Oct. 2, 2021

In January 1842, the British withdrew from Kabul, Afghanistan in columns of 10,500 soldiers and civilians. Their goal was Jalalabad, 110 miles away. The Afghans slaughtered all but one, leaving him to tell the story. (“One Bullet Away,” by Nathaniel Frick”)

Our sun is expected to exist for another 6 billion years. (Martin Reese in “Newsweek”, 12-26-2012)

When in 1942 the U.S. decided to send Japanese living on the West coast to internment camps in the interior, Canada followed suit and so did Mexico. I recall driving past a former camp in south-central B.C. several years ago. Canada did not allow them back until four years after we did. Young Japanese men volunteered to fight in Europe and won more than their share of medals for bravery. Most of the returnees lost their property they had left behind and were only partly compensated for it many years afterward.

Bill Cosby in his book “Time Flies” quotes Francis Bacon thusly: “Age appears to be best in four things: old wood to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.”

The CDC says the average weight of men is 196 pounds and that of women 166 pounds. Women generally metabolize alcohol slower than men because of different enzymes and hormones (local newspaper)

Hamas in the Gaza strip continues to display its propensity to commit mass suicide by provoking its powerful neighbor with errant rockets. But the only way Israel will enjoy peace with its internal and external Arab neighbors is to stop stealing their land and begin treating them like full-fledged human beings.

You may not believe the following and I am skeptical: “The horned viper, the Sahara’s most feared snake, hunts with its body buried in the sand and head resting on the surface like a stone. When hungry enough the gray monitor will attack a camel and the foot-long lizard sometimes wins.” (“Skeletons on the Sahara,” by Dean King)

“…a rich family takes care of all of its children, not just those with talents valued by the marketplace.” Warren Buffet, TIME, 1-15-18)

“The U.S. has no official church and no official language. Only half of the residents of our largest city speak English exclusively at home,” according to the Census Bureau” (TIME 10-24-16)

Bob Hall

Bellingham