1235 Is this the government?

Today I read an article in an OB/Gyn on-line magazine about how the Bush administration was moving aggressively to stop a woman's right to choose (i.e., to abort) through ideology and pseudoscience. I read through the article and found very little about the current administration, but a lot about what states are doing--and have been doing since before Bush I. Then I started looking at the references mentioned as "government reports." So I followed up on one that was prepared by the staff of Rep. Henry Waxman about why abstinence education was a bad idea. Here's his record:

Voted NO on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. (Feb 2004)
Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life. (Oct 2003)
Voted NO on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)
Voted NO on funding for health providers who don't provide abortion info. (Sep 2002)
Voted NO on banning human cloning, including medical research. (Jul 2001)
Voted NO on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)
Voted NO on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes. (Apr 2001)
Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)
Voted NO on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun 1999)
Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record. (Dec 2003)

This report was about what was wrong with the abstinence curricula offered in some high schools. Most of the sentences were "one curriculum. . ." did this or that wrong. With Waxman's record (100% rating by NARAL), I can't imagine that his staff would prepare anything other than a negative report on a program supported by President Bush. All curricula from math to physics to health have errors. None worse probably than the sex ed courses. . . but Waxman's staff probably didn't look at those.

So why is this considered a "government" report?

1234 Your library probably won't buy this

unless you ask. If last year's campaign offerings were any example, you probably won't see 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America : (and Al Franken Is #37) by Bernard Goldberg
on the new book shelf at your local public library.


From Amazon site: Goldberg names names, counting down the villains in his rogues' gallery from 100 all the way to 1 -- and, yes, you-know-who is number 37. Some supposedly "serious" journalists also made the list, including the journalist-diva who sold out her integrity and hosted one of the dumbest hours in the history of network television news. And there are those famous miscreants who have made America a nastier place than it ought to be -- a far more selfish, vulgar, and cynical place.

But Goldberg doesn't just round up the usual suspects we have come to know and detest. He also exposes some of the people who operate away from the limelight but still manage to pull a lot of strings and do all sorts of harm to our culture. Most of all, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America is about a country where as long as anything goes, as one of the good guys in the book puts it, sooner or later everything will go.

1233 London updates

This site usually reports trivia, but has updates on the London bombing. Noticed at Rainy Day.

1232 Thank you, ABC

Thank you, thank you for Dancing with the Stars. We've never watched a reality show format, but this one was a winner. We disagree with the judges--John O'Hurly and Charlotte Jorgensen were more graceful and obviously having a better time than the winners, Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo (he was the best of all the professional dancers). I hope the show will be repeated, and I know many people will be signing up for ballroom dance lessons.

And thank you too for dropping that stupid idea , Welcome to the Neighborhood, which could have set human relations back a decade or two. Even if you weren't smart enough to figure it out on your own.

1231 Lutheran Chautauqua

This week at Lakeside is "Lutheran Chautauqua." Dr. Fred Meuser is the Chaplain of the week. I heard him Sunday at church, yesterday at Chapel and last evening at Vespers. He is just outstanding. He used to be President of Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus. Yesterday morning he gave one of the best sermons on communion, "Come to the table," I've ever heard, although it wasn't offered at that service. Last night he talked about modern day martyrs of the faith. He showed us his "clergy cap" with a removable "collar."

Yesterday I went to the afternoon watercolor because I wanted to hear Dr. Meuser in the morning. However, it was for beginners, and I didn't get much out of it. And I sat between two children--who were really good! How threatening!! So today I'll go up to the 10 a.m. class and see if I can get in with the other instructor, Barbara Cox, who is doing seascapes and landscapes.

1230 Coleen--your hairdresser called

This morning I watched an interview with Coleen Rowley (FBI "whistleblower) on a morning talk show. Whether her Republican opponent will also be interviewed for free air time I don't know. But she needs to see her hairdresser if she hopes to win (don't worry, my fashion predicitions are usually wrong). She looks like she hasn't changed her hair style since college making her look like a 1970s hippie--and I suspect she's actually younger than that. But even worse, she's letting it go natural, the cheap way--at the roots only. A short hair cut will get rid of that dishwater blonde if she intends to stay gray.

Katie Couric pulled out all the stops trying to get her to denounce the war and the Bush administration, but Coleen is a smart cookie even with dowdy locks, and didn't fall for her. She says there might be "another way," but didn't get to specifics.

I once wrote the website of a Democratic candidate (don't remember what office) and let them know about glaring errors in grammar. I think people should fall on their own swords, not the poor schooling of their volunteers. So maybe one of Coleen's advisors will see this.

1229 Political advertising a roadmap? I hope not!

Steven J. Fredericks, president-CEO of TNS Media Intelligence, presented 2005 ad spending predictions at last week’s AdWatch Conference. Among other figures I noted this one with some concern, since we in Ohio were drowned with political advertising in 2004, some of it very nasty.

“Political advertising, Mr. Fredericks noted, has become a perennial category, as well. “Election 2004 was a watershed event with spending exceeding $1.45 billion,” he said. “The number and diversity of advertisers and messages created a roadmap of new standards by which future campaigns and advertising battles will be waged.” More than 400 mayors are up for re-election this year, he noted, including in San Antonio, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit and San Diego, will receive an injection of political advertising dollars this year thanks to high profile mayoral elections and “New York TV will get a huge chunk of change from Mayor Bloomberg,” he said. Outside of elections, special interest groups are advertising around causes, such as prescription drugs, the environment and, what is likely to be the next big the next big issue, a Supreme Court Justice appointment. To date, those groups have spent $90 million on advertising, according to TNS data. Fourth quarter, estimates Mr. Fredericks, could see an additional $50 million from groups spending money in preparation for the 2006 midterm election.

Mr. Fredericks also took on the notion that the TV upfront is considered a leading indicator of the medium’s advertising market, noting that the cumulative error over 14 years of predictions has amounted to $24.5 billion -- about $1.9 billion a year. In only five of 14 years was total TV ad spending within five percentage points of the upfront-based prediction. It’s a “poor predictor” because buyers can exercise options to cancel their buys during first through third quarters, the networks vary their sellout levels from year to year and, he said, drawing what were likely cynical chuckles from the buyers in the crowd, sellers are the primary reporting sources for the totals.”

Complete predictions here.

1228 How to raise money for Africa--tax the rockers

Mark Steyn totals the original Live Aid help to Africa. Taxes on one dead Brit would've done the same:

"Seven years ago, you'll recall, Sir Paul's wife died of cancer. Linda McCartney had been a resident of the United Kingdom for three decades but her Manhattan tax lawyers, Winthrop Stimson Putnam & Roberts, devoted considerable energy in her final months to establishing her right to have her estate probated in New York state.

That way she could set up a "qualified domestic marital trust" that would... Yeah, yeah, yeah, in the immortal words of Lennon and/or McCartney. Big deal, you say. We're into world peace and saving the planet and feeding Africa. What difference does it make which jurisdiction some squaresville suit files the boring paperwork in?

Okay, I'll cut to the chase. By filing for probate in New York rather than the United Kingdom, Linda McCartney avoided the 40 per cent death duties levied by Her Majesty's Government. That way, her family gets all 100 per cent - and 100 per cent of Linda McCartney's estate isn't to be sneezed at.

For purposes of comparison, Bob Geldof's original Live Aid concert in 1985 raised £50 million. Lady McCartney's estate was estimated at around £150 million. In other words, had she paid her 40 per cent death duties, the British Treasury would have raised more money than Sir Bob did with Bananarama and all the gang at Wembley Stadium that day." Read Steyn article here.

Africa is the only continent in the world poorer than it was 20 years ago when the rockers first banded together to help.

1227 All the good stories are from Hollywood

Ex-Liberal in Hollywood has an interesting account of his move from wide eyed trusting liberal to pragmatic conservative. Probably most interesting for Californians, but since we see so many of these LAPD folk on our TVs, you might learn from this one.

1226 What's the worst decision you've ever made?

That was a topic on a talk show this morning, but the phone rang and I didn't hear what the guest said to do to get out of it. However, at 65 I've got to admit that even the awful decisions, or the ones I agonized about, smooth out over time. Bad ones lead to changes or modifications which evolve into good ones, which maybe wouldn't have come along if you'd done it right the first time.

I remember about 20 years ago we bought a lot on a lake in Indiana on a whim. We'd been out on a moonlit boat ride on a lovely summer night, and for some stupid reason offered the people $10,000 for a lot for which they were asking $25,000. We continued on to Illinois and didn't give it another thought until we got a phone call that our offer had been accepted. I was stunned, and almost physically ill. We kept it about a year, paying the assessment and real estate tax and mowing costs (it was waterfront with improvements, including trees). We listed it and sold it for $25,000. With expenses, realtor's fee and capital gains taxes, we still came out ahead. But I don't dabble in real estate anymore.

