Sat. Army 250th Birthday (14th June) parade: Will it be more like Bastille Day is in France? Will it put in place a "new" precedent? Ticket application

UPDATE: June 1 -- those requesting tickets to the Army 250th

and Trump 79th Birthday Parade must request them online

ahead of time -- using self-identification of your telephone/cell

number as well as full name, email address, state, zip code.

Limited tickets have been made available and are free on first-come

first-served basis.  The route of the 2025 June 14th unique event is

along Constitution Avenue, near the National Mall - Congress building as well

as the Smithsonians museums and Memorials.

eventbrite.com/e/us-army-250th-birthday-festival-parade-tickets-1348827592639

________________________________________________________ 

UPDATE (May 31) NBC News revealed Sat. afternoon that the Army

expects there to $16 million damage to D.C. Streets and Bridges

from the heavy-weighted tanks, and armored fighting vehicles,

vehicles towing artillery launchers.  More than 50 helicopters will

fill the skies as well as the "Golden Knights" parachute team.

NBC News.com/05/31/politics/national-security/. . .estimates-

parade-cost-16-million-damage-streets-dc. . .

_______________________________________________________

There was no major parade in 1975

when the Army marked 200 years since

1775; in Trump-Pence administration

the "Golden Knights" Parachute team did

land on the White House lawn July 4, 2020

for an Independence Day celebration

(that year was the onset of COVID-19).

For this year's celebration, the Army has

been planning national, global, even

interstellar aspects [ an Army astronaut

will phone in from the International Space

Shuttle ].   Will a high-profile "Bastille Day"

type national event focused at the District

of Columbia set a "new" precedent for

events like the 200th anniversary of the

Declaration? of the Treaty of Paris? of

Constitution anniversaries?

see further Helene Cooper article for

NYTIMES May 27, 2025

military-parade-trump.html

Giving of the Torah - Shavuot is June 1 - 3, 2025

June 1 (sunset) - 

all day June 2, 3

until sunset June 3

Shavuot (a movable Jewish holiday)

is celebrated by staying up

all night to learn the Torah,

hearing the reading of the

Decalogue (10 Commandments)

in one's synagogue, lighting

candles, feasting on dairy foods. . .

May 2025 : blog statistics total

 Number of Web visits

to this GOOGLE BLOGGER website

May 1 (first day) = 277

May 2 (Friday one of 5) = 217

May 3 = 176

May 4 = 212

May 5 = 221

May 6 = 338

May 7 = 316

May 8 = 245

May 9 = 231

May 10 = 245

May 11 = 278

May 12 = 276

May 13 = 192

May 14 = 351

May 15 = 207

May 16 = 199

May 17 = 194

May 18 = 227

May 19 = 157

May 20 = 254

May 21 = 271

May 22 = 160

May 23 = 306

May 24 = 225

May 25 = 233

May 26 = 160

May 27 = 208

May 28 = 729

May 29 = 1343

May 30 = 706

May 31 = 732

Running total for (May 1 - 31) =  9,886

Number of Posted pages / announcements / articles (online) : 339

NASA -- dozens of active and planned Spacecraft & Missions have been killed in Trump Budget Request

SCIENCE .org -- online article 30 May 2025

reports that NASA BUDGET amounts from

Trump - Vance have cut it in half down to 

$3.9 billion

science.org/content/article/dozens-of-active-and

planned-spacecraft-killed-trump-budget-request

_______________________________________

No chief of Nasa nominated (31 May 2025)

___________________________Trump 2.0

has waffled again -- not going to push on

the U.S. Senate to vote up or down on a

billionaire donor to the Campaign / 2025 inauguration

festivities

JARED ISAACMAN must remove his name and

reputation from this ill-begotten nomination

[ since Jan. 2025 ]

May 31, 2025 4 p.m. Eastern Time Zone

Why isn't V-J Day the next day or week after the Hiroshima or Nagasaki A-Bomb attacks? (August 6 and August 9)

The reason that the Japanese forces didn't immediately

by the second week of August 1945 surrender and

accept occupation by the Allies (U.S., Europe, Canada,

Australia, more) is

that an official surrender had to take place

involving the commanders of troops as well

as the monarch of Japan, Hirohito, and Prime

Minister Hideki Tojo also had to submit.

On September 5, 1945 (80 years ago)

an official Surrender Ceremony had to take

place on battleship USS Missouri between

Foreign Minister Shigemitsu and General 

MacArthur.  That ended the part of W.W. II

that was centered around the Pacific and

East Asia.

FROM: description / narrative / facts in

Julie Klam's Victory in the Pacific.

When did the Allied Forces invade the 60-mile long island of Okinawa?

April 1, 1945

The combined force numbered

180,000 troops and about 1,300

warships of all kinds, the largest

assembly of ships in the war.

Soldiers and Marines fought bitter

battles on land; the Navy fleet 

fought for its life against wave after

aerial wave of kamikaze planes.

One ship, the destroyer, U.S.S.

Aaron Ward, was attacked by 25

kamikazes.  Despite heavy damage

to the ship, sailors aboard successfully

fought off that attack.  As a result,

the Aaron Ward became known as the

"Ship that can't be licked."  By July

1945, the fighting on Okinawa was over.

Again, the United States along with many

allied nations' fighting forces had won!

Author: Julie Klam Victory in the Pacific

IWO JIMA : part of the Bonin Islands southeast of Japan's Honshu Okinawa Island

 When did the U.S. Marines land on Iwo Jima at

the final, decisive year of World War II ?

February 19, 1945

____________________

The taking of Iwo Jima

was one of the bloodiest

battles of the war years.

Out of 30,000 Marines

who landed, about 20,000

were wounded and almost

6,000 were killed.

Jared Isaacman - Trump 2.0 pulls the rug out from under his nomination -- he was the "Musk" / SpaceX pick for the plum job

June 1, 2025 early a.m. follow-up NOW

claims that the Billionaire had contributed

in the past to Democratic causes and candidates. . .

______________________________________

WASHINGTON POST has the scoop

May 31, 2025

THIS billionaire will not get this public

sector job over scientists and astronauts,

and many tech employees . . .

