Obamanopoly

“CIA drone missiles hit militant targets in Pakistan on Sunday for the first time in a month, as the United States ignored the Pakistani government’s insistence that such attacks end as a condition for normalized relations between the two perpetually uneasy allies.” Washington Post .

And right in the middle of negotiations. Sure wish we could find all those war protestors who used to hang out on the intersections of Columbus. They’re probably too busy campaigning for Obama. At least Bush got approval from Congress. Obama doesn’t even ask.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/us-drone-strikes-resume-in-pakistan-action-may-complicate-vital-negotiations/2012/04/29/gIQAIprqpT_story.html

And speaking of campaigning for Obama, which actually began January 2009 for November 2012. Did you see the photos of the White House Correspondents dinner—you know the one—for the post racial President? He’s so post racial that it seems black folks were hard to find for this event. I looked carefully at a photo that seemed to show several hundred people at table, and could only spot one person of color. Maybe the wait staff were black? Or, maybe he sat all the black people together, or up front?

Will the Left let Mitt feed them waffles and syrup?

Rolling Stone interviews Barack Obama who has been campaigning since January 2009 for the November 2012 election. How many ways to count the waffles: 1) it’s complicated; 2) I’ve made it clear; 3) it’s very important to me; 4) It’s important to understand yada yada.  Dribble on the syrup: 1) It’s a matter of heart; 2) fairness and justice; 3) “scared and concerned.”

Obama on race: “My view on race has always been that it’s complicated. It’s not just a matter of head—it’s a matter of heart. It’s about interactions. What happens in the workplace, in schools, on sports fields, and through music and culture shapes racial attitudes as much as any legislation that’s passed.”

On gay marriage: “I’m not going to make news in this publication. I’ve made clear that the issue of fairness and justice and equality for the LGBT community is very important to me.  . . “

On Keystone Pipeline:  “(I)t’s important to understand that Canada is going to be moving forward with tar sands, regardless of what we do. That’s their national policy, they’re pursuing it…The reason that Keystone got so much attention is not because that particular pipeline is a make-or-break issue for climate change, but because those who have looked at the science of climate change are scared and concerned about a general lack of sufficient movement to deal with the problem… “  Interview with Rolling Stone.

5th Global University Summit

I looked through the program web page and could find nothing substantive, certainly nothing about escalating student tuition in conjunction with increased government loans, which I think should be on the agenda. But at least it is honest about how heavily higher education depends on government support.

University presidents from around the world will gather in Chicago, Illinois, from April 29 to May 1, 2012, for the 5th Global University Summit.This Summit brings together leadership of major research universities and industry from across the world to deliberate upon critical issues facing higher education globally in the 21^st Century. The theme for 2012 is “Developing Talent to Drive Innovation in a Global Society.”  OSU Today

“Higher education depends heavily on government support in every country. Therefore, Global University Summits are always held in conjunction with the G8 Summit to draw the attention of world leaders to the needs of higher education and its vital role in helping us deal with the challenges of the present and the future. The 2012 G8 Summit will take place at Camp David from May 20 to May 21, 2012.”  “About” Summit web site

Why college costs keep going up

I didn’t have any college loans to pay off (except to my parents) when I graduated from college in 1961.  And I had that paid off within a year since I was only expected to pay back what I borrowed after I was a “grown up,” married woman, or one semester. For graduate school I had an assistantship.

Federal financial aid is a major source of revenue for colleges and universities, and aid packages are generally based on the gap between what a family can afford to pay to send a student to a given college, and the tuition and fees charged by that college. That gives schools every incentive to keep their tuition unaffordable. Why would they reduce their sticker price to a level more families could afford, when doing so would mean kissing millions of government dollars goodbye?

http://www.jeffjacoby.com/11618/the-government-college-money-pit

 

And yes, I went to college 50 years ago, but look at the cost increases in the last 20 years. Or go to any campus and look at the plush, lush buildings.

RPAC at Ohio State, Recreation and Physical Activity Center. When I was in college it was called "walk to classes."

Dolly was on fire for Jesus!

They announced in church today that Dolly Denman had died. Oh my! Heaven is in for some fun, bright colors and singing. Until a few months ago when she was diagnosed with cancer she was singing in the UALC choir and another community choir. She was no longer driving, but Curt and Barbara, her neighbors, brought her to church faithfully. It doesn't seem all that long ago I remember her riding her bike to church--which probably wasn't safe even for a teen-ager let alone a senior citizen considering the distance and busy route. I figure her death has freed up the angels that must have stopped traffic or sat on the fender guiding her. Dolly and her husband Chuck who died a few years ago were so enthusiastic about Marriage Encounter they must have brought hundreds into the movement back in the 1980s. Their Christmas letters were worthy of the archives. We'll see you later, old friend.

DENMAN Dolly Denman has completed her journey through this mortal life and stepped into eternity with Jesus. Remaining are daughter, Diana; sister, Sandy; nephews, nieces, and friends. Memorial service May 14, 10 a.m., Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, 2300 Lytham Road.

Jimmy Obama? No way!

Perhaps you've seen the YouTube of Carter and Obama morphing. It's called Jimmy Obama. I voted for Carter twice and Clinton once. When the abortion issue for me pushed everything else aside (both of those men claimed to be personally against abortion, but did nothing to move their party’s support for killing the unborn) I changed party registration in 2000 so I could vote in the primary—about the only place it matters. By then I could also see that there was never “enough” in a Democrat plan, that growing a bloated government was their solution to every moral and economic ill. I could see the failures of the “War on Poverty”—that it had built an empire of well paid government workers and dependent citizens.

That said, I consider both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton giants of patriotism and Christian values compared to the moral midget and teleprompter flubster now in office. It’s breath taking how far we’ve come, how low our country has sunk, in less than 4 years. The middle east wars have expanded into Libya, Yemen, Pakistan and Syria, the lobbyists are constant guests at the White House, ARRA went AWOL at our expense, banks and corporations that should have been allowed to fail have been bailed out, "tax the rich for fairness" plan is named after a billionaire who owes over a billion in back taxes, the unions make the labor regulations, the next bubble (student loans) continues to expand ready to explode, FLOTUS uses the taxpayers as her personal credit line for lavish vacations, scandals like pustules on a horny adolescent’s face are popping in the Secret Service, a national health insurance plan that over 70% of the people don’t want is being implemented weekly even as 26 states have taken it to the Supreme Court.

If Mitt Romney is elected, and he wasn’t my first choice because he is not a Conservative, I expect at least a short term boom in the economy just from business owners being able to breath easier, and fewer people looking over their shoulder for the government busy bodies. It is a thriving economy that helps the low income, that best educates the children, that pays off the student loan, that puts people into their own homes, that assures the immigrant he can start a company like Google and become a billionaire.

I heard it on the radio

Heard on Catholic radio (820 am Columbus, Ohio)  this morning (no source given): "The third largest religious group in America is "fallen away" Catholics." In fourth spot must be "fallen away" Protestants (Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutheran, Brethren). Maybe they're all just trading places?

Also I heard an interview with Theresa Flores, 46, of Powell, Ohio, who “serves on a state human trafficking commission, has testified before the General Assembly, and been heavily involved in educating the public about the seamy sex-trafficking business that often preys on vulnerable young women and immigrants. She is one of the founders of Gracehaven, an organization set to open one of the state's first shelters for female human-trafficking victims.” (from Columbus Dispatch).

I heard her speak  about how this form of slavery is tracked, about the national political conventions coming up, and Groupon which sells coupons for sex slavery.

