Joseph B

Lesotho was and is completely surrounded by South Africa.  Somehow, it managed to avoid the apartheid regime.  If Lesotho could do it, why not the other people in South Africa?

I received an e-mail stating that the sender had accessed my computer and, unless I paid several hundred dollars in Bitcoin within a specified time period, he was going to release a Zoom video showing me in a compromising situation.  I do not have a webcam attached to my computer, so do I have anything to worry about?

The capital of Florida has been in Tallahassee since 1824.  In that year, the only significantly inhabited part of Florida was the Panhandle.  Since Tallahassee is approximately midway between St. Augustine and Pensacola, Tallahassee seemed like a central location for the state capital.

Today, however, the centrally-located major metropolitan areas of the state are Orlando and Tampa-St. Petersburg.  The Panhandle is an area that would be much happier if it were ceded to Alabama or Georgia, depending on which side of the Apalachicola River we are talking about.  Some people refer to the West Panhandle as LA (Lower Alabama).

Does Florida have any plans to move its state capital to a more central location, where most of the population lives?

The capital of Alaska, Juneau, is inaccessible except by boat or plane.  At various times, there have been reports that Alaska will move its capital to a better location.  What is the reason for the delay?

When I went to school, we learned that the capital of Red China was Peking.  Now I hear it is in Beijing.  When did they move it and why?

The distance from Cairo, Egypt, to Durban, South Africa, is about 5,900 miles. Is it possible to get from one place to another by automobile? Is it safe to attempt to do so?

(1)  Very truly yours

(2)  Yours very truly(3)  I remain, your most humble and obedient servant, etc.(4)  Truly(5)  Very truly(6)  Something else (specify)

The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence will occur on July 4, 2026.  It will be here before we know it.  I remember all the celebrations for the Bicentennial in 1976.  Are there any special plans for the 250th anniversary event?

On my business letterhead, I include my phone number.  Immediately underneath, I give my "telecopier" number.  Someone called me and wanted to know what my "fax" number is.  I pointed it out.  She said she thought that might be it, but she did not know what a "telecopier" is.  Should I change it from "telecopier" to "fax"?

Yes, there are some people who still send me faxes.  I subscribe to a fax service so that it comes as an e-mail with an attachment.

The war essentially was a family squabble among inbred diseased (hemophilia) and deformed (Hapsburg chin) royals who stirred up a conflict in which millions of ordinary men and women died.  To what extent would republics have changed the result?

Canada's national anthem refers to "O Canada, our home and native land," which is fine if a person was born in Canada, but what about those Canadians who were born elsewhere and then naturalized?  Shouldn't they be allowed to sing the national anthem too?  Or does not Canada consider its naturalized citizens worthy of that?

I suppose Canada is making progress.  Until recently, women were treated differently in the national anthem ("true patriot love in all thy sons command"), but that was changed to "true patriot love in all of us command."  Are Canadians lack sufficient powers of concentration to make a comprehensive revision of their sexist xenophobic national anthem, or did they intentionally allow the anti-foreign-born provision to remain?

In the Dragnet TV show, Episode 6 in Season 1 (original broadcast date February 23, 1967), is the “Bank Examiner Swindle.” Two crooks, posing as bank examiners, persuade elderly customers to withdraw cash from the bank. The crooks mark the money and say they will redeposit into the bank, so that they can see which “dishonest teller” is “pilfering the accounts.”

How does this scenario even make sense? The cash in the till does not belong to any customer in particular. Each teller is required to account for his own cash, and if he is short, he will have to explain the shortage. If a bank employee is stealing cash from the bank, why would the bank need a customer to withdraw cash in order for the thief to be caught?Are there people really so stupid to fall for this scheme?

Many people claim that government is not necessary.  If people need help, they said, they should get it from their church.  Okay.  Should we ask each recipient of the Covid vaccine to identify his church, and, if he has one, send a bill to the church for the cost?  The churches say this is a job the government should let them do, so why not make them pay for it when government has to do for their members?

On every episode of the Flintstones, we see Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty served by enslaved animals who are cruelly treated. At Fred’s place of employment, the end-of-day whistle is a bird, who makes a noise when someone pulls hard on his tail. There is an elephant whose trunk is used as a garden hose. The trash can is a pelican, who is forced to eat garbage as people pass by. A live rabbit’s ears are used as a television antenna. What sort of example is this setting for our children?

In 1945, China became a charter member of the United Nations. In 1949, the government was overrun by the Communists and was forced to relocate to Taiwan. For many years, the Communists sought membership in the United Nations, but through the 1950's, proposals to admit the Red Chinese were always defeated.

Beginning in the 1960's, the question became closer. During that time, the United States secured, by a majority vote, the adoption of a resolution declaring the admission of Red China an “important question,” which required a two-thirds vote. Since the Red Chinese did not have the support of two-thirds, proposals to admit Red China to the United Nations were defeated.

Finally, in 1971, the charade ended. The resolution to declare the matter an “important question” was defeated, and the motion to admit the Red Chinese, and to expel Taiwan, was passed.

Why did the nations of the world refuse to go along with the “important question” technique? And how much was it costing the United States to keep them in line during the 1960's?

Prior to 314 AD, the Western Roman Empire was a peaceful, tolerant, and prosperous society.  In fact, it was too tolerant.  A troublesome group calling itself "Christians" refuse to show loyalty to the Emperor, and they insisted that only their religion was valid.  Despite efforts to control the malcontents, they finally took over the Empire in 314 AD.  Then, they convened various "ecumenical councils" spanning about 150 years to determine which of their fairy tales were true and which were not.  Anyone disagreeing with the conclusion reached was subject to persecution.  Indolent priests were supported by the state, and the government neglected the national defense.  As a result, the barbarians came and overran the empire.  What measures should the Roman Emperors have taken to prevent this result?

Knowledge of medicine, engineering, science, geography, history, the arts, were gone or vastly diminished.  Why did that occur?  For example, the making of concrete was known to the Romans, but after the Fall of Rome, the knowledge was lost, and it was not rediscovered until the latter portion of the nineteenth century.