1034 Charles Schumer and Alexander Hamilton

Is Charles Schumer (NY-Dem) crazy or just uninformed? Has he forgotten that it is the House, not the Senate that is proportional? Each State has 2 Senators. Now he’s saying his vote should count for more because he represents 19 million and Hatch only represents 2 million. Now he wants “checks and balances”--says the founding fathers wanted filibuster? And we had no parties back then either. Our founders thought parties a bad idea, and maybe they were on to something. Wonder if he’s read American history? Perhaps it was out of vogue when he attended school? I recommend Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. I listened to clips of Schumer on the Hugh Hewitt show yesterday and could hardly believe my ears.

I also listened to the Putin interview on 60 minutes the other night. He said democracy can’t always be imported (to Iraq and Afghanistan) and it will be experienced differently in different cultures (like Russia, for instance). I agree. Russia, Iraq and Afghanistan will never have an Alexander Hamilton, and our country would look very different if we hadn’t had him. Unfortunately, we are loaded with Schumer types.

1033 Blogging about Libraries, Librarians, Books and Readers

Here is a collection of my blog entries that concern libraries, librarians, and books/literature. Sometimes I wander and wonder, but I eventually get to the point. I will add more as I come across them.

Bossy Librarians

How many Lutherans?

Banned Books Week

Anti-Bush books at UAPL

Time to think about privatization?

Librarians and nurses

WSJ includes 2 articles on libraries and I comment

What's on the library shelves

American Archives

Women's Building at the Chicago Columbian Exposition, 1893

Cybils award for children's literature

Damage from photocopying

Oregon Illinois Public Library

Department of Athletics donates to library renovation

Social Capital in Librarianship

Samuel Hodesson and the Vet Library

Gay Book Burners

Dude! What have you done with my library?

Walt and Meredith Survey Librarian Bloggers

Laura Bush

1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Science

Dear Donna Sapolin [inquire at your local library]

Acknowledgements to librarians

The Hungarian

If there were no ALA

Libraries aren't for everyone

Fecal count

On reading

Biased Book Reviewers

When work is no fun--Andy Geiger

Viruses in the library

Hunter Thompson

Harold Bloom

The Real Nancy Drew Author

William T. Coggeshall and Abraham Lincoln

Got Game?

Calico Cat

Library Cats

Librarians, Left and Right

Library snacking

What do librarians do?

Why I became a Librarian

Who has more fun than a librarian?

Myths about librarians

Top library job goes to non-librarian

The Librarian's Job--a poem

What is your librarian buying?

Shush

My Life imitates the Internet

Digging deep, piling high

Librarians wonder about this

Mt. Morris Public Library

How to Run a Bookclub

Two librarians recall childhoods with books

Ag Econ Bibliographer

Stop Setting Goals

How to donate books to your library

Are you prepared for retirement?

Tribute to a Mentor

If I were the library director
Part 1;
Part 2;
Part 3;
Part 4;
Part 5

Librarians as babysitters

My bio: I began my library career in high school working at the Mt. Morris, Illinois Public Library, continued at Manchester College and the University of Illinois as an undergrad student employee. Sometimes tragedy points you in the right direction, and after the deaths of my two oldest children I returned to graduate school and got an MLS from the University of Illinois and worked in Slavic Studies there. I worked briefly as a Slavic cataloger at Ohio State University and then stopped working to raise my children.

I returned to professional work in the late 1970s with part time and temporary contracts in a variety of subject fields at The Ohio State University Libraries including agriculture, user education and Latin American Studies. This allowed me always to be home when my children were there. In 1986 I settled into a wonderful tenure track position in the Veterinary Medicine Library, retiring as Associate Professor in 2000. My career included publishing, attending professional meetings, teaching, lots of one-on-one contact with the patrons and students and planning a new library which opened after I retired. For the last 11 years I've been the "staff" for my architect husband of 45 years. One of his designs will be appearing in a book later this year (2005).

My motto is you can have it all--but not all at the same time. I loved being a full-time, stay-at-home Mom, I loved being an academic librarian, and I really, really love being retired with time to write and paint and read and, of course, take naps.

NYT isn't crying Uncle

Some bloggers seem to think that the New York Times is finally admitting its liberal bias, but I read through its internal audit report, and I don't see it. Saying you're going to cover more religion and rural issues is hardly admitting you've been biased against people of belief or fly-over country. They could just report more bad stuff, you know. Perhaps some were encouraged by the phrase they were going to listen to "unorthodox views and contrarian opinions." If that's their view of conservatism, then I won't hold my breath for a more balanced cover of the news.

And taking surveys, creating blogs, and answering readers' e-mail? All that admits to is they've been kind of set in their ways with big heads. That's not necessarily being biased or slanted. And checking their sources and using fewer anonymous sources? Gracious, how in the world did they get to the top without checking their sources. For instance, take this in depth review of policy:

"As just one example among multitudes, a sprightly feature described the lengths that
assistants to celebrities go to keep their bosses happy and satisfy their every whim. Its reliance on an unnamed source left readers wondering whether the source had worked with the star in question and knew the star’s petty preferences or was simply passing along second-hand gossip, or even whether the source was seeking to present the star unflatteringly for self-serving reasons.

The point is not that particular individuals failed, but that the newsroom as a whole often fails to honor the paper’s stated policy in the course of reporting and editing. Too often we do not trouble to challenge our sources to speak for attribution even when a request to do so can be easily accommodated. In the chain from reporter to reader, too few editors realize that it is their job to challenge evident violations of our policy."

Of course, perhaps this silly story didn't need to be run at all. Leave that one for People Magazine.

1031 Nothing like a Sousa March

Makes me want to get out my trombone--this story I saw at Florida Cracker about the U.S. Military Band performing in Moscow.

"I've met every president. I've met hundreds of kings and queens. But marching through Moscow behind three of my soldiers carrying the American flag is pretty much the highlight of my career," said Lt. Col. Thomas H. Palmatier, commander of the Army band, which came here along with President Bush and other U.S. officials to help mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. LA Times Story.

"We played inside the Kremlin walls! We played 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' on the streets of Moscow! It was a pretty emotional experience," Palmatier said."

Victory Day, the war being called in Russia the Second Great Patriotic War, is sort of tricky to celebrate. Viewpoint of the Moscow Times.

1030 Bits and Pieces, This 'n That

We had our passport photos taken this morning. Except for travel to Canada, we've never been out of the country, but that will change this fall.

We passed a Bob Evans on the way up to the Lake on Mother's Day. A long line snaked into the parking lot about 11 a.m. Every woman and girl was in jeans or slacks and a big t-shirt. Mother's Day certainly isn't the dress up occasion it used to be. My sweet daughter left a gardenia corsage in the frig on Friday because she was doing the right thing and visiting her mother-in-law in the nursing home that day. I wore it Saturday night and Sunday morning.

We noticed a man using a walker in his yard, trimming the grass with an electric trimmer. Looked a little unsafe to me.

Another yard with a mailbox by the road, had an umbrella propped up against the post, but no one around. The house was set back about 100 ft. Looked like someone took a stroll down the lane in the rain, the sun came out, she found a letter, or maybe a Mother's Day card, and was so happy, she forgot the umbrella and walked back to the house in the sunshine. Do you owe anyone a letter? More fun than e-mail.

Overheard at McDonald's near Port Clinton where I had coffee yesterday--me and about 10 old fishermen. "My rod and my reel, they comfort me." "I fish, therefore I lie." Then the talk shifted to a missing friend, Paul, then World War II, and VE Day. They were probably all WWII veterans. Thank you all for your service.

Boogers. I know young people think studs through their noses and eyebrows and upper chin look daring and fashionable. But I wear tri-focals, and I assure you, from a little distance viewed through the mid-range (for computer screen or auto dashboard viewing), it looks like you missed something after a big sneeze.

Gasoline in Columbus on Friday was $1.97 and was $1.94 in Bucyrus (Rt. 4). I'm getting whip-lash with these price changes. Two blocks south of the $1.94 Shell there was a Marathon station selling it for $2.09. How unhappy would you be if driving north in a gas-guzzler SUV you filled up and then saw it for $.15 less a gallon two blocks later?

A house on our street in Lakeside had a "pending" sign. We were a bit surprised, but know the owner has three cottages. We thought--"Maybe he needed the money for college for the kids." Later, we were pleasantly surprised to learn he has purchased the last "fixer-upper" (almost falling down). We'll all be grateful when he takes care of that eye sore. So he probably needed the money for that.