TRUMP withdraws this nomination

4 p.m. Saturday last day of May 2025

__________________________________

Chief Executive of Shift4 Payments

went before the 

Commerce, Science, Technology Cmte.

of the U.S. Senate Wed. April 9, 2025

for a confirmation hearing - statements - Q/A

at D.C. Capitol.

UPDATE:  He claimed that with a $25 billion

budget that NASA could do both Mars and Moon

Missions

NYTimes.com/ nasa-jared-isaacman-confirmation.html

Jared Isaacman is a financial billionaire aligned

with Musk, the world's richest individual; two

prior Chiefs of NASA were also without NASA

credentials nor in the aerospace industry :

Jim Bridenstine / 

Bill Nelson (2021 - Jan. 20, 2025

Bridenstine was Trump 1.0 pick

after being an Oklahoma congressman

and Nelson was Biden's pick after 

many years as Florida's U.S. Senator.

Isaacman was also asked by Senators on Wed. April 9

whether he would commit to restoring climate data

produced by NASA Missions that had been removed

from online databases.  He replied that he did not

know about the issue.

He avoided using terminology like "climate change"

or "global warming."

June 1942 : attack on the Aleutian Islands chain

from Victory in the Pacific by Julie Klam

When the Japanese launched

their attack against Midway

in June 1942, they also sent

an invasion force north to

capture Attu and Kiska, the

two westernmost islands in

the Aleutian Islands chain of

Alaska.  Though the Japanese

were defeated at Midway, they

were successful in capturing

Attu and Kiska.

Strategically, the islands

weren't that important.  They

were too far north and west to

be an effective air base for an

attack on America.  But politically

they were very important.  Americans

were afraid that if the Japanese

weren't kicked off the islands,

they'd fight their way closer and

threaten the West Coast.

Because the region was so remote

and underdeveloped, it took the

Americans almost a year to construct

the bases, transport the troops,

and build up the supplies needed for

the liberation.  Finally on May 11,

1943, the combined U.S. and Canadian

liberation force landed on Attu.  The

defending Japanese garrison fought

hard, but in less than a month, it

was defeated.  Because the fighting

on Attu was so hard, a larger invasion

force was assembled to liberate Kiska.

But when the Allied troops landed on

Kiska on August 15, 1943, they discovered

that the Japanese garrison had evacuated.

The island was deserted!

It took more than a year, but the Allies

had reclaimed the Aleutian Islands Chain!

Banzai Charges

Banzai

is a Japanese word that means

10,000 years, forever!

Traditionally, it was a

cheer shouted in dedication

to the life of the emperor.  It was

also a part of the samurai code of 

honor that demanded a warrior die

rather than accept dishonorable

capture.  The original samurai 

were warriors in feudal Japan,

roughly like the knights of

Europe in the Middle Ages.  

Samurai practices evolved into

a code of conduct in the Japanese

military.  When it became apparent

that the Japanese were about to lose

a battle or an island, the surviving

troops would assemble and launch

a suicidal all-or-nothing attack against

the American lines.  As they charged,

the Japanese would shout, BANZAI!

Thus, the suicidal assaults became known as

"Banzai Charges."

Jacques Ellul - Raison d'Etre - translated by Joyce Main Hanks

Ecclesiastes 12 (Final chapter)

verses 2 - 8

Jacques Ellul considers the first verse of

a grand finale; the author (Qohelet)

has his whole teaching in the closing / conclusion.

Reason For Being (1990) was

translated from French into

this book excerpt (pages 283-4).

___________________________

Before the sun becomes dim,

and the light, the moon,

and the stars, before the clouds

return after the rain; [verse 2]

on the day when the guardians of 

the house will tremble, when

strong men will be bent down,

when the grinders will stop,

because they are too few,

when those (women) who look out

from the windows will grow dim, [3]

when both doors to the street will

be closed, on the day when the sound 

of the mill fades away,

when one gets up to the cry of

the Sparrow, when all songs

grow faint; [verse 4]

and also one is afraid of heights.

He will find terrors in the way;

when the almond tree blossoms,

the grasshopper becomes weighed

down, and the caper_ loses its effect,

for a person is going toward his

eternal home and the mourners go about

in the streets; [verse 5]

before the silver cord comes undone,

or the golden bowl is shattered,

or the pitcher is broken at the

fountain, or the pulley at the

cistern is broken; [verse 6]

before the dust returns to the

earth as it was,

and the breath returns to God

who gave it.  [verse 7]

Vanity of vanities, Qohelet said,

all is vanity! [verse 8]

This book, his commentary on the

Hebrew Bible writing titled usually

ECCLESIASTES, is one of Ellul's

more than 40 books.  Eerdmans

published it in 1990 ISBN: 0802804055

Sunburst Race 2025 (downtown South Bend, IN) - age race minimums

Sunburst Half-Marathon

see Runsignup.com/Race/Events/

IN/SouthBend/SunburstRaces

Start Time 7 a.m. 

day of race (May 31, 2025)

$85 race fee plus $6.10 Sign-up fee

open to Age 10+

__________________

Sunburst 10K

must be 6+

start time 7:35 a.m.

__________________

Sunburst 5K

must be 6+

start time 7 a.m.

__________________

5k Fitness Walk - Not Timed

Strollers are allowed

start time 9 a.m.

end time 10:45 a.m.

Price $45 race fee and

$4 sign-up fee

Sunburst Sponsors:

KeyBank, Meijer, Fleet

Feet (Mishawaka), 

WSBT (TV affiliate

both CBS & Fox

/Sinclair programming),

South Bend International

Airport, Culligan Water,

Granger Community 

Church, Boling Vision

Center, among others

The argument of AMERICA,_AMERICA

Greg Grandin's account of a history

of the Western Hemisphere (North, Central,

South/Latin America) :

2025 : Penguin Publisher

page xxv in the "Introduction"

America, Ame'rica_ 

argues that the New

World's magpie rivalry,

its immanent critique, played

a vital role in the creation of

the modern world, shaping

its economics, politics, and

moralities.  The Protestant

settlers who colonized,

followed by the republicans

who revolutionized.  North

America looked to Spanish

America not as an alien other

but as a competitor, a contender

in an epic struggle to define a

set of nominally shared but

actually contested ideals:

Christianity, freedom, law,

sovereignty, property, equality,

liberalism, democracy, and,

above all, the very meaning

of America.

Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize for THE_END_OF_THE_MYTH

A noted professor and author of

widely acclaimed books gets around

to a single mention of #DJT (Trump 2.0)

on Page 625 of

America, Ame'rica_ (2025, Penguin)

. . .Nayib Bukele has done

away with due process. . .

Bukele, as Pinochet before

him, has found admirers

throughout the Americas.

He wants to build mega

prisons the way Vargas

wanted to build steel

mills.  Republicans want

to help him, and in

donald_trump he (Bukele)

along with Argentina's

Milei and Brazil's

Bolsonaro, will have

a powerful ally. Democrats

for their part have few

critical words for what

is shaping up to be a long-

lasting dictatorship.

ISBN: 9780593831250

Robert Jarvik, born May 11, 1946 in Midland, Michigan

a designer of the first permanent artificial heart

has died in his home in Manhattan, NY City, NY

on Monday May 26, 2025.

Obituary in NY Times, online

2025/05/29 

science/robert-jarvik-dead.html

Obituary by Jere Longman of the Times.

excerpt:

By the mid-1980s, medical ethicists and theologians

were debating whether artificial hearts improved life

or extended a painful decline toward death. . . one

theologians : Life is a Basic Good but not an

Absolute Good, there is a limit on what we can do

to preserve our lives. 

In a 1989 interview with _Syracuse Magazine_,

Dr. Jarvik admitted that his belief that the Jarvik-7

was advanced enough to be used widely on a

permanent basis was "probably the biggest

mistake I ever made."

Macrostructure

How did Elizabeth Achtemeier in her 1986

Nahum - Malachi volume for the Interpretation

series of Commentaries arrange BOOK OF PROPHET

MALACHI ?

(from page 30 of Volume 25D, Anchor Bible volume

by Prof. Andrew E. Hill, Wheaton College)

Malachi as a Legal Proceeding

in a Court Setting

I. Yahweh as Defendant

     A. Charges Filed by

        the plaintiff Judah

        1. Yahweh has not

          loved Israel (1:2-5)

        2. Yahweh has neglected

          covenant promises (2:17-3:6)

II. Role Reversal -- Judah as Defendant

  A. Charges filed by Plaintiff Yahweh

   1. Judah has defiled the liturgy (1:6-14)

   2. Judah's priests are corrupt (2:1-9)

   3. Judah has profaned the marriage covenant

      (2:10-17)

   4. Judah has violated Yahweh's Covenant (3:5-7)

   5. Judah has robbed God of his tithe (3:8-15)

III. Verdict of the Jury

 A. Yahweh Innocent (3:16)

 B. Affirmation of the righteous (3:17-21) [4:3]

IV. Final Remonstrance by Priest-Judge to 

    Obey Mosaic Law (3:22) [4:4]

V.  Concluding Promise of Divine Mercy & Love

(3:23 - 24) [4:5 - 6]

Sixth Oracle of Malachi (the 12th Prophet of the BOOK OF THE TWELVE) - Nebi'im Prophets of Hebrew Bible

Translation included in

Volume 25D (Anchor Bible Volume series)

by Andrew E. Hill, Wheaton College

ISBN : 0385-46892-X

Your words against me have

been harsh, Yahweh said.

But you have said, "How have we

spoken against you?"

You have said, "It is futile to serve

God!  What profit [is there] because

we have kept his charge, or because

we have paraded mournfully before

Yahweh of Hosts?  So now we

consider the arrogant fortunate.

Not only have those doing evil been

built up, but also they have tested

God and escaped!"

Then the fearers of Yahweh spoke

together, each one with his companion.

And so Yahweh took notice and he

listened.  A book of remembrance was

recorded in his presence, [enrolling]

the fearers of Yahweh and those

esteeming his name.

"They will be mine," Yahweh of

Hosts has said, "a prized possession

during the day when I act.  Then

I will show compassion upon them,

even as a man shows compassion

for his son, the one who serves him.

Once again you will see the difference

between a righteous and a wicked

one, between one who serves God,

and one who has not served him."

"For indeed, the day is coming, 

burning like an oven, when all

[the] arrogant and all evildoers

will be stubble.  And this coming

day will devour them,"

Yahweh of Hosts has said, "so that

it will leave them neither a root

nor a branch.  But a sun of

righteousness will arise

for you, those revering

my name; and healing

[is] in her wings.   And

so you will go out and 

you will frisk about like

stall-fed calves.  And you

will trample the wicked,

indeed they will be ashes

beneath the soles of your

feet, during the day I

am preparing," Yahweh of

Hosts has said.

4:4 (Appendix)

Remember the Torah of Moses my

servant, whom I commanded at

Horeb on behalf of all Israel --

[the] statutes and [the] ordinances!

4:5 (Second appendix)

See!  I am sending Elijah the

prophet to you before the coming

Day of Yahweh -- the great and the

terrible [day]!  And he will turn

the heart of the forefathers toward

the[it] descendants and the heart

of the descendants toward their

forefathers; or else [when] I come

I will strike the land [with] a curse

[for destruction].

Is your child old enough to run a 5K Race?

Cleveland Clinic sought to answer this question

in Spring 2024 :

health.clevelandclinic.org/born-to-run-how-young-is-too-young-to-run-a-race

source author / interviewee

Gary Calabrese, PT, DPT

". . .no clear cut rule when it comes

to a focused running program. . .

if your child ask to start regularly

running at any point,. . .nobody

agrees on how much running

should be done when kids are young. . ."

Age 8 - 12 :this is a good age to try

a 5K (3.1 mile race)

if your child wants to enter a race.

For racing at ages 13 - 15

consider a 10K or a half-marathon

[online article does emphasize

problem of overuse injuries].