Happy Birthday President Grant

Happy Birthday President U.S. Grant. Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union Army during the final year of the Civil War and was our 18th President, was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, on this day. As President, Grant stated: "It seems fitting that on the occurrence of the hundredth anniversary of our existence as a nation, a grateful acknowledgement should be made to Almighty God for the protection and the bounties which He has vouchsafed to our beloved country."

You can visit his home in Galena, Illinois, and also enjoy a tour of a lovely river town. There is a contemporary play "American Wake" by Bruce J. Robinson about the death of Grant who had been writing his memoirs to be published by Mark Twain.

The story follows the impact that Grant's loss had on the lives of Mark Twain (the editor of Grant's autobiography and his biggest fan), General William Tecumseh Sherman (Grant's best friend) and Arthur Dubois (an African-American Civil War veteran).

The play takes place in New York City on August 6, 1885, the night before Grant is to be buried. It opens on a private alcove in the plush Lotos Club.

Dining are the sardonic, brilliant Twain and the imperious, volcanic and equally clever Sherman. All evening, the old and close friends battle to define and claim Grant's legacy.

Waiting on the two is Arthur, the only fully-invented character and a conduit to one of the play's main concerns - and, in the eyes of the playwright, America's central tragedy - racism.

Cafeteria Catholics are everywhere

         

“The University of Notre Dame has invited Dr. Thomas Quinn–who facilitates family planning and condom distribution projects at the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health–to deliver a commencement address next month,” Patrick Reilly, the president of the Cardinal Newman Society, a Catholic educational watchdog  group  explained. “Moreover, Quinn will be honored as Notre Dame’s Distinguished Alumnus for 2012, apparently in violation of the U.S. bishops’ ban on such honors — and just when our bishops are fighting the Obama administration to preserve Catholic universities’ right to uphold Catholic teaching on contraceptives.”

http://www.lifenews.com/2012/04/27/catholic-colleges-notre-dame-honoring-abortion-advocates/ 

http://blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/04/25/notre-dame-commencement-speaker-aids-partnership-at-odds-with-vatican-bishops/

Friday Family Photo--Haiti Mission

Boarding the plane after a long delay in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. Better to have problems on the ground than in the air!

The classes he's teaching this week are perspective drawing and they get to make a model. This is the model he constructed there which is one of the classroom buildings not yet built (no money) which he designed a few years ago. Each tiny piece was cut out here at home and carefully packed into the suitcase.

The accomodations for the volunteers are nice--much better than what the people of Haiti or even the mission staff have. It's sort of like a camp--they have a dorm and working toilets and showers plus very good food. This mission group's purpose was to build up the tech support so it involved a computer team. Equipment was sent down ahead. My husband doesn't even do e-mail, but he went along and did after school classes in art. These photos came via Facebook from the team leader, Gary.

Here he is at work in Haiti during his last architecture class of the week, Friday. From their hands, I'm guessing they are working on perspective. On Friday the kids get to wear school t-shirts, but M-Th they are dressed up and the teachers too.

Update April 29: Home safe, and on time. He says it was the best mission ever! But I think he says that every year. Monday's teaching day was lost because of the delayed flight into Cap Hatian, but the rest went well. He was teaching 4 classes a day, plus one day filled in for a teacher who didn't show up (very common in the public schools but very rare in the Christian schools).

Count your blessings, name them one by one

Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Hymn by Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1897

It’s Friday.  Count your blessings!

Oatman wrote over 5,000 gospel hymns, but supported himself in insurance and retail while being a Methodist pastor.

Where does the money go?

In 2010, the federal government spent 61% of its finances on housing and community services, welfare and social services, recreation and culture, health, education, retirement benefits, disability benefits and unemployment benefits. This amounts to 2,124 billion dollars or $19,316/household. "Government Current Expenditures by Function, Table 3.16." U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis. Sept. 14, 2011.

http://www.justfacts.com/socialspending.basics.asp

Some call it racist to call attention to this

Crucify them

It’s inappropriate language, but at least he’s telling the truth. He’ll probably be sent to reeducation camp so that he can learn to be more obfuscating in explaining EPA’s methods.

“A video surfaced on Wednesday showing a regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency comparing his agency’s philosophy with respect to regulation of oil and gas companies to brutal tactics employed by the ancient Roman army to intimidate its foes into submission.

EPA’s “philosophy of enforcement,” said EPA’s Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz, is “kind of like how the Romans used to conquer little villages in the Mediterranean: they’d go into little Turkish towns somewhere, they’d find the first five guys they’d run into, and they’d crucify them.”

“That town was really easy to manage for the next few years,” Armendariz added.

His comments are indicative of the “EPA’s war on fossil fuels,” claimed Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) in a news release on Wednesday.”

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/04/25/video-epa-official-compares-agency-enforcement-to-roman-crucifictions/

Modest changes won’t solve Social Security

“In 2011, the Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund, which pays for retirement and survivors’ benefits, took in $698.8 billion, which includes $106.5 billion that came from a paper transaction that credited interest to the trust fund. Excluding the interest, the retirement and survivors program had income of $592.3 billion but paid out $603.8 billion in benefits, leaving a deficit for 2011 of $11.5 billion. Additional deficits were suffered by Social Security’s disability program.

Counting both programs together, in 2011, Social Security spent $45 billion more in benefits than it took in from its payroll tax. This deficit is in addition to a $49 billion gap in 2010 and an expected average annual gap of about $66 billion between 2012 and 2018. These deficits will quickly balloon to alarming proportions. After adjusting for inflation, annual deficits will reach $95 billion in 2020 and $318.7 billion in 2030 before the trust fund runs out in 2033. Now is the time to focus on solutions.”

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/04/social-security-finances-significantly-worse-says-2012-trustees-report

Gives me chills

             

It’s the Medical Center’s new Chiller Plant, an environmental air conditioner that will cool the new James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute and Critical Care Center and several other Medical Center buildings at the Ohio State University. This 95,737-square-foot building will provide 30,000 tons of chilled water. This water can also be used for critical operations during power outages.

http://projectoneblog.osumc.edu/2012/04/02/spotlight-on-the-south-campus-chiller-plant/

http://www.aiacolumbus.org/categoryblog/237-chiller-plant

Ethnic cleansing—our training manuals

Are words referring to Islam and Muslim being removed from training manuals and documents for Homeland Security, Pentagon and CIA under pressure from the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups?

Yes.

It was reported in October 2011 by Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole.  http://www.justice.gov/dag/training-guiding-principles.pdf

“I recently directed all components of the Department of Justice to re-evaluate their training efforts in a range of areas, from community outreach to national security,” Cole told a panel at the George Washington University law school.

The move comes after complaints from advocacy organizations including the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and others identified as Muslim Brotherhood front groups in the 2004 Holy Land Foundation terror fundraising trial.

In a Wednesday Los Angeles Times op-ed, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) president Salam al-Marayati threatened the FBI with a total cutoff of cooperation between American Muslims and law enforcement if the agency failed to revise its law enforcement training materials.

Maintaining the training materials in their current state “will undermine the relationship between law enforcement and the Muslim American community,” al-Marayati wrote.

Multiple online sources detail MPAC’s close alignment with CAIR.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/21/obama-administration-pulls-references-to-islam-from-terror-training-materials-official-says/#ixzz1tA119vR7

There are Muslims with close ties to terrorist groups within the Obama administration.  They sit on advisory boards and meet with high officials, including the president.

“Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert is one of a handful of representatives on Capitol Hill who grasps the severity and nature of the Islamic jihadist threat -- including the Muslim Brotherhood's infiltration into sensitive U.S. government positions -- and is not afraid to speak out about it.”

http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/archive/2012/03/12/rep.-louie-gohmert-tells-cbn-news-obama-administration-

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/2011/12/08/mohamed-elibiary-homeland-security/

I guess the only question now is "who's zoomin', who's foolin', who's zoomin', who's foolin' who?"

How many different retirement plans does Dr. Sega have?

I have no idea, but he must be part of state teacher’s plans in several states, federal employees’ plan, and military.

“Dr. Ron Sega is Vice President and Enterprise Executive for Energy and Environment at The Ohio State University and Vice President for Energy and the Environment and Woodward Professor of Systems Engineering at Colorado State University. Sega is a retired astronaut and Major General of the US Air Force. Sega was the Under Secretary of Defense for energy projects and was recognized for his committee's achievements and previously led DARPA. ‘  Energy Challenges, the next 50 years

Vice President at Ohio State University
Vice President at Colorado State, also tenured professor
Adjunct professor University of Houston
Former faculty US Air Force Academy
Retired U.S. Air Force
NASA astronaut, 1994, 1996
Air Force Reserves
Former Director of Research and Engineer under GW Bush, 2001-2005
Former Under Secretary of Defense under GW Bush, 2005-2007

Dershowitz discusses Trayvon Martin case

Link
On the Prosecutor: It's not incompetence, what she is doing it's criminal. If she didn't provide evidence of assault in the affidavit on Zimmerman it is perjury. It's not her job to get justice for Trayvon Martin, but for justice. Period. She has prejudiced the case already. No evidence of 2nd degree murder according to Dershowitz.

And I still want to ask blacks, why is it more important when a black person is killed by a white than a black (80%+ of the incidences). Many victims of black violence against blacks are relatives.

Jon Swift

We lived in Forreston, Illinois, when I was in 1-6 grades, and I remember the Swift family well, but didn’t know what had become of them.  Jon’s sister Sue was a childhood friend and in my class, and I remember their parents.  I still remember calling their mom (she was a nurse) about a babysitting problem.  Many tributes to Jon’s accomplishments for athletics and his college. When we were children, Carthage College was in Carthage, Illinois, but it relocated to Wisconsin.

“Torchie” is the official mascot of Carthage College, but Jon D. Swift could just as well have been. To hear his former colleagues and players tell it, there is perhaps no one who has ever loved the NCAA Division III institution more.

Swift, who died April 15 at age 74 after a seven-year battle with scleroderma and lung cancer, just about did it all at Carthage. He received a bachelor’s degree from the liberal arts school in 1960 and that same year began a 36-year career at Carthage.

A native of Forreston, Ill., Swift coached men’s basketball (1973-83), men’s golf (1983-96), men’s tennis (1965-78), men’s cross country (1964-71, 83) and women’s cross country (1983), along with serving as a professor and founding the school’s athletic training program.

http://www.kenoshanews.com/sports/swift_filled_many_voids_at_carthage_365842675.html

http://www.oglecountynews.com/2012/04/19/jon-d-swift/aqtaetn/

http://www.carthage.edu/athletic-training/facilities/

http://www.tausigmachi.org/files/Download/Swift,%20Jon%20D.pdf

R136a1

Google this set of letters and numbers--R136a1. It's a star 265 times larger than our sun, and 10 million times brighter.  And it used to be even bigger and brighter—but is now middle aged.  I'm a Christian—I believe God spoke the world into existence (His word) in 6 days, sent his Son (the Word) and gave us Scripture to tell and remind us of the creation/salvation story (the word).  Jesus created and is in charge of the physical universe and reveals himself that way from turning water into wine as a miracle at a marriage of a man and woman, feeding 5,000+ people with a tiny amount of bread,  to offering his body and blood in the bread and wine of the Eucharist. It’s simply the physical elements he created, whether bread or star, and he’s in charge.  If you think this is crazy talk, how come the brilliant minds of today didn't know about this enormous star until it was discovered in 2010? What other simply obvious and enormous things, right out there in plain sight, don’t you know about?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19201-biggest-star-ever-found-may-be-ticking-antimatter-bomb.html

Quiet Jihad--ethnic cleansing bigger than Hitler's

"If quiet jihad’s only victims were the Bangladeshi Hindus, it still would be human rights atrocity with victims numbering more than the Nazi Holocaust, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur combined. Unfortunately, the problem is worse than that. Non-Muslim communities are disappearing wherever Islam has gained hegemony. Christian communities dating back to Jesus’ time are being systematically eliminated in a new Middle East that not only refuses to let them live, but is trying to erase their history so as not to allow even the thought that Islam’s roots go back to a time of conquest and are not ordained by God. The same is true for Middle Eastern Jewish communities with even earlier origins dating to the sixth century B.C.E. Ten of the 14 countries identified as the worst abusers of religious minorities by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom are Muslim-ruled. They all impose a form of Sharia on their people; and three are officially “Islamic States,” as well. Coincidence?

Try again. It seems almost unbelievable that on the eve of World War I, the Turkish capital of Istanbul (then called Constantinople) had a population that was about 50 percent non-Muslim. Today, with a population well over 90 percent Muslim, it has the aspect of any Muslim capital that is increasingly hostile to an intimidated non-Muslim population; and that is after seven decades of being hailed as a model of secularism."

Read the whole article. New English Review

Pelosi wants to repeal the first amendment

“Nancy Pelosi and congressional Democrats, frustrated by the fact that the Bill of Rights interferes with their desire to muzzle their political opponents, have proposed to repeal the First Amendment.”

She wants to make it this big.

                   

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view/20120424pelosis_war_on_constitution/srvc=home&position=recent

Fancy eating at the trough

Our nation's capital boldly depicted on porcelain! These plates measure 12" across, with DC's downtown core printed on a black background. Key buildings and monuments are represented with red icons, while rivers and public spaces are shown in blue and green. Each plate is boxed and includes a key to the buildings and spaces included on the plate.

                  

This is an item for sale at the AIA Convention website. National convention in DC in May. Architects struggle without government money.

Apostle Claver T. Kamau-Imani

accuses the Black Caucus, African American pastors and President Obama of killing of black children and urges blacks to join with Republicans in saving black babies.



Abortions in Ohio: 37.1% African American. Population of Ohio: 12.2% African American. Americans are as blind to this race problem as the Germans in the 1930s were to their problem with the Jews. The press inflates the Florida Martin/Zimmerman case and ignores what's right in their own back yard. President Obama is the only president ever endorsed by Planned Parenthood. In 2007 speaking to Planned Parenthood, Obama said he would “not yield” on abortion and attacked the Supreme Court decision saying the national ban on partial-birth abortions is constitutional.
Report

Think on this

"68%. The percentage of Americans who know someone who was laid off or lost their [sic] job within the past six months, the highest percentage in history, according to a new Gallup poll. Still, many don't think their own jobs are in jeopardy." Politico

Within the past six months. The past six months. The past six months. The past six months. And still people are willing to vote for him in November after all he's not done. How many small businesses decided not to expand or hire just because of the uncertainty of Obamacare?  How many regulations have been added that have stifled job growth?  How in the world will we ever pay for the increased debt he's added? Why is he demonizing success and calling it unfair? When will he ever accept responsibility for his own presidency and stop blaming others?  Why is he the only President ever endorsed by Planned Parenthood?

