southern  Ind. at My Uncle Ben Yoder’s Funeral . We had a great time catching up with past friends , Also enjoying some great foods from Southern ind. Amish Country. These folk don’t go in much for casseroles and such fare , They prefer real meat and potatoes stuff.

We checked in at the Gasthof hotel in Montgomery Ind , And I could not resist ordering  up a ”Beef Manhattan ” Right off the in-room menu. They don’t serve that in the South . A stacked tier of Bread, mashed potatoes, beef and gravy. I think that was also the last food we bought , and we were stuffed from then on throughout our 3 day visit. Even the Funeral food was delicious. Food is a serious matter up there.

So are urban legends . A good but a bit under-informed friend tried to explain to me why railroad rails are exactly as wide apart as they are . Something about horses and wagon trains and Roman Chariots being that same width apart. And parts of the space shuttle , too .

I checked on the “‘urban legend” sites , and that particular tale rated up there pretty high . Come on , folks , 99% of those stories are easily debunked ..Nov.13-11

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5. And now , our take on toilet flappers . (That is the roundie thing-ama-gig that pulls up when you push down on the handle to let the water flush out ). They need to be replaced every few years . We had always got by by buying a baguette full from Lowe’s for about a dollar each . They worked fine , even if they come from China , until just recently . The Chinese have apparently cheapened them to the point where they no longer work keeping water in the tank . We now get the Corky brand , made in USA , about $4 each , and they work fine …

We are constantly repairing toilets . We will check the supply line, the tank bolts, the flapper, and then finally the wax seal, in that order .that takes care of 99% of problems.     Nov.09-11

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4.The big news of the day  is that former performer Micheal Jackson’s Doctor is found guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter for supplying Medicines that supposedly killed the ”Man? with a fake nose”.

I didn’t follow the story very well , before or after the death of the so called Star . it would seem that almost any Medical Doctor could be put in jail if it is a Jailing crime to make mistakes with medicines. Let’s just say it is a slow news day . Nov 08–11

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3.Climate Change seems to be happening in some form. We remember when they warned us that the World was going into another Ice Age , Winter all year round . Now, most Scientists tell us we will all be getting hotter fast . With all of Science , we do not know whats to come in the future , hotter or colder .

There are now about 7 Billion Humans on the Planet , and that is a lot of folks . Some horrifying disease or perhaps War will cut that number down in the future , If the Lord tarries ….Nov 1-11

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2.Probably  the World’s most savage people are , guess again , the People of the island nation of Japan .Modern historians are still studying What all took place in 1940-45 , when the entire nation of Japan reverted to a savagery unequaled in modern history , for a so-called civilized Nation .. Turns out it is a recurring thing , that Japan is noted for . In about 1600 A.D.  Japan almost annihilated the Korean peninsula populations . To show the Home folks how well they were doing , The Japs shipped back to the Home empire up to a million sets of enemy ears , noses and heads too. They buried many of these in a large Mound with a shrine on top of it . There are several of them ,and  are up to 60 feet tall and a hundred yards wide . Known as Mimizukas they are still  there , neatly mowed and kept up , and an embarrassment to today’s ‘peaceful” Japanese folks ..Or are they ??

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1. About once a year we keep track of major league baseball , at world series time,of course ……The St. Louis Cardinals pulled  out the win , after an unbelievable game 6 where they faced total loss twice by a single strike …..Almost reminds me of the Pittsburgh Pirate’s unlikely series win in 1979 …