1402 Amen! shouted the lawyers

Of course. They get 1/3 of the Vioxx settlement. Although I know it will be appealed.

And let's hope those lawyers will personally never need a life changing, disease fighting drug or technology developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. It is a very risky area to invest in--as a retiree, I'll probably look for something safer, something less identified with miracles that can never backfire.

The Vioxx case involved a man who had undiagnosed arrhythmia and died. "The pathologist who performed Ernst's autopsy testified during the trial that a blood clot likely caused the arrhythmia and a subsequent fatal heart attack. The pathologist could not offer 100% certainty that there was a blood clot (not found during the autopsy) or heart attack. The jury demonstrated by its verdict that it believed the theory that a blood clot caused the arrhythmia and that Merck and Vioxx were liable."

Well, let me weigh-in with something that IS 100% certain. I've had arrhythmia all my life and it was NEVER found until 1996 when feeling light-headed, I walked a mile to the clinic from my office at OSU and was immediately put in a wheelchair and pushed through a construction zone to the emergency room and admitted. In order to be diagnosed, you have to be having an episode during a doctor's visit. That was my third or fourth incident that day and I guess I was just tired of grabbing a wall every time I stood up. I'd never reported it because I've only been me, and I assumed everyone's heart raced after eating peanut butter, or remembering an auto accident, or chatting in a nice restaurant, or walking into the stacks to reshelve an armload of journals. I thought the room went black for everyone when changing positions suddenly. It was never picked up in check-ups, in pregnancy and labor, or in my only surgery.

After several days of testing at the OSU Hospital the diagnosis was "idiopathic atrial fibrillation." That means, "we don't know why you have a heart rate that some times is 50 and sometimes is 300." But they didn't even tell me the worst part. A nurse friend visited me in the hospital and told me I could have died any number of times, or had a serious stroke. The blood pools, then builds up and splashes on through--sometimes in a clot.

After 5 years of medications to control my heart rate, and a generation of heart research and new technology (paid for by investors and inventors in our health care companies), it was determined I had an extra circuit in my heart, fluttering there trying to join the party redirecting the electrical impulses to nowhere land. It was zapped in 2002, and I went on new and different meds including coumadin, because although the circuit was gone, the pulmonary veins around my heart didn't know the ship had left the dock and continued to flutter and cause problems. They needed to be retrained, and the meds were for that. About 18 months ago those meds (developed by a pharmaceutical company), were discontinued.

Jane Galt and Dr. Sanity comment.

1401 The view of Kelley's Island

We can see Kelley's Island from Lakeside. We think being able to see several islands is what makes our view here so lovely. I've been there maybe three or four times in the last 35 years--by ferry, by speed boat, and encircling it on cruises. Our friends Matt and Megan got married on a chartered cruise, and because they own a cottage on Kelley's we cruised by their place.

There was a feature story in the Plain Dealer supplement a few weeks ago that pointed out the following:

1. It is quieter than South Bass Island. Well, isn't every place?
2. It is on the National Historic Register of Historic Places.
3. It is 12 miles from Sandusky, Ohio.
4. It is the largest American Island in Lake Erie.
5. It has 370 year around residents, and 1,500 in the summer.
6. It's a big rock with dirt on it--you may have to import more dirt before you build there.
7. There are no building codes on Kelley's.
8. 600-700 acres of its 2,400 are state-owned park.
9. It has both glacial grooves and ancient pictographs.
10. It's prettiest viewed from the bottom of our street on a clear day with binoculars. (Just kidding; this wasn't in the article.)