Deciding to be a foreign language major in college was a terrible decision at the time. I loved the cultures and the people, but really had no talent for language. Eventually, however, it lead me to Library Science, a field I loved after I was in it, but which definitely was a second choice--one I wouldn't have pursued if it hadn't been right under my nose in 1965.

A Bible promise I hold dear is Joel 2:25: "I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame."

1225 There is no plan B; only A-b-o-r-t-i-o-n

Although I understand the reasoning the media calls Plan B "emergency contraception," it isn't; it is a very early abortion. Let's be more honest than we were with all the coat hanger statistics back in the 1960s. If you believe abortion is a woman's right to choose, and not the death of a human being, then be very clear about what you promote. There is NO morning after solution to tragedy, be it rape, long term promiscuity or one night stand.

"The American Medical Association voted Monday to put its weight behind legislative initiatives around the United States that would require pharmacies to fill legally valid prescriptions in the wake of recently publicized refusals by pharmacists opposed to dispensing the morning-after contraceptive." Chicago Tribune

And this:

"A bipartisan bill introduced last week by Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) would require hospitals receiving federal funds to provide rape survivors with information about and access to emergency contraception. The legislation, known as the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies (CARE) Act, comes at a time when other proposals to ensure availability of contraception are the subjects of intense political debate -- proposals such as making Plan B (a form of emergency contraception) available over the counter and a bill ensuring that all pharmacies fill prescriptions for contraception." ACSH

1224 If you die in Cleveland

You'll need to check out the verb policy for the PD.


At home with the Lord. Hope to see you there, if you're from Cleveland.

1223 Another test for you

I took the MIT Weblog survey which is collecting information on how people use their logs. Here's the site:

1222 Mao, the unknown story

Have you ever picked up an old notebook or pad of paper and read through the notes? We keep a small notebook here at the Lakehouse for writing messages, only a few notes are written each summer, so we forget what they are about. My husband was flipping through it puzzling at the cryptic messages, some clear, some not:

Chicks, turn on radio, Studs.
We’re at art center. Back by 12.
Video tapes for print machine 421-7591
Buns chips brats burgers chips salad strawberry
Gone to library to return book. Keep cat out of bedrooms so she can’t hide.

And finally

Wild Swans. Est. 30,000,000 died in famine 1958-1962. Peasants pulled off land to work in steel.

What’s that one all about, he asked. I had to stop and think a minute, then remembered that Wild Swans was a book I was reading here at the lake maybe in the mid-1990s about China. My summer reading never seems to be light. It’s definitely one that should be on Senator Durbin’s short list. The author Jung Chang grew up in China and Wild Swans is about her life. In her new book, Mao, the unknown story, she writes:

“I decided to write about Mao because I was fascinated by this man, who dominated my life in China, and who devastated the lives of my fellow countrymen. He was as evil as Hitler or Stalin, and did as much damage to mankind as they did. Yet the world knows astonishingly little about him.” (Publisher’s note)

The issue of Far Eastern Economic Review June 2005 which contains the book review by Jonathan Mirsky of Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang, Jon Halliday and Jonathan Cape has been banned in China, where a dead Mao is still ruling from the grave. Wall Street Journal article comments on this ban.

1221 The President's Accomplishments

Dana has a long list. Your mileage will vary.

1220 July Fourth 2005 at the Lake

Did you see the feature on Lakeside on yesterday's CBS Morning show (9-10:30 EDT)? It was the last 5 minutes. We rushed home after communion to turn on the TV and of course, sat through all the other summer time clips on skateboarding, hot dogs, and hunting for relatives in the islands off of Italy. I think the Lakeside story was cut to make room for the Luther Vandross bio (died last week). Even though it showed almost none of the lovely sights, it did get the ambiance right, featuring the friendliness and trust of the community.

My husband then craved hot dogs all morning, so he took off on his bike and went to the little grocery store right outside the gates and fixed himself a hot dog for lunch. One. He is the most disciplined person I know.


This morning is the parade. Every little kid decorates a bike, and grandparents decorate their golf carts. A neighboring school district will probably send in a band, and there will be a few clowns. The Guys Club will march--that's a group of men who do nothing and I think their motto is something like "can it wait." This morning I saw someone flying a kite off the dock with a tiny US flag appended.

When I was walking through the park this morning with my coffee on the way to the lake, I saw a grandpa shooting baskets with his two little grandsons (at least I hope they were not sons), one about 2, the other maybe 4. Grandpa didn't give them any breaks either. Also, I don't think he made any points, but it was the cutest thing to watch.

Changing the Template

Fiddle. Fiddle. Faddle. Re-fiddle. I've deleted the comments window (I think) and moved my e-mail to the top, so if you have something to say, speak up! But you better note which entry you're referring to, otherwise, I won't know what you're talking about. Your inciteful comments haven't been deleted, blogger.com tells me, and can be retrieved anytime. Nasty comments, of course, were deleted as we went along. No blogger abuse allowed here.

1219 Cat Fanciers

Usually, I don't make fun of other people's pets, love like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but check out this link, and then scroll down to ninth place. The copy function has been disabled, otherwise I'd just drop the photo in here. Truly, the most frightening cat I've ever seen.

1218 Daniel's Gift for the Fourth

My friend Daniel, a documents librarian and a proud American, offers this selection for your holiday reading. I was just browsing the Federalist Papers. Hamilton was awesome. One can't imagine the USA being what it is without his input.

Declaration of Independence
Articles of Confederation
Federalist Papers
Constitution of the United States
Bill of Rights
Other Primary Documents of American History from the Library of Congress

1217 War of the Worlds

Barbara Nicolosi at Church of the Masses has a long list of Whys in her review, beginning with why are there only 5 people in a theater that seats 500? But this Why was my favorite:

"Why doesn't the ACLU arrest Speilberg for being blatantly pro-Christian? (I mean, nobody in the WHOLE movie breathes the smallest prayer while the human race is being systematically exterminated. So, I figured, the filmmakers must be saying that all the Christians must NOT be getting exterminated. That is, the aliens are only killing the unbelievers who don't pray -- the Christians must have put lamb blood or something on their lintels off screen. Anyway, I think that must be pretty offensive to the ungodly...)"

My own Why, Why were we seeing Tom Cruise every time the TV is on? is now answered. It was a full court press--a trumped up controversy between him and Brooke, the Lauer interview, and probably a fake engagement, all to keep his name in the news to hype this movie.

1216 This is old news, or was it buried?

In the late 1970s I was hired on soft money (USAID funds) to be the agricultural economics bibliographer at the Ohio State University Libraries. It was a fabulous job for reentry into the work world: my children were in school from 8:15 to 3 p.m., and this job was half time, so I worked about 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I contributed to the retirement plan, and got full credit instead of half for my time there (which became critical in 2000 when adding everything up). I had complete freedom and great funding to build the collection on agricultural credit--mostly about third world countries. I went to a lot of the graduate student meetings and lunches, attended some college functions like the Farm Science Review, was included in most of the library faculty functions without being appointed to committees (temps don't need the professional credit), attended state and local professional meetings and the department supported my research and publication. I also got to co-teach a bibliographic instruction unit with one of the professors. Truly, a dream job for a librarian who needed to work part time and relearn the ropes after a decade out of service.

However, I'm quite sure I knew then from all the reading I did to stay current in agriculture what I've just seen on a blog--that the inputs for alternative fuel cost more and required more energy than the resulting product. Renewable crops eat up a huge amount of inputs. Midwestern farmers and the schools of agriculture really wanted crop fuels to make it, and so I was shocked to read this when I know the writing was on the blackboard even 30 years ago:

"Ethanol, touted as an alternative fuel of the future, may eat up far more energy during its creation than it winds up giving back, according to research by a UC Berkeley scientist that raises questions about the nation's move toward its widespread use.

A clean-burning fuel produced from renewable crops like corn and sugarcane, ethanol has long been a cornerstone of some national lawmakers' efforts to clear the air and curb dependence on foreign oil. California residents use close to a billion gallons of the alcohol-based fuel per year."

Hat tip to Considerettes who links to SFGate. The research is not without controversy apparently.

1215 The journey of a conservative librarian

Susan, aka Mustang Mama, has written an outstanding post about being a conservative in the field of librarianship. You might think it doesn't concern you because librarians just do after school crowd control and direct people to the rest room, but I learned things I didn't know (I never worked professionally in a public library, although I've noticed the bias in the book selection). Particularly read this if you have children who use the library.