1029 Science was never this much fun when I was a kid

Patsy posts pictures (say that five times fast) of nature camp--stocking a stream, riding horses, climbing a wall, separating hydrogen and oxygen, watching wildlife and sleeping in cabins. Homeschooled kids are so lucky.

Happy Mother's Day

To everyone who had, or has, or is a mother--Happy Mother's Day. It's lovely here--we're off to the Lake.

1027 Intelligent Design and Evolutionary Theory

On the way home from the coffee shop I was listening to NPR on the radio--a discussion of the current battles in Kansas. Apparently, some Kansians are worried they might look like rubes. I guess no one worries about how silly evolutionists look--they are running so scared and are so protective of their beliefs, that they've even renamed university departments of biology, see Ohio State.

Whole Wheat Blogger takes aim on May 6 at a recent article that blames ID-ers, and of course, President Bush, for our drop in science skills (everything that is wrong is Bush's fault--he's so powerful he made my stocks drop in 2000 before he became President). Bunk and blather, he says to that biology-biased author.

"It seems to me that Mr. Bice is suggesting that theists cannot be scientists. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. I've had classes in algebra, calculus, Laplace, physics, electronics theory, and digital systems (among many others). Not once did I have to apply evolutionary theory in any of my classes. Whether or not animal A evolved into animal B is irrelevant to an electron traveling through a transistor. I don't think that Isaac Newton was pondering his origins when he decided to create a new kind of math (with funny symbols, no less). I doubt he was pondering the origins of the apple that fell on his head as well.** I'm sure he was more concerned with the how and the why.

Mr. Bice also seems to be pushing biology as the be-all, end-all of public science education. He says, regarding science education, Such an education, despite the protestations of theocrats, requires comprehensive instruction in the central, unifying concept of modern biology: evolution. I think that many people would agree with me if I said that statement would be more accurate if instruction was replaced with indoctrination. When it gets right down to it, I think that's what it's about. It's about driving a wedge between parents and their children. People think that Christians are fanatic in their desire to have some alternate theory of origins taught in public schools, but evolutionists are just as fanatic in allowing only one option."

He then moves on to outline what is most likely the reason for the fall off of interest in science--inadequately prepared students, and the teaching of self-hate. You may not agree with all his points, but he makes more sense than Mr. Bice. It's not like there was a golden age of having more than one idea on origins in the last 50 years. I was in grade school over 50 years ago, and was never taught anything except evolutionary theory cum a little old fashioned paganism. I believe "Mother Nature" was the term used in the social sciences, and in the science classes we were treated to drawings of pre-humans and horses with toes. Of course, no fossil record, just drawings by textbook publishers. I could look around me and figure out there was a Creator, and take a closer look and see that everything aged and eventually fell apart. (I'm experiencing this personally.) This wouldn't be an approved class trip today, but they used to take us to the "state hospital" in Dixon where we stared at babies and children who were apparently going through some sort of "evolutionary" change, and it certainly wasn't for the better.

When I go to the doctor, I'm hoping s/he has warmer feelings for the Creator than for Darwin. My chances of solid, ethical care are much better!

1026 McDonald's sells apples

When I wrote about my apple-breakfasts the other day, I had fully intended to write about McDonald's becoming one of the biggest customers for the apple industry. Yesterday, a dear Christian sister, Bev, drove me to the airport to pick up my husband. We had been hanging an art show, then stopped by my house to check the flight information, and she brought in one of the new apple bowls from McDonald's. Being a "fruit picker" myself, I took a peek, and was pleasantly surprised--fresh sliced, a variety of types, a little pool of yogurt, and some crumbly sprinkles. We both though it a bit pricey--about $3.00--but it is a wonderfully refreshing treat, easy to eat. Check it out your next time in a McDonald's drive-through.

1025 Time's Up!

If I've ever seen a reason for God to say, "OK. It is finished (again)," it is the story of chimeras (ky-MIR-uhs), specifically the SCID-hu mouse story in today's Wall Street Journal. My work in the Veterinary Library at Ohio State made me vaguely aware of their debut in 1988, but I was busy with pig-poop, feline aids, and horses with one testicle, so I didn't pay much attention to mice with human-brain stem cells. "The Centaur has left the barn" says bio-ethicist Henry Greely.

Bio-ethics. Now there is an oxymoron. We Americans can't agree on the humanity of an 8 month fetus or the right of an unborn baby to live if he has deformed limbs. How in the world will we deal with human brain cells that are part mouse brain? Do we really want a cure for Alzheimer's or Parkinson's that badly (and there is absolutely no evidence that stem-cell research will ever provide this) if it means eventually they find they've gone over the line (after killing thousands of mice to examine their brains to see if they are becoming more human)? I wonder what the researchers will do when they find they've got a mouse that is more human than mouse? Kill it, I guess, and harvest the cells. Can't be more human than an 8 month old fetus, right?

1024 Mule trivia

Another thing (see previous post) I didn't plan to write about today is mules, but I found this among my Ohio Farmer notes from the 1850s. "Mr. Ben McCann, of Fayette, sold recently, to Mr. Charles Frost of Indiana, the largest mule doubtless in the Union. He is 5 years old, upwards of 19 hands high and weighs 1835 pounds. Ohio Farmer 8(23):172 May 28, 1859.

Now back to cleaning the kitchen!

1023 When my life imitates an Internet search

One of the problems with reading on the web is the linking feature. I can never get through the original article, start clicking away on the links and end up researching something I had no interest in 15 minutes before. This happens in life too: clean your kitchen and end up digging out files from 10 years ago.

I rushed in the door from the coffee shop this morning intending to clean up the kitchen before my husband returns from California. After cleaning up the tiny aspirin the cat had dumped to the floor, I began stacking up books and papers to remove from the kitchen table. When I moved the pile to my office, I discovered that "Recollections of Life in Ohio from 1813 to 1840" was 2 days overdue at the public library. I had come across it several weeks ago while browsing the shelves for something else. I am a "first family" Ohioan (ancestor arrived before 1803, the date of statehood), so I checked it out thinking it might be interesting to see what sort of Ohio my grandfather's grandfather had come to as a teen-ager. I promptly forgot about it, and never read it.

When I opened it this morning I discovered it was written by one of Ohio's most famous authors, William Dean Howells. Although I'd intended to return it unread, after leafing through it, I decided to renew it. Calling the library to renew (too much trouble on the computer), I discovered I needed my library card which meant I had to find my purse, etc. (Nothing is easy at a library.)

Then I had a vague recollection that while I was researching women writers who published in Ohio Cultivator and Ohio Farmer in the 1850s, I came across the information that Howells had been a printer for one of those publications. So that started a hunt for my notes, which I thought were in a metal recipe box. After about 10 minutes I pulled out a cardboard file the contents of which I didn't remember and found my notes on the back of old circulation cards from OSU Libraries. After several passes through them (the rubber band had long ago died and left them in disarray in the box, I found it: "William Howells, Ohio Cultivator 11(10):155 May 15, 1853. Poet. Typesetter for Cultivator." I can't tell from my notes if one of his poems appeared in this newspaper, but I think it did, in case you are a Howells researcher. I also noted his appearance in "Poets and poetry of the West," p. 678, which apparently reported he was a regular in Ohio Farmer, Atlantic, and Ohio State Journal.

The last thing I had intended to write about today was William Dean Howells, but sometimes you just have to follow the links.

1022 Can it get any more crazy?

James Taranto and Christopher Hitchens engage in a little name calling in today's Wall Street Journal (May 5, 2005). Taranto says he is not a Christian and not religious, but he is put off by the self-righteousness, close-mindedness, and contempt for democracy and pluralism of all that characterizes the opposition to the religious right.

Hitchens also claims not to be a Christian, but has a laundry list of complaints and fears against "growing religious factions" trying to force government leaders to follow their position. He calls them "moral majority types," "Bible thumpers," "all-fired pious," "grotesque," "back stabbers," "crusaders" and "clericalist bigots."

Whoa! I've been a Christian all my life in liberal, traditional, and evangelical congregations. I can assure all the non-Christians (especially the bizarre, twisted thought that went into the current Harper's witch hunt which lowered that esteemed publication to the level of those pulpy newsprint things that report on three headed aliens) and Taranto and Hitchens types that there is no cabal or movement.

How do I know? You can't find three Christians in two churches that agree on anything--not baptism, work of the Holy Spirit, abortion, war, end times, environmentalism, divorce, parenting, vaccines or what to bring to the pitch-in- dinner. Last week we had at our church a Christian "long-age" (about 17 billion years) creationist. I happen to be a 6 day creationist myself, but I'm not going to tie my shorts in a knot over someone saved by the work of Jesus Christ who is confused about Genesis! The week before we had a beautiful Catholic mother whose son was murdered talk to us about the importance of forgiveness. So we don't see eye to eye on Mary; she could write the book on forgiveness and what hate can do to a person. Everyone in her Lutheran audience was crying.