This is not me arriving at Kelley's, but I have sun glasses, a bra and a purse just like hers

1400 Catholic Blogs

Excuse me if I'm repeating myself, I've got about 1500 posts counting my other blogs here, here, here, here and here (library land, where there are no left-wing bloggers), and sometimes I lose my train of thought. Oh yes, St. Blog's Parish is an interesting stop. I'm not sure why I didn't see Vox Lauri there. She attends Our Lady of Liturgical Abuses, you know. Recently she wrote movingly about how those who serve often receive more than they give:

"I used to be a Minister of Care (someone who brings Holy Communion to Catholic patients) and when I was I got to meet many people who touched my heart. But one in particular was sent, I believe, from God. This particular patient was dying from cancer- though I did not know he was end stage- and obviously anxious. Our encounter was not memorable other than I recall a nurse phoning around the hospital because this patient missed me when I visited and wanted the Eucharist. I maybe visited him twice, fumbling through a little service I had to read haltingly from a book. The last time I went to visit him, I learned he had died that day. A few days later I looked up his obituary and found in the last few lines a thank you to all who had ministered to him at the hospital. A thank you he had to have placed specifically in his obit as I never met any of his family. He was blessing me, he was concluding his service to me."

Found her in the Parish Hall--Dressing with Dignity. Wow. I'll need to take another look. Looks a bit more my speed than the Anabaptist fashion pages I've found. The Islamic beach wear have even more coverage than the Amish. Good color and good protection from skin cancer. And she has a second blog.

There are also some helpful links in the parish hall for assists with blogging.

1399 Now, How Did I Know?

While we were doing up the dishes tonight, I told my husband that Pat Robertson would be the lead story on the national news which was due to come on in 20 minutes. We're watching ABC, and I was right.

I've only come across him occasionally on TV, but I know that when he has called for distributing food to the hungry or rebuilding damaged homes after storms or encouraging couples to stay married, the media have not rushed out to cover his words.

1398 Some one should write this book

She said it for 30 years, and finally wrote it herself, Seeing through paintings, (Yale University Press, 2000). And I had the opportunity to sit in her class this morning at the Rhein Center here at Lakeside. Rustin (Rusty) Levenson lives down the street from me in the summer, but this was my first chance to talk to her--had no idea she was in the art conservation business or that she was a classmate of Hilary Clinton (she didn't tell us, but I saw it on the Internet). Her photo has appeared in Vogue magazine--she was restoring Jackson Pollack's floor. She also wrote two chapters in Expert versus the object edited by attorney Ronald D. Spencer (Oxford, 2004). Here's her recommendation for Floridians with both art to protect and hurricanes on the way.

She provided many interesting anecdotes about her work restoring paintings, and how misinformed many art historians and critics have been in psychologizing the motives and attitudes of the artist based on colors, which have long since changed or faded since the artist's day. (Yellow disappears from green leaving blue trees; pink disappeared from the background of Iris.) She gave us a brief outline of the history of paints, including information on fillers, mediums, permanency, and toxicity of chemicals and compounds.

Tips: she uses brown madder and Prussian green to create black. She says she might use a commercial black once a year. (I like ultramarine blue with burnt sienna).
Has never used: cyan or magenta, the colors you see in your print cartridge.
Loves: Indian yellow--very hot.
Purchase: She likes Pearl Paint supplies in NY, for Golden acrylics.

I asked her if her field was dominated by women, and she thought that might be correct. The field requires art history and chemistry, then an apprenticeship, graduate school and an internship. There is more than enough work for all the professionals in the field. "The museum landscape is littered with paintings needing restoration."

Lakeside, Ohio, Rustin Levenson, art conservation

1397 What a hypocrite

This post has been updated.

Jay Rosen shuts down a thread on Bush's communication and press freedom because it doesn't go the way he wants. Huh?

"I'm embarrassed that this thread appeared at my weblog. I'm embarrassed that something I wrote and edited was the occasion for it. I embarrassed that the letters "edu" appear in the Web address at the top of this page, since most of this is the opposite of education. I'm embarrassed for having entertained, even for a second, the notion that Austin Bay, a Bush supporter and war veteran, might get a hearing for some of his warnings from those who agree with him on most things. . . Thread closed."

Noticed at Neo-Neocon. And as she points out, the comments weren't even unreasonable--just not his cup of tea.