1214 In my humble opinion

This is a phrase I see frequently in blogs. It means the opposite of what it says--the person is not claiming to be humble at all, but has a very strong opinion on something. Father John has a not so humble opinion on the "right" to marriage.

"All of the arguments being advanced today to "change society's morality" to gain acceptance of same-sex marriages -- fairness; equality; acceptance of minority (that is, non-mainstream) points of view and practices, and so on -- can be made in favor of the "polys"; polygamy (one husband, many wives), and polyandry (one woman, many husbands). Indeed, here in the "wild, wild west," we have a group with significant money, power, and influence, whose central tenets at one time required its adherents to practice polygamy as the best way to salvation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (known to many as the "Mormons") only rescinded this as a principle of belief when required to do so by the federal government as a condition for admitting the territory of Utah as a state. Why would they not return to this practice if the mood of the nation is to change the "traditional" understanding of marriage as the union of a man and a woman to allow same-sex marriages? After all, the proponents of polygamy have Biblical precedent on their side (at least, in the Old Testament), where many of the patriarchs had multiple wives. The practitioners of the Islamic faith also are permitted as many as four wives. Why should either of these groups refrain from entering the fray, and extend the definition of marriage to allow their religious beliefs to be practiced? Granted, part of the problem is that the practice has often been abused, with men marrying girls under the usual state-established age of consent -- girls young enough to be their daughters. But the abuse doesn't abrogate the right; and there's no reason why, with proper documentation, women of legal age to marry should be denied entry into a polygamous marriage if they choose to do so of their own will.

Nor should the legalization be limited to polygamy. After all, that would be unfair to that part of the female population who would prefer instead to have several husbands providing for their care, comfort, and pleasure. Again, as long as everyone is at or above the age of consent, and enters knowingly into such a union, registered with the state, why should anyone object? And, while there isn't (so far as I know) a "poly" for more complex relationships, there's no need to limit the establishment of some sort of "multiple marriages," where, say, three men and two women, or three men and four women (or "a" men and "b" women) desire to be joined in marriage and be recognized as each other's spouses. With everyone at the age of consent, and all open and above-board, why not? After all, we can't use Christian morality as an argument against any of the "polys"; that argument is out-of-bounds in the dialogue today. And, after all, just because only a few people, comparatively speaking, will actually want to enter into these forms of union doesn't make them wrong." Father John (scroll down until blogger gets it gap together)

And he hasn't even mentioned why adults shouldn't have the right to marry children (if you can change the gender, why not the consent) or their siblings or first degree relatives. Or why the marriage shouldn't take place if only one person wants it. Sort of a Kelo-Marriage. Follow the money. Follow the power. Just my humble opinion, of course.

1213 Are the media liberal or conservative or balanced?

Ask someone who earns his living there. Callimachus, a journalist whose "co-workers sit at their desks talking about how much they hate Bush, how important it is to defeat him, how many people they saw at the anti-war rally they marched in, how criminal the Iraq war is, how "evil" the U.S. administration is, how brilliant and important Michael Moore is, how stupid Republicans are" writes:

"I find it amazing that people consider the media to have a "conservative" bias. If by that you mean, "Peter Jennings is not actively promoting Maoist revolutionary rhetoric," then yes, that's true. But according to a Pew Research Center survey reported in "Editor & Publisher," the official publication of the U.S. news media, the proportion of self-defined "liberals" in newsrooms is increasing much faster than that of self-defined "conservatives," and the ratio is well out of proportion to the nation as a whole.

At national organizations (which includes print, TV and radio), the numbers break down like this: 34% liberal, 7% conservative. At local outlets: 23% liberal, 12% conservative. At Web sites: 27% call themselves liberals, 13% conservatives.

This contrasts with the self-assessment of the general public: 20% liberal, 33% conservative.

Pew found that, over time, not only is the media more polarized, but the liberal voices are more numerous. Since 1995, at national outlets, the liberal segment has climbed from 22% to 34% while conservatives have inched up from 5% to 7%."

Done with Mirrors

1212 Live Aid

There are few people more entrepreneurial or price gouging than the entertainment/rock musician club. So if they really want to help the poor in Africa, they need to encourage capitalism. Marxism and socialism didn't get them on stage raking in the dough. Somehow, I don't think we'll hear that message. They also need to sing loud enough to encourage African ex-pats to leave Europe, Canada and the US and return home to put their education and skills to work for the homeland. Yeah, I know that won't happen either.

1211 A Perfect Summer Day

When we arrived last Saturday the temps were in the high 90s and we could barely see the islands. A storm blew through on Thursday and cleared everything out. Last night we finally saw a sunset. Today has been coolish and windy. While walking along the lakefront today we could practically see people grilling out on Kelley's Island. Lake Erie is like a saucer of water, and with a little wind you get white caps.

I'd stopped in a new gift shop and heard a rumor that a house on the lake listed for $695,000 was in a bidding war, and had gone up into the $800s. So we were walking along trying to figure out which one it was. We did see one in contract which still had most of the porch protection in place. Like many of the older houses, some of its porches had been filled in. A lakefront house can get pretty chilly. Location really is everything. In Columbus, this house might go for $65 or $70,000.

Someone flagged down my husband today on his bike ride to ask if he'd retired. Their kids had just bought a house on our street and wanted to remodel. He won't take the job, but did stop and look at it and explained to them the complex set-backs and footprint rules. We do ponder what some of these young families do to be able to afford a second home--when we were their age, the groceries were spread awfully thin at the end of the month, and we'd hold our breath that nothing went wrong with the car.

Also on our street, the only "fixer-upper" left in town has changed hands. I stopped in yesterday to say hello. The floors and walls were straighter than I expected, judging from the outside. This family group owns about 6 other cottages that we know of, and I know they'll do a good job. It was an incredible mess. The former owner's family had been here on Monday to take out what they wanted. Then the next day a dumpster was in the yard, and virtually everything in the house went into it. I heard the young owner say, "Here's another typewriter," as he threw it in. The final frosting on the cake made of trash was 4 double bed mattresses. The roof is completely covered with a tarp--it's been that way for two years. The two story garage, which looks like a former stable, leans dramatically to the east. We'll enjoy watching the transformation.

1210 On activist judges

Jane Galt recalls:

"Most people seem to think of the constitution as a guarantee of everything they believe sacred and good--whatever that may be. I think of it rather as a process for finding what is sacred and good; the operating manual for a classically liberal society. The rights it guarantees are mostly the rights that allow people to meet and debate ideas. We have freedom of speech, assembly, and religion so that we can meet and debate about the truth, including the truth about God. We have the right to bear arms, freedom from unreasonable searches, and the various criminal justice rights to prevent the government from curtailing those rights through the backdoor of intimidation. We have a mechanism for electing a federal government to be our proxies for the enacting of the truths we discover into law.

This is a model, of course, and it's imperfect; the founding fathers had many things in mind (and I'm neither a historian nor a legal scholar). But as a model, I think it works pretty well. And I think there's an important idea here: the constitution doesn't tell us what those truths are.

It doesn't tell us that the right to sexual privacy is fundamental to human liberty, nor that we may not hear prayers in our classrooms or see nativity scenes on the town square, nor any of the other multitude of "rights" we've discovered since the Warren court. If we discover such things, it gives us a perfectly good mechanism for enacting those truths into law: the legislature."

1209 Mom Writers

While browsing through my site meter by referrals who had also mentioned Mt. Morris, IL, I came across the Mom Writers, "a community of professional and new writers . . . who face the unique challenges of writing with children underfoot." A very interesting site for female writers and wannabees. They've got their own t-shirts and hats. If you are a beginner, they offer encouragement and help.

1208 Book cart drill team

Librarians having fun with tools of the trade.

1207 Intelligent Design and Flag Burning

Folks, there's a reason all the verbs we use with money are also used with time--they are flip sides of the same pancake. First, they only matter on this side of eternity--neither time nor money exist after you are gone. Second, what you do with either or both can improve your life here, or make your life an early entry into Hell.

Spend
Save
Invest
Commit
Gain
Use
Redeem
Waste
Squander
Fritter away

Two of the biggest time wasters with no payoff at the other end, are 1) defending a vague spiritual concept known as "intelligent design" and 2) the freedom of expression of political thought known as flag burning.

I've had about 18 years of formal schooling, and probably 2 more if I added up all the required workshops and classes needed to hold down a job (another post: the non-formal education system is larger than the formal one, so if you want job security, go there).