If you're so worried about the "religious right" (a strawman invented by a displaced and powerless left), drop by Barna.org and see what flimsy beliefs undergird people who identify themselves as born again or evangelical "Christian." You can point all the fingers you want at the political right, but be careful about throwing in the adjective "Christian." That just makes you a religious bigot.

1021 What it means to have a daughter

My daughter stopped by Tuesday to use my computer briefly. She works about 2 miles from here. She was the most beautiful baby in the world, and the most beautiful child and teen. She wasn't even ugly in middle school, when most of us have our body parts growing at differing rates. But as a bride, she was stunning. I thought about that when I read and enjoyed this moving story.

1020 Maybe I can’t pronounce phytochemical, but I can eat it

An apple a day. My favorite variety is Braeburn, but I will also eat Cameo, Fuji and Pink Lady. Jonathons are tasteless, Yellows too soft, and Grannies too sour. The apple has to be crisp, because I like to eat it sliced, with the skin on. This means I have to scrape the wax off with a sharp knife first, which is why I rarely eat an apple that’s provided by a restaurant or in a box lunch. Not only do I not want that wax in my digestive system, it is quite dirty.

In order to eat the 5-6 servings a day of fruits and vegetables recommended for a balanced, healthy diet, I core and slice an apple into about 16 pieces, clean a raw carrot and cut it up into 10-12 manageable pieces, toss in 3 or 4 dried plums (prunes we used to call them), maybe a few white grapes or strawberries if on hand, and top it off with a handful of washed walnuts. Given my druthers, I’d eat crackers and peanut butter or cheese for lunch, and if I succumb to temptation, at least I know that a bowl of apple slices and some add-ons have me pretty well covered. I love the apples, but the plums are the real power house of vitamins and minerals--beating out apples, bananas and oranges, ounce for ounce. Here’s what you get with an apple:

“Evidence suggests that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, and phytochemicals including phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids from fruits and vegetables may play a key role in reducing chronic disease risk.

Apples are a widely consumed, rich source of phytochemicals, and epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of apples with reduced risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. In the laboratory, apples have been found to have very strong antioxidant activity, inhibit cancer cell proliferation, decrease lipid oxidation, and lower cholesterol. Apples contain a variety of phytochemicals, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid, all of which are strong antioxidants. The phytochemical composition of apples varies greatly between different varieties of apples, and there are also small changes in phytochemicals during the maturation and ripening of the fruit. Storage has little to no effect on apple phytochemicals, but processing can greatly affect apple phytochemicals.

While extensive research exists, a literature review of the health benefits of apples and their phytochemicals has not been compiled to summarize this work. The purpose of this paper is to review the most recent literature regarding the health benefits of apples and their phytochemicals, phytochemical bioavailability and antioxidant behavior, and the effects of variety, ripening, storage and processing on apple phytochemicals.” Abstract, “Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits” by Jeanelle Boyer and Rui Hai Liu, Nutrition Journal, 2004:3.5, May 2004 (available full text at BioMedCentral)

Now, go munch on an apple.

1019 Senate Bill 24--protect, promote or deny free speech?

A male student who worked for me at Ohio State in the early 90s was taking a women's studies course as a humanities requirement in his senior year. He was terrified to open his mouth in class, the atmosphere was so poisoned and hostile toward men--and he needed the credit to graduate. He even asked me if I thought it was OK to use the word "huMAN" in one of his papers. I recall a full professor of English driven out of his prestigious university, not because he was a conservative, but because he was an apolitical liberal and a threat to his more radical colleagues. He was a well-established scholar who graciously helped me with one of my publications. His department assigned him freshman English classes where he was to incorporate feminist principles into basic rhetoric. He lost grant money and assistants to help with research, and was ostracized by his colleagues. He left to teach at a branch campus of a state university in another state. Yes, it is indeed the new McCarthyism, but now it is used by the liberals.

Professor Lynne Olsen of Ohio State said in a TV interview tonight that Senate Bill 24 isn't necessary--there are already laws in place that prevent professors from promoting their political viewpoints. Not so says some OSU students who support the bill. One complained that over one-half of her theater class time was spent on the topic of homosexuality. She believes her tuition money and time was wasted on this course. Another said that in one of his classes last fall the professor used up the students' time to denounce and ridicule President Bush. I'm not a bit surprised by this, but I agree with Dr. Olsen, how will this be policed--there are already rules (not being followed--my thought).

The first section of Bill 24 reads:

"The institution shall provide its students with a learning environment in which the students have access to a broad range of serious scholarly opinion pertaining to the subjects they study. In the humanities, the social sciences, and the arts, the fostering of a plurality of serious scholarly methodologies and perspectives shall be a significant institutional purpose. In addition, curricula and reading lists in the humanities and social studies shall respect all human knowledge in these areas and provide students with dissenting sources and viewpoints."

The bill also specifies that professors wouldn't be denied tenure for their political views, but that's pretty hard to prove. There are many ways "colleagues" can sabotage someone on his/her way to tenure--it takes a long time. Committee appointments. Student assistants. Grant applications. Rumors. Cliques.

"Faculty and instructors shall be hired, fired, promoted, and granted tenure on the basis of their competence and appropriate knowledge in their field of expertise and shall not be hired, fired, promoted, granted tenure, or denied promotion or tenure on the basis of their political, ideological, or religious beliefs.

Faculty and instructors shall not be excluded from tenure, search, and hiring committees on the basis of their political, ideological, or religious beliefs."

Liberal faculty, who would be the first to holler if a conservative tried to promote intelligent design or different brain development of the sexes, see this bill as a terrible threat to their free speech. And it is. They've had the freedom to undercut conservative values and faculty on the campus for the last 25 years. And I think that is the point. I wouldn't be surprised to see faculty unanimously oppose this bill in Ohio--I doubt that there are enough conservative faculty present on any campus to even wave a white flag.

1018 The Rewards System

Actually, I believe honesty is its own reward. If you don't lie or cheat, you don't have to try to remember what you said or cover up any do-do so you don't step in it. But occasionally, what goes around, comes around.

About two weeks ago we had dinner with Bill and Joyce at The Rusty Bucket. My husband paid with a couple of twenties. When the waitress returned the little folder, he opened it and found she'd given him $5.00 too much in change. So he called her over to the table and told her. She thanked him; called him honest. The next Friday we went to eat at The Rusty Bucket with our daughter. This time he paid with his credit card (yes, we do use them occasionally but have never paid a finance charge). He left a cash tip--he almost never adds that to the charge. When he got home and pulled out the slip, he noticed that the charges were incorrect--the bill was about half of what it should have been. So he called the restaurant and told them, and asked specifically that the waitress not have it taken from her salary. The manager thanked him, called him honest, and said she wouldn't be penalized (may have been the cashier's problem).

The next day we realized about 4 p.m. that the mailman hadn't been by to deliver or pick up our mail. About 4:30 there was a knock at the door, and it was a stranger with our mail, which included some very important, time sensitive material. He said it had been dropped through his mailslot next door. I thanked him, and realized the mail wasn't late, just misdelivered.

No one lives in that condo; it was sold in November and the new owners aren't moving in until June. He had just stopped by to check on some things and noticed the mail and brought it over.

1017 Credit's Dirty Little Secret

That's what Jim Aviles of San Francisco called it in a letter to the Wall Street Journal today. His point was that merchants pass along to customers the higher fees banks are charging merchants for each credit transaction. Well, yes of course, no one gives away a product, so marketing and selling expenses are part of what you pay for. That's also my objection to loyalty cards and rebate gaming--those of us who don't or won't play, are the ones paying for those of you who do.

But the poor disproportionately pay by cash or check Aviles says (actually a lot of us who don't want to be trapped in credit card debt are careful about their use). People who are poor credit risks or who have filed for bankruptcy are probably included in that. So the poor are footing the bill for credit card users because we all pay the same price. No more cash discount.

"Here's the dirty secret of the card issuing industry," Aviles writes. "Because card regulations demand that cardholders pay no more for goods and services than cash and check customers, the working poor are subsidizing the vacation points earned by American's top income classes."

I just received one of those "rewards" credit cards in the mail. I am pre-approved and get a "companion" mini card. Isn't that just so cute! Just like the grocery and drug store loyalty card--I can attach it to my key chain. Now, my rewards have to be spent at a particular auto dealership, one point for every dollar I spend on other purchases, plus (I'm breathless) 2,500 bonus points after I make my first purchase, which would be (whoopee) $25 off my next new car or service.

