April is designated Financial Capability Month. No matter how much or how little money you have, recovering from a disaster can be challenging and stressful. Preparing now makes rebuilding easier. “Banks, bankruptcy, and insolvency are in the news a lot lately,” said Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney. “Your home and your vehicle are two of your biggest assets. Protecting them could protect you from financial ruin. It’s my job to make sure your insurance company is sound and will take care of you in your moments of greatest need.” Before purchasing insurance, discuss your specific needs with an agent. Review your policy to make sure the amount and types of coverage you have meets the requirements for all possible hazards. Be sure to shop around, get quotes from more than one insurer, and look up company rates. Keep copies of your insurance policies and other important documents on hand. Keep a small amount of cash at home in a safe place. It is important to have small bills on hand because ATMs and credit cards may not work during a disaster when you need to purchase necessary supplies, fuel or food. Be cautious about sharing personal financial information, such as your bank account number, social security number, or credit card number. The Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK), a joint publication from Operation HOPE and FEMA, can help you prepare financially and provides tips to reduce the financial impact of disasters on you and your family.

Dr. Stephen W. Sachs, pianist extraordinaire, is featured soloist for the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra’s season finale, “Mid-European Promenade”, St. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral, downtown Jackson, May 7, 2023, at 3 p.m. He will be performing Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21” for piano and orchestra. Dr. Sachs is Professor Emeritus at Belhaven University where he was Music Chair from 2004-2019 and Dean of Fine Arts from 2015-2017. He was Professor of Music at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA, serving from 1978-2004. Opening with the “Light Cavalry Overture”/ von Suppe, followed by Mozart’s piano and orchestra Concerto, and ending with Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances”, it promises to be a most enjoyable musical experience. The MCO has been offering the gift of classical chamber music to the Jackson community free of charge since 1984. Made up of around 40 non-professional and professional musicians, the group offers three concerts each season. The group is under the direction of Artistic Director Wayne Linehan, Concertmaster Zakary Joyner, and Concertmaster Emeritus, Ryan Rogers.

By Bob Garver It’s weird when a super-low-budget cult movie like 1981’s “The Evil Dead” gets a well-funded sequel. So many elements are bound to be better with a properly-paid crew of professionals, as opposed to amateurs with a scraped-together budget. The 1981 film cost $350,000, though I’d believe you if you told me it never got beyond five digits. “Evil Dead Rise” cost $19 million, and it looks like a perfectly-competent modern horror movie. But that’s exactly the problem with this movie, it rarely rises above the level of “competent.” The original undeniably did some things that were less than competent, but it wouldn’t have had the flavor that gave it success (and warranted this update) if it didn’t. The new film starts with an homage to the original as we get a fast-paced first-person perspective of a trip around a campsite. Turns out there’s nothing otherworldly about it, it’s just a drone controlled by a prankster. We’re soon introduced to an uninteresting group of young adults. One of them has been in bed all day, clearly affected by… something. Things go south and thankfully we’re soon introduced to an entirely new set of characters. I’m grateful that this opening was a fake-out, but I could have done without it at all. My guess is that it “had” to be included so the movie could claim it has a campsite scene (the setting of the original) whether it needs one or not. The new characters are a struggling family in a dilapidated apartment in Los Angeles. Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) is doing her best to raise her kids, Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), and Kassie (Nell Fisher) without her absentee husband. Her sister Beth (Lily Sullivan) comes to visit, and is happy to pitch in, but she’s struggling with problems of her own. Things go from bad to worse when an earthquake hits. Everyone’s okay, and there may even be a silver lining in the form of a cracked-open bank vault just below the building. Bridget warns Danny not to steal from the vault, but he thinks a certain old book he finds might be worth something. Too bad this book is… The Book of the Dead! Fans of any incarnation of “Evil Dead” know what’s coming. One by one, characters are turned into the possessed demons/zombies known as “Deadites.” The Deadites have the ability to sound like the normal versions of the people they’ve possessed, but that’s just a ruse to trick other characters into opening themselves up to attacks and possession. Characters have to make tough decisions about who they can save and who they need to kill. And it’s all incredibly gory. The scares are relatively effective. We get some nice long shots of characters in gruesome makeup, where a lesser movie wouldn’t let us get a good look, lest we have time to register that the effects are shoddy. The movie has some creative ideas for violence, though it’s hard to not be taken out of the movie by the thought of how badly the filmmakers wanted an excuse to use certain weapons. There’s also a typical-by-today’s-standards overreliance on quiet tension and jump scares, as if the Deadites are being dramatic on purpose. I know they’re into manipulation, but they’re not great at capitalizing on the element of surprise, so they’re basically doing it for the film’s audience and not their intended victims. If “Evil Dead Rise” were really bad, it would be easy to trash it and say that it couldn’t be as effective with $19 million as the original was with $350,000. It’s not bad enough to warrant that kind of dismissal. The actors are doing their best to give breakout performances, and the teams in charge of the violence and gore effects are clearly having a blast. But it’s also too bland for me to say that I was ever really enjoying myself. I guess the kind of charisma I need in a horror movie is something money can’t buy. Grade: C “Evil Dead Rise” is rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and some language. Its running time is 97 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

