Monday, May 31, 2010

He Was Supposed to Be Competent

No Peggy. That's not why he was elected. Everyone, even his strongest supporters, knew his resume, and competence in anything wasn't on it. Even you were swooning during the campaign because he wasn't George Bush.

Noonan names three political disasters and then ponders whether he can possibly survive. His sycophant supporters and his props in the media won't bat an eyelash.

"There was the tearing and unnecessary war over his health-care proposal and its cost.

There was his day-to-day indifference to the views and hopes of the majority of voters regarding illegal immigration.

And now the past almost 40 days of dodging and dithering in the face of an environmental calamity. I don't see how you politically survive this."

You just watch, Peggy. It will all be George Bush's fault. Obama wanted a failed, weakened United States, and by gum, he's going to get one!

Peggy Noonan: He Was Supposed to Be Competent - WSJ.com

Sestak and Obama White House

If you google "Joe Sestak Barack Obama" you get about 1,200,000 hits--and since he only claimed victory in the primary a few days ago, that's huge--even with duplicates and reposting. I wonder how this will affect the voters who might turn to the Republican candidate saying "a pox on both your houses." Pols and bloggers from Chicago can't imagine what all the fuss is about. Doesn't everyone bribe?

Talking points memo has a number of stories on this.

Obama ‘Hasn’t Conveyed That He Really Cares’ About Oil Spill

And how many days without a press conference? That surprised me. The man is on TV constantly. And after all the press did for him he doesn't even take them to the dance.

"I look at it from the position of a journalist, and what I see is that, you know what, the messaging is just wrong. He's just not been fully engaged. He just hasn't conveyed that he really cares about this issue, and that he's not off to the side watching."

Breitbart.tv » NPR’s Williams: Obama ‘Hasn’t Conveyed That He Really Cares’ About Oil Spill

Obama's Memorial Day appearance in Illinois canceled by rain, thunderstorm and high winds

Torrential rain, lightning, thunder and strong winds forced President Barack Obama to cancel a Memorial Day speech he'd scheduled at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Illinois.

Obama's Memorial Day appearance in Illinois canceled by rain, thunderstorm and high winds | StarTribune.com

Remembering Uncle Clare on Memorial Day


I was looking through some old letters that were returned to the family and found this clipping about Uncle Clare's funeral in a thank you note my grandmother had written to my mother's friend Arlene. The enlistment date isn't correct as I think he enlisted in 1942, but September 1944 was when his unit joined with 40th Photographic Reconaissance Squadron, which is probably where that date mix-up came. Also my aunt's name is Dickson, not Dicks. Clare came home in October 1947, three years after his death, on the Honda Knot, a huge funeral ship bearing over 3,000 coffins. I don't think my grandparents were ever the same. I'm not sure why they chose this photo, except he looks like the farm boy he was, who had perhaps just removed his cap to squint at the growing crops, instead of handsome and suave in his Air Corps uniform.

"A navy launch approached the Honda Knot and offered another massive wreath from President Truman. Dignitaries in the audience included Army General Mark Clark, who had led American troops in Italy during the war, and the Secretary of the Navy John L. Sullivan, who honored these fallen heroes, many of whom had passed under the Golden Gate Bridge on ships bound for the Pacific war. Six of the 3,012 flag-draped coffins aboard the Honda Knot were removed the next day to lie in state in the rotunda of San Francisco’s city hall, where ordinary citizens of a sorrowful nation paid their last respects. The six dead represented servicemen from the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard, along with a civilian, all killed in the war. From the early morning until late that night, thousands of mourners filed by the coffins of knelt in prayer by their sides. The arrival of the Honda Knot and the Joseph V. Connolly officially initiated what one observer called the “most melancholy immigration movement in the history of man,” the return to the United States of 233,181 American dead after the end of World War II. America’s army of fallen warriors was coming home from the four corners of the earth, from Guadalcanal and Australia, from New Guinea, Japan, China, and Burma in the Pacific theater. From the Mediterranean theater men were returned from Libya, Sicily, Italy, Yugoslavia, and Romania. The bodies of men who had died in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany also came home. Most had been killed in action or had died of wounds from direct combat against the enemy." From the book Safely Rest, by David P. Colley

Nice to hear from you

When I opened my e-mail today I had a nice letter from someone who'd read my blog on the links from Joyce Foundation to President Obama to CCX to Al Gore to Goldman Sachs.  (These carbon exchanges remind me of investing in fantasy baseball.) He thanked me.  Occasionally there are comments or e-mails to balance the lefties who claim to only have my best interests at heart and want to shut me down, either on Facebook or blogspot. Either I write too much (you need to get a life, Norma) or I haven't researched it (even though I provide the links) or I'm buying into right wing conspiracies (it's not a conspiracy if they explain what they're doing) or s/he is just bossy and won't take the time to write her own stuff so they come here and complain.  The nasties just get deleted.  It's always "freedom for me and not for thee" when you're left of center. Even when Obama followers aren't transparent on purpose, they are.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

How old, how young?

How old do you have to be before younger people step aside on the walking path along the lake?  It's a gorgeous day in the neighborhood--perfect for a walk heading east.  Giant tanker at the Marblehead dock, sunny day, a few clouds, and a nice breeze.  I was almost mowed down by a 20-something jogger--I stepped into the grass--and then a 40-something ran by with her big dog--and I stepped aside.  I was walking on the far right, leaving them plenty of room, but they were enjoying the great weather and not looking.

Flowers are terrific in May. As are the greens that just don't appear any other time of the year.  All the colors and blooms I remember from the days 50 years ago when most people didn't go to the nurseries to buy annuals.  Peach, pink, rose, purple, blue and white iris.  Early rose bushes.  The lilacs are finished now. Bridal wreath just about done. Later in the summer there will be hollihocks along the lakefront, and then the many types of lilies.

This morning I saw a huge hawk circling and two tiny parent birds trying to attack it to keep it away from the nest.  Parenting is never easy, and in the law of nature, only the fittest survive.  I hope my mother duck at the front door is staying close to the nest.  Her coloring is just perfect for that location, but when she gets frightened and leaves the 9 eggs (that we can see), they are so light they almost glow against the leaves and mulch.

As every Spring at Lakeside there are changes.  People scraping cottages and freshening with new paint; ripping off an old porch and adding a new; some cottages sold over the winter; others went up for sale--the biggest gap will be the 3 on our street all owned by the same couple who have relocated to New York; and some deaths.  When we only see each other a few months of the year time is so compressed.

Just heard about the death of my high school classmate Neal--I'd only seen him once or twice in the last 50 years.  He left school early to enter college and rarely came back for reunions, or else we didn't come back at the same time.  But he was a very smart kid who wrote plays for our class to perform.  It was a very small town, but the teachers all knew he was a rare one, and encouraged his unusual abilities. I'm sure everyone in the class remembers Neal, and I'm sorry for his children who have lost both parents within one year.

This year there will be restaurant service at the Hotel Lakeside again--and that is great news.  I stopped in and picked up a menu today--casual fare except for week-end evenings.  Now that Abigail's has closed there were not many choices for dining out, so people were leaving the grounds for Marblehead and Port Clinton.  And that's not good for the rest of the merchants who depend on people strolling by and impulse purchases.  I still remember sitting in the Hotel dining room in the summer of 1988 looking at the newly rebuilt pavilion and saying to Bob, "I think I'm ready to buy a cottage."  I thought he'd pass out from happiness, and he didn't say much for fear I might change my mind.  We took a different walking route on the way back to our rental, and passed this tiny cottage with a for sale sign in the yard, and the rest is history as they say.

And this blog is so long and so all over the place because I'm on the porch picking up a connection from God knows where and it won't last long--so bye, and have a great holiday week-end.

On Holiday

Can barely get a connection, so I'll probably not do much til Monday, plus my memorial day story is on my other computer.  Great weather at the lake and friends will be joining. us.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

What exactly is "top priority" for President Obama? Not the economy, stupid

It certainly isn't the oil spill is it? He'll do what he always does. Create a commission and build a gallows for the CEOs. Then pounce on more green in the sky plans.

