Missive #409

Sigwulf, a minor Saxon prince, is saved from execution after his family is slaughtered by the ruthless King Offa of Mercia. Thanks to his Devil’s Mark – his eyes of different colors — SigwulfThis is the first book in the Saxon series which takes place during the same period as what Cornwell wrote about. Severin was not the writer that Cornwell was but it is a good read and I’ll continue with the series. is exiled to the Frankish court of King Carolus, the future Charlemagne. There Sigwulf survives on his wits while at the same time trying to come to terms with disturbingly prophetic dreams.

He gains the friendship of Count Hroudland, Carolus’s powerful and ambitious nephew – but, mysteriously, several attempts are made on Sigwulf’s life. When he obtains a Book of Dreams, a rare text that explains their meaning, he attracts the attention of Carolus himself. But th Book proves to be a slippery guide in a world of double dealing. Sent into Spain to spy on the Saracens, Sigwulf becomes caught between loyalties; either he honors his debt to new Saracen friends, or he serves Count Hroudland in his quest for glory, gold and even the Grail itself.

One after another Sigwulf’s predictions come true, but often not as expected, and he finds himself swept forward into a final great battle that reveals who his enemies are… — Book promo @ goodreads.com

[T]he young man… shooting the CEO of the United Healthcare Corporation, which is a medical insurance giant, the biggest of the medical insurance corporations. He shot him on a New York street and killed him. Okay.

This killing could have been dealt with in the way Americans deal with killings, which is to say, our thoughts and prayers go to the victim’s family. Because of their tragedy and their suffering.

However, the overwhelming majority of comments, and we’re talking now about millions, because we’re talking social media. TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, X, all of them. The overwhelming comments were not about the victim or the act of murder. They were expressions of unmistakable sympathy with what was explained as the likely motivation of the murder. Because of the words delay and deny and so forth on the casings of the bullets that were used. Okay.

What did the people say? The people of America said they are outraged. I am now interpreting, but I don’t think there’s much dispute here. They are outraged at the suffering imposed on the American people by the insurance companies that take their money and then deny or delay covering their medical needs when they have an injury or an illness. — The US Strategy Of Controlled Anarchy Syria Ukraine And Beyond by Michael Hudson

For ‘linner’ today I plan on eating the other half of my second can of smoked mackerel from Bar Harbor. I like it a lot better than sardines and it is giving me about 70% more omega 3 which is why I have added the fish to my diet.

I was taking omega 3 fish oil supplements for a number of years but gave them up and tried eating walnuts as my source of omega 3. Cholesterol levels remained about the same and not too long after that the VA quit providing the supplements when the news came out that they were not effective. Adding the fish to see if they make any difference in cholesterol and inflammation.

The good new, it will be warmer In Tucson as well as here. The 10 day forecast now expects the daily highs to be in the 70s and the lows in the 30s but above freezing.

I drive to Tucson tomorrow to the VA where I hope I can get my identity verified with login.gov and/or id.me. A total round trip that will be just over 200 miles; very expensive with Desperado’s poor gas milage. I’ll probably be commenting on the result of the trip in a future posting.