Update: Now Neuro-Conservative pours over the entire post, reads and re-reads the comments, in which he finds very little hyperbole and well reasoned thought, and discovers Rosen restates the comments--inaccurately--in his own replies. Neuro: "In a comments thread of more than 35,000 words, Rosen could not find a single critical comment worthy of his standards?"

Update 2: To his credit, he has reopened this thread, but with much finger wagging, fault-finding and suggestions on what to post. Suggests that people who disgree reasonably with him are biased and getting dumber by not changing/reexamining their views of the media. Reminds me of a pastor we used to have when he'd tell us from the pulpit how and why we should be joyful. At least the finger part.

1396 What's good for the Bill is good for the Bush?

Peggy Noonan attempts to explain how the friendship between Presidents Clinton and Bush 41 is good for both of them.

"What does Democrat Bill Clinton get out of cultivating the Republican Bushes? He gets public approval from a man most of the country sees as personally upstanding. When Mr. Bush puts his arm around Mr. Clinton, he confers his rectitude. Democrats won't mind it, and independent voters will like it. In receiving the embrace of the patriarch of such a famously Republican family, Mr. Clinton looks like someone who is, by definition, nonradical, mainstream, not too unacceptably odd and grifter-ish. Big bonus: Mr. Clinton knows that when he receives Mr. Bush's affectionate approval, his wife, who will soon be running for president, also seems by extension to be receiving it. This is good for her. Both Clintons pick up some positive attention from on-the-ground Republicans. This is good too.

What does the elder Mr. Bush get out of it? He burnishes his reputation for personal generosity and a certain above-it-all nonpartisanship. He shows he's not narrow like a conservative, but national like a great leader. This has a spillover effect on his son, the incumbent president. The more his father embraces the foe, the more embracing the current President Bush looks. By publicly declaring his closeness with Mr. Clinton, Mr. Bush senior demonstrates a high minded interest in political comity and a rejection of mere party politics, unlike the low little people who are inspired by animus and always getting het up about their little issues. Would a former president Pat Buchanan hug a former president Clinton? Huh, go dream."

Noonan's Aug. 18 article still doesn't quite buy it.

1395 Stem cell research can use skin cells

Amy points to an interesting development reported in WaPo and other places.

"Scientists for the first time have turned ordinary skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells -- without having to use human eggs or make new human embryos in the process, as has always been required in the past, a Harvard research team announced yesterday.

The technique uses laboratory-grown human embryonic stem cells -- such as the ones that President Bush has already approved for use by federally funded researchers -- to "reprogram" the genes in a person's skin cell, turning that skin cell into an embryonic stem cell itself."

Reuse, recycle, renew.

1394 Walt and Meredith survey the blogosphere

Walt Crawford at the September 2005 Cites & Insights: Crawford at Large and Meredith Farkas at Information wants to be free have both completed and put forward their surveys of the librarian blogosphere. Combined, they remind me of the photographs my husband and I take on vacation--his are all buildings, mine are mostly people. Meredith is doing a part II, so stay tuned. Together Walt and Meredith give us a good album of blogging.

One statistic in her survey that I found interesting is that 77.4% of the librarian bloggers who responded to her questionnaire are in the 24-40 age range. This reflects what I’ve found in blogs in general. Finding older, more experienced workers in any field who understand what blogging is or are interested in promoting their own ideas to a public they can’t see, is difficult. I’m gradually adding to my “over 50” links (now that I’ve found more ladies to link to).

But strangest of all was Walt’s conclusion that I may be the only politically opinionated (“right-wing” he called me) librarian in blogger land. I didn't see any corresponding “left-wing” librarians in his 19 page, single space newsletter (this was on a quick read through--the “find“ feature didn‘t work in this document). This is amusing, considering the entire library profession lumped together would create another blue state--well, at least a county. Call me just a good information sleuth, but even I can determine what lever Library Dust pulls and I would have never gone into public mourning if I were still employed.