The weather is altering the plans for the Moonlight, Music and Meteors event. With the thunderstorms on Friday comes a cold front. So not only is Friday rained out, the cold front is dropping the temperature to below 65 degrees during the performance time of the original “rainy day plan date” the Sunday April 23. This means the Symphony’s instruments will not function well, and we are rescheduling the event entirely. The new date for the event will be Friday, May 19th . Saturday May 20th will be the “rainy day plan date”. The times will remain the same: 7:30pm-10pm. Imagine a night under the stars with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MSO)! Guests may also visit with area physicists, astronomers, and NASA Solar System Ambassadors during the Lyrid meteor shower! “Moonlight, Music, and Meteors” will be held on April 21, 2023 from 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. at “The Den” in beautiful LeFleur’s Bluff State Park. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Tickets are available for $20 at the door or in advance for $15 until Noon on April 20 at https://bit.ly/moonlightmusicmeteors. Concessions will be available (not included with admission). “We are delighted to provide a creative program of music from Star Wars, Apollo 13, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park to enrich an evening of star and planet-gazing. We look forward to exploring the cross-section of MSO and the Museum’s missions,” said MSO Maestro Crafton Beck. This collaborative event between the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS), the MMNS Foundation, and the MSO is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. “We are grateful for our partners and their support in helping us offer our community a unique evening under the stars that’s fun for the whole family!” said MDWFP Deputy Administrator Angel Rohnke. “We can always count on the MDWFP to provide quality programming for our community. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to engage their senses of sight and sound, embrace nature, and feel the wonder of music. The partnership that made this event possible speaks to the heart of collective ambition of shared interests and values to improve the quality of life for our citizens and visitors,” said Visit Jackson President & CEO Rickey Thigpen, PhD. For more information, visit www.mdwfp.com/museum or call (601) 576-6000. Follow us at www.facebook.com/msnaturalscience, www.instagram.com/MSScienceMuseum, and www.twitter.com/MSScienceMuseum.

This Mental Health Event will be held this weekend at the Annie Thompson Jeffers library from 10am to 12pm. The speaker will be Christiane Williams. The program will focus on the affects of mental health in the community. For more information, call 601- 866-4247 or stop by the Annie T. Jeffers Library, 111 W. Madison Street, Bolton MS. website: www.JHLibrary.org Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The library is closed on Fridays and Sundays.