Need any talking points about women?

According to The Kitchen Cabinet, a conservative women's group focusing on economic and leadership issues, Obama is desperate to bring women back to the Democrat womb for rebirthing, and provides some talking points about what's up with all this contraception business.

Historically, the Democratic Party always attracts more women voters than Republicans. This year however, women voters are disenchanted with Barack Obama’s leadership, and that is why we see the unexpected windfall of FREE contraceptives for women! It’s quite a generous offer, especially considering that there hasn’t been a peep out of women from either party, complaining about a shortage!

More than six percent of democratic-voting women already confirm that they will not repeat their votes for the President. It is no surprise then that Obama strategists are desperate to find a way to distract women who feel the pinch of a bad economy.

Continue reading here for the talking points.

What is Occupy planning for your city on May 1?

Is your city ready for the disruption of services on May 1 (Marxist high holy day) planned by the Occupiers? The idea of the training this past week is to become so disruptive, that they will be able to interfer with the elections and the government will be "forced" to do something drastic. It's all funded by Soros and Democrats and Progressives with help from unions and MoveOn.org. They will be disrupting banks, supermarkets, city councils, meetings of conservatives and Republicans, and sponsoring school walkouts, etc. To make this work for them, they need self-flagellation with anger, hate, and victim stories while they attempt to steal the November election. I'm sure they'll have lots of tech toys, bottled water, and organic munchies.

Vermont
Michigan

Radical Islamism, terrorism links for research

The War on Terror and International Affairs

American Enterprise Institute
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Council on Foreign Relations
The Counterterrorism Blog
Defend America
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
The Jamestown Foundation
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA)
Long War Journal
Michael Yon
The National Interest
9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America
Small Wars Journal
StrategyPage
Threats Watch
Victor Davis Hanson's Private Papers
Winds of Change

Radical Islamism, The Middle East and Reforming Islam

Apostasy and Islam
Arab Media & Society
Asharq Alawsat
Center for Liberty in the Middle East
Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World
Daily Star (Lebanon)
Daniel Pipes
Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism
Hammorabi
Healing Iraq
Initiative for an Open Arab Internet
Interfaith Strength
Iraq the Model
Iraq Updates
Irshad Manji
Islamist Watch
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Jihad Watch
Laura Mansfield
Martin Kramer on the Middle East
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
Middle East Transparent
Secular Islam
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Watch

Khairat al-Shater on "The Nahda Project" [renaissance] (Complete Translation). . .

Deputy Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) Khairat Al-Shater outlines the strategy after his release from prison in March 2011.

“Everywhere, the Ikhwan [militant Islamic brothers] are working to restore Islam in its all-encompassing conception to the lives of people, and they believe that this will only come about through the strong society. Thus the mission is clear: restoring Islam in its all-encompassing conception; Subjugating people to God; instituting the religion of God; the Islamization of life, empowering of God’s religion; establishing the Nahda of the Ummah on the basis of Islam. All of these synonymous phrases give the same meaning, intention or definition, and that is the overall mission which we are seeking to accomplish as Ikhwan.

We were also taught in method of the Muslim Brotherhood that with regard to this overall mission: Imam Al-Banna, may he rest in peace, through his understanding of the Prophet’s method (PBUH) and his way of instituting religion, outlined for us a number of stages or secondary objectives which, after their completion, eventually lead to the achievement of this overall mission. Thus we’ve learned [to start with] building the Muslim individual, the Muslim family, the Muslim society, the Islamic government, the global Islamic State and reaching the status of Ustathiya[12] with that State. If all of these secondary objectives are completed, the overall mission is achieved, that is the Empowerment of God's Religion.”

Further details.  It’s very detailed, with some history, words defined at the end,  but not difficult to understand.  First the individual, then the family, the society and the globe.  “A fundamental transformation”

The problems with Protestants

We Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Nazarenes, Baptists, Brethren, Assemblies of God, and other groups, including those who proudly claim no named affiliation, really suffer for lack of leadership in citizenship and the public square. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has stronger, centralized leadership than we do. Plus it has the voice of the press. I've been reading through some documents prepared by the Catholics, and envy the fact they have something to point to. Even if they loose in court. And please don't be patronizing and say, "But we follow the Bible." They do too. Each church picks and choose what it considers literal--whether baptism or the real presence or speaking in tongues. And they have their squabbles too. Huge numbers of Catholics (like Pelosi, Kerry, Sibelius and a bunch of nuns) supported ObamaCare and helped to get it passed. Now the Bishops have realized how the President lied to them about protecting their interests (I could have told them based on what has happened in the states, but they didn't ask me), and are issuing yet more mandates and advisements and special days for prayer. That said, at least they have a record of speaking out. Other Christians just have a lot of disjointed sermons, random TV preachers, and arguing with each other. To read any of these articles (they are not hot linked) block and click right on your mouse, then click on Google and it will search it. The asterisked articles are not on line.

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
Protecting Human Life

Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology, 2009

Married Love and the Gift of Life, 2006

On Embryonic Stem Cell Research, 2008

Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities: A Campaign in Support of Life, 2001

Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics, 1998

Faithful for Life: A Moral Reflection, 1995

A Matter of the Heart: A Statement on the Thirtieth Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, 2002

Resolution on Abortion, 1989

Documentation on the Right to Life and Abortion, 1974, 1976, 1981*

A Call for Bipartisan Cooperation on Responsible Transition in Iraq, 2007

Statement on Iraq, 2002

A Pastoral Message: Living with Faith and Hope After September 11, 2001

Sowing the Weapons of War, 1995

The Harvest of Justice Is Sown in Peace, 1993

A Report on the Challenge of Peace and Policy Developments, 1983-1888, 1989*

The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response, 1983

To Live Each Day with Dignity: A Statement on Physician-Assisted Suicide, 2011

Nutrition and Hydration: Moral and Pastoral Reflections, 1992

Statement on Euthanasia, 1991

Welcome and Justice for Persons with Disabilities, 1999

Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities, 1984

Confronting a Culture of Violence, 1995

A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death, 2005

Statement on Capital Punishment, 1980

Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (Fifth Edition), 2009

Promoting Family Life

National Directory for Catechesis, 2005

Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium, 2005

Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, 1998

Principles for Educational Reform in the United States, 1995

To Teach as Jesus Did: A Pastoral Message on Catholic Education, 1972*

When I Call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women, 2002

A Family Perspective in Church and Society, 1998

Blessings of Age, 1999

Between Man and Woman: Questions and Answers About Marriage and Same-Sex Unions, 2003

Walk in the Light: A Pastoral Response to Child Sexual Abuse, 1995

Follow the Way of Love: A Pastoral Message to Families, 1993

Putting Children and Families First: A Challenge for Our Church, Nation and World, 1992*

Pursuing Social Justice

Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (Fifth Edition), 2009

"For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food": Catholic Reflections on Food, Farmers and Farmworkers, 2003

Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, 2003

A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and to Respect the Dignity of All God's Children, 2002

Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good, 2001

Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice, 2000

A Commitment to All Generations: Social Security and the Common Good, 1999

In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium, 1999

One Family Under God, 1995*

Confronting a Culture of Violence: A Catholic Framework for Action, 1995

Moral Principles and Policy Priorities for Welfare Reform, 1995*

The Harvest of Justice Is Sown in Peace, 1993

A Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform, 1993*

Renewing the Earth: An Invitation to Reflection and Action on the Environment in Light of Catholic Social Teaching, 1992

Putting Children and Families First: A Challenge for Our Church, Nation and World, 1992*

New Slavery, New Freedom: A Pastoral Message on Substance Abuse, 1990*

Brothers and Sisters to Us: Pastoral Letter on Racism in Our Day, 1989

Called to Compassion and Responsibility: A Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis, 1989

Homelessness and Housing: A Human Tragedy, A Moral Challenge, 1988*

Practicing Global Solidarity

A Call for Bipartisan Cooperation on Responsible Transition in Iraq, 2007

A Call to Solidarity with Africa, 2001

A Jubilee Call for Debt Forgiveness, 1999

Called to Global Solidarity: International Challenges for U.S. Parishes, 1998

Sowing the Weapons of War, 1995

One Family Under God, 1995*

The Harvest of Justice Is Sown in Peace, 1993

The New Moment in Eastern and Central Europe, 1990*

Toward Peace in the Middle East, 1989

Statement on Central America, 1987

The lede—Grassley vs. the Scandal

Best:  The lede paragraph with the least inflammatory language (uses the verb “ask”), but with the most detailed information is Fox News.