Because I remember those days when I was a liberal humanist, I know why and how this designation happened. When you are a liberal or a Democrat, you see yourself as just “us.” When you are a liberal, the antonym of “liberal” isn’t “conservative,” but right-wing. Everyone to the right of you is wrong headed, a threat to your personal space and freedoms, and “them.”

When you are a liberal you can’t see the bias of the major news media outlets because they reflect your own views and opinions; you don’t notice there are no Republican voices on the faculty of your institution or among the speakers invited to the campus; you don’t even notice when 70% of the campus never says anything out of fear for their jobs; you don’t see that there are almost no conservative books on the new book shelves of your public library and just assume they must all be awful because surely librarians wouldn’t tolerate bias in book selection; you believe that money will solve all social problems; and arriving at a goal or target is never enough--you must gird the loins of your cause with more tax money.

I’m far more liberal, in the true sense of the word, than many of the Democrats I know. I believe the “least of these” have value, therefore I’m against killing babies in the womb because they have physical anomalies or it's not a good time in mommy's career. I believe poor and minority children need a good education to succeed in a complex society and shouldn’t be left behind just because their parents can’t provide it. I believe there should be art and music in the schools--libraries are less critical.

I believe that Jesus Christ suffered and died so that every single person can be welcomed into the kingdom of God, but also believe those for whom he died have the right to say "no thanks" if they so desire. I believe that men and women are equal but not the same--in some areas women are superior. I believe in ordaining women and letting their skills and abilities and your needs determine if they should be in your pulpit.

I believe in meritocracy in the work place and don’t support quotas and affirmative action--they are demeaning to all we fought for. I do not support the death penalty. I was a strong pacifist through the end of the Vietnam war when our “anti-war movement” condemned millions of Vietnamese to death by pressuring our government to run out on them. The most shameful page in our history. I think the United Nations is a waste of time and money since it wasn’t able to save Rwandans or the Sudanese and it stole and scammed food from the Iraqis. It would still be investigating the cause of the tsunami and forming study groups if the US hadn't taken the lead. These lives mattered too.

I believe Israel is the only democracy in the Middle-East, the government/country with which we have the most in common. Anti-Israel fervor is veiled anti-semitism, in my opinion, and just a new version of "let's blame the Jews for all our problems." I believe we should stop propping up third world monarchies and feudal kingdoms. I think the war in Iraq will look like child’s play compared to the one coming--with China.

I support strong environmental laws that benefit everyone, not just a few disappearing rat and bird species. In fact, I believe our earth is God-created, organized and run. Therefore we should take care of it. I am a 6 day creationist and think it’s a waste of time to try to squeeze “intelligent design” into our theology or public school classrooms. ID doesn’t say much of anything. But evolution often looks Unintelligent too, and children need to be exposed to more than one view as the liberals used to believe.

Many of the librarian blogs I link to are “liberal”--but only if they are well-written, logical and informative. Walt has actually supplied the names of some I’ve never seen. But I’ve never seen mine linked on liberal blogs (some of that is ageism, not politics). A liberal today has severe torticollis and can turn only one direction--left.

All of this has been said in any one of my 1400+ blog entries (counting my other blogs). But mostly, I don’t talk about politics, but my life now, and even my former life as a librarian. I post my paintings, poetry, family photos, and opinions on health, sports, friendships, parenting, crime, education, and anything that catches my attention. I'm a typical information junkie. But because I am a neo-con (former Democrat who now supports Bush), Walt has selected me as "right-wing" poster-librarian.

But I’ll continue reading Cites and Insights even though I know Walt is a liberal and not a librarian. He’s passive aggressive and uses more parenthetical phrases to obfuscate than any preacher I’ve ever heard (although, maybe, perhaps, it seems to me, could be, interesting that). He’s not just a mild mannered, interested by-stander, but Walt is the best there is at presenting the technology stuff in a way I can understand. So even if he can’t spot a left-wing blogger, he’s still an excellent read and I appreciate all the time and effort he puts into his publications.