The small print on the back says "Pursuant to requrements of law, including the USA PATRIOT ACT, Bank of America is obtaining information and will take necessary actions to verify your identity." I wonder if other librarians know about this? They are the stronghold protecting us from the PA (although not from terrorists).

If I charge my next car (usually you pay less for a car if you pay outright and don't finance), I'll get 5 points for every dollar I charge (subject to additional terms and conditions not stated here in the small print). I assume this "deal" for points would keep me from shopping for the best car loan because I'd have a $20,000 credit line.

The next line says they have already obtained information in my credit report in order for me to receive this offer to see if I was "creditworthy." But they still want my Social Security number and my mother's maiden name (don't banks ask for that too?)

The next noise you'll hear is my scissors cutting up this credit card, even though I'm subsidizing your next purchase by paying cash.

1016 Odd headlines for AP Story

Who writes these headlines? Did he read the story, or is there something missing? In today's Columbus Dispatch I noticed the story, "The economy is the nation's top issue, Midwesterners say." So I glanced through the Associated Press story, and things didn't seem to add up--about us frightened Midwesterners. So I looked to the chart on the right and scanned down the various issues, settling on concerns about the Economy. Midwest--14%; Northeast--30%; South--17%; West--14%. The headline seems to come from an open-ended question asked by the Ipsos public affairs poll, but if they all replied "economy worries me most," why doesn't it show up that way in the chart, where it looks like the Northeasterners are panicked?

1015 Fathers for Life

Apparently U.S. conservatives aren't alone in their concern about activist judges--Canadians are too. Fathers for Life is a Canadian web site about family concerns. Scroll down the main page to Men's issues and click. You'll see an archive of articles.

Hat tip to Purposeful Dreamer.

1014 The Juicy Studio tests for your web page

I tried out a few of the tests at Juicy Studio. I found out this web page has 396 links, and every one of them works! Yea. Juicy did burp a little on some of the links to comments, and suggested hand checking those. Then I tried the readability tests. This is a bit trickier, because so many of my entries contain considerable quoting, and if I tested those, I wouldn't be testing Norma, now would I? So I tried the waffle story and the cell phone story and a few others that weren't particularly weighty, but at least were all MINE.

My "fog index" is between an 8 and 9--or the level of a popular novel. I think a 10 gets you to Time Magazine. 15-16% of my words have 3 or more syllables, and my reading ease score is 66-67, and the test suggests you aim for 60-70. Then the grade level tests out at between 5 and 6. So apparently, a fifth or sixth grader could read my essays and understand. So if you can't make heads or tails out of what I'm saying, it must be you, not me. If you just don't agree, well, I didn't see a test for that. But since I'm older than you, you'll just have to bow to my gray hair and greater experience.

1013 If I could be. . .the new meme

Robin Lee Hatcher explains a new meme going around called, If I could be. I noticed one of the professions was "librarian." What do you bet not many have chosen that one?

1012 Let your voice (or e-mail) be heard

Terry over at Summa Mamas wrote to eBay about the recent auction of the Eucharist. Here is part of the response she got, posted at her site (I'm assuming she got permission):

"We understand that the listing of the Eucharist was highly upsetting to
Catholic members of the eBay community and Catholics globally. Once this completed sale was brought to our attention, we consulted with a number of our users, including members of the Catholic Church, concerning what course we should take in the future should a similar listing appear on our site. We also consulted with members of other religions about items that might also be highly sacred and
inappropriate for sale. As a result of this dialogue, we have concluded that sales ofthe Eucharist, and similar highly sacred items, are not appropriate on eBay. We have, therefore, broadened our policies and will remove those types of listings should they appear on the site in the future."

This is a very good business move on the part of eBay, in my opinion, and I hope consumers will continue to let businesses, churches, institutions or government agencies know when they have overstepped the boundaries of good taste. Let common sense reign.

1011 How to run a book club

Last night our book club had its final meeting of the 2004-2005 year and discussed Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Everyone enjoyed the book and a number have read the other books in this series by the African author. I’m not a fan of mysteries, but found this one (no mayhem or violence) quite engrossing. We always choose a small book for May, because we vote for the next year’s selection and that takes some of our time. We also try to make the December selection an easy read.

The rules are simple: you can nominate as many books as you wish, but you must have read them. We then vote for nine of the titles. Our secretary and her helper figure the tally, and nine titles are selected. Then the leaders and hostesses and helpers are decided. The discussion leader is the person who nominated the book, unless she has more than one on the list, and then she can pass it along to a volunteer willing to read and lead that discussion.

I feel fortunate to be a part of this wonderful group that has been together for 25 years (I joined in 2000 when I retired). Most are much more widely read than I. One member told me last night that she reads a book a week, plus the books she reads with her children. Because we see each other only once a month, and usually only two thirds of the group come to any one meeting, I don’t know them well. Four of us are or were librarians; probably ten or twelve are or were teachers or administrators in education; one is a lawyer, I think; one is a home schooling mom who writes on the side; some are homemakers and volunteers or assist husbands in their business.

I recommended Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, and also suggested we offer it in September because of its length. That way we have the summer to prepare. I also mentioned (after it was selected) they might read The Federalist, most of which he authored with Madison and Jay, but I think that probably won’t happen. Because of its length, I had intended to skim it (cheating just a little) before recommending it, however, the author is such a terrific writer and the story so fascinating (you’d think it was fiction if you hadn’t heard about this guy in grade school), that I ended up not only reading closely, but rereading certain passages.

Here’s our list (this group has no name, to my knowledge):

September: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Leader: Norma. Hostess: Elaine. Chernow’s research.

October: Desert Queen by Janet Wallach. Leader: Carolyn C. Hostess: Judy

November: Spin Sisters by Myrna Blythe. Leader: Marti/Adrienne. Hostess: Margie

December: Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross. Leader: Jill. Hostess: Carolyn A.

January: Beyond the River ; the untold story of the heroes of the underground railroad by Ann Hagedorn. Leader: Peggy. Hostess Mary Lou.

February: Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult. Leader: Elaine. Hostess: Peggy.

March: Mr. Darcy’s Daughters by Elizabeth Aston. Leader: Hostess: Carolyn C.

April: The Magdalene Gospel by Mary Ellen Ashcroft. Leader: Jean. Hostess: Joni.

May: Christmas Journey by Anne Perry. Leader: Hostess: Justine

1010 Funny headlines

When James Taranto compiles Best of the Web, he always throws in a few good headlines for a smile. Here’s some from today's column, May 2.

We Didn't Know It Was Moving
"Hillary Clinton Makes Ohio Stop"--headline, Akron Beacon Journal, May 1

It's Called a 'Cell'
"Little Room for Sex Offenders"--headline, Orlando Sentinel, April 30

Ten Commandments Unfair to Workers
"Nurses Rally For New Contract At Mount Sinai"--headline, NY1.com (New York), April 29

1009 Laura Bush does us (librarians) proud

You can watch Laura Bush, the world's prettiest and most famous librarian, do her comedy routine at the White House Correspondents dinner at C-SPAN. Forward the tape to about 1 hour and 14 minutes, unless you want to watch all the other stuff, which includes some footage from other dinners and scenes of people milling around.

President Bush begins to give his speech and gets interrupted by his wife when he starts to retell a joke that went flat the first time he told it. It's all scripted, but the audience loved it, especially the "Desperate Housewife" routine and the President retiring at 9 p.m.

"George always says he's delighted to come to these press dinners. Baloney. He's usually in bed by now. I'm not kidding. I said to him the other day, 'George, if you really want to end tyranny in the world, you're going to have to stay up later.' I am married to the president of the United States, and here's our typical evening: Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I'm watching 'Desperate Housewives' -- with Lynne Cheney. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife."

· "But George and I are complete opposites -- I'm quiet, he's talkative, I'm introverted, he's extroverted. I can pronounce 'nuclear'. The amazing thing, however, is that George and I were just meant to be. I was the librarian who spent 12 hours a day in the library, yet somehow I met George."

Laura Bush should be the best PR tool for libraries in a long while, but because of ALA's anti-administration attitude and leftward tilt, no one will take advantage of it.

Update: I noticed at Gail Heriot's piece at The Right Coast she noted that at a pre-dinner reception "a group of journalists were speculating about whether a President would ever dare break the tradition and not show up for the annual feast. The consensus was that he would never, never, never do so without his paying dearly. The attendance of the President is the outward and visible sign of MSM power." Well, maybe by having his wife give the speech, he sort of did the unthinkable and won their approval too? Maybe Bush beat 'em at their own game.