Second is CBS also using the word ask, but doesn’t note the working relationship which apparently is a phrase in the letter.

The most biased is probably HuffPo which uses the odd and wordy, “has engineered an inquiry into” instead of “ask.”

Why he is “Chuck” to conservatives and “Charles” to liberals, probably means something, but what I don’t know.  Not mentioning his name in the lede at all probably also means something. “Ranking” and “top” can go either way.

I didn’t check the entire internet, but in the first 50 listings I didn’t see New York Times, Washington Post, or LA Times, all members of the tight non-vetting, Obamedia, even though New York Times in an earlier article noted that the agreed on price for the call girl was $800.

GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is asking the Secret Service whether members of the White House advance team are connected to the Colombian prostitution scandal, considering their “close working relationship” with federal agents. [Fox News, cable conservative]

As the Secret Service prostitution scandal deepens, top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee has engineered an inquiry  into whether more individuals were involved.[Huffington Post, online liberal]

Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the head of the Secret Service Friday evening asking if White House staff are also subjects of the investigation into the Colombian prostitution scandal. [CBS News, mainstream broadcast]

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is questioning the U.S. Secret Service about possible involvement of White House staff in the Colombian prostitution scandal. [Washington Times, conservative]

The prostitution scandal which has devastated the Secret Service could be set to spread to the White House. A senior Republican has urged the investigation into what happened in Colombia ahead of Barack Obama's trip there to extend to presidential staff who were preparing for his visit. [Mail online, UK celeb news]

The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee has asked the U.S. Secret Service about the potential involvement of White House staff in the prostitution scandal in Colombia. [CNN cable, liberal]

Defunding Planned Parenthood in Ohio

On Tuesday the Ohio House of Representatives adopted an amendment to the mid-biennial budget review bill that would cut funding from abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood by redirecting federal funds for Title V, X, and XX. The allocation of these funds must go first to community health centers, physicians offices, and other clinics providing comprehensive health services before they can be awarded to any entity that provides women's health services/family planning services but does NOT provide comprehensive health services.

Planned Parenthood will still function with its donations from people who want to end babies lives, especially those of minority and low income women and girls. It has a strong income stream.

State of Denial and Obama's wars

I never read Woodward's State of Denial about Bush--one time I saw 15 copies on the shelf of my public library--don't know how many they owned. But UAPL helped him become very rich. Today I saw one for sale (from the library) for 90 cents at the Volunteers of America book section. So I checked Woodward's Obama's Wars at the PL catalog (a horrible system, btw). 5 copies. One checked out. Woodward was a little premature--Obama has expanded his wars since Wooward researched that book and is still going. I don't think that one has done as well--probably not enough libraries buying it. Public librarians are 223:1 Democrat to Republican (in 2004). It affects what they buy, and what you read, and what you come to believe about candidates and presidents.

Let the market work

By Chip Wood, The North Dakota Oil Boom, http://personalliberty.com/2012/03/16/the-north-dakota-oil-boom/

[North Dakota] has the lowest unemployment rate in the Nation, at just 3.3 percent. California’s, by contrast, is 11.1 percent. That doesn’t even count the unemployed people who have simply stopped looking for work. The true unemployment number is probably closer to 20 percent.

According to the Census Bureau, North Dakota led the Nation in job and income growth in 2011. While California is losing millionaires every day, North Dakota is creating them faster than anyplace else in the country. But even entry-level positions are benefiting. For example, a job flipping burgers at McDonald’s pays $18 an hour plus a “signing bonus” for new employees.

And while the State of California can’t begin to pay all of its bills — it even issued IOUs last year in place of tax refunds — the biggest argument in North Dakota’s State Capitol is how to spend all of the money that’s pouring in. Legislators in Bismarck have approved hundreds of “shovel ready” infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, railroads and pipelines. But even while spending more on worthwhile projects, legislators also agreed to cut the State income tax.

What’s happening in North Dakota is a classic example of the one thing that would solve our energy problems everywhere — and most other problems in the economy, too. Unfortunately, it’s the one thing Obama and his team won’t even consider.

The solution is simple: Let the market work.

That’s odd—it’s not racial? Not a hate crime?

In describing an attack on a tourist, beaten, robbed, stripped, and ridiculed while someone taped it, no one helped and bystanders laughed. But it wasn’t racial. 

“While the victim appears white and his attackers black, there has been no suggestion that the attack was a hate crime or racially motivated. There has also been relatively little outrage nationally about this attack.”

http://jonathanturley.org/2012/04/09/tourist-beaten-robbed-and-stripped-naked-baltimore-as-crowd-laughes/

Teaching as a subversive activity redux

Most academicians are liberals.  Also librarians, journalists, lawyers.  They want to “save the world.” Not in the sense of open minded, fair, thoughtful,  more humane, examining all sides, and in line with the ancient principles of western civilization or the renaissance.  But liberal in the modern sense—leftists.  Socialists.  Progressives. That’s why I say, “Liberals aren’t.”  After saying, “We need to have a ‘conversation,’ ” they will then tell you that your share of the information is not “fair,” or “reasonable,” and therefore you need to shut up or or they will leave.

From Teaching as a Subversive Activity: [a talk based on a book of that title from 1969]

Professor Brown's talk focuses specifically on this problem: His basic thesis is that it is no longer sufficient to simply tell students to think for themselves, because then we lose the ability to influence them, and there's no guarantee that the students will then develop progressive worldviews. The "Revisited" part of the lecture's title means that these days, we must be more blunt and to the point: Since the good guys are now in charge, let's just dispense with all the experimentation and instead directly indoctrinate the students in leftist thought and ideals.  . .

Includes the transcript and audio of 6 questions/answers.

. . .

Code Phrases Alluding to Indoctrination
If you hear or read academics using any of these tell-tale terms, they are actually discussing how to indoctrinate students:
&bull Critical pedagogy
&bull Agent for change
&bull Moral imperative
&bull "Critical" anything
&bull Subversive
&bull Mandate

Apparently, it’s not race

Based on his recent study published in PLoS, Stanford University School of Medicine researcher Mark Cullen explained, “Once certain factors — such as the fraction of adults in the county who finish high school, the fraction with managerial or professional jobs and the fraction of adults who live in two-parent households — are accounted for, even geography, such as being in the South, is moot.”

Another study pointing out the importance of marriage to health.

http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/april/cullen.html

Do speechwriters stutter?

