All posts by Will

Some Facts About Food … And Tariffs

Aside, FOOD, Political, Rants, , ,

For those who think Trump’s tariffs are “smart”… Look at these items that are affected by the tariffs … and thus going up in price.

  • Coffee beans are grown in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Specifically, countries like Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia are major coffee-producing regions within this area.
  • More than 2/3 of eggs consumed in the US come from outside the US.
  • Vanilla beans are native to tropical regions, particularly in Mexico and parts of Central and South America. It is now cultivated in various locations worldwide, including Madagascar, which produces a significant portion of the world’s vanilla. Most vanilla beans available today are from Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti.
  • Oregano is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Asia.
  • Rosemary is native to the hills along the Mediterranean, Portugal, and northwestern Spain.
  • Parsley is native to the Mediterranean region, specifically Southern Europe and parts of Western Asia.
  • Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cow’s milk and aged at least 12 months
  • Cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate, comes from the seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). These trees are native to the tropical regions of Central and South America.
  • Wool … China and Australia and New Zealand (in that order) are the leading producers of wool.
  • China … (CATL. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.) is the leading global producer of batteries.
  • Panasonic … is headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan.
  • Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. … is a South Korean multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation … headquartered in Yeongtong District, Suwon, South Korea.
  • Lentils … cultivation is widespread, with major producing regions including Canada (particularly Saskatchewan), India, Australia, Turkey, and Nepal.
  • Peas … Canada produces 31%, Russia 19%, China 18%, US 7%.
  • Carrots … The largest producer of carrots globally is China, which accounts for about 45% of the world’s carrot production.
  • Onions … China is the world’s largest producer of onions, accounting for over 25% of global production … India comes in second.
  • Oranges … The largest producer of oranges globally is Brazil (29%) … China (17%), European Union (13%), Mexico (11%).

Looks like somebody prayed

Life Notes, Music Related, My Life, Thought, , , , , ,

The year was 1989. I had signed up for the Army. I was going to be in training for a year. I was going to be doing a very high security thing. I graduated from high school at the end of May. Three weeks later, I was a passenger in a car crash that …

Mid-way through high school, I felt the calling into the ministry. I was going to go to college and then on to seminary. Well, financially, things did not look good. The weight of the financial aspects was heavy and outweighed what my heart felt. My best friend, out of the blue, joined the army in the fall of 1988. With the weight of financials on my mind, it did not take much for him to “talk me into joining”.

I was all set. I was go ship out 4 weeks after graduation. After basic training, I would be in specialized training for almost a year. It would be an extreme and intense training. Once ready, I would be in a very high-level security position.

It was Monday morning, one of my buddies called me telling me that we were going to Dairy Queen. (Neither one of us had vehicle at the time.) Turns out he had called someone to drive us. The person he called, was not liked much in the community. It was a bit awkward. But, we went.

It has been raining and thus, the roads were very wet. The temperature was great, so we had the windows down. … Bug flew into driver’s face/eye. He could not see briefly. We were going around a curve. The Chevy Chevet ended up wedged in trees in the ditch. (Short back up … I was in backseat, passenger side, my buddy was in front seat and kept reclining the seat back on me … messed up goofball … I had JUST unbuckled my seatbelt to slide to the other side when the accident happened. Where I had been sitting was where the car wedged into the trees. There was about 2 inches of space. Where I had slide to, there was about 2 feet of space.)

I will fast forward … there are things I may fill in later .. but for this post, are not vital.

That evening, doctors did not know if I would survive the night. Out in the waiting room, there were people praying for me. I was told that the room was packed. They were praying for me.

I will shorten this part for now … in the midst of all this … I knew, somehow, I knew people were praying for me. I could hear them. I could feel them.

I was released from the hospital after just two weeks. In the course of those two weeks, doctors said, if I walked again, I would not walk well … doctors also said, it would be weeks before I would be released. Yes, I was released after just two weeks. It was a rough few weeks after, but … I walked. A couple decades later, I walk. And as most who know me, know .. I walk fast. I just do, not sure why.

I come to this song. Somebody Prayed. I focus on this line … Looks like somebody prayed.

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Stack of Books

Charecteristics, Thought
www.wallingfordlibrary.org

I found this image today. The intent was humor. I saw something more, much more.

Quality versus Quantity comes to mind.

Johnny boasted of reading 6 books this week. Timmy only read one. Johnny was praised by his peers. Timmy was quietly disregarded.

From this picture, we see that Johnny read 6 small books while Timmy read a Novel. What we don’t see is that Paul read several magazine articles about taking care of cats.

The class was told to read every day. They were not given a quantity.

Timmy picked a book that his father used to love. Timmy’s father had died last year. Timmy picked a book that was important to him in a special way.

Paul, is wants to help his neighbor, Ms. Macy, with her cats. Ms. Macy was his grandmother’s best friend. He thinks a lot of Ms. Macy.

Johnny did not read every day. He ran to the library the night before and picked several small books to read.

Now, reread the first part. Go on, I’ll wait.

Did you read it differently the second time … knowing what you learned?

Quality versus Quantity … adding in Perspective

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My Words For Today

Charecteristics, Life Notes, My Life, Thought, ,

While I lived in Jackson, TN, tornados cut throw the region many times over the years. I personally witnessed horrific scenes of destruction. My college Alma Matta (just 2 miles from my home) was almost whipped out in one of those times.

I have had friends lose all they had when wildfires swept through their town in a matter of minutes, in Texas.

I have seen the devastation of flooding and had friends lose what they had to the floods, in Tennessee.

I know of people who have lost their homes because of earthquakes, in Missouri

I know of people who have lost their homes because of Hurricanes, in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

I have a friend who, now retired, spent many years leading brave individuals into the whirlwind of wildfires all over the west side of our country. He was most often on my mind when he was working. I worried for him and all the countless men and women in the middle of those fires.

There are still thousands of people without homes because of this year’s hurricane season. There have been wildfires in various places this past year across our country.

Now, the “high profile” focus is on the lower California area wildfires. Thousands more are now without homes.

We take too much for granted. We are not promised tomorrow. We are to live for today. We are to savor the blessings we have RIGHT NOW. Far too many focus on “wanting more”, while thousands … millions have nothing.

Focus should be on helping, supporting, aiding those who have nothing.

A specific call out here … for those of you who claim to be “Christian” … this …

In John 13:12-17, Jesus had just washed the feet of His disciples. He asked them if they understood what he had just done. (v15-16) He said, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.”
Then, (v34-35) “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

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