The Mississippi Museum of Art today announced 15 artists participating in the 2023 Mississippi Invitational exhibition, a survey of recent works created by contemporary visual artists living and working in the state. The exhibition will feature works across a variety of media by the following artists: Adrienne Brown-David, Water Valley Kwasi Butler, Brandon Brenden Davis, Jackson Adrienne Domnick, Jackson Rory Doyle, Cleveland Kariann Fuqua, Oxford Caroline Hatfield, Starkville Monica Hill, Jackson Sabrina Howard, Jackson James Kane, Water Valley Taylor Loftin, Water Valley Robin Martéa, Jackson M. Robyn Wall, Cleveland Hannah Wegner, Perkinston Brooke White, Oxford On view June 10 through September 17, 2023, this year’s Mississippi Invitational works were selected by guest curator Katie Pfohl, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. “I am thrilled to work with the wonderful team at the Mississippi Museum of Art to create the 2023 Mississippi Invitational,” said Pfohl. From my seven years as a curator in New Orleans, I know the talent, depth, and thoughtfulness of artists in the Gulf South. I am honored to have this opportunity to continue a dialogue with artists from the region, and craft a project that responds to this moment in Mississippi’s history.” The art in this year’s Invitational reflects on the theme “Gulfs Among Us,” which confronts a world marked by social, political, cultural, and geographic divisions. The artwork in this exhibition responds to a series of ever-widening gulfs: between people and communities, humans and the environment, and our interior and exterior selves. These 15 artists from across Mississippi are united in envisioning how art can speak across and between divides. Invitational artists will be eligible to apply for The Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship—a grant of up to $20,000 awarded to one artist. The recipient will be announced during an opening reception on June 8. MMA Director Betsy Bradley said, “I continue to be excited and inspired by the artists in our state. The 2023 Mississippi Invitational, the thirteenth iteration of this exhibition series, will bring audiences together across our many divides. We are grateful to these artists to allow our community to feel more connected to each other.” A publication accompanying the exhibition will be available in The Museum Store. The Mississippi Invitational and its biennial exhibition, artist fellowship, and catalog are made possible with support from the Community Foundation for Mississippi/Jane Crater Hiatt Fund. About Katie Pfohl Katie A. Pfohl is a curator and writer who works to amplify the voices of artists, foster connections between communities, and create space to engage with the urgent issues of our time. Since July 2022, she has served as Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. She was previously Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Some of her major projects included Mending the Sky (2020), which featured eleven artists responding to a world in distress, Bodies of Knowledge (2019), which invited artists to reflect on questions surrounding monuments and memory, Ear to the Ground (2019), which explored environmental activism in contemporary art, and Changing Course: Reflections on New Orleans Histories (2018), which focused on forgotten or marginalized histories of the city. In 2014, Pfohl completed her Ph.D. in art history at Harvard University, and in 2006 she participated in the Whitney Independent Study Program in New York. Pfohl has also held positions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the LSU Museum of Art. About the Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship The Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship was created in 2005 by Jane Crater Hiatt and her late husband Wood (1930-2010) in response to the need to nurture and invigorate the arts within the state. The fellowship provides support to an individual artist in the development and creation of art over a two-year period. The funds may be used to purchase supplies and equipment, conduct research, or travel, and may be used for study with an individual artist or in a studio, workshop, or residency setting. Following the conclusion of the grant period, the artist is required to donate one original work of art, chosen from at least five works created during the grant period, to the Museum. Only artists whose work is selected for inclusion in the Mississippi Invitational exhibition are eligible to apply for the Fellowship in the year that their work is chosen. The recipient’s works should demonstrate the potential for significant artistic and cultural impact, as well as act as a catalyst for the development and realization of adventurous and imaginative ideas. The Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship is made possible by the Community Foundation for Mississippi/Jane Crater Hiatt Fund.