This is simply amazing. I'd never heard the expression "punch above their weight" before, but I'll never forget it now.

Food deserts are a myth

If you're overweight it's not because there's a fast food business near-by and no fresh fruits and vegetables. I didn't even need the research. I have no shortage of information or healthy food. And I don't eat fast food (except an occasional McD's sausage biscuit). But you should watch me go through a block of healthy, white cheddar cheese or homemade buckeye candy (chocolate and peanut butter).

"Living close to supermarkets or grocers did not make students thin and living close to fast food outlets did not make them fat."

http://www.nationalreview.com/home-front/296485/jig-food-deserts/julie-gunlock .

This sort of junk nutrition by social scientists results in a steady stream of government grants from USDA and HHS for public employees for a non-problem. I was looking at one of the "fast food" and stress sites today at OSU and the director (showed a photo) of the program was overweight!

Delicious coleslaw recipe

Years ago I submitted my mother’s coleslaw recipe to Old Farmer’s Almanac 2000  and it got in (p. 204).  Mom got to see it in print before she died since it was published in 1999. This isn’t it.

I've learned a really fast, delicious way to make coleslaw. 1) buy a very small container of it from the deli case, 2) buy a large package of shredded cabbage, 3) mix, add chopped apples or raisins if you wish, 4) serve, 5) enjoy the compliments. The deli version has way too much dressing, but mixed with a bunch more cabbage, it's just about right.  Also, you don’t have shredded cabbage all over the kitchen and no skinned knuckles.

Lifetime Movies, Five cancer stories

A series of short films about women and their families dealing with cancer is really excellent. I was surprised by some of the "big names" doing the directing , like Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Alicia Keyes.
The story lines of Five
Directed by Jennifer Aniston, written by Wendy West and told in a series of humorous and dramatic flashbacks, Mia is a survivor’s tale that highlights all of the highs and lows of Mia’s (Patricia Clarkson) two-year journey from diagnosis with breast cancer. During this time, she gives away all of her worldly possessions, holds a hilarious mock funeral while still alive and enters into a second marriage to Mitch (Tony Shalhoub), the new love of her life. Mia also features Kathy Najimy as Mia’s friend Rocky.

Lili, directed by Alicia Keys and written by Jill Gordon, follows Lili, a fiercely independent, career-minded woman (Rosario Dawson), who recruits her sister (Tracee Ellis Ross) to help tell their hard-nosed mother (Jenifer Lewis) that she has breast cancer. As they work through their past issues, Lili’s mother and sister ultimately become her strongest allies when she needs her family the most. Lili also stars Jeffrey Tambor as a male patient diagnosed with breast cancer.

In Cheyanne, directed by Penelope Spheeris and written by Howard Morris, sexy young stripper Cheyanne (Lyndsy Fonseca) and her handsome newlywed husband Tommy (Taylor Kinney) struggle to redefine their passionate relationship, as well as who they are as individuals, when Cheyenne is shocked with a breast cancer diagnosis. Looking at a severe prognosis, Cheyanne’s aggressive treatment ultimately results in the removal of both of her breasts, which have defined her life physically, financially and emotionally.

Directed by Demi Moore and written by Stephen Godchaux, “Five’s” opening film, Charlotte, takes place the night in July 1969 when man first walks on the moon, and when a young Pearl (Ava Acres) is more concerned about why her family is not letting her see her mother, Charlotte (Ginnifer Goodwin), who lies in her bedroom dying from breast cancer.

In Pearl, directed by Patty Jenkins and written by Deirdre O’Connor, Pearl (Jeanne Tripplehorn), the successful oncologist we have followed from childhood, suddenly finds herself in the patient’s seat when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Through this process, she finally understands what her parents experienced that night in 1969 and finds the strength to tell her young daughter that everything is going to be OK … something she never heard as a child.

Press goes to the dogs

No one would have brought up Obama eating dog meat in Indonesia (according to his book) if the Democrats in the Obamedia hadn't kept hammering on that Romney story from the early 80s of their dog riding on top of the car (huge dog, 6 kids in the car). So, animal lovers, putting him in a kennel for 2 weeks would have been better? But they just won't let go.  Really, who cares?  Will someone please get down to business and discuss important issues?  The economy.  Expansion of the wars. Destruction of the first amendment.  Just a few examples.  Democrats, you go first.  You're in office.

Will Obama get smacked around with this latest story of the military misbehavior the way Bush was about Abu-Grab? Or will the Koran story follow him?  Or how about soldiers urinating on dead bodies?  How the military might be involved in the growing scandal in Colombia?  No. He. Won't.  He's not Bush.  And that's a fact.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-marines-soul-searching-urinating-video/story?id=15353762

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-27/nine-killed-in-latest-afghan-violence/3855416

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/mar2012/pers-m07.shtml

Perhaps you support Planned Parenthood

April Praise Report

But I support Pregnancy Decision Health Centers.  Here's where my money goes.  Do you know where yours is?

"A young woman in high school came to our center looking for an abortion. She had a positive pregnancy test, but was unsure of how far along she was. She lived with her family and had a boyfriend, but she did not want a baby. We recommended an ultrasound. Her mother and boyfriend were both with her for the appointment. When the nurse began the ultrasound they could see the baby right away. The baby was big. The nurse was able to date the pregnancy and found that the girl was actually 25 weeks along in her pregnancy. The family all had tears in their eyes when they found out.

 After seeing the baby, the girl said she would continue the pregnancy. She was afraid to tell her father and brother, but the father of the baby said he would be supportive and would get another job. The nurse gave them information about how to get started with prenatal care, and spoke with them about the possibility of adoption. She also gave them referrals for additional community support. The nurse then offered the girl pictures from the ultrasound, but she refused. She did accept maternity clothes. We followed up with the family a week later and they confirmed that she had an appointment scheduled to see a prenatal care doctor. 

Recently, the grandma came into the center to donate maternity clothes and baby items. She said that her daughter has had the baby and they were both doing well. She said they were all excited about the baby and asked for the pictures that were taken at the time of the ultrasound."

Praise God for new life. Life isn't going to be easy for this family.  But did the baby really deserve to die because she might have a tough life?

Ted Nugent translates for Debbie Wasserman Schultz

(who didn’t ask about what Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam, meant when he said to a black audience their leaders would die in a few days)

“First of all, I’m the master of metaphors,” Nugent told radio host Joe Pags, and then went on to take a shot at his critics: “…and nobody needs an interpreter when i speak except [DNC Chair] Wasserman Schultz and the Marxist czars in the Obama administration and the ultra-leftist America-hating media out there. So I think everybody knows what I meant.”

“Obviously our American dream is dead if this president continues to spend our great great grandchildren’s money at an irresponsible and unaccountable pace. And certainly we‘re in jail because we’ve become subservient and addicted to Fedzilla — the wasteful, money-burning monster that is the federal government right now.”

He added: “When I say ‘rip their heads off,‘ I’m talking figuratively that we need to go to the voting booth and fire these people!”

Blaze

Technology flattens your wallet

When we bought our home on Abington Rd. in 1968, it was our third, and I was 28, my husband 29. Other than the mortgage (paid off in 1988), our housing expenses included a phone bill for one phone, and utilities--gas, electric, water. That’s it.  No cable TV.  No cell phone. No internet.   No news service via the internet.   What does the homeowner or renter pay today? According to the Journal of Accountancy:

Fifty-six percent of U.S. adults said they believe that technology has made it easier to spend money, and just 3% said it has made it easier to save. Thirty-seven percent said technology has made it easier to both spend and save, according to the national telephone poll, which consisted of 1,005 responses.

