Middle aged increases in binge drinking in U.S.

"The total annual number of binge drinks consumed per U.S. adult who reported binge drinking increased significantly by 12% from 2011 to 2017, including among non-Hispanic white adults and those aged ≥35 years." https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6902a2-H.pdf

One is tempted to ask who was in the White House and Congress during the years of study?  I'm not making light of binge drinking, but it was during the Obama years that the hate and division really escalated--but then, so did the nastiness on social media. That said, when we see this, the federal government is quick to see $$$ in grant money for more study of socioeconomic causes, when maybe it needs to look in the mirror.

This was reported in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the CDC and you should read carefully rather than accepting the headline version you'll see on internet news (like my source did using Yahoo instead of CDC). Just saying though, Ohio was one of the 9 states reporting a significant increase. And Wyoming? What's going on? The CDC backed up its claims with data on increase in alcohol sales.

I mention my source because it is a pet peeve that I receive “Healthbeat” in my e-mail from Ohio State University Medical Center Communications Center, and it is citing Yahoo!  Do they have no experts of their own who can read a CDC MMWR report?

Churchill or Trump?

Which of the following things WERE SAID about Trump, and which ones were REFERENCES  to Churchill?

He’s a belligerent bully who would use the military against union strikers.

He’s an outdated throwback to a type of paranoid conservativism that places confrontation over diplomacy.

He’s a racist, an imperialist and a Muslim hater.

He’s a lying self-aggrandizer who claimed to be the lone voice speaking up for making his country strong again when that wasn’t true.

He thought Hitler and Mussolini had their good points.

He’s a war criminal who didn’t care if bombs he ordered to be dropped killed civilians.

He’s a hothead who wants to launch an unprovoked nuclear strike on his enemies.

He was blasted by a major newspaper for “startling the world” with his “outrageous propositions.”

He’s mentally unfit for office, but refuses to step down.

He doesn’t care if brown people starve.

He was described by one prominent politician from another country as being worse than Hitler, Mao or Stalin.

Trick question—all were said about Churchill.  Mike Huckabee newsletter, January 3, 2018

Trump’s accomplishments—according to Trump

The White House listed the 12 categories and highlighted achievements for each. A summary is below:

Jobs and the economy

• Passage of the tax reform bill providing $5.5 billion in cuts and repealing the Obamacare mandate.
• Increase of the GDP above 3 percent.
• Creation of 1.7 million new jobs, cutting unemployment to 4.1 percent.
• Saw the Dow Jones reach record highs.

Killing job-stifling regulations

• Signed an Executive Order demanding that two regulations be killed for every new one creates. He beat that big and cut 16 rules and regulations for every one created, saving $8.1 billion.
• Signed 15 congressional regulatory cuts.
• Withdrew from the Obama-era Paris Climate Agreement, ending the threat of environmental regulations.

Fair trade

• Made good on his campaign promise to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
• Opened up the North American Free Trade Agreement for talks to better the deal for the U.S.
• Worked to bring companies back to the U.S., and companies like Toyota, Mazda, Broadcom Limited, and Foxconn announced plans to open U.S. plants.

Boosting U.S. energy dominance

• Expanded energy infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline snubbed by Obama.
• Ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to kill Obama’s Clean Power Plan.
• EPA is reconsidering Obama rules on methane emissions.

Protecting the U.S. homeland

• Laid out new principles for reforming immigration and announced plan to end "chain migration," which lets one legal immigrant to bring in dozens of family members.
• Made progress to build the border wall with Mexico.
• Ended the Obama-era “catch and release” of illegal immigrants.
• Boosted the arrests of illegals inside the U.S.
• Started the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program.

Helping veterans

• Signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to allow senior officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire failing employees and establish safeguards to protect whistleblowers.
  
• Signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act. 
• Signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, to provide support. 
• Signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds for the Veterans Choice Program. 

Restoring confidence in and respect for America

• Trump won the release of Americans held abroad, often using his personal relationships with world leaders.
• Made good on a campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

List from Washington Examiner

Will this tax plan actually create jobs?