If you google "Barack Obama top priority" you'll get 444,000 matches, many duplicates, many off topic. But most will show he'll put on a happy (or defiant) face for whomever is the audience. A true politician--that behavior knows no party, kingdom or philosophy. When he was campaigning he was all over the priority map, just like today, but ECONOMY certain was a biggie--and it has worsened since he became the candidate to beat in July 2008 because he switched priorities as soon as he took office. Dates refer to the reporting, not the speech--and I've selected just a few--but it was pretty obvious, unemployment / jobs / economy certainly took a back seat to taking over segments of the economy, discouraging investment, and raising taxes during the recession.

Economy, June 10, 2008

Liberalize abortion laws, October 17, 2008

Improve image abroad, November 6, 2008

Economy, November 7, 2008

India, (date not posted, but appears to be 2008)

Health care reform, June 3, 2009

Haiti, January 14, 2010

Clean energy jobs, January 27, 2010

Jobs, January 29, 2010

Health care, January 28, 2010

Unemployment, April 2, 2010

Jobs, April 27, 2010

Oil spill, April 28, 2010

Jindal has a plan; so does Obama

The difference in the two plans is the men's character, patriotism, and world view. Bobby Jindal is a state governor, a loyal American first,who knows he is supposed to protect the people who elected him. Barack Obama is the president of all of us who believes he is a "world citizen" first, and he gives the bird to the people on the left who elected him and his backsides to those who didn't.

Obama's plan is to dawdle, form commissions, and speechify until the gulf states are so damaged they'll have no choice but to take more handouts from the federal government. Hopefully, if his plan is successful, taxes on energy will soar, so that he'll then have even more reasons to point to "green" technology to pay off all his cronies.

Bobby Jindal for President, and the sooner the better.

Jefferson officials fully support Jindal's plan to build barrier islands against oil spill NOLA.com

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Sentenced To Prison

Did anyone really believe this crook was going to pay back what he owed? At $6 a month, how long does it take to pay back a million? And Obama campaigned for him. Because I listen to Detroit radio local talk shows when we're at the lake, this is all we heard in 2008. Someone should have been listening more closely to the wealth transfer promises through health care and cap and trade of a certain candidate. That is a much bigger loss to honest taxpayers than this clown.

Epoch Times - Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Sentenced To Prison

USDA puppy mill report

All the major news sources regardless of geographic location or editorial slant (most from AP) are reporting that the USDA APHIS isn't doing its job in putting "puppy mills" out of business. If you do a Google search on "USDA puppy mill report" you get about 35,000 hits (I haven't found the original, however), but if you add in one word, "Amish" you'll get about 24,000. Ohio news sources have been reporting on the puppy mill industry by our local Amish for years. I think there have been a number of reports in recent years at the federal oversite level, at least 3 in this decade. Nothing changes. I don't think puppy mill operators have a lot of political clout or lobbyists in Washington, so something else is going on.

I'd like to point out something about the USDA and how it could have more staff and money to put these folks out of business. The USDA still offers 100% financing, no money down, home mortgage schemes, luring people, middle class and/or poor, into situations they really can't afford. Check out its "rural development" site--it's just amazing what it will do for you if you want to get out of the city. Regulating animals bred for sale is a bona fide agricultural arm of the government responsibility, in my opinion. Our security, health and welfare are directly related to the health and welfare of animals. Putting people into bad mortgages, a plan that brought us to this recession, is not.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Decisions about disclosure

The opening paragraph of an essay titled, "Disclosure" by Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky of Boston in the May 5, 2010 issue of JAMA was stunning in the author's lack of understanding her role in protecting the general public and specific individuals from serious disease. Others I'd give a break, but she had an MD and MPH after her name! The paragraph really wasn't essential to the thrust of her topic, which was about being a woman (pregnancy, motherhood) in academic medicine. Here's what she wrote:
    "Early in my career, one of my patients with HIV infection, Robin, a recovering heroin addict, had re-enrolled in school and was newly engaged. Her fiance was unaware that she was HIV infected and she would not discuss using condoms, let alone her HIV infection, with him. I encouraged her to confide her infection to her fiance--for the integrity of their relationship and for the value of his health--at each of our clinical encounters. Finally, she did so. He left her. She stopped taking her antiretroviral medications and restarted using heroin. Although the fiance may have reduced his risk of infection, the consequences of my intervention were tragic for my patient. Robin's case reinforced that disclosure is a risky business because the truth can trigger an unexpected, sometimes devastating chain of reactions."
No, it wasn't unfortunate that the fiance left her; it probably saved his life, assuming he wasn't already infected. No, Rochelle Walensky's intervention as a doctor and public health official wasn't tragic--it was probably a requirement of her job! No, Robin didn't start using heroin again because her fiance left her--she was an addict and no one, not even the love of a good man could change her if she wasn't up to the tough behavior needed to kick it. No, stopping the antiretroviral meds wasn't a tragedy because she would just become reinfected as the heroin addiction took over her mind. Part of getting well is a behavior change, chastity and monogamy, something she can't do on drugs. And finally, it's just entirely possible that the fiance left her because he realized she valued his life so little, that he would never again be able to trust her.

You go girls!

When Jean Mellman, 86, Shirley Boster, 87, Harriet Korn, 93, Naomi Schottenstein, 81, Fannie Shkolnik, 92, and Shirley Yaffe, 85, were young, bat mitzvah ceremonies - the female equivalent of a boy's bar mitzvah, typically at 13 - didn't exist. Today, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Jews offer bat mitzvahs for girls; Orthodox synagogues do, too, but the girls don't read from the Torah. In recent years, rabbis across the country have offered ceremonies to elderly women to make up for what they didn't have available when they were young. Rabbi Cary Kozberg has modified the typical Torah reading requirement of a bat mitzvah. Each woman will read a Hebrew blessing before the rabbi reads a portion of the Torah and explain the meaning in their life. And of course, the perspective will be very different than that of a 12 year old.

'Girls' to finally have bat mizvahs | The Columbus Dispatch

Monday, May 24, 2010

The Wealth Gap, Research and Policy Brief May 2010

THE RACIAL WEALTH GAP INCREASES FOUR FOLD shouts the headline of the liberal think tank at Brandeis, the Institute on Assets and Social Policy ( IASP), May 2010 report. I looked around for a definition of a "household" but couldn't find one for this wealth gap study. Nor could I find a contact to ask. Also, I haven't seen any mention in the news reports I've seen that the gap between wealthy white households and middle income white households is much bigger than between middle income whites and blacks. Someone needs to look at marriage. Even in middle class white households, children before marriage is becoming socially acceptable--but it's still financially a bad, bad idea, especially for the children. The women's movement just hates to tell women this, but "marrying up" is the best way to go for women. Postponing marriage until you're 35 and moving up the career track doesn't necessarily "create wealth." And savings rates--couldn't find anything in the summary. Also, someone needs to ask one of these think tanks on the left if all the social programs put in place since Johnson's War on Poverty have been working against minorities or have they just been buying votes.

http://iasp.brandeis.edu/pdfs/Racial-Wealth-Gap-Brief.pdf

Repurposing an old car lot

We purchased and serviced at least two Fords--maybe three--at the old Graham Ford facility at 707 West Broad just west of downtown. It closed in November 2008 and now there are plans to return it to its original "holy" purpose--servicing the poor and needy, and providing museum space for Columbus Catholics.

The Rev. Kevin Lutz, pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church, envisions "an elegant makeover. They say the church could create a Catholic cultural center to house its Jubilee Museum, have plenty of room for events and provide a new home for the Holy Family soup kitchen. "There's a lot of beauty surrounding that spot," Lutz said, recalling the work of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, who were there from about 1865 until 1965."

There will be a fund raiser on June 19--they need to raise $4 million to purchase the property. The current location of the Holy Family soup kitchen doesn't have handicap access.

Holy intentions for an old car lot The Columbus Dispatch

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Google this

The search strategy "Calderone the hypocrite" brings up 67,000 matches. I'm just saying. . .