The survey found that Americans who subscribe to digital services spend an average of $166 monthly for cable TV, home internet access, mobile phone service, and digital subscriptions such as satellite radio or streaming video. That’s the equivalent of 17% of their average monthly rent or mortgage payment.

Respondents who download songs, mobile applications, and other products spend an additional $38 per month, on average, according to the survey.

JaVale, the basketball player

His mother was a professional basketball player who was scheduled for an abortion, then prayed to God for guidance, got a pretty clear answer the next day in a sermon at church and cancelled her appointment at the abortion clinic.

“JaVale McGee is 7 feet, with a 7'6½" wingspan and a 31½-inch vertical leap, unfathomable for a man his size. At 24, he can tap the front of the rim with his forehead. He can slap the top of the square with his palm. He can dunk a cookie in a bowl of milk 11 feet off the ground. When McGee was at the University of Nevada, an opposing player once explained to his coach why he couldn't guard him: "He jumped over me."

Read the whole story and how she told JaVale.

This man owes a billion in back taxes

Warren Buffett's actual tax rate is around 50%, and no his secretary isn't taxed at that rate. The president lies; his cronies lie; even Buffett, a self-made billionaire lies. The "Buffett rule" was smoke and mirrors, to get your eye off the real problem--Obama owns this recession.

Barack Obama on live birth abortion

No legislator or politician in the history of this country has been this adamant about “choice” to kill a baby—even if it is born alive.  Jill Stanek tells about “working for a year at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, as a registered nurse in the Labor and Delivery Department, when I heard in report that we were aborting a second-trimester baby with Down’s syndrome. I was completely shocked. In fact, I had specifically chosen to work at Christ Hospital because it was a Christian hospital and not involved, so I thought, in abortion. It hurt so much that the very place these abortions were being committed was at a hospital named after my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was further grieved to learn that the hospital’s religious affiliates, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the United Church of Christ, were pro-abortion. I had no idea that any Christian denomination could be pro-abortion!” Link

Shame on the ELCA.  Shame on the President.

An apple a day—the Kanzi

I eat an apple every day for breakfast.  Every day.  My very most favorite is Honey Crisp, expensive and only available about 3-4 months in the fall, and the taste varies depending on which state provides the soil (I think Minnesota is best).  My second most favorite is Braeburn, then Gala or Fuji. For pies, use 3 or 4 varieties and include at least one Pink Lady for color. Jonathon are good for color in a salad, but generally are tasteless.

Today for the first time I am eating a Kanzi, so I looked it up.  The word is from Swahili and means “hidden treasure.”  It is the daughter of the Braeburn and Gala—isn’t that nice to know the family tree—and a sister of the Jazz apple.  The Orange Pippin web site describes and contrasts the Jazz and Kanzi:

The colouration is very similar, but we think Kanzi is arguably the prettier apple. Jazz can look a little bit too tall, whereas Kanzi is more rounded -quite similar to Ariane (although the parentage is completely different).

Looks are important commercially, but for us it is mainly about the flavour of the apple. The flavour of both Kanzi and Jazz is extremely good, but also quite different.

The Jazz apple has the stronger flavour, with its distinctive peardrop aftertaste and dense flesh. Kanzi is more delicate, with a less pronounced flavour and lighter flesh. In our tests so far most tasters prefer Kanzi (by a margin of at least 2/3rds to 1/3rd), partly because Jazz can be just a bit too solid to bite into sometimes. The milder flavour of Kanzi is also easier and less demanding, although perhaps a bit less memorable too. However your objective author should here state his own preference: Jazz wins because of its more distinctive flavour.

I’ve only had a few bites (I slice them and eat with either carrots or oranges and walnuts.  So my taste buds haven’t decided yet.  But nothing matches a Honey Crisp.

When should you floss--morning or evening?

When you should remove that plaque depends on why you're removing it in the first place. If you are removing it for prevention of tooth decay or periodontal disease—such as gingivitis, which destroys the root and makes the teeth fall out—then I believe it's best at night. This gives you an eight-hour, food-free rest so your mouth can fight against the ravages it faces all day.

If you floss in the morning, because you have to say hello to people and want nice teeth, that is useful—but less so from a biological point of view. Although it should be noted that this has never been researched—call it the Kinane Hypothesis.

WSJ link

It’s not about jobs—that’s why the economy hasn’t recovered

It’s about something called “fairness.”  But no one knows what that is.  Is it 35%?  But Warren Buffett actually pays 50%.  Would that be fair?  And if 50% is fair, why not 75%.  Why not really kill all job growth? Wouldn’t that be fair?

It’s about fairness,” Secretary [of Labor] Solis said while explaining President Obama’s re-election platform.“It’s about fairness in the workplace; it’s about fairness in education; and it’s about fairness in terms of what services are provided by government. And if we can’t have say-so in that, then this isn’t the dream that all of us have aspired to be a part of.”

Bullying

Not a day goes by that I don’t hear something on the news about bullying. Today it was on Catholic radio and concerned bullying with social media. Here’s an article by a pediatrician, and absolutely nothing in her explanation looks familiar to me, not from my childhood in the 40-50s, or my children in the 70-80s. Bullies are not born. If I was bullied as a child, I must have laughed it off or I gave it back as good as I got, but I do remember some other kids who were bullied, and my perception as a child was that they were objects of scorn because they were different (height, weight, grades, income, teeth, skin, etc.) and not because the person who teased (that’s what we called it then) had psychological or emotional shortcomings.

Now, popularity cliques (ingroup, inner circle, pack) at least among girls were a different matter. By high school, all the mixing and matching we did in 4-H, Girl Scouts and junior choir, camp, and church group was set aside when it came to parties and Friday night get togethers. Also, I dated a lot in high school, so I didn't even go to all the parties, or after game events with my "clique," but I did make it to the birthday events. Maybe I would have been bullied if I'd showed up?

My experience, and that of my children, was that "exclusion" was a bigger hurt than bullying. You could be tall, athletic, good looking and get away with a lot in my children's schools and circles, but if you weren't an outstanding student, then you could easily be excluded by the "in-crowd." Over the years I've talked to other parents who had children in the Upper Arlington school system and I know that their kids were "excluded" from some social circles, but excelled in other areas. They might be homely and awkward, but in the band or orchestra they could excel; or they could have low grades but be outstanding in baseball or track; theater and drama clubs, or singing, saved the self esteem of many. That doesn't mean the top soprano might not make fun of the kid who couldn't carry a tune, or high hurdles guy wouldn't tease the boy with a limp.

But psychological or emotional problems from the taunter? Not sure about that one, Dr. Arca. What do you think?

8th grade, 1953 class trip, Chicago

Senator Obama debates with President Obama on the debt limit

This is the first and last paragraph of a longer message, which he disavowed just a year ago on Good Morning America.

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America 's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial  assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America 's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, ‘the buck stops here.' . . . Instead,
Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” ~ Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006

And yes, I ran it through Snopes for accuracy.

One percenter Axelrod buys new Chicago mansion

David Axelrod, 57,  guided the 2008 campaign for President Obama,  and is now in charge of the 2012 campaign.  His thing is media.   He also worked as “a senior advisor in the Obama White House from 2009 until 2011, when he departed to begin work on the president's re-election campaign. Despite his time in Washington, Axelrod always has kept a home base in Chicago.