You are right to be suspicious.  Look what we were told about Obamacare and saving money and keeping our doctors.  But Tax Foundation has crunched some numbers (for the Senate plan) and says yes, but it depends on your state. Stock market went crazy with the news yesterday—not sure that’s more jobs, however.  Ohio already has an unfriendly tax climate—I think we’re something like 45^th and Illinois is 46^th—not a good place to be.  Tax Foundation estimates 35,063 jobs and $2,375 after tax income in Ohio.  For Illinois 38,465 jobs and $2,701 after tax income. A lot more is involved, however.  We all know Mt. Morris jobs didn’t go to Thailand, they went to states in southern USA or to Rockford.  https://taxfoundation.org/senate-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-state-impact/

 

In this example of 9 different filers some get more than others but the only ones losing are a married couple Laura and Seth (one earner) with 2 children earning $2 million. Of the nine examples, they have the highest income.  The one who gains the most is the single guy (Jason) earning $52,000.  Of course, if single guy Jason had some children and a wife, he’d be getting EITC and the government would be paying him a bonus of about $6,000.  But only tax payers are covered in this example of 9 households, not the 49% who don’t pay any federal income tax.  https://taxfoundation.org/tax-cut-senate-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act/ 

 

Democrats, of course, will point out the gap between $52,000 and $2,000,000 not the change in what each household pays.

 

 

The Tulamos are here

We visited the Columbus Museum of Art today.  We ate in the lovely new restaurant then toured the building, with Martti taking photos. We met about 39 years ago when Riitta was a PhD student in the veterinary college at Ohio State, and they have been touring the U.S. since September 19 for their 40th anniversary celebration.  Both are retired now and about 70 years old.  And they were such youngsters when we met and now have 2 grandbabies. And the brakes started going bad in the van this week, so we also made a mad dash to have them fixed ($760.79) so we took the smaller SUV to drive downtown, which gave us a lot of laughs trying to get in and out of the back seat, which I think was intended for children.

I want to be like Betty when I grow up

We went to Scotland for a week in June and our friends Howard and Betty, 82, who are in our couples group at church went to England, Wales and Scotland the last two weeks of August so they could see Tattoo, which we missed since it only performs in late summer.

"How was the vacation?"  "Oh it was wonderful!"  Except. . .

Howard had his wallet stolen with their credit cards and cash early in the trip. People on the tour offered them money to tide them over, but they watched every penny, bought no souvenirs, and made do with the cash Betty had.  His wallet was in a zippered leg pocket with a Velcro strip and he never felt the hand that took it until dinner.

Returning to the USA from Heathrow they boarded the plane to fly home, via Houston, and no one mentioned the Hurricane. They were told it was raining.

Theirs was the last plane in and then the airport was closed, and they had to find a hotel in a strange city because none of them would take the vouchers United provided.

Betty is being treated for a serious illness and had no more medicine left by the time they got to the US, and what she did have needed to be refrigerated.

When they finally found one by using Howard's I-pad to make a reservation and using the United van, it was a suite, with a refrigerator, but there were no cooking utensils or dishes. And there was no way to get food anyway, since they couldn't leave the hotel, and even if they could, everything was closed. The hotel experienced some leaking, but not in their room  and it was on the second floor which was good because the elevator was no longer working. The hotel was still serving breakfast, which got smaller each day since no supplies were coming in.

Howard became extremely ill while they were in the hotel, and they had to go to the ER, in a strange city, with almost everything closed. Before the trip he had photocopied all their medical cards, credit cards, passport, etc.

Betty told the clerk at the desk, who had only been working a day or two their dilemma, and she knew of a hospital open in her neighborhood and offered to drive them there after her shift. (There are angels out there). Because he had the photocopies, he was able to get through the paper work even with having had his wallet stolen.

Howard was treated in the ER, and given a prescription for an antibiotic, but the city was on lock down after 8 p.m. to prevent looting and they couldn't get it filled.

Meanwhile their daughter got them reservations on the first flight out of Houston to Chicago when the rain and storm let up and they were able to get out of town 3 days sooner than what they thought.

Neither one is quite well yet, but for 82, that isn't bad.

But it was a wonderful trip, with enough stories to last a lifetime.

Tax reform

So no wonder Democrats claim ANY reform will benefit the rich. They pay the bulk of the taxes, money that could be invested in businesses, charities, or their children's education which employ millions of people, or on spending and purchasing from other businesses which support workers who do pay taxes.The top 1 percent paid a greater share of individual income taxes (39.5 percent) than the bottom 90 percent combined (29.1 percent).

Pentecost, the birth of the church

It's been a party party week-end. Yesterday we celebrated the 70th birthday of a friend at a fabulous surprise event at Hyde Park restaurant carefully planned by her husband and daughters, and today we celebrate the birth of the Christian church. And I would certainly recommend that restaurant--great food and staff.