Tuesday Update: Now it's up to about 77,000--sample of some of the titles, some from blogs, but most from news agencies.

Calderon Is a Welfare-Pimping Hypocrite and Congress Out of Touch

Oblahblah and Calderone diss our Border

Althouse: Did Obama's speechwriters write Calderon's speech?

EDITORIAL: Go back to Mexico - Washington Times

Obama and Calderon: Insulting Americans together - Monday, May 24

Calderon The Hypocrite

Mexican president, Calderon: Hypocrite. - CNN iReport

Calderon's rebuke is that of a hypocrite » Opinion » Leader Call

Lavish state dinner for Mexican hypocrite

I don't know the cost of Wagyu steak, but a hamburger is $40.00 for half a pound. It's over the top that President Obama so lavishly entertains a "neighbor" who is so critical of us, when Calderone's own immigration policy is much more harsh, "anti-brown" and racist than ours.

State Dinner Menu for Mexican President Calderon: Oregon Wagyu Beef in Oaxacan Black Mole. Briefing Memo - Lynn Sweet

For example:

An immigrant who becomes a naturalized Mexican citizen can be stripped of his Mexican citizenship if he lives again in the country of his origin for more than five years, under Article 37. Mexican-born citizens risk no such loss.

Foreign-born, naturalized Mexican citizens may not become federal lawmakers (Article 55), cabinet secretaries (Article 91) or supreme court justices (Article 95).

The president of Mexico, like the president of the United States, constitutionally must be a citizen by birth, but Article 82 of the Mexican constitution mandates that the president’s parents also be Mexican-born citizens, thus according secondary status to Mexican-born citizens born of immigrants.

The Mexican constitution forbids immigrants and naturalized citizens to become members of the clergy. Article 130 says, “To practice the ministry of any denomination in the United Mexican States it is necessary to be a Mexican by birth.”

The Mexican constitution singles out “undesirable aliens.” Article 11 guarantees federal protection against “undesirable aliens resident in the country.”

The Mexican constitution provides the right of private individuals to make citizen’s arrests. Article 16 states, “in cases of flagrante delicto, any person may arrest the offender and his accomplices, turning them over without delay to the nearest authorities.” Therefore, the Mexican constitution appears to grant Mexican citizens the right to arrest illegal aliens and hand them over to police for prosecution.

The Mexican constitution states that foreigners may be expelled for any reason and without due process. According to Article 33, “the Federal Executive shall have the exclusive power to compel any foreigner whose remaining he may deem inexpedient to abandon the national territory immediately and without the necessity of previous legal action.”

http://www.c4ads.org/files/waller_csp_apr2006_mexico.pdf

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Senate Judiciary Committee requests Kagan documents

Here's a shocker. The Clinton library thinks it will be too difficult to find and submit for review the Kagan documents.
    Terri Garner, director of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, said in an interview Wednesday that it would be "very difficult" for her facility to meet the deadline. She said the records request is overly broad and "too general in scope" and that, under the Presidential Records Act, attorneys for both Clinton and President Obama have the right to read and review each document before it is released to the committee.
What is it with this administration and documents? Illegal aliens shouldn't have to have any, because that might mean there was proof they are illegal. President Obama hasn't released a single document about his past, the way other presidents and candidates have done--not medical, not educational--no wonder there are so many conspiracy theories. What's he hiding? And now Kagan? Her paper trail has got to be very thin, all the more reason to have the Clinton records. When I was a librarian, if the Dean needed something, we stayed until we found it.

Senate Judiciary Committee requests documents on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan - latimes.com

Tea Parties vs. Unions as protrayed in the press

Nina Easton of Fortune magazine reported on an incident in her Washington, D.C., neighborhood in which 500 screaming, placard-waving SEIU members and allies surrounded the home of Greg Baer, deputy general counsel at Bank of America, to protest bank foreclosures. Can you imagine how the press would have treated even one tea party protestor at the home of an SEIU member? Obama or Pelosi would have been on TV that night wagging fingers or weeping for the shame of it. The only reason it was reported at all is that Easton lived in the neighborhood and reported what she saw--the police when called by Baer, whose 14 year old was home alone hiding in a locked bathroom, refused to come. Are police members of unions? .
    "Last Sunday, on a peaceful, sun-crisp afternoon, our toddler finally napping upstairs, my front yard exploded with 500 screaming, placard-waving strangers on a mission to intimidate my neighbor, Greg Baer. Baer is deputy general counsel for corporate law at Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), a senior executive based in Washington, D.C. And that -- in the minds of the organizers at the politically influential Service Employees International Union and a Chicago outfit called National Political Action -- makes his family fair game." Link
The liberals are turning our freedoms inside out and upside down, and those of you who claim to be "moderate Democrats" ought to see that your party has been stolen from you by near anarchists and scum bums. People are not safe in their homes when these busloads of terrorists are turned loose by the union leaders.
John Fund: Tea Parties vs. Unions in November - WSJ.com

Update on police protection--the buses had a D.C. police escort!: "According to Corporal Dan Friz, an MCPD spokesperson in Rockville, Maryland, the department received a disturbance call from one of Baer’s neighbors at 4:10 pm last Sunday. Four MCPD units arrived at Baer’s Greenville Rd. address at 4:15 pm. At least two Metropolitan Police Department units from the nearby District of Columbia were already at the scene when they arrived.

Why? Because police cars attached to the Washington MPD’s Civil Disturbance Unit had escorted the SEIU protesters’ buses to Baer’s home. Such cross-jurisdictional escort activity is not uncommon for both departments according to Friz and Metro Police Department spokesperson Officer Eric Frost. Still, the District police did not inform their colleagues of what was about to happen in one of their Maryland neighborhoods."

Friday, May 21, 2010

A hospitalist looks at socialized medicine

Erik DeLue, a hospitalist who blogs, recently had a paid 4 day visit to St. Petersburg, Russia with his wife, an art historian. Since Obamacare had recently been passed, he decided to take a quick look at state sponsored health care.

"As if vodka were a truth serum, I got an earful of reality about Russian health care. If you need basic care, and by that I do mean very basic care, everyone has access. If your health care needs are more complicated, be prepared to wait a long time or be willing to pay much more money out of pocket than most can afford.

The other option is to find healthcare in another country—again, an option available to only a select few. But Russia is an extreme example of socialized medicine gone bad, and the demise of its health care system has more to do with the country’s political history than it does with the basic tenets and structures of socialized care.

As this was an international conference, I had a chance to speak to people from many different countries, including Germany, France and England. Most of these Western Europeans were generally happy with their health care system, but all complained of longer wait times and difficulties with getting subspecialty care, at least when compared to how our current American system works. They also noted that those with money were able to move ahead in the line, hardly a surprise no matter which the nation or particular political system."

For the rest of the story, see it here.

DeLue seems to believe we are moving to the idea that health care is a right, and if that is so, we need to determine how to ration it.  Did anyone hear that during the months of debate?

Most Europeans and even most Americans don't realize that all Americans have health care, they don't all necessarily have health insurance. In fact, if they don't have insurance, they may actually get to spend more time in the hospital healing and not be sent home according to a pay formula, as I learned when my friend's son who was unemployed had an appendectomy.

 I'm really puzzled when I read that if people only had insurance they wouldn't be struggling with obesity. As if there were no fat, middle-class, well-employed white people. It's peer pressure, not insurance, that keeps people trim, exercising and eating right.

NPR's Nina Totenberg gushes over Kagan after saying federal courts could threaten Obama legacy

It's no secret that Nina Totenberg of NPR is a liberal--she doesn't attempt to disguise it. Recently she has all but gushed over Elena Kagan, Obama's pick for the Supreme Court. The only naysayers she could find to quote were people even further left than she is. Can you imagine if she were writing about a Roberts or Alito only mentioning conservative sources. I looked back to 2006 and then she was remarking (not exactly complaining) about the unanimity in the decisions of a Roberts led court. In this source, she's ginning up some fear that her precious Obamaic legacy could be thwarted.