George Clooney (Academy Award nominations and 2 wins)

2006 nomination for

Good Night and Good Luck

Best writing of an original Screenplay

shared with Grant Heslov;

2006 nomination as

Best Director of a feature film

Good Night and Good Luck;

Syriana -- he won in 2006

"BEST ACTING IN SUPPORTING ROLE";

2008 nomination for

Best Acting in Featured Role

Michael Clayton  (feature film);

2010 nomination for

Best Acting in Featured Role

Up In The Air ;

2012 nomination for

Best writing of an original screenplay

shared with Grant Heslov & Beau Willimon

The Ides Of March (feature film);

2012 nomination for Lead actor in

The Descendants; 

2013 -- (producer)

Best Picture

Argo

award shared with Grant Heslov & Ben Affleck.

"Good Luck and Good Night" to air June 7, 2025 on cable TV

N e t w o r k :  CNN (pay cable)

The Broadway play will be aired live

June 7 (Saturday evening), 2025.

Edward R. Murrow, then-CBS

newscaster during McCarthy era of

the 1950s is depicted with on-air

reporting and historic acts to confront

intimidation and harassment of those

called to testify before Congress.

ACTOR: portrayal by George Clooney

P L A Y: is adapted from a screenplay

of the same name (film of 2005) written

by the actor, Mr. Clooney and Grant Heslov.

Elon Musk - who gave him a black eye?

Hypothetical suspect/s list from

journalist who follows the press questioning

and theories around the S. African immigrant

CEO / owner of multiple corporate manufacturing

tech developments

at least 2 of the many women with whom he has fathered children;

pretty much the entire federal bureaucracy;

his neighbors in a suburb of Austin, TX;

Tesla shareholders;

old friends / frenemies of his;

his 20-year-old daughter;

all those people who have set Teslas on fire;

even some Trump voters.

Eminem sues FaceBook, InstaGram, Meta for unlicensed use of his music

Detroit Free Press reports that

the global corporation failed to

properly secure and limit

unlicensed use of his music 

Meta

FaceBook

InstaGram.

The lawsuit is in federal court

(Detroit).  "across millions of

videos which have been viewed

billions of times."

freep.com/2025/05

entertainment/music

8:30 p.m. May 30, 2025 (online article)

reporter Brian McCollum

Drug busts -- Cass County villages of Vandalia & Dowagiac - May 29 and 31, 2025

WNDU reports at 2 p.m. Saturday May 31 4 people arrested

for Meth at a home in Vandalia, MI (Cass County).

______________________________________________________

WSBT (CBS affiliate / also FOX entertainment - Sinclair affiliate)

reports that 2 were arrested at an Orchard Street residence,

Dowagiac, Michigan

around 5 p.m. Thursday

May 29, 2025.

Cass county Sheriffs found

methamphetamine as well

as evidence of meth distribution.

a 44-year-old man and a 41-year-old

woman were arrested Thursday

awaiting charges.

STORY filed / aired Friday

May 30, 2025 11:45 a.m.

Car crashes into cemetery (Buchanan, MI) dislodging headstones

WSBT has this coverage of

May 30 9 p.m. early news

(ON WSBT-Fox / Sinclair) 22.2

Oak Ridge Cemetery

a row of 7 headstones

were cracked and some

off their foundation.

wsbt.com/news/local/car-crashes-into-buchanan-cemetery-damages-headstones-

oak-ridge-crash-family-grave#

30 May 2025

Vaccine Recommendations (2025) - RFK Jr. blindsided CDC with his limited approach

mNexspike -- the new generation

COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine is made in a way

that allows for a lower dose. . . ABC News

update - breaking news May 31, 2025

______________________________________

RFK, Jr. of the Health, Human Service branch 

Cabinet-level Secy. -- blindsided the CDC, Atlanta

with his changes and drawbacks of COVID-19

vaccine recommendations . . . Washingtonpost.com

May 28, 2025 8 p.m. Eastern (online coverage)

_______________________________________

NPR reports that today (Tuesday April 15)

is a morning meeting of the CDC advisory

committee on Immunization Practices . . .

RFK Jr. will be present after the initial meeting

with the Senate-approved Cabinet Secy. was

canceled/postponed in early Feb. 2025.

They typically hold meetings 3 X a year; 

to be covered are reports from CDC staff

on HPV vaccines, COVID, and Flu vaccine

development.  Signs of political interference

may be subtle . . .

npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/04/15

Blatant viewpoint discrimination makes lawsuit "winnable"

TODAY

May 30, PBS has sued Donald J. Trump

to stop his executive order to cut federal funding

for federal funding for public television and 

public radio.  Filed in U.S. District Court

Washington, D.C.  Trump continues to 

blatantly cut off funds over his desire to

cut off the content of programming designed

to encourage freedom of content and speech.

Only Congress not the Executive Branch has

the right to fund the Corporation for Public

Broadcasting.

Library Book Sale (Fill a bag) - One day only - Lincoln Township, Berrien County, Michigan

lincolntownshiplibrary.librarycalendar.com

Saturday May 31, 2025

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Used and donated books (hardback, paperback)

other learning materials, periodicals, et cetera

Stevensville, MI

"Fill a bag with books and more" for

$5

2099 W. John Beers Road,

Stevensville, MI

(269)-429-9575

Every purchase helps fund

library programs, events,

and services for the community!

Contact LINDA REIGLE

lincolnquilter@gmail.com

Rebel Art Fest (Potawatomi Park)

June 1, 2025

MAKE SOUTH BEND

sponsors for its 10th year the

Rebel Art Fest :

Noon - 8 p.m.

Event is free but plan

to buy art, food, drink

to support our local vendors.

15 local bands --

Autumn Academy

DJ Chuck Fry

GXLDSoulRebel

HeyZeus

In This Style

Infinite Buffalo

The Tentakills

Galoshy

Jagalchi

OVRGRXWTH

Stay Nameless

Shark Sugar

Why Not Both?

