Author: Jack
I retired in 2008 and so I have more time now to devote to several of my interests The blog here is mainly for my interests in some current events but may have the occasional rant on other subjects. I have also decided to keep my genealogy posts and book reviews here instead of 2 additional blogs (and so simplify my life a little).

Widespread voter fraud: a confession

Widespread voter fraud: a confession

Posted on by Jack

I wish to confess.  I may have inadvertently contributed to the widespread voter fraud that may have caused Donald Trump to lose the popular vote in our last election.  On the other hand, widespread voter fraud may have contributed to his win.

We may never know if someone impersonated me in another state.   We probably don’t know how he or she voted, although President Trump seems 100%  sure they voted against him.

President Trump plans to launch an investigation into this massive voter fraud.

Continue reading “Widespread voter fraud: a confession”

Alternative facts  or alternative  reality

Alternative facts  or alternative  reality

Posted on by Jack

So now we are told there are alternative facts. Is a fact something firm or do we need to consider each alternative reality?

How many realities are there?

Do we need to account for all of them in our thinking?

Once upon a time there were facts and pretty much everyone agreed on them but there were often had different interpretations as to what the facts meant or perhaps differing opinions on the best way to deal with them.  Now the facts are unclear because there are alternative facts and maybe alternative realities to consider .
Continue reading “Alternative facts  or alternative  reality”

Update on a modern dystopian thriller

Update on a modern dystopian thriller

Posted on by Jack

Several months ago I reviewed The Punishments by J.B. Winsor. I just wanted to update it a bit. This modern dystopian thriller has not changed since my review but it may be even more appropriate for our times.

The United States government is taken over by Christian fundamentalists. There are many similarities to the situation in the United States today. This story about the growth of government power and efforts to limit it makes for a fine thriller.
Continue reading “Update on a modern dystopian thriller”

Protecting us from Canadians

Protecting us from Canadians

Posted on by Jack

There have been several articles in the new this morning about our border patrol protecting us from Canadians including several women (2 were French!) and I wonder if there were French-Canadian somehow involved. One was even a dual U.S and Canadian citizen.

Some got through after extensive questioning but some were sent back. Many admitted to coming for the Women’s March.
Continue reading “Protecting us from Canadians”

TrumpCare, the expensive repeal of ObamaCare

TrumpCare, the expensive repeal of ObamaCare

Posted on by Jack

Can we afford to let the Republicans do this? It is expensive to repeal ObamaCare and for our money we get less. Why, Republicans?

The repeal of ObamaCare would cost about 353 billion dollars over the next 10 years and about 20 million people would lose their health insurance. Continue reading “TrumpCare, the expensive repeal of ObamaCare”

Dangerous Women and Paul Ryan

Dangerous Women and Paul Ryan

Posted on by Jack

Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House, is so scared of the dangerous women who disagree with his stance on defunding Planned Parenthood he refused let them deliver petitions and called out the security guards to protect him (or perhaps to prevent having to listen to people who disagree with him).

Why is Paul Ryan so scared? Continue reading “Dangerous Women and Paul Ryan”

DNA evidence in genealogy

DNA evidence in genealogy

Posted on by Jack

I just read an interesting post by Blaine Bettinger. If you are interested in the use of DNA evidence in genealogy, it is well worth a read.

The article is The DNA Era of Genealogy. Blaine Bettinger also has 2 books which will probably be of interest if you are looking at DNA results or considering adding DNA to you genealogy toolbox.

I have both in paperback. I find it easier to go back and re-read sections as needed as well as looking at some of the figures. I am reading both for an overview but like having the book to read in detail as needed.
Continue reading “DNA evidence in genealogy”

Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA

Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA

Posted on by Jack

I am finding family but not in the same way.  And I use some of the same techniques.  But this book is about a very different quest than mine.

This was a bit of an unusual experience for me.  I was browsing Amazon looking for something else.  I forget what but that is unimportant.  My hobby is genealogy and last Christmas I was given an autosomal DNA test kit. The results confirmed several known relationships and one suspected relationship.  It also opened several unexpected avenues of research.