Librarians around the world wonder about this

At least they wonder in public libraries. My recollection is that in academic libraries people weren't so shy.

"Here's a question for the library folk: Why are patrons so against putting books on hold? I mean, why, when I tell people I can get them on the waiting list for one of the 63 unavailable copies of The Grim Grotto (exaggeration), they get a weird look on their face and say no thanks? The library already has your information, it's not like we need anything extra, nor are we going out of our way to perform some astronomical favor for you. Please, lady, just let me put in on hold."

Suggestion: Please go to the library and place something on hold. It will make the librarian's day.

Seen at Perks of Being a Librarian.

1007 Millions killed by Malaria

There doesn't seem to be a date on this article about the resurgence of malaria in the United States at this CDC site. The article discusses outbreaks, diagnosis, containment and "sensitizing" people to the possible reintroduction of this disease that was virtually eliminated in the 1950s from the United States. But it hasn't gone away. It isn't killing Americans, but it kills millions in third world countries, courtesy of the discontinuation of the production of DDT. That's what I find so odd about the CDC's page--there's no mention of the environmental disaster--the human component--of the myth that DDT kills.

Environmentalists are running for cover from the fallout of the blame, obscuring their role in the DDT ban, blaming everyone but themselves. But I'm sure the bloggers will dig up the truth and they won't be able to hide for long. Just its lack of mention on a CDC page that it is the only effective control for malaria, says volumes about environmentalists' power in our government agencies.

Update: Found the date--April 22, 2005, and the title is "Preventing Reintroduction of Malaria in the United States," but the articles rotate at the url I provided.

1006 Lucrative and annoying

I really dislike pop-up ads. They jump in front of what I want to read; they wiggle; they flash; they blink and annoy. Although I have a pop-up blocker on my computer, even it can’t keep up with the clever devices the advertisers invent. More and more I see pop-ups on TV, although I’m sure they have a different moniker there. Here’s more bad news--they are very lucrative and successful, which means there will only be more.

Scott Kirsner writes about my nemesis today: “Now, thanks to Google's clever method of placing pithy and relevant text ads next to your search results, and an array of flashy new ad formats, advertisers are making the Net a serious part of their marketing strategies. Online ad sales totaled $9.6 billion last year, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau, and are expected to hit $12.7 billion in 2004, based on estimates by the research firm eMarketer. Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker, who gave a talk at AdTech, observed that online advertising still represents only 3 percent of total US ad spending, calling the Internet ''the most underutilized advertising medium that's out there." “ Boston.com

It certainly doesn’t look “underutilized” if you’re trying read something on the internet.

Glad we missed this fad

This marketing scheme has always amazed me for its ingenuity--and I'm so happy we missed it. My daughter had a few used Barbies found at garage sales, but never really got involved in anything that soaked up money. The Night Writer tells about visiting New York and encountering the line at an American Girl Place, where for $22 you can have lunch with a doll.

"A year ago I had no idea of the marketing volcano that was about to erupt under our feet. Then some black-hearted scoundrel slipped Daughter Two an American Girl catalog – the first one’s free, kid – and her life changed. American Girl dolls are a vertically integrated economic powerhouse. The dolls themselves go for nearly $100 a pop, but that’s just the threshold – the dolls represent different eras and ethnicities in American history and most are the stars of one or more books put out by the company and has full line of accessories, not to mention the magazine (catalog) that appears regularly at our house. My daughter and her friends now can recite model numbers, back stories and accessory details with each other the way my friends and I once were able to argue the finer points of a ’63 Impala or ’67 GTO."

From the looks of the archive, this blog started in February.

1004 I found it!

Not God--that happened 30 years ago. I found the Oster Belgium Wafflemaker models 3860 & 3863 Instructions. (See blog 1002) We had waffles, sausage and fresh fruit for supper, and I can barely waddle up to the keyboard.

We hung an art show at the public library today, and on the way home I started thinking about the missing instructions. It occurred to me that I must have instructions and warranties from the 1980s and 1990s someplace, and then I remembered the plastic zip lock bag in the living room secretary. When I got home I checked, and there it was, on top, placed there carefully in 2002 so I wouldn't forget where it was.

The cat was so excited at the prospect of waffles, I gave her a few tiny bites of the practice waffle. She was ecstatic. She has never paid any attention to crackers, cookies or bread, but something about waffles takes her back to her homeless days when she had to scrounge for a meal.

By popular demand

Vox Lauri says she can't believe I indexed my blogs. When I went back and checked (gave up after 3 or 4 months), it wasn't a very good index. But I did find my confession about Why Today I am Not a Democrat and the response a few entries later from Karen, another Democrat/Librarian who responded (I told her I'd reprint it from e-mail; I had no commenting feature at that time). In the process, I learned that I can't go back and edit (or delete) my old blogs--seems I can only drop back 300 entries in the editing function. And at the rate I write, that is nothing. The little edit access I have on the newer blogs doesn't seem to be there on the older ones. Anyway, it was November 2003, we were having local elections, the national scene was just heating up and Zell Miller was speaking out. So I was responding to that.

1002 The Waffle Maker a.k.a. Waffle Iron

Where to start? I came home from Illinois with an extra Waffle Maker, a Toastmaster, which I'll eventually take to our lake house for leisurely summer brunches on the deck, with sides of fresh fruit and sausage. My husband loves waffles, and will order them at Abigail's (Lakeside, OH restaurant) if I don't fix them at home.

The reason I have an extra waffle maker is because its previous owner managed to cement the first waffle to the plates and finally had to pry it open with a screw driver. After numerous soakings, the waffle was dislodged by me, and I got the crevices clean and fixed waffles. But by this time, the original owner had already notified Toastmaster of the problem (instructions said to wait for green light, but this model had no green light), and the company sent him a new one.

Today I thought I'd surprise my husband, and I got out our Oster Belgium Waffle Maker. I purchased it in 2001 at an after-Christmas sale as a nice gift for me from me. For about two weeks we ate wonderful, fluffy waffles, and then I put it away. Then I think the last time I used it was for a luncheon with our son and his step-daughter on the deck of our condo in 2002. Well, that's another story too that makes me weep--she, our only chance at being grandparents, now lives in California, and probably doesn't remember eating waffles with us, or even us for that matter.

Meanwhile, I have hunted through all my recipe caches, shelves, books and folders, and little wooden and metal recipe boxes, but I can't find the manufacturer's recipe book and instructions. "Just use another recipe," my husband suggested, but it isn't that easy. It is the booklet that tells you the appliance's whims and secrets so you don't cement the plates together. Does it want the batter dumped in the middle, or evenly distributed into the 4 squares; do the plates remove for cleaning; what sort of signal will it give when ready to accept or disgorge its contents; and most importantly, it has the notes I wrote along side the printed recipes.

In my hunt for the illusive instruction booklet, I opened my "Household Slips 'n Clips" and found the warranties for my children's yellow 20" Schwinn bikes they had in the early 1970s; a user's manual for a GE portable record player purchased in Nov. 1973 (must have been for the children's birthdays); assembly instructions and safety manual for a gym set for the back yard; the payment ($6.82/mo) booklet for my Singer sewing machine purchased in August 1960; instructions for my portable electric typewriter which got me through graduate school; information on storing an electric blanket possibly from the 1970s; warranties for a trash can purchased in 1978 and a bathroom vent-light for a remodeling in 1974; washing instructions for bedroom curtains purchased in 1964; a plan for a linen closet we installed in our first house in 1962 in Champaign, IL; and operating instructions for a Telectro 2 speed tape recorder model 1970 from the late 1950s.

We no longer have those products, but now I have two waffle makers and no instruction book for either one.

1001 Gasoline prices

Earlier in the month when we took a trip to northern Illinois, starting from Lake Erie, gasoline prices were about $2.43. We filled up around Gary at $2.23 and were thrilled to get it. Starting for home eight days later, we bought gas for $2.16 in Oregon, IL, $2.06 in Indianapolis suburbs, and then saw it was $1.98 when we got back to Columbus. The next day when we filled up, gasoline was $1.91. I don't recall any major news stories on this; no one was being interviewed filling the tacks of SUVs. Now gasoline prices are back up again--I think about $2.24 around here. The other night on national news, I think multiple minutes were spent decrying gasoline prices and consumer frustration, and the wagging fingers pointed, of course, to President Bush. The President that day had been hustled to a secure place as security was compromised in Washington. That story got about 2 seconds.