Sad and Pretentious

Pocketboy Solid

http://www.rebelartfest.com/

Multiple Bison block road near Traverse City, MI - U.S. 31

According to Michigan Live!

multiple bison escaping a farm at

Garfield Township, Traverse City, MI

on Friday 11 a.m. blocked U.S. 31,

luckily no crashes or injuries reported.

The herd had escaped from Oleson's

Buffalo Farm.  The sheriff and Michigan

State Police responded to the scene and 

farm employees herded the bison back

to their pasture.

mlive.com/news/2025/05/multiple-bison-

escape-farm-block-northern-michigan-highway.html

story posted 28 May 2025 4:40 p.m.

Trump may pardon those convicted in trial of Kidnap Plot to subdue and murder Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

BREAKING NEWS: 

This is breaking a promise made to Gretchen Whitmer herself

"Whitmer says Trump promised not to pardon Kidnap Plotters"

Washington Post online

is reporting today May 29, 2025

that Trump 2.0 is considering overturning

the legal prosecution and "closed case" of the

conspiratorial plotters who sought to kidnap

and murder Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer

in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown

and COVID vaccination mandates.

washingtonpost.com/ 2025/05/29

Present Pillars, Benton Harbor, MI on May 31, 2025 (5K walk-run Fitness event) 9 a.m.

Present Pillars

Men's 5K Race : walk / run

9 a.m. at the Center;

204 W. Main Street,

check-in 8:30 a.m.

Saturday May 31, 2025

Benton Harbor, Zip=49022

$10 registration at

runsignup.com/Race/

MI/Benton harbor/

MenSHealthAwarenessWalkRun

Office of Government Ethics & Office of Special Counsel -- Trump to nominate Podcaster

Details (Breaking News) FRIDAY 30 May 2025

Trump's May 29 overnight

nominee for HEAD of Special Counsel

Paul Ingrassia

NYTimes.com/2025/05/30/us/trump-news

UPDATE: Judge Jackson rules March 1, 2025

that Trump cannot fire this constitutionally

protected Special Counsel -- likely to be appealed

to the SCOTUS during March 2025.

_________________________________________

POTUS 47, after firing the heads of 2 government

offices (constitutional law-required),

Feb 12, 2025 was blocked by lawsuit;

UPDATE FEB. 24, 2025

Hampton Dellinger, will continue to lead the

OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL

and has determined that firings of 

probationery employees of fed.

agencies are in violation of federal law.

nytimes.com/special-counsel-fired-

federal-workers.html

original post Feb. 16, 2025

May 29, 1953

 First attested climbers to the height / peak

of Mt. Everest, Nepal

were on this date in

history :

Edmund Hillary (later Sir)

of New Zealand

and Tenzing Norgay, sherpa

fellow climber - guide.

The world's highest elevation

is on this mountain locally

referred to as Sagarmantha.

Kenneth Genalo, Robert Hammer (top ICE officials) - fired by Kristi Noem

 Officials in

Enforcement & Removal division

Investigative Arm

removed as White House / executive

branch demands a sharp increase in

arrests of migrants in the state

illegally . . .

reuters.com/trump-administration-

ousts top ICE officials amid migrant

arrest push (May 29, 2025)

4:38 p.m. Eastern Time USA

National Survey on Drug Use and Health -- all fired in one swoop by Trump and RFK, Jr.

NPR breaks the news that with a mass

email firing

Jennifer Hoenig

and a team of 16 scientists

who were in charge of a decades-long

study of mental health problems and

substance use across the country.

Agency staff continue to work with

a contractor to finish up work began

in 2024 . . . it's unclear how the work

will continue. . .if information is not

being disseminated out to the public,

lives will be lost to overdose, suicide,

but such are entirely preventable.

npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/

samhsa nsduh Trump RFK Jr HHS cuts

firings took place 1 April 2025 // NPR article 29 May 2025

Barrack will serve as interim Ambassadorial Envoy to Syria, while Senate-confirmed Ambassador to Turkey

Trump 2.0 has installed his friend and

adviser,

Tom J. Barrack, Jr.

as interim Envoy to

Syria.  The U.S. Senate

must hold hearing/s and

give a full vote for all

Ambassadorial appointments

from the U.S. Government.

Barrack has for decades been

a close friend and fundraiser

for citizen and then later POTUS

Donald J. Trump.

His background is in Private

Equity Real Estate Investments.

May 29, 2025

Syria-U.S. relations have 

changed rapidly in the last 6

months.  It was during the final

weeks (Dec. - Jan.) of the 

POTUS 46 administration that

Bashar Assad autocracy fell and

a former terrorist group leader

attained power and governance.

Assad now resides in Moscow,

Russia after fleeing in the middle

of the night by private jet as

approved by Vladimir Putin.

Historical Advisory Committee -- chair and members terminated

the HILL platform / web press organization

has publicized that the Trump-Vance administration

has cancelled and terminated historians engaged in

a 9-member panel that reviews records to make

recommendations to the State Department's office

of the Historian for de-classification : currently they

were at work on the George H.W. Bush and Clinton

administrations :

Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation.

Chairman terminated this spring (April 30)

Prof. James Goldgeier.

He commented to The Hill

that the HAC is congressionally

mandated but those firing

federal workers / terminating

agencies lacked authority

to fire all 6 regular and 3 at-large

members.

How many international students should the "Ivy League" admit?

POTUS Trump 2.0

told reporters Wed. May 28, 2025

15%

Moderna (avian flu vaccine developer) had rug pulled out from under its mRNA development

Wednesday May 28,

HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. announced that the federal

government will terminate a $766 million contract

with Moderna, a vaccine corporation.

HHS Communications told NPR and other

press agencies that

continued investment in mRNA vaccine for

H5N1 was not scientifically or ethically justifiable.

NPR obtained reactions from Dr. Ashish Jha of

Brown school of public health and 

Michael Osterholm of the Univ. of Minnesota's

Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy.

NPR.org/5-28-2025/trump-vaccine-bird-flu-mrna 

Grandson of President John Tyler died this week at age 96

The VP who succeeded the first president who died in office,

John Tyler, only had a one-term Presidency but did leave

behind 15 descendants 

when he was himself 72 at

the time of his death in 1862.