And today, another birthday party--the church.  We Christians call this day Pentecost (Greek for 50th day) and it's the third of the three big ones--Jesus' birth, his resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles to establish the church Jesus had talked about. It is celebrated by Christians all over the world 50 days after Easter, and marks the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles while they were cowering and hiding behind locked doors following Jesus’ resurrection. It falls on a Jewish feast day because it's virtually impossible to understand Christianity if you don't know the basics.

Jesus said to Peter the apostle whose name means rock, "Upon this rock I will build my church." There are all sorts of interpretations of this, just pick one. It's one of the reasons there are 35,000 protestant denominations, Bible and non-denominational churches. And people who claim to read the Bible literally, jump through hoops to say Jesus didn't mean Peter.

But he did established the church as he promised. So guys and gals, let's stop cowering and hiding and celebrate.

Book Club titles for 2017-2018

Yesterday our book club (originally formed by a group of young mothers in Clintonville over 30 years ago and I joined in 2000 when I retired) selected titles for the 2017-2018 year. I’m partial to non-fiction, so I’m excited about this list. All will meet at Bethel Rd. Presbyterian except where noted.

September: Hero of the Empire; The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard. This will be at Peggy's

October: Being Mortal; medicine and what matters in the end by Atul Gawande. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDdtAiTrwt4

November: Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

December: Hidden figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, now a movie.  Meets at Carolyn's.

January: Worst hard time The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan

February: Leopard at the door (novel) by Jennifer McVeigh

March: Bad ass librarians of Timbuktu And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer

April: Hillbilly Elegy; A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance (he now lives in Columbus)

May: Cod a biography of the fish that changed the world by Mark Kurlansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAmVU2WL7bY He wrote a book about Salt, and if it’s anywhere near as good, I’m looking forward to this one.

The Grammys I didn't watch

No, I would never watch the Grammys, but I'm trying to watch the national news.  And even Fox has to show clips about every two minutes. I'm hitting the mute every chance I get. An industry that is built on merit, talent, fighting tooth and nail to win and entrepreneurial energy (from the eyebrow creator--like our niece Kimberly--to the theater designer to the pearls sewn on the designer dress to the lunch ladies) wants to destroy capitalism? 

The Gramophone was invented in 1877--and that's about how useful and up to date the Progressives are. Someone needs to read about the show trials in the USSR in the 1930s.

I hope everyone in northern California is safe--there is some news between the Grammy clips.  A dam is eroding. Huge hole that needs to be filled before people drown while trying to escape.  But it's more important to show a rap group insulting the president.

Winter has returned

Yesterday it was spring-like with mid-50s and rain. He got to use his new supersize umbrella.  Today it's in the low 30s and dropping, so all the other new Christmas gifts were appropriate--new slim line jeans, new socks and new ski mask.  He says the socks are like walking on clouds.

The inauguration

"President and Mrs. George W. Bush will attend the 58th Presidential Inauguration Ceremony on January 20, 2017, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. They are pleased to be able to witness the peaceful transfer of power - a hallmark of American democracy - and swearing-in of President Trump and Vice President Pence."  From the President's Facebook wall.

Begin the new year with good thoughts

 

Good wishes for 2017.  I found this on the Facebook page of Noel McInnis, who went to Mt. Morris High School and also played trombone in the band (as I did).  We had a wonderful beginning for the New Year with an around the world tour in food and new year symbols from sauerkraut balls to noodles, with David and Donna members of our church.  They've recently moved to a mid-20th century ranch from their 2 story 19th century historical home.  Joyce and Bill, our "regular" Friday night date also were guests.

H - Hours of happy times with your dear ones
A - Abundant time for relaxation
P - Prosperity
P - Plenty of love when you need it the most
Y - Youthful excitement at life's simple pleasures

N - Nights of restful slumber
E - Everything you need
W - Wishing you love and light

Y - Years and years of good health
E - Enjoyment and mirth
A - Angels to watch over you
R - Remembrances of happy years

The Reformation and the response of the Council of Trent

The Council of Trent addressed the two biggest issues of the Protestant Reformation--justification and original sin.  Father Robert Barron--always an outstanding, kind and thorough, yet poetic, lecturer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZK92T8k28 

Christendom is gearing up for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation--1517-2017.  Be prepared!