I can't think of a single endeavor in my life, other than answering questions on a biology test, for which I ever needed the theory of evolution. Can you? And I worked in a medical library and an agricultural library for over 20 years. The ID theory pales to nothingness when compared with the first few chapters of Genesis, so why are you wasting time and energy? Goodness, get a life and open your Bible. Millions of Christians and Jews live perfectly wonderful, satisfying lives without ever thinking about either evolution or intelligent design. And we are sooooo tired of the squabbles and you guys making us all look like ignorant rubes.

I am a 6 day creationist myself, but that's a theological solution because death doesn't enter creation until after the first sin. Billions of years of deaths just doesn't fit the template for a really dynamic faith, in my opinion. Look around. Do you see anything but entropy and decay--have you seen the human race getting better and better? We've been at war my entire life time! Let them have their little favorite theories if it gives their lives meaning. Please don't send me websites and book titles. I've seen them all and been shouted at by the best.

I wouldn't ask a college of "Evolutionary Biology" to teach my faith, but I do expect you Christians to stop telling your kids to "just praise the Lord" in 7/11 songs (7 words repeated 11 times) and provide them with a few basics about sin and why it is everywhere and what the solution might be when they're sitting in a college course with an evolution-fundy-professor.

My suggestion for response to flag burners is ignore them, just like you had to do with your toddlers' temper trantrums. They are pushing your buttons and you're falling for it. I heard a former soldier call in to the Glenn Beck show and describe the training he had to go through to learn to deal with terrorists, rowdies and kooks. They had to stand by and watch the flag urinated on, used as toilet paper, spit on, stomped on, etc., but learned to show strength and realize it was a symbol. They had to know their core values, and those weren't the cloth and design. The flag stands for something that can't be destroyed by petulant weirdos. Burning is the only proper way to dispose of a damaged flag. Apparently those who burn a flag in public protest are already a bit mind damaged, but throw water on them by ignoring them into oblivion. Stop giving them prime time MSM coverage with your silly and harmful counter protests and proposals for amendments. I personally find t-shirts, motorcycle jackets or underpants made to look like US flags much more offensive. They equate being a good American with consumerism.

1206 Blueberries are brain food

Today we finished the 5 day class on "Mind Matters" taught by Sally Kriska here at Lakeside. The topic yesterday was the Teen-age brain, and today it was "The retiring mind." One of the tips that Sally passed along was the 10-24-7 tip. She said that in order to incorporate something into the long term memory, review it 10 minutes after hearing/reading it, then review in 24 hours, and then a week later. Then it is much more likely to make it to the long term memory, because most things drop out of our memory very quickly.

One day we covered nutrition. Blueberries kept coming up as brain food. So I looked it up, and discovered a USDA site that said pretty much what she said:

"It used to be thought that shortly after we are born that we had all of neurons that we were going to have throughout life and that no more new ones would be made. Now we know that during normal aging no neurons are lost and new ones are still being made (called neurogenesis) even into old age. However, it appears that the rate slows down. One brain region where this occurs is called the hippocampus, which is a major memory control area. . .

Previously, we showed that age-related declines in memory tasks can be improved by antioxidant-rich diets containing blueberries. In this study, to begin to understand the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects of blueberries, we assessed changes in hippocampal neurogenesis, activation of IGF-1, and ERK levels in blueberry-supplemented aged animals. The results showed that all of these measurements showed increases in the blueberry-supplemented as compared to control. Importantly, the results showed that these increases were significantly correlated with improvements in spatial memory. Therefore, cognitive improvements afforded by fruits such as blueberries, which are abundant in compounds called polyphenolics, may be regulated by their beneficial effects on hippocampal neurogenesis."

I've never been particularly fond of blueberries, but I can put them in a pie or a dish of mixed fruit.

However, never, never, never drop blueberries into packaged vanilla pudding. It contains yellow #5 & #6 food coloring, and as you learned in kindergarten, blue and yellow make green. Pea soup green pudding.

1205 The Week the Women Went

A talk show on CKLW (800 am) was discussing a British reality show, The Week the Women Went, or something like that. The idea is to have a whole community where the men are left to fend for themselves. The hostess, Lynne Martin, was taking calls (repeat show, I assume), mainly from men, who assured her the worst part would be missing their wives' care and emotional support. They were kind of sweet, I thought.

My husband could get along without me for a week, because I have purchased for him 10 sets of underwear, and there are only 7 days in a week, so he wouldn't have to turn on the washer or dryer. He knows how to fix lunch and breakfast, so for dinner he could drive to a restaurant. He's neater than I am, even hangs up his dirty clothes, so there would actually be less housework, and the dishwasher would hold most of the dishes, or he could use paper plates. I might have a problem if he were to spill or break something--he panics, and thinks if he can't see it, he's probably got it all cleaned up. Also, some things might spoil in the refrigerator, because if he doesn't see the item he wants when he opens the door, something in his nature tells him not to look behind anything. I understand many men have this boogey-man in the frig complex.

1204 Friday Feast 54 July 1

Didn't June go by awfully fast? Seems we were just celebrating Memorial Day, which originally was Decorate the graves of the Civil War Dead day, and now it is time for July 4, when we celebrate many values, including a very, very long revolution. Here is Friday Feast questions.

Appetizer
Where do you plan to go on vacation this year, or where would you want to go?
We'll be on vacation most of the summer right here, but will also take a trip to visit historic architectural sites in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Then in September we're going to Germany and Austria. I came across the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior in a real estate ad. That area of the US looks really interesting to visit.

Soup
What color is your bedroom? If you could redecorate it, what would you change?
We watched a segment of Oprah where bedrooms are redecorated to make them more restful or more romantic. I mentioned I was a bit tired of the dark blue faux stripe, but neither of us have come up with a better idea.

Salad

Do you have a bumper sticker on your vehicle? What does it say?No. I have a blog.

Main Course
What's the worst pain you've ever been in?
Birthing babies.

Dessert

Who is your favorite celebrity? What do they do that inspires you?I'm not much of a celebrity-watcher, but I'd probably drop everything to go see Laura Bush, first librarian.

1203 A gathering of Skeptics

When bloggers gather for a party whether they are Homespun or Cotillion, you can find some interesting posts. Here is the 11th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle, hosted by Anne's Anti-Quackery & Science Blog. Just because I'm a 6 day creationist doesn't mean I can't enjoy a few good scientific studies.

Here are some of the topics:
Table of Contents

- Quackery and Medical Misinformation
- Intelligent Design and Creationism
- Other Pseudoscience
- Urban Legends
- Critical Thinking
- Religion
- Astrology
- History
- Science and the Scientific Method

If you are interested in the topic of autism and vaccinations, the Orac series on the topic should not be missed. And you probably saw that hydrogen peroxide cure on TV--there's some blogging on that.

Anne does one of the best summaries of a topical group that I've seen.

1202 Even I'm not horrified

It's no secret I wish people would be a bit more careful about language, but even I'm not horrified by carefully placed, body parts scattered appropriately through a story, like this guy, Jaspan.

Hat tip Neo-neocon.

1201 When it all comes together at Lakeside

Poetry magazine doesn’t need my subscription dollars. In 2002 it received a $100 million grant from Ruth Lilly. Still, I enjoyed seeing the envelope fall out of the June 2005 issue that my friend Lynne sent me. So here’s a loosely woven group of threads about that particular gift.

1. The address on the envelope is

Poetry Foundation
PO Box 575
Mt Morris, IL 61054-9982

That’s my “home” town; I rode my tricycle on the sidewalks; graduated from the public schools; wandered the campus where my parents and grandparents had attended college; and was baptized and married there in the Church of the Brethren. It is a town that was birthed by education, built by the printing industry, crippled by a union strike, and kicked into the corner by a fire that virtually closed its schools. There is still a subscription agency there, but not a lot else.

2. The magazine, Poetry, was founded by Harriet Monroe in 1912. She nurtured a couple of generations of 20th century poets, maybe because she loved John Root, who didn’t marry her but married her sister. Poets were her legacy, not children. She is one of the sources used by Erik Larson in his book The Devil in the White City. John Root was a Chicago architect who helped plan the 1893 exposition, but died before it opened. Monroe wrote his biography, John Wellborn Root; a study of his life and work, 1896. I had never heard of Root or Monroe, but was reading the book when I opened the gift from Lynne from which the envelope fell.

3. Larson’s book may be only the second “true crime” book I’ve ever read (In Cold Blood was assigned in Library school), but I’m married to an architect and loved the architectural detail and how the author wove all the disparate pieces together. My grandmother attended the Exposition and I recall souvenirs of it in her home. And because Grandma was a thoroughly modern lady who began subscribing to Ladies Home Journal when she was 12, I’m betting I could find some of Monroe’s poems in her scrapbooks of clippings if I wanted to go back to Columbus and dig them out of storage.