John T. died in Virginia opposing

the then-POTUS Abraham

Lincoln's efforts to end slavery

and put down the Confederacy

which had as its capital,

Richmond Virginia.  Youngest

of John Tyler's 15 children was

Lyon Gardiner Tyler and his 

own son,

Harrison Ruffin Tyler, died

this week in the 21st century.

Sunday evening, May 25, 2025

at the age of 96.

Harrison's death comes 163 years

after his grandfather John's death  

in 1862.

Elon Musk begins "off-boarding" after 130 days - ex- "Special Employee"

[appearance with black eye -- questioned

by the HILL reporter, Musk says his 5-year-old

clobbered him in the eye.  The child currently

lives with X's mother [independent of Musk himself].

Friday 30 May 2025 -- afternoon 1:30 p.m.

Press Conference with POTUS Trump 2.0

in OVAL OFFICE, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

D.C.

_____________________________________

Thursday May 29, 2025

last night Musk announced on Twitter / "X"

that he is leaving the Trump-Vance administration.

Earlier this week he had criticized the

"Big, Beautiful" Omnibus bill that Trump 2.0,

Speaker Mike Johnson, and MAGA Republicans

passed by a single vote in the House of Representatives.

His work for the Trump-Vance executive branch has

now finished at 130 days in a 1-year period.

Tariffs - - Feb. 2025 imposed on Canada, Mexico / POTUS 47 loses ruling from Court of International Trade

UPDATE: Wed. 28 May 2025

The Hill covers a ruling today that

blocks the series of Tariff

announcement (see also

"Liberation(?)" Day)

read about 3-judge ruling

the hill.com/homenews/administration/5322889-court-rules-trump-tariffs/

(May 25, 2025)

POTUS Trump 2.0 has officially on "X" / formerly

Twitter announced that

Tariffs imposed on

the European Union (EU)

will be delayed until July 9,

2025.  This delay of implementation

was announced ~8 p.m. Eastern

on Memorial Day "eve."

Deal from Qatar to TRUMP not Final -- Qatari Jet Boeing 747-8 (gift to POTUS)

May 28 UPDATE: Washingtonpost has scoop

Too Many Legal Liabilities for this "Gift" to be finalized

despite claims by the Trump - Vance administration / deal

brokers

May 21 -- news release by Dept.Defense

Secy. Hegseth has accepted a gift of a 

Boeing 747 according to

all federal rules & regulations

nytimes.com/live/2025/05/21/us/trump-news#qatar-plane-trump-air-force-one

Experts agree the updated intelligence

and safety measures that must be

built for a "Flying White House"

will cost

hundreds of millions, paid by

taxpayers and their descendants

Laura Grimm

Trump-Vance "chief of staff" since Jan. 20, 2025

for NOAA

(National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration)

gave an upbeat, thumbs-up

annual Atlantic hurricane

season outlook (June - Sept.

2025).  However, Laura Grimm's

claim that NOAA is now more

"prepared than ever" seems a bit

hollowed given the reduction of

staff by 2,200 NOAA scientists

and cuts at CWS by 550 leaving

the top bureaucrats newly installed

seeking 155 key job openings that 

remain unfilled -- see details at

Scientific American online

scientificamerican.com/article/hurricane-season-is-soon-

noaa-says-its-ready-but-weather-experts-are-worried

May 23 posted online coverage -- byline

Chelsea Harvey

"Yellow Face" play published 2009 -- Featured Actor recognized June 8, 2025 Tony Award

The mock - documentary play,

Yellow Face

has been filmed and is being

streamed on PBS,

focuses on the complexities of

race and identity in the theater

world of the 2000s.  Playwright

David Henry Hwang puts himself

center stage, as he uses the 

controversy of color-blind casting

for Miss Saigon and the racially

motivated federal investigation of

his own father to explore

Asian identity and the

ever-changing definition

of what it is to be an American!

Nomination - Best Revival of Play.

Also nominated for Tony Awards

2025 (June 8 ceremony) are

Daniel Dae Kim as LEAD ACTOR

in a play and Francis Jue as

Featured actor in a play.

St. Joseph Michigan Public school (Upton Middle School students) - new Dell Chromebooks - 292 sixth graders

The St. Joe-Benton Harbor Michigan

Herald-Palladium online article reports

that for 

Fall semester (Sept. 2025)

St. Joseph Public School Board members

and the Public School Foundation

are buying 292 new Dell Chromebooks

with an expenditure of 99,817 dollars --

from People Driven Technologies of

Byron Center.

heraldpalladium.com/communities (online article)

May 28, 2025 -- early a.m.

Measles / Rubeola - 27 May 2025

As of May 27 TV news reporting

ABC News reporter Mary Kekatos

cites 22 cases reported to Center for

Disease Control & Prevention, in

contrast to 100 new cases reported

at official medical reporting (state

depts. of health) over a week in late

April 2025.

Public health experts attribute this to

a mix of initial vaccinations / higher

vaccination to raise the herd immunity,

and people/families staying at home when

sick / contagious / showing manifest symptoms.

The insulated Mennonite community in

W. Texas is one locale where the virus

has likely run through those families

with children (never-vaccinated).  Recently

Nebraska became the 32nd State to report

a case of Measles unrelated to the New

Mexico, W. Texas original epicenter

and transmission.

abcnews.go.com/health/measles-cases-slowing

in u.s.

Second day of GHF - Food Aid distribution in south of Gaza territory - May 28 violent outbreak

AP NEWS online is telling at

6 a.m. Eastern US Time Zone that

One killed, 48 wounded

when IDF Forces opened

fire on those overrunning

a newly set-up aid distribution

site: the Gaza Humanitarian

Foundation claims its security

forces (U.S. contractors) did 

NOT fire on Gazans but

"fell back" before resuming

aid operations.

Rafah in the southern Gaza

Strip is where 2 of 4 planned

distribution centers have opened

by May 28 (day 2).   The funding

for GHF has not been disclosed.