1393 Baby In the Hotel Dining Room

After church on the lakefront this morning, we walked over to the hotel for breakfast. Although my husband prefers Abigail's on 3rd St., I like being able to see the lake, and today it was glorious with a cool front having moved in last night. There were so many boats on the horizon that it looked like white caps.



A couple with a baby were at the next table. She appeared to be about 11 months old--just adorable and angelic. This brought back many memories. No matter how they might have behaved at home where they could reduce me to a screaming meltdown in minutes, my children were the model of good manners and upbringing in public places like restaurants and church services. Even during the teen years, I can't recall that they objected to being seen with their parents, and sometimes after church other parents would ask me how we pulled that off. (Please note: this means nothing in terms of what they'll do about church when on their own.)

Never in a restaurant did I need to threaten to take them out or clean up thrown or spilled food. We had a few tricks, but not many. We would call the restaurant before leaving the house and place our order so that our little guy with a 30 second attention span didn't have to wait too long. Also, we never went to fast food restaurants but always sit-down places with order-from-the-menu, not buffets. They learned early that eating out was "an event." Also, it didn't happen often because of our budget restrictions and I was a sahm.

One Sunday morning at Friendly's (chain owned by Hershey's) an immigrant who worked at another restaurant as a manager picked up our tab for us. He said in broken English that it was because we had such lovely, well-behaved children.

Here at Lakeside for years I would order one meal for the two children and two plates and then divide it. Even then they didn't always finish it (they were perhaps 7 and 8 years old). But on to my topic--the baby at the next table.

I like to order the $4.00 breakfast--2 eggs any style, hash browns, biscuit or toast, and sausage or bacon. It's a hearty breakfast and usually I don't finish it. Much to my shock, the baby's mother had ordered this meal for the little one. Not only was it way too much food (I knew who would finish it), but she couldn't use utensils and dug in with both fists. Oh yes, and a large glass of milk. Obviously, the news about obesity in children isn't getting out, or else, people think it only happens if you eat at fast food restaurants.

1392 The Pressure to Conform

Even in writing class! Modesty Zone featured Amanda in the August issue. She writes about a college class:

"Last spring I took a fiction writing class in college in which I wrote stories that portrayed romance and faithfulness as a positive thing. This evoked brutal hostility from the other students who said my work was sentimental and unrealistic and that my character's feelings qualified them as insane. While hurtful, I could deal with such criticism from my peers but thought it was completely inappropriate when the instructor decided to join them. At one point he told me to "find something to write about besides policing men's sexual desires," and he was constantly insisting that I "revise" my stories in ways that would alter their message. When I refused to alter that aspect of my work, since I felt no teacher has a right to dictate a student's moral beliefs, he docked my grade in response. It continues to baffle me as to why our beliefs invoke such extreme hatred."

Well, because our beliefs are very threatening. They show you have a moral center, and if you have that, it probably means he didn't and then he felt naked--a more embarrassing position than the one he wanted you to take.

She gets an award for bravery from the site admin.

1391 There's gotta be a pony in here somewhere!

Dig and dig. Keep working despite the odor. Isn't it just amazing that the whole world goes to hell in a handbasket when oafish, ill-mannered, poorly-spoken and illiterate war monger with a librarian-wife who never worked a day in her life gets into office with 51% of the popular vote? But now he can be credited for bringing back an obscure Shakespearean play.

"John Hurley had hoped to direct Shakespeare’s "Measure for Measure" for some time. But until recently he didn’t think the audience would be able to relate to it. "One of the biggest problems in producing it is that its morality is so archaic," Hurley said.

But, he added, because of the Bush administration and the country’s cultural changes over the last four years, the play is now timely and relevant.

"We have an administration that is not going to stop until the laws of Moses are the laws of the land," Hurley said. "We can now relate to this play. The morality in this play is our morality."