4. I finished reading the book at Lakeside where I’m attending a lecture series on the Mind. The instructor had a model of the brain on the table, which she dismantled and described the details to us, including its weight. In the June 2005 issue of Poetry, there is a poem by Kathleen Halme III, “The Other Bank of the River.” The final thought is “Again I apologize for the three pound storm that is my brain and me.” Isn’t that a wonderful line?

5. Also in the June 2005 issue is an article by the poet Peter Campion (no, I’ve never heard of him either) complaining about poet bloggers--as one blogger called it, “an attack of the haves against the have nots.”

Isn’t it amazing how this all fits together?

1200 Buried alive

This story of Gitmo probably deserved a better placement, since so many people are concerned about the treatment of terrorists. JustOneMinute says it was p. A15.

1199 Desperate Dressing

For at least 30 years, I've been paying attention to how middle-aged women dress. Based on longevity, middle-age starts about age 35, and I'm figuring to stay here until about 70, when I'll be old for oh maybe 20 years, and old-old for another 5. Maybe. It's in my genes, you see. Either way, nobody gets out alive, and because I'm Lutheran, I don't even have to make a stop in Purgatory like Vox Lauri. Jesus offered me a deal I couldn't refuse.

Anyway, I'd been drafting a blog about the effect of the Desperate Housewives TV show on the appearance of mid-life babes. I've never actually watched an entire episode, but I get the drift, and I've noticed the clothing as I've clicked through and on to something, um, more uplifting. I think the show, I say in my draft essay, has really improved the way the ladies look, at least around here (summer vacation community). No more wrinkled shorts, dirty athletic shoes, and t-shirt from a lumber yard in Pennsylvania. Now it is trim cammies over tube tops or colored push up bras over little low slung skirts brushing the knee over the sweetest little sandals you'll ever see at the bottom of shaved legs. Really. I'm not kidding. I was so pleased to see women finally looking feminine again after, what, 25 or 30 years, I didn't even care if it was because of a smarmy, put down of that wonderful profession, housewivery, that created the demand. I'm not sure it is even the clothes, or their new sense that maybe there really is a gardener out there for them.

Then the New York Post came out with a story that really burst my bubble. I won't link to it, so sad, I don't want to be an ambulance chaser. Ladies in NY are apparently still tumbling out of their tight, dirty jeans and showing off their NVL undies. They should stay home and watch more TV. Ruined a perfectly good draft.

1198 Moscow Nights--ochen khorosho

Last night's program was Moscow Nights and Golden Gates Children. I thought incorrectly that they were immigrants, but they are visiting from Russia playing and singing Russian folk music. Lots of audience participation--even my husband ended up on stage smacking a tambourine.

Most of their concerts are in Ohio--I think they have 30 in one month. The costumes looked terribly hot, although delightful. We'd had a drop in temps with some rain and wind, fortunately.

1197 Unattended children will be sold

Shoe doesn't really mean it, but she'd like to announce it. She writes about unattended children in libraries. That wasn't a significant problem in an academic library where I worked from 1986-2000--although I did keep coloring books and crayons in my office for children of the occasional negligent parent who would lose herself in the stacks reading about nematodes or cryptorchidism.

1196 Borderline problem

I scored a 49 on this internet addiction quiz. That's end of the range for average. "You are an average on-line user. You may surf the Web a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage." Check yourself at Center for Online and Internet Addiction, just another site in pathologizing our fun!

Tip from Ilyka who's way beyond me.

1195 Stereotypical behaviors

Speaking of stereotypes, (we were weren’t we?) Ilyka Damen has a few choice words for feminists who are cranky that conservative women are blogging together at The Cotillion. It has always been annoying to me that feminists think only their sisters and daughters should be the judges or senators or CEOs, and apparently that has splashed over to blogging. If you think unborn babies are actually part of the human race, not a disposable scab on a woman’s body, or that capitalism is a force for good and not a pox on our flag, you are suspect of being anti-woman in many circles. She writes:

“Yes, some conservative women don't see anything to "gloat" about when it comes to sexual promiscuity. Yes, some conservative women like pearls and pumps. Yes, some conservative women do have copies of The Surrendered Wife at home. Yes, some conservative women have the awfully annoying habit of simultaneously reaping the rewards of feminism while denigrating the progressive women who blazed that trail for them in the first damn place. I'll back you up on that last particularly.

And some liberal women do have overgrown armpit hair and do wear no shoes but Birkenstocks and do smell horrid from bathing in environmentally-friendly "natural" products that don't contain any actual "soap" and do view men with suspicion and mistrust, if not actual loathing . . . but it wouldn't be very helpful of me to harp continually on that stereotype, so guess what? I don't.”

I get irritated that both groups of bloggers--liberal and conservative women who should have better vocabularies--think they need to write and sound like street walkers to get their point across. But oh well, isn’t that part of being included in the old boys club, and that‘s what they all really want? Male approval? Really, sometimes you just gotta move on for all the cursing and cussing and sexual topics. Hey, when you've spent your best career years in a veterinary library, you've heard enough of reproductive body parts! Even some Christian conservatives are potty mouths.

Or is it just that I’m old enough to be their grandmother? ‘Spose?

1194 The Unfiltered Library

Stop by Greg's site Shush [June 26]and learn all about pimps and hoes. So even if you watch what games your kids play at home, they can learn the economics and values of the underworld at the local public library. Sweet.

1193 Water and the brain

Before I forget what I learned in memory class today, let me tell you. Sally Kriska, the instructor, is a visual and physical learner/teacher, so she demonstrates some of her basic principles and she has us doing little memory exercises. To show us this morning the importance of water to our entire system, she asked for a volunteer from the class who had not yet had any water today (it was 11:30 a.m.). A gentleman using a cane came forward. Sally had him extend his arm while she exerted force to push it down. She had no problem. Then she gave him a glass of water, and he drank about 6 oz. I'd guess. Then he extended his arm and she could not push it down. Less than 30 seconds, and the water had affected his body that quickly. While this was going on a woman was adding teaspoons of sugar to a glass of ice tea to record how much sugar the average person takes in drinking and eating a typical American diet. It was truly appalling, even when you already knew it.

Yesterday she did the arm extension demo with a woman thinking sad and stressful thoughts, and then thinking powerful thoughts (I am woman hear me roar, etc.) Same thing. While thinking negative stressful thoughts, Sally could easily push her arm down, but by switching to positive thoughts, Sally couldn't move her arm.

We also did a "heads and shoulders, knees and toes" type thing to learn a healthful grocery list, starting with blueberries on our heads and tomatoes between our toes. Sally was a principal for 15 years and says that often when a child was having behavior problems, they learned the family didn't eat breakfast, and he might have a coke and chips for lunch. But apparently, the school breakfast programs aren't all that good either.

To stay awake during class or the sermon, eat the protein portion first, Sally told us. I did see someone sleeping during the class--she must have started the day with a hot, fresh cinnamon cake donut from the Patio Restaurant, which so far I've avoided.

1192 Burn Out!

Stop by and read what Elizabeth Elliot has to say about "burn out," but then promise to come back. She's a very wise lady who raised her child in the jungles of S.A. after being widowed.

But for some reason, maybe 5 years of retirement, I can't recall much "burn out" in my life. I'd like to say it's because I followed a plan like hers, but I think it was really that I have an extremely well-developed, or over-developed ability to say, "NO." Can you join this organization that will only take one more evening a month? NO. Would you take my turn for 3 weeks in the car pool? NO, but I'll do one day. Would you add this task force to the three you're already on? NO. Could you watch my kids for me while I go (do silly things I didn't believe in). NO. Would you "loan" me money. NO, but I'll give you what I can. Would you bake a cake for the fund raiser? NO, but I could do a pie. Would you walk down to the lake? NO, I'm blogging.

Many people can't say NO because they are afraid--of being disliked, of not being needed, or missing all the fun, of losing power. None of that mattered more to me than not being at peace (instead of in pieces). So, although I'd like to say with Elizabeth, it is the yoke of Christ, it isn't. It is the personality I was born with.

1191 Where do you cut costs?

A very frugal school teacher has left his alma mater a gift of over two million.

"Whitlowe R. Green, 88, died of cancer in 2002. He retired in 1983 from the Houston Independent School District, where he was making $28,000 a year as an economics teacher.. .[He] was so frugal that he bought expired meat and secondhand clothing left $2.1 million for his alma mater, Prairie View A&M -- the school's largest gift from a single donor." CNN story.

Everyone seems to "cut costs" in different ways. Here's my list of non-cuts.