The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum is hosting the Night on the Town event from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2023. Admission is $40 for online presale and $50 at the door. This event is for ages 21 and up. Night on the Town is perfect for couples planning a date night or individuals looking for a night out. With the purchase of admission, guests will receive a complimentary drink ticket and heavy hors d’oeuvres presented by the Tasty Side of Agriculture. While at the Museum, enjoy a special viewing on the big screen, dance to music, play yard games and go for a stroll through Small Town, Mississippi. Night on the Town is an outdoor event taking place rain or shine! This event is sponsored by the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum Foundation, Cathead Distillery and Southern Beverage. To purchase tickets online to the Night on the Town event, visit link. The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, located at 1150 Lakeland Drive in Jackson, is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information about the Museum, call 601-432-4500 or 1-800-844-8687, visit www.msagmuseum.org or visit the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Facebook. The Ag Museum is a division of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

They seem to be everywhere in any town you drive through. Signs promoting the services of a local ‘TAROT CARD READER,’ ‘FORTUNE TELLER,’ and ‘PALM READER’ seem to be on every block. Look online and there are also the online psychics - the “Call me, and I’ll tell you your future” people. And don’t forget, most newspapers run daily horoscopes that are available to the ‘seekers.’ Evidently the practice of predicting the future has proved to be a lucrative business in our country. But why trust a person to predict your future, when they have to ask you your name? Shouldn’t a psychic already know it? What in the world is going on? Is there such a driving need in folks for inept and inaccurate predictions? Do they really have a burning desire to hand their money over to a person who claims to be able to see into their future and tell them what will happen? Don’t people already have enough bills to pay and money pits in their life that are sucking their cash into a black hole, never to be seen again? Are people simply so nervous and stressed out over what is coming down the pike that they are willing to grasp at those kinds of weak and illogical straws? People, I promise you on the authority of the Written Word of your Creator; There is a much more effective way of finding out what is coming in the future. You just have to be willing to read about it in Scripture. God says in the Bible that He has known for all of eternity what your life and mine is all about. The Almighty Creator has all life in the palm of His hand. And He clearly stated in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” That is His plan. But you certainly can derail, delay, and thwart His original plan for you, if you deliberately set your mind to the self-destruction that comes along with turning a blind eye to His will. It is up to you. You can choose to trust Him, even though you can’t see Him – kinda like the electricity for your house. Or, you can decide to find a self-professed reader-of-the-future to conjure up what they think might happen in your life. Or there is always the third option. You can get resentful and prideful, and choose to take matters into your own hands. Deciding that trust is for the birds, and begin creating your own future without any consideration as to what your Creator has in mind. But let me know how that works for you. Because in all my years of living on planet Earth, I have yet to see those two last options, that include ignoring the Creator, work out well in the end. But it really is your choice.

By Bob Garver When I first heard that there was a movie called “The Pope’s Exorcist,” I thought maybe it was about a guy that performs an exorcism on The Pope. That could be a cool idea – the holiest man in the Catholic Church himself needing an exorcism. But no, it’s just about The Pope’s preferred exorcist going off and performing an exorcism on yet another possessed teenager. Ho Hum. Russell Crowe plays Father Gabriele Amorth, a real-life figure in the Catholic Church whose story, I’m sure, is more interesting than anything in this movie. He’s described in the movie’s advertising as “wisecracking,” but that’s a stretch. He offers a few dry remarks, plays some head games, makes some goofy noises, and is flippant with a review board, but I never felt that “wisecracking” was a particularly accurate descriptor. Maybe because I never found any of his “jokes” to be funny. The Pope (Franco Nero) sends Amorth to Spain to investigate the possession of young Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney). Henry, along with his mother (Alex Essoe) and sister (Laurel Marsden) just moved into an abandoned abbey, and soon enough the boy is hissing vulgarities and throwing around local priest Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto). Since the abbey is in Spain, it’s not hard to guess the dark secret of the house’s history. Supposedly nobody expects it, but I did. The literal demon forces Amorth and Esquibel to confront their figurative demons. Amorth feigned death during World War II and has survivor’s guilt. He also botched the treatment of a young woman in his care. Esquibel is guilty of something much sleazier if the demon is to be believed. I suppose these sins are necessary for character development so that we know these men are flawed, but the scenes of flashbacks and confessions just scream “padding the runtime” to me. How can a movie this short seem to take so long? Roger Ebert said that no good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough. I’ve seen some decent movies that could use some trimming (“John Wick: Chapter 4,” anyone?), but far fewer exceptions to the latter rule. Name a tired element of the exorcist genre, and it’s probably here. Veteran exorcist teaming up with a novice priest? Check. Possessed kid speaking in a voice that clearly isn’t theirs? Check. Crab walk? You know that’s a check. Head spinning around? It doesn’t do a 360-degree spin, but one does go backwards for a bit, so a faint check. Ineffective jump scares? Check, if the movie even thinks it’s doing jump scares. Lame finale with bad CGI and a lot of thrashing? I’d almost be disappointed if this movie got better in the last ten minutes and that wasn’t a check. “The Pope’s Exorcist” is a hacky horror movie with Oscar winner Crowe supposedly lending it credibility, though it really just makes me feel sorry for how far his star has fallen. It managed to make a meager $9 million at the weekend box office, getting dominated by “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with nearly ten times that amount (that movie gets two more weekends to lay waste to everything in its path). You’d be better off giving your money to almost anything else, including fourth-place weekend finisher “Renfield, which has a few funny ideas and is at least good for a “C” grade. It’s hard to forgive this movie for wasting so much of my time. Grade: D “The Pope’s Exorcist” is rated R for violent content, language, sexual references and some nudity. Its running time is 103 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