For Hurley, the play echoes fundamental changes that have occurred in the country since George W. Bush became president, like erosions of basic human rights and privacy." Swallow here.

The author didn't think to date the piece, but it appears to be Fall 2004 sometime or about 400 years after it was first performed--a better reason to dust it off than what Hurley gives.

Here's a summary, which makes it sound perfect for a confused anti-Bush producer/director:

Measure for Measure has fascinated and perplexed audiences and critics alike for centuries. Critical assessments have ranged from profound disappointment in the play's lack of consistency to assertions that Measure for Measure ranks as one of Shakespeare's greatest achievements. Scholars have in fact disagreed on virtually every aspect of the play, including its central themes and artistic unity as well as its style, genre, and characterization. Principal topics of debate have included the characterizations of the Duke, Isabella, and Angelo. Scholars have for example been divided over whether the Duke is manipulative or wise; whether Isabella is rigidly moralistic or saintly and compassionate; and whether Angelo is incomprehensibly split into two separate personalities—one respectable and the other villainous.

Now that we have NCLB, it is possible children might again study Shakespeare, although it's possible not even the President can reform our failing education system despite the millions of tax dollars he has thrown at it.

1390 I'm not saying they were bad parents. . ."

OK, then I will. They were bad parents who didn't know what to do with an evil kid. Someone on the jury that awarded the injured child's parents $10 million said that about Lane and Diane White of Indian Hills, a Cincinnati suburb. Whites had an out of control 17 year old, just weeks from becoming an adult, before he attacked a young teen-age girl. So even though White's son got a 10 year jail sentence for attacking and stabbing Casey Hilmer, the girl's parents also sued the Whites, worth in the neighborhood of 10-20 million.

"Lance and Diane White should have known their then-17-year-old son would turn violent when they drove off to dinner, leaving him alone in their Indian Hill neighborhood after he got into a violent fight with his brother two summers ago, according to psychologist's testimony in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court on Thursday.

Moments later, Benjamin White spotted 13-year-old Casey Hilmer jogging nearby, snatched her off the street, carried her into nearby woods and stabbed her four times, nearly killing her. Casey's account.

All the warning signs were there, said Charles Ewing, who was hired by Hilmer's family to evaluate White as part of their lawsuit against the Whites." Cincy Inquirer

The Whites own a sanitation service and have endowed a scholarship at Kenyon College, according to the Winter 2001 newsletter.

Update: Supreme Court of Ohio decision on the insurance payout on this case.

Update 2: From 2013, Casey is a survivor.

1389 Gotcha

Jack Stephens points out the usual Blue Stater Bush Whine of an ALA-ien who complains of Bush's poor grammar and vocabulary--in a sentence that lacks a subject and verb. Good eye, Jack.

1388 Sailing with women

Tom Purcell has a funny story about sailing with women. Now, before my husband took a week's sailing lessons (I won them with my prize winning sugar free apple pie), I wouldn't have been able to appreciate this post. But now I know all about the jib and tack, and turtle. Yes, we know all about turtling. Our neighbor (a woman) invited him to go sailing yesterday, but the water was a bit rough, so he declined (with my help). He'd floundered at sea the day before in water like that and the teen-age rescue crew had to go out and get him.

"No matter where you sit on a sailboat piloted by women, you are in the way. Your head is perpetually getting struck by ropes, pulleys and sail rods. If you attempt to do nothing, the women yell at you to pull the damn jib. If you pull the damn jib, they demand you release it. If you release it, they demand you pull it tighter."

Enjoy the story here.

1387 Why didn't you write about that?

Michael Yon replies: "The answer is simple. Often I am asked to withhold information due to the immediate sensitivty. And so, I never release the slightest hint. But then somebody in Baghdad--three steps removed from the action here in Mosul-- releases it to CNN and the rest of the world. What is seen on television and in the papers is practically always inaccurate, or is at least poorly framed. But I rarely waste a breath trying to correct the information. It's too late. Life is busy here."