Economically, it makes absolutely no sense for me to leave the house every morning at 6 a.m. and drive to a coffee shop. If you don't do this, you could exclaim, "But that costs you nearly $600 a year, when making it at home is about five cents a cup." Very true. But I read 2 or 3 newspapers, and see 4 or 5 people I know, chat with various folk, so as a social informational event, it's pretty cheap. Compare that $600 to a golf hobby, and you can see it is really pretty cheap.

We eat out about once a week--it's called our Friday night date. When my husband started his own business in 1994, this is one thing we cut for awhile, until we could see how our finances would be, but reinstated it quickly. Sure, I can fix the same thing at home for about $3.00 that costs us $30.00 at the pub, but again, it isn't food, it is R&R and time to focus on each other. It is also a line in the sand dividing the work week from the week-end, and when your office is in your home, you definitely need to keep this ritual (he also dressed for work each day, including a tie). About $1500 a year just to eat one meal. Ridiculous!

I could save about $400 a year if I stopped coloring my hair. That will come, but for now, I prefer to fool Mother Nature and the clerks who ask for ID when I request a senior discount. Brown hair turning gray is not pretty like a brunette turning gray (but prettier than a blonde or red head going gray--just a tip).

We usually get a glass of the house wine (red for the cardiovascular system) with Friday night dinner. I suggested to my husband that we just drink a glass of wine at home afterwards--saving Oh, maybe $500 a year (cheap wine), but he didn't go for that. Frugal, but not romantic.

We really don't need two cars now that my husband is retired. I suggested we get rid of his Explorer and keep my van, but since both cars are paid for (and he really likes his better than mine but his hurts my back). That would be a one time boost to the income, of say $6,000 (resale is the pits even on nice, well kept autos) plus a savings of maybe $300 a year in insurance and $200 in maintenance.

Pets are expensive. Kitty litter, cat food, vet bills, etc. I've not looked at the figures recently, but I think it is something like $6,000 over the life time of a cat, and more for a dog. If your daughter or neighbor won't stop by and look after the sweetie-pie when you're gone, you've got to add in huge boarding bills. But I'm not even going to think about that savings. Pets are good for all sorts of health benefits.

So you see, I could be saving and investing this to leave to our Alma Mater, The University of Illinois, but they didn't graduate any dummies, so we're spending wildly while we've got the chance.

1190 The Mind and Memory Class

Yesterday I went to Sally's Mind and Memory Class. It was very good. She's a great teacher--comes alive in front of a group. I think she used to teach theater. About twice as many people showed up as she had prepared for, but that often happens early in the season, early in the week. By Friday there will probably be only twenty or so.

Met Mary, an aspiring writer. They are everywhere, aren't they? She told me the basic idea of her novel. I gave her the same advice I'd give anyone my age--don't wait to be discovered, self-publish. Helen Santmyers don't come along often.

Off to the coffee shop and the morning news.

1189 Rove v. Durbin

"Why would the press ignore (for several days) a speech by an elected US Senator [Durbin] comparing American detention facilities to Nazi concentration camps on the Senate floor, while a minor speech by a White House staffer [Rove] to a state-level political action group drew immediate national attention?" Captain's Quarters
Yes, why indeed.

1188 The do not call list

I'd forgotten how effective that do not call list really is. Since we arrived around noon on Saturday the phone has rung about every two hours--and since we have no answering machine, we don't know what is happening when we're out for dinner, or walking along the lake front, or attending a program. I've been offered a subscription to the Toledo Blade, a summer resort vacation package, several new phone plans, a lower mortgage rate, and possibly waterproofing something, but I hung up too quickly. We never added this phone to the list--indeed, we may get rid of the land line altogether and just use the cell phone, as many do here. We're probably getting a huge share of the calls, since so many people's numbers are not accessible.

What is wrong with blogger.com today?

At one site I couldn't leave a comment because of "content." The objectional word was "32" in my e-mail address, so I used an old one that's a spam bucket. Another block was the word "mus" which I hadn't used, but I did use "must." So I changed that, then it objected to "the". I give up. No comments today.

I'd ask you if you're having trouble, but I probably wouldn't be able to get the comments.

1187 Abysmal savings rate

Jane Galt always has interesting things to say at her blog Asymmetrical Information. This one about the savings rate of the average American is very telling, not so much for what she writes, but her readers' comments. There were 71 comments when I read them. One person (a woman I presume) took a home equity loan to pay for her wedding. How's that for short sightedness? Or how about the one, "I used to be poor and now I'm in the upper 5% and want all the toys" (my paraphrase).

Like many sites, she is recommending Castle Coalition concerning that recent Supreme Court decision on eminent domain. It's the only decision I can recall being villified by both the right and the left.

1186 A Lakeside Wedding

This is a lovely spot to have a wedding--if you don't mind strangers gawking wearing bikinis and towels. After we parked our bikes yesterday and strolled along the lakefront, we noticed a photographer taking photos of a wedding party in front of the hotel--in the fountain! True, the temperature in Toledo was 98 yesterday so it was probably near 96 here when I saw them, but I sort of shuddered when I thought of the extra charge for cleaning those rented tuxes. But they did take off their shoes and socks and roll up the pant legs. Even the bride in a fabulously beaded gown was in the water.

The bridesmaids were wearing scarlet red gowns and the groomsmen all wore scarlet vests and ties. So what's a little water in a party that spectacular?

1185 Librarian unhappy with MSM

Bryan (Off the Wall) says he is a former systems analyst and lingerie salesman working as a reference librarian. So he knows the inside of a lot of topics. I thought his article on "Top 4 reasons I'm disgusted with the MSM" pretty much reflected my own thoughts (although I didn't have the specific articles to quote and he does). He cites: 1. Anonymous sources, 2. Overuse of "allegedly," 3. Repeated denials of bias, and 4. Inability to learn. To that I would add hostility to people of faith and snobbery. And all the media folk, left, right and center, seem to build stories on anecdotal evidence instead of taking the time to go the library and do some solid research.

1184 Spectacular Week One opening at Lakeside

Last night's program, Mark Nadler, was fabulous--even his publicist couldn't have prepared us. Such energy. In a tux and tails, and it was sooooo hot. I'll bet he lost 10 lbs. It's hard to explain what he does, but as a closing he sang 'S Wonderful (Gershwin) while he played Rhapsody in Blue. There was a reception after the show at the Hotel but we didn't go. We'd already had ice cream (Moose Tracks) at the new coffee shop. Of course, I could have passed on the dessert and just stood in line for 30 minutes to meet Mr. Nadler, but I knew I wouldn't. If you ever get the opportunity to see him perform, be sure to go. Lakeside Schedule here.

Looking through the weekly newspaper, I see Sally Kriska is going to offer a class on memory and aging called "Mind Matters." I might go. I knew Sally when we had kids in pre-school together and we were all members of First Community Church. No art classes this week that look good to me: glass painting; marionettes; rose soap petals (??); chair caning; 2 different stained glass classes; and scrapbooking for rookies. But Neil Glaser is doing a watercolor workshop on Tuesday evening only that we'll probably go to. We bought one of his paintings last summer. "Women Working out with Weights" is offered 3 mornings, but it looks like you need your own weights. That's not something I ordinarily travel with. This looks like it might be on-going, so if you're coming to Lakeside during one of the other weeks (there are 10 weeks in the season), bring along weights.

This morning we'll attend worship overlooking the lake. I'm not particularly fond of informal, happy, clappy church, but in a camp-like setting with sea gulls and bugs, it is just perfect for praising God.

I'm heading out to watch a sunrise over Lake Erie and get a fabulous cup of coffee at the new coffee shop.

1183 We're finally here

We're finally in Lakeside, rolling in about 11:15. And the cat didn't poop or puke. Good trip! The gates are down, the lines are long, and it is hot, hot, hot--about 94 I think. One more hour and our flowers would have been dead. We've watered twice, and they are starting to perk up. Dehydration is a painful way to die.

Tonight's program is Mark Nadler, described as a "young Victor Borge," outrageously entertaining and funny. Hoover is not air-conditioned, so I think the crowd will be light. I'll wear a dress. Much cooler than slacks.

We took a bike ride and sat in the shade and watched the swimmers. The haze was so thick we could hardly see the islands. Took a stroll through the business district--all three blocks--and stopped in the book store. My husband's paintings are hanging at the Patio Restaurant--they look really nice.

1182 Down memory lane

Shelly is a 50-something librarian who has a number of blogs (more even then me) and devotes one of them to nostalgia. She does a very nice job, too. She calls that blog Retro-Spective, but if you check her "about me" link you'll see she also has some nicely formated blogs about books. Can't tell for sure but she might also have blogs at Live Journal.

