Christmas Eve 2018

The reason the good Lord has sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, on Christmas because He loves us. The sign of Christmas is our salvation. So, what is love?

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy;
love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in inequity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

...

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love."
                                                                                                1 Corinthians 13:1-8; 13

Whom to blame for my miseries?

Whom should I blame for all my miseries? The answer is simple, it is my thoughts.

"...all your moods are created by your 'cognitions' or thoughts...You feel the way you do right now because of the thoughts you are thinking at this moment...when you are depressed, your thoughts are dominated by a pervasive negativity...you'll come to believe things really are as bad as you imagine them to be...the negative thoughts which cause your emotional turmoil nearly always contain gross distortions. Although these thoughts appear valid, you will learn that they are irrational or just plain wrong, and that twisted thinking is a major cause of your suffering."

                                                                                                                 David D. Burns, M.D.
                                                                                          feeling good: the new mood therapy
                                                                                                           ISBN 978-0-380-81033-8
                                                                                                             www.harpercollins.com
                                                                                                              www.feelinggood.com

Wisdom

"Those who hate you cannot win unless you begin to hate them, and then they will win."

                                                                                                                          Richard M. Nixon
                                                                                                                      President, United States

SHEN YUN (Raleigh, NC) [Raleigh Memorial Auditorium January 4-6, 2019]

Town of Holly Springs, NC: The Source (December 2018 edition)

Town of Holly Springs, NC: The Source (September 2018 edition)

Snow Storm on December 8-9, 2018

This was very unusual, and frankly, unexpected. A huge snow storm hit our area in North Carolina late yesterday night through today, Sunday, dumping a lot of snow in various areas of the state. The mountains got the most of snow (about a foot and half) and so did Greensboro. The Triangle area got less than the mountains, averaging 6 inches (more snow in Durham County, 8 inches). In Holly Springs, NC, my town, my estimation is that we've got about 3 inches. It is pretty, but paralyzed the region.  

Have you received a call from 216-810-1881?

This is a telemarketer from Ohio that will try to sell you an auto insurance. The number 216-810-1881 should not be answered.

A positive linear relationship exists between PSA level and the anion gap

The anion gap is calculated from the following equation:

AG = Na - (Cl + CO2)

A positive linear relationship between total protein and globulin level.

A negative linear relationship between total protein and the albumin/globulin ratio

PSA level since 2003

Mom

The flowers were from her funeral on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 in Lebanon.

My Mom Passed Away

Mom passed away on Sunday, November 25, 2018 at the age of 84. Mom (Rene), her name means queen in French, was a gentle loving woman. She was simple, but very sophisticated in her own ways. She had school education, but read a lot, mainly magazines. She loved the TV and watched a lot of it. She had a great belief in Christ and the Virgin Mary (we are Catholics; Roman Catholics). My mom loved the Virgin and prayed to her all the time. My mom was the best cook on the entire Universe. Her foods that she cooked was simply amazing. She once wrote in a small hand-held booklet, the type you would buy from the Dollar Store, her best recipes and gave the booklet to me. It was entitled "The Famous and the Greatest Cook in the Universe." And, it was rightly so. Mom was born in Damascus, Syria (January 18, 1934). Her mom was from an Armenian family and her dad was a Syrian. She spoke Arabic, French, Turkish, Armenian, and some English. She liked life. She suffered at the end due to an operation that went wrong, and before that she lived the Syrian Civil War for years. At the end, she became a "Syrian refugee" in Lebanon.  I know mom is now in good hands. I could imagine mom coming back with Christ during his Second Coming, riding a white horse and fighting for his kingdom. Mom was a fighter. Mom passed away in a Catholic nursing home in Lebanon run by Catholic nuns. It is interesting to note that my mom was educated by Catholic nuns in her elementary and secondary education and then they ended up helping her "pass away" at the end of her life. We thank them for their service and the good care they provided to mom. Mom, we miss you greatly. We love you. [More pictures of mom are found under the "Mom and Dad" and "My Mom" tabs on this blog BMP.]

BMP Library (Religion/History): The Dream and the Tomb: A History of the Crusaders by Robert Payne (1984)

America Votes: November 6th, 2018

Vote on November 6th. Exercise your freedom.

Decision Magazine [Samaritan's Purse]: P.O. Box 668886, Charlotte, NC 28266-8886

I just wanted to buy a recliner for goodness sake!

LEGAL INFORMATION

• Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) Phosphate (TDCPP)

⚠ CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING The State of California Health and Safety Code Section 25249.6, et seq., commonly known as Prop. 65, requires products to be labeled if any of over 900 chemicals are present even in trace amounts. WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) Phosphate (TDCPP), which is known by the State of California to cause Reproductive Toxicity. For more information about prop 65, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov

Is there an inverse relationship between vitamin D and LDL/HDL ratio? Mine is inverse!

An inverse relationship between blood Vitamin D level and the LDL/HDL ratio. As shown above, as the concentration of vitamin D increases the LDL/HDL ratio decreases (a good thing to happen).

Is there a positive linear relationship between blood vitamin D level and total serum cholesterol? These are my data!

It appears that when my vitamin D level was high my serum cholesterol level was also high, and vice versa. I wonder if there is a real, known relationship between the two? 

Terminalia catappa

Terminalia catappa is a tropical almond tree. The Somalia's stamp above depict this tree. Note the error in the name of the tree. It should be "catappa" and not "catapa".