He continues: “For example [a do not publish incident], our soldiers capture or kill top terror figures in Mosul routinely. Sometimes in stunning operations that display split-second timing. The "higher ups" often say, almost reflexively, that they don't want the enemy to know about these kills or captures.

Sounds reasonable. But whether soldiers sleek through dark allies with silenced weapons, slipping over walls with padded ladders, snatching sleeping terrorists from their beds before they can fully waken; or, whether they engage in a gunfight at a busy intersection and drag terrorists from behind the wheels of their cars--these are not anonymous men. Families notice when daddy's gone missing.

If we aren't keeping it secret from the enemy--and we can't keep it secret from them--who do we protect by keeping quiet? These are not illegal operations. These are examples of the effectiveness of our forces. In Mosul alone there are daily events where the Coalition gets things right, that I never write about.”

If you're not reading Michael Yon, you should be.

Happy Birthday Bro!

This is my brother's birthday (I think--all those details are residing on my home computer). He's got the most adorable, active, inquisitive grandson and has been telling me about some of his antics around animals, after reading my blog about how little girls who love horses have guardian angels. Here's some photos of the little fearless guy. His four guardian angels are just a little to the left, two are resting. Notice his little leather chaps my niece made for him.

1385 Moose tracks

Although there are women who claim they don't know why they are gaining weight, I am not them (her?). I've gained 15 lbs since visiting Florida in February, and I know every biteful. Blogging also causes weight gain, because for each minute you're in the chair, you are not moving your bones.



Compared to this.

1384 Should I cancel my trip?

"Kelly Monaco and John O'Hurley will return to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom for a so-called "dance-off" on Sept. 20, ABC announced Thursday. The results, based solely on viewer voting, will be announced in a Sept. 22 telecast."

Darn! In September I'll be touring European ancient cities and will probably not pause to locate this program. I'm guessing this rematch was planned ahead of time. We loved the show, but the voting system was really screwy.

If you've been watching the hip-hop and break dancers try to learn the swing and waltz and Latin dances at Fox's "So you think you can dance," you'll see really outstanding dancers. When Ryan Conferido lost that ridiculous hair-do and became a Latin lover, he even knocked my socks off. When those hip hop and break dancers stop that popping, jerking and crotch grabbing, they are really something else. Beautiful!

1383 The wet newspaper

A man at the coffee shop this morning took the Plain Dealer outside to the patio and laid it first on a wet table (section A) and then dropped B-E on the wet bricks. Result, one really soggy house paper by the time I saw it.

But even wet, the front page showed a photo of Kathy Wright's son Jeffrey Boskovitch with his dog Beans. Jeffrey was killed by sniper fire on August 1, but before that he had taken in a scruffy stray and sent his mom a photo, which she cherishes.

Now she's trying to bring the dog, Beans, home to Ohio. She has raised enough money, but needs a civilian to travel with the dog. Military Mascots, a group of animal lovers, is trying to help.

Moveon.org isn't interested in Kathy. I'm not expecting a candle light march.

1382 Women Athletes

According to USAToday snapshot chart, in 1990 only 150 women participated in the Danskin women's triathlon, and now in its 16th year, 5,200 have entered. I'm thinking that a woman good enough to enter a triathlon (even one sponsored by a clothing concern) is strong and confident--and probably had her babies before she got into all that. Maybe she needed a hobby as an excuse to get away from the kids and needlepoint just doesn't get you out of the house. The huge increase does reflect the fact that there are just more really outstanding female athletes coming up through our school sport programs. Even my little couch potato kicked the soccer ball around for a season or two.

I googled a bit but haven't been able to come up with (I'll keep looking) research about the fertility and pregnancy rate of professional female athletes (those who really pursue a sport during their 20s and 30s). Dancers, golfers, basketball players, runners, skaters, body builders, skiers etc. Yes, there are many articles about health problems (hormones, broken bones, etc), but I'm looking for something that takes a group of 45 year old women who were (are) professional athletes and compares their family size to a comparable control group of non-competing athletic types. Why? Why not? They measure everything else about women in the marketplace. Send the reference if you know of something.