E-net! - NPR's Nina Totenberg says federal courts could threaten Obama legacy

Well, not to fear. She's got Superwoman Kagan to the rescue. But then, it isn't called NPR (National Progressive Radio) for nothing.

Weiner Matters--He's hired new staff

I finally got Weiner Facts to work--it's such a popular website, it's hard to get in.

"Check this one out! In the past, Weiner would have to go online to Media Matters to read about what he was supposed to say that day. But now, Weiner has changed all that. He just hired someone from Media Matters to work as his press secretary!"

Weiner Facts » Blog Archive » Weiner Matters

I hope Mr. Weinger is grateful--before Glenn Beck, no one had heard of him, and in politics, name recognition is everything. Media Matters is the anti-Bush, anti-conservative, anti-American site that filters the news for liberals. It's funded, I've heard, by George Soros, the Hungarian Communist who has had great luck with capitalism.

Just 1% of Seattle Marathon money goes to charity

Maybe you should ask before you volunteer, race, walk, or make a contribution, "What percentage of the take do the charity race organizers get?" You may just be paying $30 for a $5 t-shirt and a button saying, "I did my part to defeat (disease of choice)." I checked out Premier Sports of Columbus, OH which is handling the "39th Annual Memorial Day Run." You pay an entry fee ranging from $15 to $30, depending on what and when you enter. You sign away your right to sue if Premier Sports or the sponsor are negligant (although I don't think that stands up in court) and assume all risks if you are injured. This event doesn't claim to be charity. I think Premier Sports gets everything with a token going to the Upper Arlington Civic Association. However, many events do claim to support a charity--or research for a disease--cancer, heart disease, kidney, etc. Check it out first. This marathon in Seattle contributed only about $12,000 for an event that took in over $1,000,000.

Local News | Just 1% of Seattle Marathon money goes to charity | Seattle Times Newspaper

Gershwin's Concerto in F by Oscar Levant

Speaking of George Gershwin, when I was a young teenager--maybe 13 or 14--my sister and I went to Rockford to hear Oscar Levant play. It's possible my mom drove us--I don't remember how we got there. But it seems like we were sitting about 5 ft. from him. . . maybe I was just mesmerized. He was a fabulous pianist and appeared in American in Paris (1951). I was so fortunate to grow up in a home with an accomplished musician--God knows, He moved on after he gave that talent to her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wePBkW6WMM8

Musical bargain from the Discovery Shop

Yesterday I bought a great George Gershwin CD at the Discovery Shop (Cancer resale) for $1.00. The pianist was Eugen Cicero [Ciceu]. The first 7 items are from Porgy & Bess, [orchestral] and then that is followed by 8 piano medleys performed by Circero. I'd never heard of him, so I Googled. A Romanian genius in his adopted Germany, according to this writer, who spent too much time "in his cups" and died before his time. Here's a great article. ... I do love a bargain.

Nothing can beat my Urbie Green CD I found for a dollar, though. I've seen prices as high as $200 on the internet.

FTC to Look Into Copy Machine Privacy

The problem is leased copiers--who knew they were data storage devices? Well, the bad guys probably knew--if they didn't they do now.

"During its investigation, CBS [April 19 report] found a machine used by a police sex crimes division in Buffalo, N.Y., with information on criminal suspects and domestic violence complaints. It also found pay stubs with Social Security numbers and medical records from insurer Affinity Health Plan, including names and physician diagnoses."

I guess since most businesses don't know how to overwrite the data, maybe the criminals don't either?

Technology News: Privacy: FTC to Look Into Copy Machine Privacy Breakdown

Glenn Beck launches WeinerFacts.com

The Whitehouse dot gov link to immigration issues doesn't work (404 message), but the link to Weinerfacts.com has probably been hacked, or overrun by too many people trying to read it. Glenn Beck bought the domain name and is using the web site to fight a member of Congress using McCarthy type tactics to destroy a private citizen and his business. I had to go to 5-6 urls before I could get one to link. This one worked.

Another Black Conservative: Glenn Beck launches WeinerFacts.com

Today I also listened to a YouTube audio of Michael Savage taking a call from a Florida woman named Jo. I think it is a put-on. No one, especially a woman, could be that dumb. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMK9zxb5HyE&NR=1 I think her use of the word "stash" gives it away.

Let's elect Bill Davis

"There is no such thing as improved, enhanced, more efficient or streamlined government. We have one option: more government or less government. There are no natural predators of government." Letter to the editor, Wall St. Journal, May 21, 2010.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Deepwater Horizon record was exemplary--MMS

Out of 2,896 days of operation, Deep Water Horizon received 6 citations, and none of those were very serious according to Minerals Management Service (MMS). The Deepwater Horizon's record was so exemplary, according to MMS officials, that the rig was never on inspectors' informal "watch list" for problem rigs. But now there are charges and counter charges, and Associated Press who probably doesn't have anyone on staff who knows anything about these rigs, is asking a lot of questions and posing lots of possibilities. But whereever it goes, it always comes back to the responsibility of MMS and the Coast Guard, i.e., the federal government, and the fact that almost nothing was done by this administration for 9 days. The World Socialist Website see it all as BP and Transocean's fault, because how could it blame the Obama government when it doesn't believe there should even be a private oil industry? Unless it was the government of George W. Bush and a hurricane, and then the federal, not the state and local governments, are completely to blame. That too is the socialist way. . .

MMS declined to send a witness to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s hearing Monday on the federal response to the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said. I don't understand how the government can force automobile company CEOs and bank managers to show up to be grilled, and their own guys get to duck out!

Federal Inspections on Deepwater Horizon Not as Claimed - AOL News

On Oil, Mining and Banking Media Favor Regulation, Barely Notice Failures of Regulators | NewsBusters.org

Museums Get University Bailouts

Another segment of our society who thought the bubble would never burst--private art museums. In today's WSJ we find that Magnes Museum is giving away its entire collection of prized Jewish art. Judah Magnes, for whom it is named, was a former Oakland, California resident who became a renowned rabbi, lecturer, political activist, and co-founder of Israel's Hebrew University. It was started in 1960 by the Fromer family. There is an interesting timeline (leaving out the bubble and the endowment problems) can be found at the website.



"Many museums took on debt to finance these activities (expansions)—only to have the floor fall out from under their endowments in 2008 when the market crashed. Last year, the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, Fla., shut its doors and gave its 435-piece collection of contemporary Florida art to St. Petersburg College, after seeing its $8 million endowment shrivel to $500,000." You've got to have some pretty risky investments to have your endowment shrivel that much. So there's probably a lot more to be told about the investment advisors these museums are using.
The Magnes Museum in Berkeley, Calif., and the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Ore., Get University Bailouts - WSJ.com

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Resurrgence of McCarthyism as Weiner targets Glenn Beck

Yes, I'm old enough to remember McCarthyism. I wouldn't recommend the methods, but he did ferret out a lot of active Communists. So we know from history it works. Now we see it's being used against a popular TV performer instead of movie stars and screen writers--Glenn Beck. McCarthyism is when the government tries to destroy the opposition by going after private citizens and their income. You can't accuse Rush or Glenn of McCarthyism (some confused liberals do) because they aren't members of the government. Obama has quite a stable now going after Beck--Van Jones, Jim Wallis, and Andy Stern, all advisors of the President (Jones has moved to a leftist think tank, but he's near by). Having all the broadcast news and most cable news in his pocket isn't enough. Maybe Congress could start having hearings for entertainers and talk show hosts and we could have a rerun of the 1950s. Its poll numbers could go even lower.

Disclaimer: I watch Glenn Beck, but I don't buy gold, or most of the products I see hawked on TV from beer to golf balls to Sleep Number beds. So obviously, this is motivated by politics, not by concern for the consumer, or we'd have Congress looking into a lot of advertisers.