1181 Dancing with the Stars

We've never gotten into the reality TV mode. Most of them look pretty silly--eating bugs in the jungle, picking spouses in mansions, etc. But when Dancing with the Stars began on June 1, we were definitely tuned in. By the third week, the rest of America had discovered this delightful show and 15.7 million viewers were watching, according to USAToday.

Our first date was for the St. Pat's Ball at the University of Illinois. That's when he told me he planned to marry me. And I told Sally, when I returned the red lace dress I'd borrowed, "You won't believe the line I heard tonight." On my to-do list for retirement was ball room dance lessons, which we did, two or three sessions I believe. We've tried a few new moves for the jitterbug and I think we can move around the floor in a fox trot, but unless you have a place to dance and go frequently, you lose it pretty quickly. The learning curve and physical demands for the non-pros in this reality show must have been incredible.

Armory House Spring Dance, 1959

1180 Friday Feast 53

These questions come from Friday Feast and you're welcome to answer them and then let the site know.

Appetizer
What time do you usually wake up each day? If you could choose your wake-up time, when would it be?
I wake up about 4:30-5:00 a.m. I never use an alarm clock (keeps me awake), so it must be perfect for my internal clock. Even as a young child, I was always the first one up.

Soup
When was the last time you bought groceries? What store did you go to? Name 3 things you purchased.
I usually buy groceries on Monday morning at the Meijer store, because it doesn't have loyalty card silliness. Apples. Cat food. Cheese. Also stopped at Trader Joe's which is near by. When I'm in my "old" neighborhood I enjoy using a family owned, neighborhood grocery store, Huffman's Market.

Salad
How many books have you read so far this year? Which was your favorite and why?
I've probably read 6 or 7 this year. So far, Alexander Hamilton is my favorite. However, Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder was also wonderful. Hamilton is probably our most amazing "founding father," and one can't imagine the United States without his influence. Ship of Gold was just extremely well written with an amazing wealth of information about the ocean, American history and the odd way some people have of drawing others into their plans.

Main Course
What is something you consider to be very elegant? In particular, what about that item/place/person conjures up the feeling of elegance?
Although I'm certainly no fashion expert nor do I worry much about my own clothes, I'm always very impressed by the elegance of the women's fashions in the 1930s and 1940s movies. They really put today's fashions to shame.

Dessert
Who taught you how to drive?
My mother was the first. However, I did take Driver's Ed in high school, and I believe the teacher was the P.E. instructor. I've never had nor been in an accident. I've had two speeding tickets, both for going 45 mph in a 35 mph zone. My father drove from age 14 to 88 and had one accident, and that was caused by the other person.

"This makes it all worth it"

That was my husband's comment as he came in the door, and handed me this piece of paper, completing his week as a fourth grade Bible School teacher. He said virtually every one of his 16 students came up to thank the teachers today. Yesterday they were chosen to lead the Lord's Prayer in American Sign Language for the entire VBS (his co-teacher interprets for the deaf). Every year he tells me it was his best class. Same for this year.

Thank you note from a fourth grader

1178 Facial lipoatrophy

Sometimes I get to be both a Mom and a Librarian at the same time. I've just had a rush call from my daughter for research on five products for lipoatrophy. That means the fat on your face has fallen to your waist or thighs, and those ugly little lines can be filled in with Sculptra, Restylane, Perlane, Captique, or Hylaform. She's giving a presentation this week-end. I've never used a filler. Right now I'm just using the 15 lbs. I've picked up in retirement to fill out the wrinkles. Cheaper. More fun.

1177 Real Estate Bargains

Yes, there still are a few. I scan the pages for you each week for opportunities. I noticed that home prices in the 19106 zip code (Philadelphia) went up 44% in one year and in 85044 (Phoenix) 30%. So, I'd stay away from those areas!

But elsewhere, "close to Lake Superior" (could be 10 miles I suppose) you can buy an adorable 2 room log cabin on 20 acres with a 2 car garage for $125,000. That is a very long way from here, but maybe it is close to you if you are in Minnesota or Wisconsin. If you like hunting, fishing or snow mobiling, it might be just the thing, or you could share the cost with a few other families. Call Apostle Islands Realty, 715-779-5807.

But if you want to be closer to Cleveland or Buffalo (hey, some people do!) "Grandma's House is for sale" near the Allegheny National Forest, just 2 hours from Buffalo. It is being used as a B & B and has 8 bedrooms, four porches and an oil well on the property. Garden and ponds. $284,900. Call 877-723-3910 x23.

Also today in the WSJ I read that the "median price of condominiums and co-ops hit a record in May, rising about 15% to $221,000--$21,000 above the price of a single family home," according to the National Association of Realtors. I think this reflects that DINKS want to live in NORCs and have someone else mow the lawn and trim the trees. Boomers are starting to retire, and they like grass for golf, but not for maintenance.

Our front door condo view

1176 Reduce, reuse and resell

That seems to be the latest in decorating for rich people according to an article in today's WSJ. "Architectural salvage" is the fancy name of this decorating style. Big deal. I've been doing that all my life. Last night I ironed a white table cloth I got for a wedding present in 1960. It fits the glass top dining room table I bought in 1993 to go with the six chairs I bought at a yard sale. I knew when I opened the gift 45 years ago that it couldn't match the quality of my mother's linen table cloths. Those were government issue and of exceptional quality. When my father's ship was decommissioned after WWII he noticed that things were being dumped. So he brought home a very long linen table cloth--I think if you looked closely at the woven design you could see either a Navy or Marine emblem. Anyway, my mother cut it up and hemmed it into three very nice full size linen table cloths. She also cut up my father's uniforms and made clothes for my little brother. That was in the days of "use it up" values.

As I look around the house I don't see much of what the article described, except I'm using a South Hannah Avenue street sign in the guest room as a childhood memento and some children's books from the 1930s as artistic displays. My brother-in-law Bob is a dumpster diver. On trash day he rides around the neighborhood and picks up small appliances, old bicycles, lawn chairs and boom boxes, takes them home and fixes them, and usually just gives them away. I wonder if he's ever thought of selling anything?

1175 A tune up for your memory

Yesterday I watched the Jane Pauly Show. She's that cute, other perky newslady from Indianapolis who now does a talk show. Her guest was Dr. Gary Small who has written ""The Memory Prescription: Dr. Small's 14-Day Plan to Keep Your Brain and Body Young." I'd like to tell you that I remembered his name and book, but I didn't and had to Goggle it. There are just not enough memory cells unused in my brain to take in details like that and remember them for 24 hours.

However, it was an interesting interview with video clips of real life situations involving women who were fearful that their memories were deteriorating. He offers a 3 week boot camp with attitude adjustments, memory tricks and menu planning. I was happy to learn that prunes are good--it's their antioxidants, which are about 16 times the amount in apples, bananas and oranges. So if you see old people ordering prunes in a restaurant, don't assume the worst. They may be enhancing their brain cells.

The program was so interesting I forgot it was my day to do the mail run for the church, and left the house 10 minutes late. Not to worry--there was only one piece of mail at each location because VBS is keeping everyone in the classrooms and halls instead of their offices. Then the gasoline light came on. It was $2.25 across the river, so I swung by a BP closer to home where it was $2.10 and bought $5.03, enough to get me to the campus and back to pick up a book I'd ordered. On the way there, I heard a strange noise. I looked in my side mirror and I'd forgotten to screw the cap back on so the flap was open and the cap was dangling by its safety net cord. I don't think I'd ever done that.

So much for memory enhancing programming.

1174 Pray behind someone's back

The Off Shore Fisherman reminds us.

1173 I'll have what she's having

Over at Rebecca's blog I noticed the AFI's 100 greatest quotes from the movies. I'd been listening to snatches of this list on the radio, and knew that "Frankly, my dear. . ." from Gone with the Wind was number one. So here is the link for your memories and enjoyment. How many of these movies (fewer than 100 since some movies get counted more than once) have you seen? I think I counted 41 or 42.

1172 The gap between rich and poor--the series

In yesterday's Wall Street Journal had another in its series about the growing gap between the rich and poor. It really fell flat for me. It is beyond anecdotal, moving quickly to fairy tale. Could the author (whose name I forgot to write down) not find better examples than a 58 year old man who had a GED and a single woman who has three children and had her first baby (unwed) at 18? What really frustrated me is that Ron Larson, 58, the guy with the GED, was making the same as I was in 2000 when I retired, and I had a master's degree, 24 years experience on the job, and had rank of associate professor. The solution, if I caught the drift, is more education. Why?

After you read through the meaty paragraphs with filler of concern and pity, you get to the little morsels, particularly mistakes made in youth that come back to bite later--like an arrest that unhinges a security clearance years later; failure to finish high school; and an out of wedlock baby or two. I can think of no government program or change in evil corporations that will turn that around.