Now that I've passed the 1000 entries mark, I've debated on whether to continue numbering. Blogger's function that counts long ago died--around 520 I think. And or course, with six blogs, I have a lot more than 1000 entries--probably about 1700. Somehow, it just feels right to number them. I haven't put them into subject categories for a long time. That was really tedious. Like work. Besides, someone made fun of me--called me a compulsive, sensible librarian or something for creating an index.

1000 Do you know why Canadian drugs are cheaper?

“It is imperative we all clearly understand why such a significant price disparity exists between U.S. drug costs and those in most other developed nations. If we don't understand the factors underlying the price gap, we might support the pending irrational Senate legislation -- sponsored, among others, by Sens. Byron Dorgan, North Dakota Democrat, and John McCain, Arizona Republican -- which would cripple the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, regarded as the world's most innovative. This would deprive us, and our children and grandchildren, of the blockbuster drugs of the future.

Today's new lifesaving, life-enhancing pharmaceuticals, almost all developed and produced in the U.S., are cheaper in Canada because international law treats prescription drugs differently than other consumer products. U.S. pharmaceutical companies are required under a 1994 treaty to sell their drugs at drastically cut prices to countries with drug price controls. Any pharmaceutical company that fails to comply risks losing its patent protection -- its drugs can be stolen and copied.” Elizabeth Whelan, Washington Times, April 18, 2005.

Do some research. Look at other industries. When have price controls (including rent controls) ever helped the American consumer in the long run? The end result is shortages. What if you produced a product, were then required to sell it below profit to another country in order to stay in business, and then required to stand by as it was illegally imported, cutting into your American market? How long would you stay in business? You should be particularly concerned if you or a member of your family will have any future health problems that might benefit from drugs now being developed. And of course, you have no way of knowing, do you, what might turn up at your next annual check-up.

999 Incontinent

I thought Glenn Beck would wet himself this morning, he was so estatic over Mayor Coleman's hosting the Black Mayors Conference here in Columbus. All he had to do to get hysterical was 1) play clips of Coleman denying he had anything at all to do with school policy, then 2) read the outline of the conference which included a program on the role of mayors in school policy, then 3) read the lyrics of rapper Ludacris who will be appearing at the conference. Ludacris' opus-pocus includes a paean to assaults in the classroom and other places in the schools like the rest rooms and athletic field. Really, Glenn says he hopes Mayor Coleman is elected Governor, because he will provide him with unlimited comedy material for years to come.

To catch you up here in the event you don't listen to Beck or read the Columbus Dispatch, a developmentally disabled girl was assaulted at one of the Columbus schools, and Glenn Beck, who incidentally brought the world's attention to Terri Schaivo 5 years ago, called our mayor to discuss how the incident had been handled (badly). It turned into an unbelievable shouting match on the airways, which Beck has now cut, chopped and clipped for rebroadcasting and ridiculing. He is appearing in Columbus tonight to raise money for the family of the girl, and for scholarships to get kids out of CPS into private schools. The Conference is at the same time as the Beck appearance (sold out).

998 Hillary Clinton's Chicken and Rice Deluxe

Politicians' wives recipes are popular for fund raisers and campaigning. This recipe apparently appeared in Recipes from Hope, Arkansas (1992) and was requested by a reader of the Columbus Dispatch. I noticed it yesterday (food section is on Wednesday) and noted that I had most of the ingredients on hand, so I fixed it for supper last night. Incidentally, I think Senator Clinton is doing a fine job representing New York.

Remember the flap about Mrs. Heinz-Kerry's cookie recipe? Not only was it not very good, but it wasn't even hers by her own admission--after it was published. But I think this one looks like a recipe that a busy lawyer whose spouse also worked might fix, because it has so many short cuts popular with today's cooks--packaged rice, mayonnaise and cream of celery soup in place of a cream sauce, and canned beans. I had to make a few minor substitutions--didn't have long-grain or wild rice, so I used white. Also, I'm wondering if a 6 oz. can of green beans is a misprint, but I did have the small can on hand. Small broccoli would probably work well too. I don't add salt because the canned soup has a lot, and I used RealLemon, not juice of a lemon. But, with too many adjustments, it wouldn't be Hillary's recipe, would it?

1 package (6 oz) wild rice or long-grain and wild rice mix
2 TBS chopped green pepper
2 TBS chopped onion
2 TBS butter
2 cups cooked chopped chicken
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 can (6 oz.) French-cut green beans, drained
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of celery soup
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
1/4 tsp. salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup shredded cheese

I served it with toasted, buttered rolls and fresh strawberries topped with Cool Whip.

997 A heartfelt thank-you from Iraq's President

"Iraqis sometimes wonder in amazement what the debate abroad is about. Why do people continue to ask why no WMD was found?

The truth is that Saddam had, in the past, used chemical and biological weapons against his own people, and we believed he would do so again.

Of course Saddam himself was, in the view of those who opposed him, Iraq’s most dangerous WMD."

Letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair from President Jalal Talabani of Iraq

Seen at Roger L. Simon's blog.

996 A remarkable story

Rebecca writes from Whitehorse, Yukon and is about to become a Canadian (don't know from where she immigrated). I return to her site because she offers two things I enjoy--hymn stories and personal stories. Recently, Scott Gilbreath was the guest blogger, and he told his faith story. It is one of the more remarkable and unusual ones I've read. It is a reminder that if you are reading this and think, well, this isn't for me, God might have something else in mind entirely.

995 Finding a Founding Father at Meijer’s

My grocery bill would be more reasonable if I stayed out of the non-food section of Meijer’s. This week I took a stroll through the book section--some weeks it is towels, other times it might be CDs. Anyway, I came across Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton and couldn’t resist. In paperback and with the 25% discount, it was $13.50.

“Hamilton's was "the most dramatic and improbable life of any of the founding fathers" (p. 713), a life "so tumultuous that only an audacious novelist could have dreamed it up" (p. 4). He grew up on St. Croix in the West Indies and by age fourteen his life was a tragedy of Dickensian proportions: his father deserted the family, his mother died, his cousin who was supposed to care for him committed suicide, and his aunt, uncle and grandmother all died. Family assets were auctioned to pay debts. He never finished high school or college. At age seventeen the orphaned, penniless Hamilton sailed to New York City, which would become his home, and began to evidence traits that would characterize his entire life—unrelenting drive, superhuman stamina for work, and a prodigious intellect.

By age twenty-two he was Washington's de facto chief of staff. After distinguishing himself as a hero in the Revolutionary War (he fought in the front lines for five years), he eventually became a key contributor to the Constitution, the primary energy behind the Federalist Papers (he wrote 51 of the 85 articles), and the first Secretary of the Treasury at age thirty-four. He founded our first central bank and financial markets, and articulated a prescient, entrepreneurial vision for a vibrant, capitalist, global economy (in contrast to Jefferson's backward-looking dream of a bucolic, agrarian America). He organized the Coast Guard and wrote plans for a military academy to train a standing army. He practiced law as one of the country's leading attorneys and started a newspaper. His published, collected works of legal, political and personal papers run to over 30 volumes.”

Although I’m not looking forward to reading 800 pages, I think he is an amazing man, and the obstacles he overcame are stunning. If I can get it read by next Monday, I’ll recommend it for next year’s book club reading list. Several years ago we read John Adams by David McCollough and it was one of our most interesting selections. But it would need to be September’s selection so people could get it read over the summer!

994 Cannabis Use a Predictor for Schizophrenia

Whether caused by alcohol or drugs, messing up a teen-ager’s developing brain seems to have life long effects. Such a pity, since they know everything by 16, right?

“Per Dr. Murray, individuals with psychotic symptoms use 2 to 3 times as much cannabis as the general population. There is, however, a question of cause vs effect: that is, does cannabis use increase the risk of psychosis or do those with psychosis choose to use cannabis in order to reduce the impact of their psychotic symptoms?

Dr. Murray quoted prior research supporting the concept that cannabis use is a cause for schizophrenia. In one study of Swedish army recruits followed over 15 years, high consumers of cannabis were 6 times as likely as noncannabis users to develop schizophrenia. This included analyses adjusting for other psychiatric illnesses and social background.[9] Also, in a recently published study of a birth cohort of children followed over 25 years, daily users of cannabis had 1.6 to 1.8 times the rates of psychotic symptoms compared with nonusers.[10] In another study, those who were cannabis users by age 18 years were 1.65 times as likely to have schizophrenia by age 26 years.[11] If they used cannabis by age 15 years, they were 4.5 times as likely to develop schizophrenia by age 26 years.”