By Kara Kimbrough I’ve been open about my obsession with soup. I could easily eat soup every day of the week with one caveat: someone else would have to make it. As much as I love and in fact, do make soup quite often, it’s a time-consuming chore if done right. Boiling the liquid, braising the meat (if it’s meat-based), adding vegetables at just the right moment and then watching the stockpot to make sure hot bubbling liquid doesn’t boil over can’t be hastily done at the end of a long day. As a result, I’m always searching for restaurants with homemade (not shipped from a warehouse in a can) soups. I’ll recommend a few places further down, but first, a new favorite soup that’s been around awhile but has only recently hit my radar is worth a mention. Originating in Vietnam, pho (pronounced fuh) is a light, flavorful soup composed of clear flavorful broth, thin slices of beef, a combination of spices and my favorite part, flat rice noodles. If nice noodles are hard to find, fettuccini, linguini and angel hair pasta are acceptable substitutions. Pho (not to be confused with ramen bowls, which are made with bone broth, pork and wheat noodles) is a versatile soup that can be made with either beef or chicken for protein or omitted altogether for a vegetarian version. Despite its simplicity, pho is usually adorned with some type of greenery. Regular toppings are sprigs of cilantro, mint leaves, bean sprouts and slices of lemon or lime. Crispy wonton strips are my topping of choice. The best thing about pho? It’s a light, “clean” soup; the perfect antidote if you’re suffering from any type of ailment or are simply in need of a healthy meal. Pho is easy to make, but if you’re like someone else to do the cooking, a few restaurants around the state to enjoy it include: * Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant in Flowood * Pho Huong Vietnamese in Jackson * Pho Saigon Vietnamese in Hattiesburg * D’Iberville’s Henry’s Bakery and Cake * Kim Long in Biloxi If you recommend other pho places around the state, drop me an email and I’ll include them in a future column. And, there are many restaurants around the state that still take the time to make their own soup, gumbo and chili. A few that come to mind, along with their specialties: * Mary Mahoney’s in Biloxi - gumbo * The Strawberry Café in Madison – cream of crab soup * Primos Café (Ridgeland, Madison and Flowood) - vegetable soup * Harvey’s (Tupelo, Starkville and Columbus) - chili * Snackbar in Oxford’s French onion soup * Broma’s Deli in Brookhaven and McComb – homemade broccoli and cheese and spicy chili * Scranton’s in Pascagoula – crab and loaded potato soups If I’ve missed any that deserve a mention, let me know and I’ll include it down the road. If you haven’t sampled pho and want to make it at home, email me and I’ll send an easy-to-make recipe. While it’s simple, the recipe is a little too lengthy to add here, so I’m including a new vegetable beef soup recipe given to me by a friend. With a spicier broth, it take plain ol’ vegetable to an entirely new level. Spicy Vegetable Beef Soup 1 pound ground chuck (or leftover roast or steak slices) 1 medium onion, diced 1 (24-ounce) jar pasta sauce 1 can beef broth 1 cup water 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel tomatoes, undrained 2 tablespoons ketchup 2 potatoes, sliced and cubed (or 2 cups country-style hash browns) 1 package frozen mixed vegetables 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Cook the beef and onion in a large nonstick skillet. When beef is no longer pink, drain off grease and transfer the beef/onion mixture to a 6-quart Crockpot. Add remaining ingredients and stir together. Cover and cook on low or 6 to 8 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