The examples of success included a "lucky" 20 year old, son of Puerto Rican immigrants, who really hustled, took extra training in-house and moved from the kitchen to the operating room as a surgery assistant. The other success story was a young man whose parents had worked hard and helped him with good values and financial support for his education. He was having no problem exceeding his parents' standard of living.

Go figure.

1171 Playing the race card in Columbus, Ohio

You know the lawyer's hand is really weak when he pulls out the race card when: Columbus has a black mayor; Columbus has a black female Superintendent of Schools; Columbus has a black female school board President; and Columbus has a black Chief of Police. But when Regina Crenshaw, a black female middle school principal, is fired after a black female disabled student is sexually assaulted on her watch, her lawyer says it is because she is a black female.

Regina Crenshaw claims she acted appropriately and had reported problems in the past which the district had not investigated. I can go with that. Why not defend her on that evidence, if it exists? But race and sex? No, not this time, not this case.

Heard on radio 610June 15th - With her attorney, husband, and minister by her side, Regina Crenshaw entered a not guilty plea for failure to report the alleged sexual assault on March 9th. Outside the courtroom, Crenshaw said it's time for closure. The charge against Crenshaw is a misdemeanor and if convicted, she faces 30 days in jail and a $200 fine. Crenshaw also plans to proceed with a public hearing to get her job back. A date for that hearing has not been set.

June 22nd - The attorney representing the former prinicpal of Mifflin High School has filed a motion to dismiss. Toki Clark points to affadavits she says prove other teachers and administrators, faced with potential abuse situations, took the same course of action as her client. Clark says she can only conclude that Regina Crenshaw was prosecuted based on race and gender.

Update, April 28, 2006: "Regina Crenshaw was found not guilty Friday afternoon by a Franklin County Juvenile Court jury. She’d been charged with a criminal misdemeanor for not immediately calling police after the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl at Mifflin High School, where Crenshaw was principal last year. The Columbus school board fired her because of the incident. But today’s verdict may play a factor in future litigation.

Crenshaw wept when she heard the jury’s verdict. Later she told reporters she felt justice had been served."

1170 All over the world

Kids are fans and will stand in line forever. Pics.

1169 Blogging bathrooms

What can you say about bathrooms? They occasionally come up in my stories--like the one I did about cats and the one about books. But photos--that's different--there's more than meets the eye and this photoblogger has done a series of bathroom shots that is just amazing.

1168 When will politicians learn?

It is NOT an apology when you claim the people who heard what you said were 1) offended without cause by what you said (i.e. blame the victim), 2) misinterpreted your comments. This is what Durbin has done twice. First on Friday, and then on Tuesday.

“Let me read to you what I said [on Friday]. ‘I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said causes anybody to misunderstand my true feelings. Our soldiers around the world and their families at home deserve our respect, admiration and total support.’”

“Mr. President, it is very clear that even though I thought I had said something that clarified the situation, to many people it was still unclear. I'm sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time. Nothing, nothing should ever be said to demean or diminish that moral tragedy.” Durbin's most recent apology
Now ladies, let's assume your husband compared you to a fat cow in front of his friends. In his sincere apology he says, "I sincerely regret if what I said about you being a fat cow causes you or my golf buddies to misunderstand my true feelings. You deserve my respect, admiration and total support."

He wouldn't be sleeping on the couch; he'd get a one way plane ticket home to mama, who'd probably make him sleep in the basement. Come on, Illinois Democrats. Someone teach this guy how to apologize! If he were a Republican, he'd be applying for unemployment, a la Trent Lott.

1167 Perpetual adolescence of the Left

Dr. Sanity does a good job of analyzing the Left, their state of denial, and their adolescent mind set.

She started blogging about a year ago with an MSE on the Democratic Party. She found them to be paranoid, with flawed short term memory, with extremely poor judgement focusing on trivialities, with Major Depressive Disorder with psychotic features and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (with paranoid features). Of course, that was during the campaign, but not much seems to have changed.

1166 Statistics

About once a year for one week we'd have to track all our questions in the library. I'm not sure which black hole these are tossed into, but I think ours were repackaged and sent to ARL or maybe ACRL. They have categories like "ready reference," "directional," "telephone," "e-mail" and so forth. You'd get a huge sheet, one for each day and one for each staff person, and you'd make hash marks in the appropriate column as inquiries were made. Sometimes you'd get a trifecta or even a quadfecta with several questions chained together. "Hi, do you remember me?" (one slash mark). "Have you heard about the science fair my son wants to enter?" (two slash marks), etc. The cartoon "Overdue Media is running a series on reference stats. If you don't think it's funny, then you've probably never worked in a library.

1165 Let's send in Dick Durbin

The Illinois Democrat needs a dose of reality. Looking at the world's developing hot spots, not yet blamed on Bush, let's send him on one of those Congressional fact finding missions to Zimbabwe where the leaders are in the early stages of a Cambodian killing fields. Maybe he can talk it out of existence with exaggeration, crocodile tears and puffery. Get G. Voinovich (R-OH) to help with the tears, just to make it bi-partisan.

"The current attacks on urban centers are part of a corrective strategy to drive perhaps two million people back onto the land. Once there, they will be cut off from the rest of the country and at the mercy of government-controlled food supplies. It is more difficult to starve people in urban areas where the outside world might catch wind of what's going on. As one displaced farmer puts it: "The people don't want to go back to the rural areas because they are afraid and also they know the hardships they will face. In summer, it would be easier for people--even those who have lost the skills--to live off the land from berries and wild mushrooms--but it's the height of winter now and there is nothing."

But controlling this population becomes easier all the time, as millions have fled over the past few years, over 3,000 people die every week of AIDS, and most college graduates, many of whom are activists, leave the country. The result has been an astonishing decline in the population, which is down to around 10 million from over 13 million a few years back. Not that the government minds. In August 2002, Didymus Mutasa, today the head of the secret police, said: "We would be better off with only six million people, with our own people who support the liberation struggle." "
The killing fields of Zimbabwe

1164 Tagged by R Cubed: Books that Matter

R Cubed, who has been blogging since January has tagged me to write about books. I have no idea who she is, but she apparently found my blog and whispered sweet nothings to me so I would write this and tag five others. I think I may have done this exercise, but if so, here it is again, and probably different. What matters on Wednesday isn’t what you cared about on Sunday. It’s a myth that librarians read a lot (and if you see them doing it on the job, that is a job assignment). I don’t read nearly as much as my non-librarian friends.

What is the total number of books you have ever owned?
I have no idea, but several thousand would be a good guess. I pick up a lot of books at sales and give-aways. I’ve also inherited books from my mother, grandmother and great-grandfather. Because all our shelves are full, I try to donate to the Friends sale when I bring a batch in. Right now I have 13 books lying on their sides waiting for me to take some sort of defensive action so they can stand up.

What is the last book you have purchased?
I don’t buy many books except at sales, but I think the last new one was “In but not of” by Hugh Hewitt in May which was on our book club list and not available at any of the libraries I checked. It’s an advice book, really more suitable for new graduates, but interesting. Of course, I did everything wrong, and that’s why I’m not rich and famous or powerful.

What is the last book you have read?
I haven’t finished it yet I’m on p. 167 (I’m a very slow reader), but it is The Devil in the White City (2003, Crown) by Erik Larson. I just blogged about it a day or two ago.

What are 5 books that mean a lot to you?
I have a miserable background in literature, so I can only cite non-fiction. I don’t know when the golden age of American education was, but it certainly wasn’t during my schooling. I never had a high school or college course in American or British literature and I‘m a liberal arts graduate. Not that I couldn’t do this on my own, but life happens--kids, work, church, stuff--and the books don’t get read unless I have to for some project or group. So here’s a list.

1) I’d like to say I’m a Bible scholar, but I’m not, but that seems to be the book I open most often. Right now, the NIV is my favorite translation. I probably have 10 translations.

2) “The Story of English” by Robert McCrum et al (Viking, 1986) really expanded my horizons. It was a tie-in to a PBS show I thought was sort of dull--but I loved the book based on the show.
3) I’m very fond of Frank Luther Mott’s multi-volume work on “History of American Magazines,” and I used it when working on one of my own publications and would read it again just for fun, but of course, that will never happen.

4) How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill made me proud of my Irish roots and it‘s always fun to discover some part of history you knew nothing about.

5) “Seabiscuit; an American legend by Laura Hillenbrand was awesome on many levels--the author’s detailed research, her own illness while writing it, the wonderful story, and reading it on Amtrack while traveling across the country. And I love horses. As a kid, I only read horse and dog stories.

So, I'm tagging Family Man Librarian, Matthew, Tomeboy, Sal, and Jordan.