Rep. Anthony Weiner targets Glenn Beck and Goldline International - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com

Faisial Shahzad Planned More Attacks

Coleman bans city-funded travel to Arizona

Add Mayor Coleman to the list of officials who haven't read SB1070. Who is he in hock to? Probably the unions. They're helping with the Arizona boycott.

Coleman bans city-funded travel to Arizona | The Columbus Dispatch

Seth ponders what makes the elites

At Seth's Blog I read:

“In more and more societies, though (including my country and probably yours [and I'm including virtually the entire planet here, except perhaps North Korea] ), I'd argue that there's a different dividing line. This is the line between people who are actively engaged in new ideas, actively seeking out change, actively engaging--and people who accept what's given and slog along. It starts in school, of course, and then the difference accelerates as we get older. Some people make the effort to encounter new challenges or to grapple with things they disagree with. They seek out new people and new opportunities and relish the discomfort that comes from being challenged to grow (and challenging others to do the same).” Seth Godin (marketing guru).

In this country, in my opinion, the libertarians and conservatives are the ones doing the challenging and growing. The leftists, socialists, progressives, Marxists, etc. are lemmings, doing the same old same old that led to the enslavement and often murder of millions in the 20th century. By discouraging investment in new ideas, whether energy, education or money, they hope to retain power and squash individualism. Do they want to help the poor? Sure--until he gets to that 4th or 5th quintile and votes Republican. Then they demonize him. They haven’t had a new idea in over 100 years--it’s always, let the government do that. They don’t know how to harness the thousands of new ideas out there because it is so threatening to their political views.

The fight over Arizona's illegal immigrant law escalates to the power grid | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

Isn't it just wonderful how Obama has brought everyone together in this country as he chases after approval from foreign governments, like Mexico which has much more stringent laws than we have and deports more illegal aliens than we do? If Obama had been prudent instead of blabbing without reading SB1070, perhaps none of the state squabbles would have happened.
    "President Obama, his Cabinet and other nongovernmental groups have strongly criticized the law, which takes effect in midsummer. They've threatened economic boycotts and canceled trips . . . The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-2 to boycott Arizona, . . .Now comes some hardball from a statewide elected Arizonan named Gary Pierce. He's a commissioner of the Arizona Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities there. So what? you say. Well, as our beloved buddy Ed Morrissey points out over at HotAir, it seems that Arizona's power plants generate about 25% of the electricity that runs what Briton Eddie Izzard calls the City of Angles."
What do you think? Is it time for the President to read the bill and call for beer for all?

The fight over Arizona's illegal immigrant law escalates to the power grid | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

I've now read Arizona SB1070--have you?

The President hasn't. Eric Holder hasn't. Janet Napolitano hasn't. The governor of California hasn't. The principal of Highland High School in Illinois hasn't. Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner hasn't. But it was read aloud on the Glenn Beck Show today. Now millions and millions know what our federal, state and local officials don't--that it cites and follows the U.S. Code, that it prohibits profiling, that it comes down very heavily on human smuggling. Too bad our president is so quick to speak without knowing anything on the topic. Maybe he can have another beer party, this time with the governor of Arizona, to thrash this out?

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Pimping the poor

Somewhere I read that 12% of Ohio's population were poor by the government's designation, but that no one can live on that amount. I think quintiles work better--so I'd put it at the bottom one fifth. A designation of poverty is a little squishy by any agency's rule book--I know a 40 year old man living on disability, unemployment and Medicaid whose "income" is higher than mine because of all the government programs for which he's eligible. It allows him to build up his 401-k, because he is allowed income from part time employment without losing his benefits. Being disabled doesn't mean he's stupid--even if he could work full time (and I don't think he is able), it wouldn't pay.

I began browsing through some of the non-profits, foundations, government agencies, faith-based organizations and community organizations that assist those we used to call "the down and out" with food and nutrition needs. That could be the poor, children, elderly, disabled, homeless, and anyone with a special health problem whether gluten sensitivity, diabetes, HIV, TB, etc. All social programs are intertwined since poverty is never simple, so it's not long before you're into the medical and educational and post-prison programs, too.

In the process I came across a jumbled alphabet soup of acronyms of government agencies and programs, like TANF, TEFAP, SFPP, SNAP, and OASHF. Then I realized that those groups, programs and agencies which all had directors, assistant directors, marketers, data gatherers, IT support, boards and researchers were yet again bundled into coalitions and super-organizations which also have directors, assistant directors, boards, etc.

I'll just highlight one coalition/organization because it had four name changes in seven years, The Coalition to Protect Ohio's Future, beginning in 2003 as The Emergency Campaign to Protect Ohio's Future. But after browsing the list of 127 agencies which supported it, and looking through their lists of staff and boards and community partners, I concluded that the ratio of poverty staffer to needy recipient must be about 1:1. Another thing I noticed was that many of these coalitions and non-profits organized themselves in the early 2000s. I suspected that had something to do with the change in the Welfare law of 1996; that instead of the check going to welfare mothers it was going into the accounts of middle class social workers, researchers, and academics who run these organizations. I didn't have to look too far because one of these organizations had in fact hired another sister organization (they are very good at recycling government grants to other agencies) to research why the poor were staying poor.
    "In 1996, Congress transformed the nation’s welfare system to mandate higher workforce participation by program participants. The new program, named Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), imposed a maximum five-year limit for receiving cash benefits, but also permitted states to use federal funds for many types of assistance intended to aid a person in finding and keeping a job. Such assistance can include training, transportation, and child support functions." Staying Employed: Trends in Medicaid, Child Care, and Head Start in Ohio
I also realized that I couldn't tell what these groups/agencies/coalitions actually did even by carefully parsing their vision and mission statements! Here's the mission statement for The Coalition to Protect Ohio's Future:
    "To ensure support from the public, the legislature and the administration for governmental services and government funded services that support health, human services and early care in Ohio."
It sounds to me like it exists solely to make sure their supporting agencies have a funding stream, to get money, a slice of which would go to the Coalition and keep it moving on into "Ohio's future." Not a word about ending poverty or hunger, or healing the sick, or anything as grandiose as those movie star challenges on TV. And what in the world is "early care," anyway?

And one last thing. No matter the date on the study or report, it was always "in these difficult times," or "during this economic downturn," or "in this time of growing need." Virtually all these reports were written during the Bush eight years, and until Obama came along, no administration had spent more on domestic social programs than George W. Bush. These programs had enormous growth under him, and because his tax programs brought in more money to the government coffers and even the state budgets were flush with full employment tax money, it was like fertilizer for the poverty gardeners (mixing my metaphors here).

Obama Signs Daniel Pearl Press Act--protects journalistic freedom elsewhere

Oh the irony. The president who has done more to target and malign freedom of speech, print, and internet (the press) in my memory, attacking Fox News as not being "a real news organization" and has his lackies and attack dogs going after the sponsors of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, signs the Daniel Pearl Press Act, requiring "the State Department to expand its scrutiny of news media restrictions and intimidation as part of its annual review of human rights in each country. Among other considerations, the department will be required to determine whether foreign governments participate in or condone violations of press freedom."

Obama Signs Daniel Pearl Law Backing Press Freedom - NYTimes.com

And it wasn't enough that he had every major cable and broadcast company and news organization under his control carrying his water and getting him elected--he's created yet another White House news company for sanitizing his activities even more than WaPo, NYT or Katie would do for him. I guess they didn't believe Glenn when he told them they would be next after he got done marginalizing Fox.

"The White House's media management practices have drawn quiet criticism from journalists in the past few weeks. Despite Obama's campaign pledge to be open with the media, members of the White House Correspondents' Association met with Gibbs recently to complain about limitations on their access. The group is mainly upset about the relatively few informal question-and-answer sessions Obama has held since taking office. Obama had 46 such encounters with the press during his first year, far fewer than Presidents George W. Bush (147) and Clinton (252) during their first years, according to Martha Joynt Kumar, a political science professor at Towson University. However, Obama gave many more media interviews (161) compared with Bush (50) and Clinton (53) in their first years. Kumar said Obama gave more formal news conferences in his first year (27) than Bush (19), but far fewer than Clinton (45)." WaPo.