Highlights of the American Psychopathological Association Meeting, March 3-5, 2005 as reported at http://www.medscape.com/.

993 Anybody here read Hungarian?

I used to work for a woman whose native language was Hungarian. She had little respect for English, although her command of it was awesome. She said English just didn't have any good swear words, like Hungarian. She thought Hungarian was absolutely the finest for insulting people, their ancestors, their sexuality, their integrity, God and animals. One day she got very mad and threw the telephone through the window in her office. That was back in the days when phones weren't made of light weight plastic, when they had some heft. Then she pulled it back in through the window; that was back in the days when telephones were connected to walls by wires. Then she threw it through a second window. There are things you just can't do with cell phones, like breaking windows and terrifying your staff. Perhaps she had forgotten her Hungarian and English just didn't do the trick, so she used the phone. And you probably thought nothing interesting ever happened in libraries.

I thought of her today when I saw this sign, and wondered if someone was swearing in Hungarian.

992 If there were no ALA tomorrow

it would make absolutely no difference to anyone, not librarians, not library boards and trustees, certainly not library users (also known as patrons, customers, and clients). Just for jollies, type (aka key) "Laura Bush ALA" into Google for a romp through left-wing rants on "how-dare-ALA-award-Laura Bush-anything-because-it-might-mean-she-isn't-interested-in-libraries-but-she supports-the-President's-policies." Oh, the pixels wasted by these petty tyrants who populate every ALA committee--and you thought they just walked around in sensible shoes and modest blazers, reading book reviews and restarting your computer in the reference rooms of America.

'Scuse me, you say softly, I haven't a clue what an ALA is. I'm not surprised. It is the acronym for the American Library Association. I'm not sure what it does--except collect over priced dues from members, because I had a wonderful career as a librarian and never joined. Even in the days when I was a humanist and a liberal and a Democrat, I had no use for this organization. It can't do the single most important thing a professional organization absolutely must do--get its members' salaries to a decent, 21st century level by convincing the general public and its membership that librarians are worth a living wage, that they contribute to society. It also can't get library bond issues passed--libraries are either closing or struggling on limited budgets and hours all over the country. That's probably because ALA is fixated on the federal government, although I haven't researched just where it has gone wrong.

Perhaps to keep the organization from looking downright silly, the president has had to remind these pouters on the left that in the past ALA has honored:

President Lyndon Johnson
President Jimmy Carter
Rosalyn Carter
Barbara Bush
Sen Mark Hatfield
Sen Nancy Kassebaum
Sen Claiborne Pell
Sen Paul Simon
Rep Pat Williams
Sen Al Gore
Sen Robert Kerrey
Sen Jack Reed
Sen Edward Kennedy
Sen Robert Byrd
Sen William Cohen
Sen Thomas Eagleton
Sen James Exon
Sen Tom Harkin
Sen John Rockefeller IV
Sen Olympia Snowe
Sen Ted Stevens
Sen Ralph Yarborough
Sen Lister Hill
Sen Hubert Humphrey
Sen Wendell Ford
Rep Sid Yates
Rep Vic Fazio
Rep Daniel Flood
Rep Don Fraser
Rep Sam Gibbons
Rep William Goodling
Rep Edward Markey
Rep Pat Roberts
Rep Edith Green
Rep John Fogarty
Rep Verne Ehlers
Rep Carl Elliott
Rep Silvio Conte
Rep Duke Cunningham
Rep Ralph Regula
Rep Pete Hoekstra
Rep Major Owens
Rep John Porter
Rep William Ford
Rep William Natcher
Secretary of Education Richard Riley
Secretary of Education William Bennett

Sigh. What a bunch of whiners and babies the left is.

991 Weather Report

A blog is a "web log," a diary you keep on the internet. Therefore, it is OK to place an entry in your very own personal diary about the crazy weather. It is April 24, 2005, Dear Diary, 3:30 in the afternoon, and snowing. Even in Ohio, I think this is a record. My daughter called from Cleveland last night to check on our weather. They had gone up to help her in-laws and she had become quite ill and was checking on travel conditions for the trip home. They already had an inch on the ground in Cleveland, but we just had a mist, I told her. By 6:30 this morning, I looked out over stretches of white. But I must say, a coating of snow on the bright green grass, the flowering crabs and the yellow and red tulips is an awesome sight.

Occasionally, I look at my mother's letters, but only for her hand writing. Mother was a saint, everyone says so, but even reading between the lines I can't find her. Her letters were crop and weather reports, and somehow, re-reading how the garden was doing and what storm had just passed on June 14, 1973 isn't terribly fascinating 30+ years later. Except to recall how she looked in the garden in her straw hat, her fingers twitching in wet leather gloves waiting for me to finish talking so she could get back to the weeding. And the storms are lovely to recall, because here in the city we might see something coming up over the trees suddenly, but staring out over the soybeans and corn in Lee County Illinois, the storms are magnificent, rolling, boiling, and sometimes fooling you and skipping on over to Amboy or Rochelle.

One time back in the 1950s we children found my father's letters written while he was a Marine in WWII. Daddy had won an award for typing at Polo high school--30 wpm I think I saw on the card. It was that, or possibly his age (30 when he enlisted) or number of dependants, that probably kept him out of combat to return home to his wife, four children, large extended family, and job at the end of 1945. The letters were tied with a pink ribbon and tucked under blankets in the attic chest, so of course it was an invitation for little folks to read them. Mother was a calm, reasonable, rational person who rarely raised her voice or scolded, but she decided that those letters then must be destroyed. Our discovery in the attic may be the reason her own letters were about temperatures, soil, root crops and compost. It's possible she may have written about snow in April. Some day I'll check.

Unintended consequences

If you read no other article on gay marriage, read this one (it's long). After laying out the history of what major reforms in income tax, welfare and divorce have done to society in general, with everything coming home to roost that the reformers assured us wouldn't happen, she says she has no opinion or advice, but. . .

"My only request is that people try to be a leeetle more humble about their ability to imagine the subtle results of big policy changes. The argument that gay marriage will not change the institution of marriage because you can't imagine it changing your personal reaction is pretty arrogant. It imagines, first of all, that your behavior is a guide for the behavior of everyone else in society, when in fact, as you may have noticed, all sorts of different people react to all sorts of different things in all sorts of different ways, which is why we have to have elections and stuff. And second, the unwavering belief that the only reason that marriage, always and everywhere, is a male-female institution (I exclude rare ritual behaviors), is just some sort of bizarre historical coincidence, and that you know better, needs examining. If you think you know why marriage is male-female, and why that's either outdated because of all the ways in which reproduction has lately changed, or was a bad reason to start with, then you are in a good place to advocate reform. If you think that marriage is just that way because our ancestors were all a bunch of repressed bastards with dark Freudian complexes that made them homophobic bigots, I'm a little leery of letting you muck around with it."

989 Self-Esteem--were we all duped?

This article on self-esteem was published about two months ago, but I just came across it. Written by John Fischer, "Forget about Self-Esteem" points out that there is no research to support that the mantra of the last 30 years about the importance of high self-esteem is at all valid.

"I read this article with jaw-dropping amazement at the matter-of-fact nature in which all this was stated. “A generation — and many millions of dollars — later,” Baumeister writes, “it turns out we may have been mistaken.” That sounds awfully hollow after thirty years of a lie. If psychologists are the secular priests of our generation, then it’s as if they are confessing to us they’ve been following the wrong god for the last thirty years, and are now recommending we switch religions with about the same level of compassion for leading us astray as Britney Spears expressed in her early hit “Oops!... I Did It Again.” "

Fischer concludes that our own realization of the hollowness of this "religion of self-esteem" may account for the success of Rick Warren's book. "It's not about you," Warren asserts.

"The central message of Purpose Driven Life is that true meaning in life is found in discovering we were made to worship God and serve one another, and the happiest lives are going to be spent in focusing outwardly instead of inwardly. It’s as if a generation has been trying to find itself and someone has come along and said: Listen up folks. You’re looking in the wrong place. You don’t find yourself by looking inside, you find yourself by looking out, and finding your place in the wider scheme of what we know as God’s will. Or, to put it in Jesus’ words, “He who would lose his life for my sake will find it.” "

988 Suggested state mottoes

This is going around the Internet. Hugh Hewitt says he doesn't know the source, and Release the Hounds cites, Hugh, so I don't know where it started. But to look at Florida and Washington's slogans, it must be pretty recent. Minnesota's is funny. Ohio's could be worse, considering we rank 50th in the governorship battle, and have recently made the news 3 days in a row on the Glenn Beck show for an inept gubernatorial candidate (Mayor of Columbus) who sounds like Jesse Jackson in reverse.