Jeanine Pirro of New York - sworn in May 28

UPDATE: May 28, 2025

The Fox News celebrity (hostess of "THE FIVE")

was sworn in by Donald John Trump's as interim Prosecutor for the Federal

DC. District. [the nation's largest U.S. Attorney's

office ] .  She became a ubuiqitous TV personality during

the Larry King coverage of the O.J. Simpson trials.

Her qualifications to run a major District office of

Federal Prosecutions are unclear.

In her past accomplishments she did lead a team of N.Y. Prosecutors 

in one of the nation's first

domestic violence units.  She also graduated from Albany Law

School and is well-known for her TV series in state and

nationally.

Ed Martin

May 8, 2025 -- Trump's first pick was deemed unsuitable

due to connections to J6 insurrection defendants and

his judicial philosophy regarding their pardoning and

the 2020 Election "Big Lie."  That commitment for

J6 cases caused NC Senator Tillis to announce he would

not vote to bring the nomination to the Senate Floor.

The Senate Judiciary must begin again with new hearings

after Ed Martin was withdrawn by

the Trump 2.0 nominators. 

Gaza Humanitarian Aid (food boxes for families of 5.5) : May 27 update : Chaos erupts

GHF -- only 4 complexes whereas United Nations set up

many more for 2 million Gazans : HAMAS spread rumors among most

desperate of populace that biometrics and valid I.D.

requirement with enforcement -- security is provided by

American private contractors but the Israeli military stand

nearby ready to fire weapons into the air if rioting disrupts

the operation.  Eventually staff of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

flee after distributing 8,000 boxes (3.5 meals for 5.5) for the tens of thousands

desperate for any food and help items.

________________________________________________

Discussion between the American and Israeli governments

highlights the possible U.S. - led  administration of Gaza

(Urban and Rural places & populace) governance - aid distribution

9:32 a.m. Wed. May 7, 2025 coverage at Reuters.com/ 

Will Trump - Vance - Rubio - Witkoff make up the team

to feed the populace of Gaza?  Will they evict them before

constructing a sparkling new condo development on the 

E. Mediterranean?

Tony Irish, Dept. of Interior employee sacked May 27, 2025 for resisting turnover to D.O.G.E.

Elon Musk's DOGE Raiders have another

head they have decapitated from longstanding

Cabinet Departments in the federal Executive Branch.

Escorted out of the office areas and stripped of his

parking and email was

Solicitor Tony Irish, associate.

Also others who resisted DOGE

culling of the department officials 

were: Stan Lowe, information

security officer; Julie Bednar,

human relations associate director.

They attempted to stop DOGE

access to payroll system data.

Secy. of Interior is former ND

Governor Doug Burgum, millionaire.

83,000 Veterans Affairs employees to be fired / sacked / pink-slipped

News of this during May 2025

is "tanking morale" for the long-term

and mainstream work force at VA 

Hospitals and health centers / outpatient care.

How much of the Historical First and Second Kings books discovered in scrolls or verse-passages at Qumran and the Dead Sea Caves?

 Mordechai Cogan on Page 9 of

II Kings (a new translation with

Introduction and Commentary)

Volume 11 of ANCHOR BIBLE Series,

Doubleday (1960s forward) explains

Unlike other books of

the Bible -- for example,

Samuel, Isaiah, Psalms --

extensive copies of which

were discovered at Qumran

by the Dead Sea,

only scattered fragments of

a scroll of II Kings have been

identified, and these reflect

a text which varies only

slightly from the Massoretic

version / textual type.

II Kings chapter 25 selected verses [conclusion of I, II Samuel & I, II Kings]

 Translator Mordechai Cogan

II Kings Volume in ANCHOR BIBLE

SERIES, pages 328-330

II Kings 25: 27 - 30

In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of

Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth

month, on the twenty-seventh day of the

month, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon,

in his accession year [he succeeded

Nebuchadnezzar in 562 - 560 B.C.E. ]

pardoned Jehoiachin king of Judah <and

released him> from prison.  He spoke

kindly to him and set his throne above

those of the Kings that were with him in

Babylon.  He changed his prison garb

and he received permanent provisions by

his favor for life.  His allowance was a

permanent allowance from the king, daily

for life.

Comment by M. Cogan : The release of

Jehoiachin from prison is the last

historical notation recorded in I-II Kings

and is an addition by an exilic writer

acquainted with the event.  What might

have been the purpose of this final post-

scriptum? These verses are merely an

epilogue by an exilic writer who brought

the narration of Jehoiachin's life up to date.

Exilic readers might have found some 

measure of consolation in the preferred

treatment of their aged king; from this

point of view the book of I-II Kings does

end on a positive note.  [see other

commended figures from Judea who are

promoted to positions of influence at foreign

courts : Daniel at the court of Nebuchadnezzar

and Mordecai at the court of Ahasuerus ].

He made his face stop, kept it motionless, expressionless [ II Kings 8:11 ]

 part of the Elisha cycle

II Kings 2 - 13

II Kings 8 : 7 - 15

"Elisha, Ben-Hadad, Hazael"

Who will survive?  For whom

does Elisha weep?  Will

Ben-Hadad survive after asking

'Will I recover?'

Elisha came to Damascus at a time

when Ben-Hadad the king of Aram/Syria

was _ill.  It was reported to the king,

"The man of God has arrived here."

The king said to Hazael [son of a nobody]

Take a gift with you and go meet the

man of God; inquire of YHWH through

him, "Will I recover from the/my illness?"

Hazael went to meet Elisha and took with

him a gift of all the best of Damascus, 40

camel loads!  Hazael came and stood

before Elisha and said, "Your son Ben-hadad

[courtly etiquette to place himself into Elisha's

grace/favor], king of Aram/Syria, has sent me

to you to ask, 'Will I recover from illness?'"

Elisha said to Hazael, "GO, tell him,

You will surely recover."

BUT. . .YHWH has shown me that he will surely

die.  

VERSE 11 : he kept his face motionless

for a long while; then the man of God

wept

[compare John 11:35 : Jesus wept ]

verses 12 - 15

Hazael said, "Why does my Lord weep?"