More on the message machinery and spin.

White House message machinery spinning faster than ever - McClatchy

Monday, May 17, 2010

Obama doesn't point fingers at government or environmentalists

If you Google, "blame environmentalists for oil spill" you'll get a bunch of articles, essays, blogs, and whiners on the left bad mouthing Rush Limbaugh (as though he had an elected office or owned an oil company) and someone I've never heard of, for suggesting that there would be no deep water drilling if it weren't for the environmentalists. Oh, are they outraged. But they really don't have a good answer, because it's true. Nor does Obama, whose government agencies handle all the safety and regulation of this very risky (but rarely failing) operation. He, the master of the blame game, continues to blame every thing and everyone except his own administration.

They used to drill for natural gas in Ohio and oil in Pennsylvania. No deep water spills then. Maybe if they'd listened to Sarah Palin . . .?

The Gulf oil spill blame game - How the World Works - Salon.com

Limbaugh, Environmentalists Square Off on Who is to Blame for Oil Leak - ABC News

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Book Club List 2010-2011

Each May our book club selects the titles for the next September through May book year. Our rules are you have to have read your nominated title, lobby for it for 1 minute, and agree to lead the discussion. Those who don't have a title, either contribute dessert, or host an event. This year's selections are:

September: The help, by Kathryn Stockett

October: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, by Jon Meacham

November: Jungle Jack: my wild life, by Jack Hanna

December: People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks

January: Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell

February: The Glass Castle: a memoir, by Jeannette Walls

March: Animal, vegetable, miracle; a year of food life, by Barbara Kingsolver

April: The inextinguisable symphony by Martin Goldsmith

May: The year of living Biblically: one man's humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible, by A.J. Jacobs

Chick flicks and pop corn

My daughter and son-in-law are big movie fans. They both see them in theaters and also buy them. I still have many movies for VCR that were hers that I've never opened. So today after Sunday brunch, they sent us home with "The blind side" with Sandra Bullock, and "It's complicated," with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. I'd intended to see both when they got to the dollar theater, but I think I missed them. SIL says I'll need a few hankies for the Bullock movie.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Why Wonder Bread can save the world

Tonight for dinner we’re having home made broccoli soup and bread baked by my son last Sunday and put in the freezer (we’ve already eaten half of it). I found this wonderful message about being grateful for our food on Ted Talks.

Ted.Com is a wonderful website where you can find speeches by experts on anything and everything. (Except Glenn Beck--he lectures 40 minutes a day, 5 days a week on everything from Crime Inc. to George Washington to Miranda rights, employs a number of researchers, has written best sellers and speaks at many special events, so he would be overlooked by the organizers of Ted as too commercial.) Nevertheless, you can find others who don't have audiences of 30,000,000.

This lecture by Louise Fresco (Dutch) is no different than what I knew back in the 1970s when I worked in the Agriculture Library. But the ordinary person is even further removed from knowledge of food today than they were then. It's hard to know who is more naive--the kids who thinks meat comes in Styrofoam, or the college professor who thinks oranges are "locally grown." She provides a fresh, non-confrontational explanation about the important of modern agriculture. She talks about why the much maligned white Wonder Bread is the solution to world hunger, not locally grown, sustainable farmers markets. The mythical image of life in the rural past that rich Westerners have (particularly western USAns aka Californians) is false and will condemn millions to hard poverty if they succeed in returning us (particularly women) to that era.

I would just make one correction--although yes, there are very few farmers today (in industrialized nations), there are still many millions employed in the food industy, from production of inputs, equipment, buildings, transportation, processing, packaging, marketing, merchandising, kitchen equipment and on to restaurants and fast food, all the way to bus boy and dishwasher at the Rusty Bucket where we go every Friday night. They are all part of our food chain. As Ms. Fresco takes her bread out of the oven she encourages her audience to think about their own food chain beginning with the farmer and the wheat.

How to kill jobs the Obama way

Greyson Chance sings "Stars"

He's the 6th grader who's had 15 million uploads of his Lady GaGa song. This is one of his original compositions and it's about a woman who dies of cancer. He's obviously got talent. Hope the voice makes it through the male change.



YouTube - greyson97's Channel#p/a/u/0/emblM4a76jg

Friday, May 14, 2010

What's happening to teachers?

Are they going around the bend? Brain washed skulls of nothingness? We've got coaches in Highland, IL playing politics by deciding that Arizona is unsafe because the drug runners might be stopped; there was a teacher who beat up a student and was caught on cell phone video (both were black so at least we're being spared the whole media circus on that issue); and now a teacher tells a student who draws an American flag that "it's offensive" and she won't give a reason or apologize?

US agency admits lax enforcement of oil drilling

Let's ignore for a moment that we have a government regulatory agency watchdog (MMS) that is supposed to be keeping this method safe, and that we (humans) would be much safer if the drilling were on land, the fact remains we are still dependent on oil. It is the left that is keeping us unsafe. Their only aim is to destroy the industry, the faster the better. And it's working. Obama needs to stop wagging his finger at others and man up. It's absurd for him to complain about others passing blame when all he does is blame Bush for everything.

US agency admits lax enforcement of oil drilling - Yahoo! News

NASA Shuttle Program Winds Down

We watched the 32nd and final voyage of Atlantis today. Isn't it amazing what Obama's been able to do to take this country down down down in such a short time? Don't expect any analysis in this puff piece from ABC, however. But the photos are good.

Space Shuttle Atlantis: On Florida's Space Coast, Sadness and Anger as NASA Shuttle Program Winds Down - ABC News

President Obama, who wants to own General Motors and all your medical records as well as all media sources, has decided private companies can take over carrying astronauts to the space station so NASA can focus on getting astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars by 2035. President George Bush, in 2004, had set NASA’s sights on the moon. But Obama axed that program — seemed too small I guess. Isn't that just like Mr. No Experience in Anything? Dump a government program which does require massive amounts of money and support and build national recognition so the gummit has enough to take over private industries like health care or automobiles which really don't need the government at all.

SPACE.com -- Neil Armstrong: Obama's New Space Plan "Poorly Advised"

Holder hasn't read the Arizona law

So why all the hype from the media? How can Holder "be concerned" if he hasn't read it?  He's only "gleaned" ideas from reading newspaper accounts. And this man is making judgements that will affect all of us. Do you suppose this has led to a lot of misunderstanding, like from Highland IL high school administrators not allowing athletes to go there (although they can go to Communist China), and the governor of California and our own President making jokes about it at the expense of Arizonans?

Sue Bock

This morning at 11 we'll be gathering again with UALC family and friends -- second time this week -- to say good-bye. Sue and I hadn't been friends a long time, maybe 5 yeyears, but she was the kind of person you always wanted to be with more. She loved people and was a very special friend and volunteer for shut-ins and the elderly, and just a really enjoyable person to be around. We had a lunch date planned for next week. Now we'll have to wait for the resurrection.

From the Dispatch: BOCK (LAMBERT) Susan Lambert Bock, age 70, passed away on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at home. She was a graduate of St. Joseph Academy and attended The Ohio State University. Susan retired from the insurance industry as a case manager. She was a long time member of the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church. Susan is preceded in death by her parents Edward and Rosemary Putnam Lambert. She is survived by her only child, Lisa Bock married to Pete Estler and grandchildren, Ty and Cole Estler. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on FRIDAY, May 14, 2010 at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, 2300 Lytham Road. Pastor John Stolzenbach, Officiating. Private family interment at Green Lawn Cemetery.

The GM spoof that tells the troof

A patriot's history of the United States

History hasn’t been this interesting since 5th-6th grade in Miss Michael’s class in little Forreston, Illinois. My husband and I are thoroughly enjoying A patriot’s history of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. And I’m still in the pre-USA days of New Spain, New France and New England, a period longer than our post-revolution years. An excellent reminder of how the colonial powers that searched for wealth and sent settlers all had very different systems. I love becoming reacquainted with all those names of the conquistadores we had to memorize and their incredible explorations, visions and dreams of wealth that lead them nowhere. Even the Italian Columbus died in poverty.

