The Amish Phone Directory

This is a real ad from yester-year. Seems like a good idea to me.

You're not supposed to swallow bubble gum. This is what happens if you do:

OSU beats #1 USC! Almost enough to blot out the grief associated with the elimination of the Diamondbacks from the Western Division playoff picture. The balance should be washed away by watching the F1 practice/qualifying/race in Singapore this weekend. Besides, the Dodgers won't get through the first round, no matter what Jimi wants to believe.

I don't know if it's Elijah, but we have a Praying Mantis that has positioned himself (herself? I didn't check) above the light outside our front door. That light is swarmed by bugs of all shapes and sizes. I stood there for awhile tonight hoping to see dinner time, but no luck.

How many women are being mistreated by a man? Sometimes I hear things that make me think the number is much higher than I imagine or want to believe. It may be physical abuse, or sexual abuse, expecially of a minor, or verbal abuse, or stalking, or...
What is the most effective way to stop all of the forms of abuse of females by males?
I'm pessimistic about changing the men who abuse, getting them to stop. I suspect they have the maturity of Jr. Higher boys, clueless columns of ego.
The solution, IMHO, begins with teaching women and girls what constitutes abuse. I'm sometimes surprised how many tolerate it, describing what is, in reality, abuse as little more than bad behavior - the equivalent of bad manners.
Then we have to convince females - of any age - to have a zero tolerance position about any form of abuse. Don't accept it. The first time, "NO!" The second time - outside intervention. And if the first time poses any threat to safety, that intervention happens immediately.
Men who abuse don't respond to reason or logic. They are, however, restrained by metal bars and doors.
The vicitmization of women makes me angry. I haven't encountered that much of it, and probably missed some that, as the pastor, was right in front of me. But I'm pretty sure that, no matter how far we've come in the area of equality of the sexes, there's still far too much abuse of women.
Parents, teach your daughters well. Give them a sense of self-respect. And when they reach an appropriate age make sure they know what constitutes abuse - physical and verbal. Make sure they know that they are worth way too much to allow anyone to treat them that way.