Alabama
Hell Yes, We Have Electricity.

Alaska
11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong!

Arizona
But It's A Dry Heat.

Arkansas
Literacy Ain't Everything.

California
By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda.

Colorado
If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother.

Connecticut
Like Massachusetts,
Only The Kennedy's Don't Own It Yet.

Delaware
We Really Do Like The Chemicals In Our Water.

Florida
Ask Us About Our Grandkids
And Our Voting Skills.

Georgia
We Put The Fun In Fundamentalist Extremism.

Hawaii
Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru
(Death To Mainland Scum,Leave Your Money)

Idaho
More Than Just Potatoes...
Well, Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Real Good

Illinois
Please, Don't Pronounce the "S"

Indiana
2 Billion Years Tidal Wave Free

Iowa
We Do Amazing Things With Corn

Kansas
First Of The Rectangle States

Kentucky
Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names

Louisiana
We're Not ALL Drunk Cajun Wackos,
But That's Our Tourism Campaign.

Maine
We're Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster

Maryland
If You Can Dream It, We Can Tax It

Massachusetts
Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden's
And Our Senators Are More Corrupt!

Michigan
First Line Of Defense From The Canadians

Minnesota
10,000 Lakes...And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes

Mississippi
Come And Feel Better About Your Own State

Missouri
Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars At Work

Montana
Land Of The Big Sky, The Unabomber, Right-wing Crazies,
and Honest Elections!

Nebraska
Ask About Our State Motto Contest

Nevada
Hookers and Poker!

New Hampshire
Go Away And Leave Us Alone

New Jersey
You Want A ##$%##! Motto?
I Got Yer ##$%##! Motto
Right here!

New Mexico
Lizards Make Excellent Pets

New York
You Have The Right To Remain Silent,
You Have The Right
To An Attorney...And No Right To Self Defense!

North Carolina
Tobacco Is A Vegetable

North Dakota
We Really Are One Of The 50 States!

Ohio
At Least We're Not Michigan

Oklahoma
Like The Play, But No Singing

Oregon
Spotted Owl...It's What's For Dinner

Pennsylvania
Cook With Coal

Rhode Island
We're Not REALLY An Island

South Carolina
Remember The Civil War?
Well, We Didn't Actually Surrender Yet

South Dakota
Closer Than North Dakota

Tennessee
Home of the Al Gore Invention Museum.

Texas
Se Hablo Ingles

Utah
Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus

Vermont
Ay, Yep

Virginia
Who Says Government Stiffs And Slackjaw Yokels Don't Mix?

Washington
Our Governor can out-fraud your Governor!

West Virginia
One Big Happy Family...Really!

Wisconsin
Come Cut Cheese!

Wyoming
Where Men Are Men... And The Sheep Are Scared

&
The District of Columbia
The Work-Free Drug Place!

987 Escape and Acquisition

Library Dust is probably one of the finest blogs about books and the experience of becoming a librarian that I've read. I don't know if he has finally found the job of his dreams, or if he is still looking, but he always has thoughtful, wandering essays that take you to places you didn't expect. Recently he has written about a childhood made less painful by reading what was available in the library.

"By way of escape I mean that the experience of reading transported me to other places, and not so much that as it kept me from inhabiting, at least consciously, a world that was by turns dull and disappointing. I do not recall a single day of elementary or middle school that rose above the level of boredom; the days seemed to last forever and be filled with nothing, the journey from Monday to Friday being an interminable passage over a becalmed sea in deep fog. I do not recall inspired teachers, only rote and routine. Very early in the game I got into the habit of reading my own books in class; pretty soon this got me into trouble because of what I wasn’t doing, which is to say, the assigned work. I filtered downward into the classes for the lazy and less-intelligent students, and rather preferred the lack of challenge. There, in the land of the dumb, the boy who read books was a relief from the usual recalcitrant or slow child, and I was left largely to my own devices. In the rear of every classroom sat a large set of encyclopedias to which I could refer when my own book was finished; I went from Aardvark to Zenith and back again, over and over. I was the best behaved bad child in the school; my brother chose a more conventional path of disobedience and suffered for it. Not me: I learned that the most important thing is not to cause audible trouble. I can count on one hand the homework assignments I completed on time, but I never went to the principal’s office once. I presented a confusing set of signals and my teachers, being busy people, chose to deal with the reader rather than the rebel. All of which was good for a young book addict."

Having loved school myself, I can't imagine the kind of classrooms and teachers he describes. I lived in tiny school districts, Forreston and Mt. Morris, Illinois, but with the exception of a few total losers (a man fired before the classes started who was a pedophile who had submitted false credentials, a music teacher we ran out of town because we were so rotten, and a coach who was fired because he exposed himself), I had outstanding teachers totally committed to making learning, self discipline and common decency important to children. Even my first/second grade teacher (who may still be alive: she was over 100 the last I heard) who was mean as dirt, taught me to read with phonics, spell, figure out paragraphs and made a huge display of my art work. However, little girls did have it easier in school than noisy, smelly, sweaty little boys, so your mileage with school memories will vary depending on gender.

Michael then continues with his unhappy recollections: "Escape also had to do with home life, which was usually just as boring as school but had the added feature of a father who swung between the poles of depression and anxiety, and who learned fatherhood in the “don’t make me hit you” school of parenting. The lighter forms of discipline meted out in my house would get a kid removed to a foster home these days; the heavier ones would land you in the emergency room. My father snarled when he was upset, and it took very little to disturb his equanimity. He was in fact an alcoholic who never drank, who suppressed his cravings with work, and indeed, overwork. When the Old Man had drunk his fill of teaching, he went to a school board meeting or political function. He never did anything halfway except raise kids; he tossed occasional scraps of caring to his two sons and left us to fight over them. My brother became an alcoholic and drug addict about the time I was burying myself in books, and for the same reason. Neither of us has changed habits much over the years."

Although I had the usual disagreements with my parents, particularly because I was a real smart-mouth teen-ager who knew everything, I'd give my parents a gold medal. Reading accounts of childhood like Library Dust's makes me grieve for the little guy he was, figuring out life through books instead of observing adults. My parents didn't drink, smoke, scream, or embarrass the family; they weren't lazy but weren't workaholics either; they were active in church and community; I could count on one hand the number of times I walked into my house and one of my parents weren't there; they were frugal and giving both; they weren't particularly social folks having large extended families instead of close friends; and perhaps most important for a child to feel secure, they loved and admired and respected each other.

I read a lot as a child too (mainly horse stories, dog stories and history), and often visited the library, but mainly as a place to hang out with friends--afterall, there are no malls in towns of 2800. Books didn't really begin to matter to me until I was about 25--and it took library school to open those doors for me. Today's librarians are increasingly computer geeks, interested in manipulating and managing "information" and "knowledge." Not much solace in that, now is there?

986 As the weather turns nasty in Ohio

The artificial floral arrangement I have on the outside wall next to the front door is looking springy and welcoming. I bought it at Merlin's in Oregon, IL when we visited there earlier in the month. It has to be one of the nicest foral/gift stores in the midwest, so if you're ever in the area, stop for a visit or call (815)732-2969 to send flowers in the area. However, even this attractive basket can't cover for the cold, sloppy turn our weather has made. Last week the 80s, and now snow is predicted, at least for the counties north of us. It may be the latest snow we've had on record.

While at Caribou this morning I noticed two moms dressed in their black and gold "crew" sweats. Recalling the times I've seen the chilled and wet supporters along the river when I went to McDonald's along Rt. 33 years ago, I said, "Is there ever good weather for Crew events?" They laughed and said they had actually been on their way to Cincinnati when they got word that the weather was so bad the event was cancelled. "So we stopped for coffee and thought we'd go stand in the rain to drink it," they laughed. They were soon on their cell phones consoling their kids who were already there and terribly disappointed at the cancellation. Moms. Aren't they just the greatest?

985 "Broader" clothing line for Latinas?

In keeping with my occasional highlighting of women bloggers of quality, today's feature is Latina Lista, who notes the unfortunate headline in the Chicago Sun Times business section that ""Sears partners with Latina magazine to sell new, broader fashion line." Her complaint is much the same as any other American woman--clothing is designed for tweens, teens and twenties, and the rest of us just look silly putting on that junk (and so do the kids much of the time).

Marisa Treviño is from Texas and tracks articles of interest to Latinas. I noticed her on the Media Bloggers list and right away picked up on her excellent and lively style. And no wonder! Can I spot them or what? When I read her bio I see she is a professional journalist and radio personality who has added blogging to her portfolio. She has also written plays.