Spain stole gold mined by the Indians for their rulers and kept it all in the hands of the government. Spain was vastly outnumbered by the Indians, but it was able to defeat them through advanced technology and a superior social/cultural/political system which wasn‘t dependent of a rigid hierarchy of power. France too searched for a passage to wealth, but ended up bartering with the Indians for another kind, furs--so apparently even Indians could be influenced by greed (shock and awe!)--but didn’t do the hard work except for exploration and founding a few outposts along rivers. Also, France’s peasants were better off than those in England or Spain, so they had little interest in relocating to the unknown, difficult wilds of New France.  The few French Protestants that crossed seeking religious freedom were slaughtered by the Spanish even after founding colonies.

England got in the game late, and English pirates (I think in school these were called by the nicer term “privateers”) stole from the Spanish what they’d already stolen from the Indians. The authors don’t say it that way--that’s my interpretation. But the English had a different idea of wealth than the Spanish--grow it. They only of the colonial powers understood that wealth could be increased and developed, that it wasn’t a fixed commodity to be hoarded by the royal family. Hmm. Isn’t that interesting. Everyone’s wealth belongs to the government and don‘t take risks--a failed colonial (European) system except for a tiny island of entrepreneurs and investors that saw wealth differently.

From the publisher‘s page: “For at least thirty years, high school and college students have been taught to be embarrassed by American history. Required readings have become skewed toward a relentless focus on our country’s darkest moments, from slavery to McCarthyism. As a result, many history books devote more space to Harriet Tubman than to Abraham Lincoln; more to My Lai than to the American Revolution; more to the internment of Japanese Americans than to the liberation of Europe in World War II.”

Yes, since the 1970s when the homegrown, anti-American faculty wonks began to take over the college humanities and social science departments with the media and entertainment culture of TV and movies adding the icing, U.S. young people have been fed a steady diet of guilt, shame and lies. Marxists and socialists had been down this road in the 1930s and had to pause to fight the common enemy in WWII to save the Soviet Union.  But they had a vision, and it's coming to fruition today.  No wonder this book is a best seller and used by home-schooling parents whose children go on to out perform public school graduates. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Japanese skin care products coming ashore

According to an article in today's WSJ, Japanese women value their skin much more than we do. "Japanese women have long prized ageless, porcelain-white skin . . . [they] are the most sophisticated consumer in the world." It's called bihaku--"beautiful white." I didn't know that Japan's Shiseido Co. had purchased Bare Escentuals for $1.7 billion earlier this year. Japanese women spend 60% of their cosmetic budget on skin care--American women only 30%.
Japanese Makeup Companies Have Trouble Cracking the U.S. Market - WSJ.com
Hmmm. Like those annual soft drink consumption figures in the gallons, someone is obviously buying my share. I wash my face with soap and water once a day; moisturize; apply a small amount of Merle Norman foundation and a brush of coral tone blush. Whatever's still there at 9 p.m., goes to bed with me. My theory is that the less scrubbing, tugging and pulling on delicate facial muscles, the better. But even if my bathroom counter and shelves aren't loaded with expensive products, I do have my favorites--some cheap, some moderate. But ladies, nothing hides the wrinkles like a layer of fat.

The absolutely best thing for your skin is not creams, but avoidance--the sun (or tanning booths) and cigarettes. That way you'll pretty much avoid wrinkles, age spots and skin cancer until old age takes over. If you are 21, you think you'll enjoy that tight, perky look forever, but the next time you look you'll be 41, and then 61. That's when the "shoulda coulda woulda" complaints will be pretty empty. An ounce of prevention is worth a gallon of face cream. And regrets.

How to straighten curly hair

Years ago I got "curly perms." I could wash, moisturize, scrunch and air dry (about 5 minutes), or wash, moisturize and blow dry (about 20-30 minutes) with a strong, round brush. The blow dry took a lot of wrist and hand effort, but resulted in a smooth hair-do with lots of body and a thick look. If I did nothing, I had a very bad hair day--total fuzz ball.

So I was a bit surprised to read today's under the fold, front page article by Corey Dade in the Wall Street Journal about the styling salons of blacks from Dominican Republic undercutting and out performing African American traditional methods. Yes, I know African women have extremely fine hair, much more so than white or Asian women, but straightening with a hair dryer and a strong hand and wrist using a roller brush sounds a lot more simple than applying chemical goop and spending hours at the salon. This video has no instruction, but you can see how it's done.

Area studies that promote racism, separatism, and disrespect--look out

Arizona legislature is not only trying to clean up the border problem, the drug cartel problem and the diseases that cross over (TB, hepatitis, Chagas, etc.) but it's going after the hate mongers (school administrators and school teachers) who cross dress as agents of diversity and multiculturalism.

"THE LEGISLATURE FINDS AND DECLARES THAT PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO TREAT AND VALUE EACH OTHER AS INDIVIDUALS AND NOT BE TAUGHT TO RESENT OR HATE OTHER RACES OR CLASSES OF PEOPLE."

House Bill 2281

The law prohibits any school or charter school from including in its program of instruction any courses or classes that:

•Promote resentment toward a race or class of people;
•Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group; or
•Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

What is Glee's agenda?

Bruce and John are a gay couple (Republicans) who enjoy watching Glee, but lately Bruce has become disturbed by the anti-America agenda (including slamming small towns like Lima, Ohio) of the show.
    "This week, I noticed something else about Glee I hadn’t before. The McKinley high school students are not complex and interesting as characters at all. In fact, there is a surprising amount of stereotyping given that the writers are all supposedly liberal and open-minded. There is the overweight black girl with a large voice who is picked on by the dumb blonde cheerleaders. The only “good girl” is a great singer, socially inept, and appears to be the only Jewish girl in Ohio – convenient for the cheap Jewish jokes that have popped up from time to time. The most ridiculous stereotype is, ironically, Kurt the gay Glee club member. Despite what Murphy said at the GLAAD awards, Kurt puts his full gay victimhood on display. Kurt demonstrates his complete lack of self-esteem and stereotypically effeminate ways in the episode called “Home” aired on April 27. Watching that episode made me cringe and wonder how liberal gays are not livid about this over-the-top caricature of a gay teen. Here’s a thought – why not make the gay guy a football player? Kurt makes Richard Simmons look like John Wayne. Oh yeah, did I mention the gym teacher is a manly woman? Sue Sylvester, the meanie of the show, is played by Jane Lynch who has become a poster child for the Gay Left’s push for marriage. Come on, how stupid do the producers of Glee think we are that we can’t see through this crap? For the sake of humanity and to shine the light on the Glee agenda, I’m going to force myself to continue watching each week. So for now, there is a temporary household truce on Tuesday nights.
‘Glee’ Is Leftist Propaganda Aimed Squarely At Your Kids

Mr. President, this is not material for a joke, although your border plan is one

Couldn't believe the USA Today headline

"Voters' anxiety clouds his [Obama's] historic successes"

What historic successes? I asked. I didn't even read the article but here's the list I thought of in 2 minutes.

1. Healthcare--lies, distortions, and 70% of the nation didn't want it, and now CBO is slowly, slowly feeding us the real costs.

2. Unemployment--ARRA has been a complete failure--it dribbled the first year, and is now about 1/2 doled out although not spent, and the rest will be used to buy votes for 2012. He said we need to throw more tax money at the problem without even thinking it through or reading the bill so that unemployment wouldn't go above 8%.

3. Racial unrest has been inflamed by his intemperate words--worse than I can remember since the Rodney King days.

4. Terrorist risk has increased by his ignoring jihadists and trying to redefine terror, and by going after Tea Party people and the only news source that will stand up to him.

5. Sycophant, bowing and scraping to foreign powers.

6. Failure to protect the border--in this he continues a long line of failures, including President Bush.

7. Failure to act immediately in the recent Gulf oil spill. Compared to his 11 days, the response to Hurricane Katrina was lightning fast.