Now, Axelrod appears to have decided to trade up. The new seven-room unit he purchased first had been listed as part of an estate sale last May for $2.25 million, and was reduced to $1.9 million in November. Features in the 42nd-floor unit include views to the south and east, including of the lake. The unit also has 4-1/2 baths, a marble foyer, his and hers baths in the master suite and one garage space.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-axelrod-buys-17-million-michigan-ave-condo-20120416,0,7002704.story

Serving the President pays very well. Probably puts a person in the 1% or higher since so many owe you favors. All he has to do to pay more taxes is not use the loopholes available only to the rich. . . like the ones that reduced the President's taxes.

Farrakhan's threats

Since conservatives didn't elect our current leader, just who do you think Farrakhan is threatening? Obama. Who is he attempting to agitate? Black Americans. And if he is arrested for making threats, who do you think will come to his aid? Blacks. Who will be blamed? Conservative grass roots groups like the Tea Party and 9/11 groups. This whole thing looks like a set up, and he's not stupid. So is he doing Obama's bidding or is he really serious?

Architecture of Thomas Jefferson

Here’s an index of the architectural designs of Thomas Jefferson.

Today I noticed an article about two Utah architects running for Congress.  “Søren Simonsen, 44, is an architect and city planner from Salt Lake City, where he serves on the city council. He’s running as a Democrat in Utah’s 3rd Congressional District. Republican Stephen Sandstrom, 48, is an architect from Orem who was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2006. He recently resigned to run in Utah’s newly created 4th Congressional District. Both face June primary challenges from other candidates.” 

And that’s wonderful.  But what I found amusing was that the lede called Jefferson an amateur.  Have you seen some of the designs of the 21st century?  Who’s calling who an amateur?

Thomas Jefferson may be the most celebrated American architect, albeit an amateur one, to lead a political life, and he certainly wasn’t the last. But oddly, there are no architects currently serving in the U.S. Congress, and according to the AIA, there was only one during the entire 20th century. This year, however, two architects are running for Congress, and they both happen to be from Utah.

"Jefferson believed that architecture was the heart of the American cause. In his mind, a building was not merely a walled structure, but a metaphor for American ideology, and the process of construction was equal to the task of building a nation. The architecture of any American building should express the American desire to break cultural--as well as political--ties to Europe. American architecture, Jefferson believed, would embody the fulfillment of the civic life of Americans, and he sought to establish the standards of a national architecture, both aesthetically and politically." From Thomas Jefferson, the Architect of the Nation

Why both parties would rather debate about women who stay home to raise children

WASHINGTON (AP) –
Figures on government spending and debt. The government’s fiscal year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
•Total public debt subject to limit April 4: $15,574,371,000,000
•Statutory debt limit: $16,394,000,000,000
•Total public debt outstanding, April 4: $15,617,723,000,000
•Interest fiscal year 2012 through February: $99,386,000,000
•Interest same period 2011: $94,459,000,000

http://www.mygovcost.org/2012/04/06/u-s-government-spending-and-debt-by-the-numbers/

Operation Hot Mic--send it on

Bernanke’s Fairy Tale Recession Story for Kids

"In the nearly 100 years since the Fed’s creation, the deeper the economic downturn, the greater the number of policy missteps by the Federal Reserve and its cohorts in Washington. This was the case in the Great Depression, which was a downturn rife with Fed policy mistakes. Similarly, the most recent downturn, although not as bad as the Great Depression, was quite deep and also involved numerous policy errors by the Fed. Unfortunately, that’s not one of the obvious lessons of financial crises that professor Bernanke shared with the GWU students.

Rather than admitting to the arbitrary and capricious nature of the bailouts, Mr. Bernanke would have us believe that he and his band of bureaucrats executed a cogent strategy to pull from the brink of disaster companies—and, indeed, a nation—that were too big to fail. The fact is that they guessed their way through the bailouts and cannot point to any cogent analysis of the costs of “inaction.” "

Bernanke’s Fairy Tale Recession Story for Kids: Newsroom: The Independent Institute

Hilary Rosen vs. Ann Romney

The GOP and radio/TV talkers (I’m listening to Rush at the moment) should get off the choice of women to work at home or at the office, and get on with the important stuff--defeating Obama.  They keep letting him define the topic. Democrats are too clever to talk about real issues, they want slogans like "hope and change" and "war on women." And the GOP always fall for it.

The issue is that today most “stay at home moms”  are at opposite ends of the social spectrum.  Women in the top 20% are more likely to be married, have a good income, have good educations, and will be staying at home with their smart, well cared for children at least during their critical formative years, kids who have the advantages that only good genes can buy.  At the other end, you have welfare moms who didn’t have their first baby after they got married,  or didn’t marry at all, and maybe didn’t finish high school.  These are the “stay at home moms” that Uncle Sam parents.

If Republicans continue down this road, defending moms at home, the Democrats will turn on them and start defending welfare moms at home.

What is the difference between garden peas, snow peas and sugar snap peas?

This is from today WHFoods newsletter.  When we eat peas, it’s usually shelled garden peas. I remember shelling fresh peas from my mother’s garden. For lunch I often diced some onion and pepper, then add frozen garden peas and frozen corn.

Garden Peas

Garden Peas need to be shelled before eating. Fresh garden peas have rounded pods that are usually slightly curved in shape with a smooth texture and vibrant green color. Inside garden peas are green rounded pea seeds that are sweet and starchy in taste and can be eaten raw or cooked. Garden peas have more nutrients and more calories than snow peas or sugar snap peas. However, they require more work to prepare because they must be shelled before eating. As most people do not want to spend the extra time to shell their peas, the demand for fresh garden peas is very low, and they can be more difficult to find than other varieties of peas. Garden peas are sweet and succulent for three to four days after they are picked but tend to become mealy and starchy very quickly if they are not cooked soon after harvesting.

Ninety-five percent of garden peas are sold either frozen or canned. Frozen garden peas are a good substitute for fresh Garden Peas. They are already shelled, and because they are blanched before freezing, they take no time to prepare - just heat and serve. They also retain their flavor and nutritional value because they are frozen soon after they are picked. Frozen peas are more flavorful, contain less sodium and have more nutritional value than canned peas.

Snow Peas or Chinese Pea Pods

Sometimes called Chinese pea pods, this variety is usually used in stir-fries. Snow peas are flat with edible pods through which you can usually see the shadows of the flat Pea seeds inside; they are never shelled. Fresh and frozen Snow Peas are available.

Sugar Snap Peas

A cross between the garden and snow pea, they have plump edible pods with a crisp, snappy texture; they are not shelled. Both snow peas and snap peas feature a slightly sweeter and cooler taste than the garden pea. Like snow peas, snap peas have fewer nutrients and calories than garden peas. Fresh and frozen sugar snap peas are available.

Security? No problem?

Just last Friday we were told there was no compromise of the President's security with the news about the Secret Service security detail being sent home and replaced. I thought then that the writer of that story must not watch TV or movies with an  international crime plot.  There’s often a woman (or man these days) selling sex for secrets.  This is not about dignity, it's about the president's safety. And it's probably not the first time this has happened. Oldest trick (excuse the pun) in the book.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-calls-for-thorough-inquiry-in-secret-service-prostitution-scandal/2012/04/15/gIQACKO7JT_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), whose panel maintains jurisdiction over all federal agencies, said he had reason to believe that more than 11 Secret Service personnel were involved but never specifically explained why.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/post/secret-service-scandal-could-be-bigger-lawmaker-says/2012/04/15/gIQAu0MOJT_blog.html