So I am acquainted with the uses and power of DNA for genealogy but still feel very much like a beginner in genetic genealogy.
Continue reading “Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA”

Rescuing Retirement: Guarantee Retirement Security

Rescuing Retirement: Guarantee Retirement Security

Posted on by Jack

Rescuing Retirement is an interesting and important book. Millions of older Americans are living in poverty or close to it. Our retirement system is broken. And we should and can fix it. This book is about how we do that.

The full title is Rescuing Retirement: A Plan to Guarantee Retirement Security for All Americans by Tony James and Teresa Ghilarducci.
Continue reading “Rescuing Retirement: Guarantee Retirement Security”

President-elect Trump has disappointed but not surprised

President-elect Trump has disappointed but not surprised

Posted on by Jack

Last week I wrote that I hoped President-elect Trump would try to bring us together and be a president for all Americans. So far I do not see anything that suggests this will happen.

I had hoped that he would try to be a better President than his campaign suggested. It is early in his transition but I haven’t seen anything that indicates this will happen. President-elect Trump has disappointed but not surprised me.

President-elect Trump

President-elect Trump

Posted on by Jack

The election is over. We have a clear winner, Donald J Trump. I think that no matter how we voted, or did not vote, we should come together to support President-elect Trump

In my opinion Donald Trump ran a disgusting campaign but now he is President-elect Trump and will soon be President Trump. This county is divided and we need to come together to find common ground and at least move ahead where we agree and try to compromise where there is disagreement.
Continue reading “President-elect Trump”

McKenzie brick wall update

McKenzie brick wall update

Posted on by Jack

This is an update of the story how my McKenzie brick wall was broken by DNA. Genealogists trace a family and then get to a point where is seems very difficult or maybe even impossible to get beyond. These involuntary stopping points in genealogy are often called “Brick Walls”. I have several and I suppose a good many people doing genealogy have brick walls.

I had been able to go back as far as my great grandfather Malcolm McKenzie and his wife Emma Cash McKenzie. My earlier post on this McKenzie brick wall will give some details about how a comment on this blog guided me towards Malcolm’s family in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada and much more.
Continue reading “McKenzie brick wall update”

Republican or conservative women betrayed

Republican or conservative women betrayed

Posted on by Jack

This campaign season has been a bad one for Republicans and conservatives in general and Republican or conservative women in particular.

I usually try to read a variety of views on issues I care about. Quite often what is written or on television has a point of view that may favor on side or the other. So the key is to read widely. The reason I say read is that when you are reading you can think about things and maybe do a bit of fact checking. When things are on television or radio you often don’t have time to do that.
Continue reading “Republican or conservative women betrayed”

Vote for a working government

Vote for a working government

Posted on by Jack

I decided how I will vote for Senate this year. I will vote for a working government.

Several days ago I wrote about my Senate choices and was still undecided. I didn’t particularly like my choices.

Senator Toomey (R-PA) was a known. He has a record in the Senate and mostly I disagree with him but I agree on at least one issue.

Katie McGinty was a unknown. She has not previously held office, at least not one that I was familiar with. But I watched her debate the Senator and read a few things and decided to vote for her. I think she will make the better Senator. A major factor in my decision that Katie McGinty is not a Republican.
Continue reading “Vote for a working government”

Echoes of Sherlock Holmes

Echoes of Sherlock Holmes

Posted on by Jack

Echoes of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger is a good collection of short stories.

The short stories in Echoes of Sherlock Holmes are not necessarily about Holmes. The authors were just asked to write a story inspired by Holmes.

I’m over half way through now and I’ll take a little break in reading this book now since I have other things to do but that is the good thing about short stores. You can read one or 2 at a sitting and put the book down for days or even weeks without a thought to losing the flow of the story.

I found some stories to be better than others but this is to be expected in anthology such as this.