Elisha : Because I know the harm that you will bring upon

the Israelites : you will set their fortresses on fire; you

will put their young men to the sword; you will dash their

little ones in pieces and rip open their pregnant women."

Hazael said, "Who is your servant, (but) a dog (Greek:

dead dog) that he should do such a great thing?"

Elisha : YHWH has shown me you as king of Aram/Syria."

Hazael left Elisha and returned to his Lord (Ben-hadad),

who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?"

Hazael said, "He said to me, 'You will surely recover.'"

The next day, Hazael took a cloth [hapax legomena

only time this word used in Bible "bed cover / mesh-

netted work"] and dipped it in water; he spread it over

Ben-hadad's face and he died.  So Hazael (son of

nobody) succeeded him.

Translation and notes/explanatory observations in

II Kings (Anchor Bible, Vol. 11)

pages 89-93 by Mordechai Cogan

NPR Sues Trump-Vance administration

POSTED AT

8:07 a.m. Eastern at NPR.org/

National Public Radio and 3 Colorado

public radio affiliates are suing the

Trump 2.0 administration for an

executive order purportedly barring

the use of Congressionally appropriated

funds for NPR & PBS (see Impoundment

Act -- one administration MUST spend funds

already designated by act of Congress [Article

II of Constitution - ratified 1787].

Also named in the suit for the illegality are

Russell Vought (project 2025)

Scott Bessent

Maria Rosario Jackson (Nat.

Endowment for Arts after

that Federal agency was gutted).

npr.org/2025/05/27/nx-s1-5413094/

npr-public-radio-lawsuit-trump-funding-ban

Eminem beats Kendrick Lamar and Drake for "American Music" Awards (total of 2)

Breaking news from 

MICHIGAN ! Live dot-com

May 26, 2025  (event aired on

CBS, 8 - 10 p.m. Monday)

Favorite male

Hip-Hop artist (he

first won a fan-based award

in 2003);

after the show on CBS

ended at 10 Eastern, it was revealed

Eminem (Marshall Mathers)

won best Hip-Hop Album.

Melania Trump Documentary (mid-year 2025)

AMAZON budget for the 

biographical documentary is

$40 million -- FLOTUS is

also an executive director

and will receive salary.

She visited several studios

before settling on Amazon

in Dec. 2024 following a

Mar-A-Lago dinner with

Jeff Bezos and partner Lauren

Sanchez.

Commencement Addresses

C-SPAN 2 (cable TV)

May 26, 2025 8 p.m. Eastern

also online

C-Span dot-org

a line-up of commencement speeches

from across the nation --

with inspiring messages from

leaders in sports, entertainment,

and hyper-partisan politics of 2025.

Arlington Cemetery (today's POTUS remarks, Thanksgiving for Army 250th / his 79th Birthday)

 Among other comments / evaluations

Trump 2.0 told onlookers and those

grieving the soldiers from previous

World Wars and other military

conflicts:

highlighting his upcoming

parade and celebration the

U.S. Army's 250th birthday,

this "will blow everything

away, including the World

Cup and the Olympics, as

far as I'm concerned"; he

referenced the Republic

"that I am fixing after a 

long and hard four years. . .

God returned me to office. . ."

Ezekiel the Prophet - translated (2018 for ANCHOR Bible vol. 22B) by Stephen L. Cook

A new translation of 

Chapter 47

Verses 1 - 12 [translator/editor

Stephen L. Cook of Virginia Theol. Seminary]

The Sacred River

Next the guide brought me

back to the entrance of the

temple building.  Look:

water was streaming out 

eastward from beneath the

temple's elevated platform,

since the Temple faced east.

The water was flowing down

from under the southern side

of the temple's facade, past

the south side of the central

altar.  The man then took me

out of the Temple compound

by way of the outer north

gatehouse and led me around

on the outside to the outer

gatehouse that faces east.

And look: the water was gurgling

out on the south side of the

gatehouse.

As the man went on eastward with

a measuring line in his hand, he

measured off 580 yards [downstream

to the southeast, about 1/3 mile].  He

had me go through the water; the

water came up to my ankles.  Then

he measured another 580 yards and

had me go through the water; it came

up to my knees.  Another 580 yards

farther downstream, he had me go

through waist-deep water.  He 

measured 580 yards more, and there

it was a river that I was not able to

cross by wading.  It was too deep to

cross except by swimming.  The

water had swollen into what could

be crossed only by swimming --

an impassable river.  Then he

said to me, Human One, are you

seeing this?

Then the guide brought me back,

returning me to the riverbank.  When

I got there, Look!  On the banks of

the river were very many trees, on

both sides.  He said to me,

These waters are flowing out 

toward the eastern region and

will go down into the Jordan

Valley and the Dead Sea -- the

sea of stagnant waters.  Then

the waters of the Dead Sea are

healed and become fresh.  Swarms

of living creatures will thrive

when the double river flows.

Fish will abound.  These waters go

there down into the Jordan Valley

so that the waters of the Dead Sea

may be healed and become fresh.

Everything returns to life where 

the river flows.  People will

stand fishing on its banks from

Engedi to Eneglaim.  The shores

will have nets drying in the sun.

They will catch an abundance of fish

there of all kinds, a variety like

that of the Great Sea (the Mediterranean).

Its swamps and marshes, however,

will not become fresh.  They will

serve to supply salt.  On each bank

of the river all kinds of trees will

grow to provide food.  Their leaves

will never wither and their fruit will

never be exhausted.  They will

produce fresh fruit every month,

because of their water source.  It's

out from the sanctuary that

their waters come flowing.  Their

fruit will provide food and their

leaves will be used for healing

people."

U.S. Steel workers (14,000 approx. in N. America) expected to keep jobs in $14 billion "deal" / sale of stock

 Trump approves and "seals the deal" for

$14 Billion -- the investment

is "very exciting";

the Japanese corporation NIPPON

wants the Steel-making firm

as a subsidiary.  Future independence

of the Pennsylvania & Midwest steel-

making is uncertain and does not

require legislative approval,

apparently.  Union President

David McCall declined to 

speculate or comment.