I’m planning to visit Norway this summer

And a few other of the top 5 happiest nations on earth.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Adventure Blog)

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Ted Cruz – Hooker for the NRA

Ted Cruz took more money from the NRA than any other politician.

I’m not sure they’re getting their money’s worth. Despite being a smart, eloquent sleaze ball, he’s not all that convincing.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Catholics supported Hitler’s rise to dictator

Hitler had a minority government in 1933.

The Enabling Act (German: Ermächtigungsgesetz) was a 1933 Weimar Constitution amendment that gave the German Cabinet – in effect, Chancellor Adolf Hitler – the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag. …

The Enabling Act gave Hitler plenary powers. It followed on the heels of the Reichstag Fire Decree, which abolished most civil liberties …

The combined effect of the two laws was to transform Hitler’s government into a legal dictatorship. …

The Party of Catholics supported it.

Hitler negotiated with the Centre Party‘s chairman, Ludwig Kaas, a Catholic priest, finalising an agreement by 22 March. Kaas agreed to support the Act in exchange for assurances of the Centre Party’s continued existence, the protection of Catholics’ civil and religious liberties, religious schools and the retention of civil servants affiliated with the Centre Party.

As we know, the Catholic Church and Pope Pius XII did not do enough to challenge the Nazis or Mussolini.

Trump is not Hitler … but the Catholics supporting him reminded me of how Evangelical Christians support Trump.

Pastor John Pavlovitz calls out Christians who support Donald Trump:

“… It’s about my disbelief at your sudden tolerance for his infidelity, his cruelty, his intellectual ignorance, his disrespect for the rule of law—things you once claimed you could never abide. …

… my disappointment at your easily manipulated nationalistic fervor; how the God and Guns, America First, Love it or Leave it rhetoric … ”

Trump-Supporting Friend—This Really isn’t About Donald Trump

Jesus would denounce almost everything Trump says and does. I have no respect for any Christian who supports the hateful President.

The Comedians (1966) by Graham Greene

I’ve always wanted to read more Graham Greene. So far ahead of his time that even today his books seem contemporary.

Set in Haiti under the rule of François “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his secret police, the Tonton Macoute, the novel explores the political suppression and terrorism through the figure of an English hotel owner, Brown. …

The book starts on a ship bound for Port-au-Prince.

Three men meet: Brown, Smith and Jones.

That’s very Graham Greene.

My favourite character is Mr. Smith, a US Presidential candidate who ran on the vegetarian ticket in the American election of 1948. He and Mrs. Smith plan to build and operate a vegetarian centre in Haiti.

Of course impoverished Haitians at the time could not afford to eat meat or fish.

That’s very Graham Greene, too. 🙂

The naiveté of generous Americans.

Needless to say, the dictator Papa Doc was not happy when the book was published. His Foreign Affairs office called Greene  “A liar, a cretin, a stool-pigeon… unbalanced, sadistic, perverted… a perfect ignoramus …”

Unfortunately I don’t feel The Comedians is one of his best books. My favourite, so far, is The Power and the Glory.

 

 

my travel medical insurance

I travel a lot.

Currently I’m buying coverage from my bank – TD Canada Trust.

I can take multiple trips / year up to 30 days at a time. Cost is about CAD $200. It jumps over $400 for maximum 60 day trips.

For my policy you must be under age-65 and have no serious pre-conditions.

Cancellation / trip interruption is NO LONGER covered. Everything else looks good.