It's that time of year when increased rain chances also means increased flood risk. Mississippians should consider flood insurance now, before they need it. "At last check, there were about 57,000 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies in force in Mississippi," said Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney. "Most Mississippians with NFIP coverage pay about $784 each year." Over one million properties in the state are not covered by any type of flood insurance. It typically takes 30 days for a flood policy to go into effect and homeowner's policies do not cover flooding. Tips to prepare for flooding now: Sign up for your community warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. Learn and practice evacuation routes and shelter plans. Gather supplies you might need if you have to leave home quickly. Keep in mind, you may need medication, pet food and crates, and extra batteries and chargers for mobile phones. Keep important documents in a waterproof container. Make digital copies of those documents to upload and protect them with a password. After a flood Listen to authorities for information and return home only when authorities say it's safe. Avoid driving, except in emergencies. Snakes and other animals may have come into your home or business during the flood. Wear gloves and boots during cleanup. Don't touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you're in standing water. If it's safe, turn off the electricity to prevent electric shock. Avoid wading in floodwater as it could be contaminated. Only use a generator outdoors and away from windows. File a flood insurance claim as soon as possible. o Call 1‐800‐621‐3362 for further assistance or Register for FEMA Flood Disaster Assistance.

You and I hear them, the stories of people who insist they are totally innocent of any wrongdoing. Yet they are definitely identified as being at the scene of the crime, in the company of the criminals. How does that happen? Realistically, how often does a person just happen to find themselves in the wrong car, with the thief? Or accidentally standing with the bad guys in a convenience store that is being robbed? How often does a teen or an adult hang out with friends and are totally unaware of what they like to do, and where they enjoy going? They don’t, not very often. So, how does it happen - accidentally being in the wrong place and time? “Hey, wait a sec, dudes. I thought we were headed to see a movie. Whaddya mean we’re just gonna ‘borrow’ this truck for a few hours? Oh, okay, I guess the owner won’t mind it being gone when he comes out of that bar.” Or, “But officer, I swear, I thought me and my girlfriends were just hangin’ out here on the street corner, wearin’ our see-thru Daisy Dukes and flirtin’ with whoever walked by. That’s whut Jimmy told me we’re doin’. I don’t know nuthin’ about no prostitutin’ stuff!” I’m not buying it. An adult or teenager with reasonable intelligence and capabilities, who is with a group of friends, before very long at all can sense the values and intent of those around them. And usually, most of us will not deliberately choose to spend time with people who don’t “gee ‘n haw” with our own beliefs. Not much fun in that. The bald fact is, we most usually choose who we are with, what we do, and where we go. Yeah, I remember trying that “But I’m just an innocent bystander” stuff – way back as a little kid. When Mom catches you with your hand in the cookie jar and crumbs on your face, that’s the first ploy a seven-year tries to use. “But, Mom, Donnie told me that you said we could have all we wanted today. It’s not my fault!” Me, my brother Donnie, and my mom all knew I was lying back then, and most people strongly suspect a lie when we hear it coming out of the mouth of The Innocent Victim today. The wisest man who ever lived, according to the Bible, was King Solomon. And that man repeatedly warned his sons, “Be careful of the company you keep and what you are doing with them.” My modern wording of his caution to his sons. Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama football team is quoted as saying; “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Like my old Aunt Lucy said, “Anyone can hear a buncha’ red flags flyin’ all over the place on that one.” You make choices.