8. Failure to act quickly with troop requests for Afghanistan, the place he said during the campaign was the "real war."

9. Pushing a steady flow of socialist and marxist appointees and czars through for appointments. As each socialist agenda is revealed, Obama announces plans to tackle jobs, but only the government is hiring. He believes in BIG POWERFUL government and more regulations to restore the economy.

10. Making a mockery of the "peace prize," especially since he's selling out his own country every day.

Jim Bracken appointed Dean of University Libraries at Kent State University

Assistant Director of OSU Libraries Jim Bracken will become dean of Kent State University’s University Libraries effective August 1, 2010, announced Kent State Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Robert G. Frank. Bracken replaces Mark Weber, who is retiring.

OSU Libraries Communications Department » Jim Bracken appointed Dean of University Libraries at Kent State University

International Man of Mystery: Who Is Maurice Strong?

Glenn Beck's topic today. Maurice Strong. This piece is from 1997.

International Man of Mystery: Who Is Maurice Strong?

Maurice Strong, The Earth Charter and the Ark of the Gaia Covenant

40 years ago he was whipping up fear that required "controlling human activity." He built his power base and wealth by trafficking in fear.



"Strong explained: "Licences to have babies incidentally is something that I got in trouble for some years ago for suggesting even in Canada that this might be necessary at some point, at least some restriction on the right to have a child."

But, if the world didn't follow his instructions - if governments didn't heed the warnings of the doomsayers - then "this is one of the possible courses that society would have to seriously consider." Strong himself has five children."
Maurice Strong

Artemisia - One-of-a-Kind Artwear and Accessories

If I were into wearable art, here's where I'd look. Lovely. Lovely.
    Artemisia opened its doors in March 2002. It only happened because of a broken leg: When Annette broke her leg skiing in March 2001, it made her sit still for quite a while - long enough to start fantasizing about transforming her interest in fabrics and design into a career.
Artemisia - One-of-a-Kind Artwear and Accessories

I clicked on a Facebook ad. I understand they are doing very well.

Interview seen at another website

Hobbies: I didn’t have any until I retired in 2000. I was very concerned about that so I wrote a story and a plan about possible hobbies. Now I write all the time--12 blogs, poetry, essays, and I sometimes paint and draw. I’m a better artist than many people, even better than some who make a living at it, but not good enough to satisfy me, and no burning desire so I do less and less. These are interests I had before I started kindergarten. My mother used to bring home discontinued wallpaper rolls for me to write and draw.

In college I drove a: Whatever my parents owned, and Dad changed cars frequently--every year or two. That Ford red ranchero was great fun for a teen-ager.

My worst subject in school: Algebra II in 11th grade. Panicked and dropped it and took Psychology which I really liked. I did get a C once--in tennis. The teacher was pregnant and I couldn’t even keep up with her.

College, undergrad degree: University of Illinois, Russian and Spanish with a whole lot of history. Also attended Manchester College, and two small schools, one in Maine and one in Indiana the names of which I’ve forgotten. Oh yes, and I took some classes at Ohio State and Ohio Dominican over the years.

College, graduate degree: University of Illinois, Library Science. Great school. Opened a lot of doors.

Best advice I ever got: It probably came from my mother. She never ran out--I guess the apple didn‘t fall far from the tree--but I can’t place my finger on just one thing. Probably to marry my current and only husband. She was never that thrilled with the other candidates I brought home and I think she took one look and thought I had a winner. I know we feel that way about our son-in-law.

Favorite coffee: Whatever I don’t make as long as it’s brewed in a coffee shop, not kept on a burner, and not in someone else’s kitchen. For years I drank black coffee only, but must have started adding cream sometime in the 70s. No sugar. Yuck. I started "going out" for coffee when I was in high school and never looked back. I write a blog about people I meet in coffee shops.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

It’s Close at Akron Art Museum

I have two friends who have prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Actually, there may be more but I'm just not aware of it. They have difficulty recognizing people's faces. I don't know if there are gradations of this condition. Chuck Close, a famous portrait artist with multiple disabilities, has this condition. Last fall, we went to an exhibition at the Akron Art Museum made up of pieces privately owned in Ohio. Be sure to watch the video--it's fascinating.

Western Reserve Public Media It’s Close at Akron Art Museum

Why God made Moms

Childhood friend Jon Martin sent me this. And I remember his Mom. She raised two nice sons.

WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot
2.. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet; maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

NOW YOU KNOW WHERE AND HOW MOMS ARRIVED HERE !

Monday, May 10, 2010

Awards given by Center for Plain Language

This organization gives awards for clear language and language that makes you wonder, as in "I wonder what that means." I was surprised how short the "wonder" list was. I see many sites, particularly explaining government programs that make no sense, often because of double negatives. I was going to say absolutely no sense, but "absolutely" is a redundant word. Check the links: good information.

Awards | Center for Plain Language

And not a fast food restaurant in sight

The scene "Sunday on the banks of the River Marne (1938) may be idyllic, but they are all overweight. How can that be with all that healthy French food and no evil processed food? Apparently Americans didn't invent this problem.

Funny Illinois names

I was born in Winnebago County, Illinois. According to the National Geographic Blog,

"Winnebago: The name of Wisconsin’s lake means "person of dirty water" in Algonquin. The word was used to describe Siouan Indians who lived near the lower Fox River, where dead fish accumulated every summer behind a natural dam. And that's bad, but Chicago means, "At the skunk place." Ohio means nice river.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Caesar, and the Things of God

Jesus doesn't leave Caesar alone. He's Lord over all. Not sure how this flap about "National" Day of Prayer will end. I'm sure we can be national without involving the government. We just might be much better at it in fact just praying for government officials rather than letting them set the rules.

Time line for National Day of Prayer

Newsweek, Caesar, and the Things of God | First Things

Although I believe there has been abuse of "the establishment clause" to impede religious expression, I see nothing here that's going to prevent Christians from having a national day of prayer. There are many "national day of . . ." that do not take "national" to mean the government. And I see no reason why these prayer meetings need to be inside government buildings.

Newsweek lost $28 million in 2009 and is for sale. If it's knowledge of the world is anything like its reporting on religion, we may know the problem. So Joe Meacham, who wrote the article on Jesus and Caesar, may want to do a little praying himself.

Friday, May 07, 2010

The Great Global Warming Blunder: How Mother Nature Fooled the World’s Top Climate Scientists by Roy Spencer, Ph. D.

My public library hasn't ordered this--yet. Not that I would expect them to--librarians are 223:1 liberal to conservative and book banning begins in the back room. I suppose I could request it, although I'll probably be told there's no money.

The Great Global Warming Blunder: How Mother Nature Fooled the World’s Top Climate Scientists « Roy Spencer, Ph. D.

In today's OSU Research, there's a story about McCarthy type behavior by global warming deniers. Except, McCarthy was a member of a U.S. Congressional committee that hauled people before Congress to belittle and humiliate them, to gin up dislike and hatred. That sounds like what our current Congress is doing, but certainly not to scientists. The state of Virginia is asking questions about how professors are spending tax dollars. Has Michael Mann really been cleared of suspicion? If so, by whom? His peers? Would the same guys accept bank CEOs called before a panel of bankers? The state is doing its job. Even if he were right about CO2 is he right to deny others access to professional, peer-review publishing? That's not McCarthyism, that's called oversight. And it's about time.

On Research… » It’s about time . . .

Our garage


I'm not bragging. It's a fact. We live in one of the prettiest condo complexes in all of metropolitan Columbus, with beautiful vistas no matter where we look. And we work hard keeping it that way with a very involved community board, landscape committee and maintenance company. Unless of course, you're driving through our NORC (naturally occurring retirement community) and notice the Bruce's garage. Something, and we aren't sure what, causes the bottom panel on the garage door to rot and peel. We've been here 8 years and have replaced it once already and now it's worse than when we replaced it the first time. Then within the last 2 weeks, a bird has pecked a huge hole and a small hole in the decorative door (not sure what it's called, but it doesn't go anywhere) above the garage door. I assumed in that space there are baby birds.