There is apparently the "female athlete triad"--not a triathlon--which is eating disorders, amenorrhea (absense of menstruation), and osteoporosis. Any of these conditions can make it difficult, if not impossible to become or remain pregnant. And let's assume a woman can find a man (let's say she wants a marriage and not just a "relationship") who is not threatened by her power, strength, size and schedule of events. Even if she has enough fat to be able to have normal periods, and can find some snuggle time with hubbie to start a new life, does she have the gumption to cut back on her training for 9+ months and to sit out the competitions that are her livelihood? She's got to be pretty darn competitive to have even become a world class ballet dancer, or an Olympian, or top seed in professional soccer. Babies, even in the womb, can be extremely demanding and unimpressed with mom's talents. They are the most selfish creatures on the earth.

Call me crazy, but morning sickness, fatigue and walking around with a 15 lb weight on your abdomen does not add to your agility. There are rumors that it may even sap a few brain cells. While you're sitting out that bundle of joy, some younger woman is eyeing your fought for position, even if you are in better shape than 99.9% of the rest of the pregnant women in America. It's got to make a woman think a bit about the value or importance of motherhood.

So, if these wonderful genes are to be passed along, who's going to do the job?

1381 Friday Feast No. 60

Appetizer
Do you get excited when the season begins to change? Which season do you most look forward to?
I love fall, but it is sort of bittersweet, knowing cold weather is coming. As child, I loved the start of school. In those days, that was September.

Soup
What day of the week is usually your busiest?
I try not to be busy. I’m usually successful.

Salad
Would you consider yourself to be strict when it comes to grammar and spelling? What's an example of the worst error you've seen?
Leaving out the word NOT can often completely change the meaning and intent. It seems to knot up quite a few things I’ve written.

Main Course
Who has a birthday coming up, and what will you give them as a gift?
I’m thinking tomorrow is my brother’s birthday, but I always get it mixed up with my parents’ anniversary. If it is, Happy Birthday, Bro. My sibs and I usually do not exchange gifts.

Dessert
If you could have any new piece of clothing for free, what would you pick?
Any pair of shoes that look good and feel good, and are not clunky athletic style.

1380 Moss covered Stones sell Monday Night Football

And anti-Bush propaganda.

"For now, they've formed a united front to make sure everyone hears about the new album and tour. That means new sponsorships to subsidize the tour and maximize exposure, including a partnership with ABC and the NFL for season-long promos on Monday Night Football, starting with footage from a Detroit show for a pregame special Sept. 8. Immune to criticism of their corporate tie-ins, a fixture since 1978, the Stones make no apologies to the purists who call the band a sell-out." USAToday

"It is not really aimed at anyone," Jagger said on the entertainment-news show's Wednesday edition. "It's not aimed, personally aimed, at President Bush. It wouldn't be called 'Sweet Neo Con' if it was." CNN Oh, Mick, you are so vain.

Football fanatic that I am, who will occasionally pass through the living room on an errand during a game, I will complain to ABC Sports.

1379 The neutrality of this article is disputed

Well, I should hope so! If it were any more biased in choice of words [invasion, officially-stated purpose, justified, fruitless missions, etc.] it would be on Moveon.org's site with Cindy Sheehan. And although I haven't read the details, I'm guessing the anti-Bush folks don't think this wikipedia article is anti-enough, and they are probably the ones disputing its neutrality.

1378 Internet access and schools

You probably saw the photo story two days ago about the "riot" in Richmond VA as 5,500 people showed up to purchase phased out, used laptops from Henrico County schools. USAToday described the stampede as causing 17 injuries with 4 hospitalizations.

On the front page of that issue was a little "snapshot" chart that showed in 1995 only 3% of schools with a 50% or more minority enrollment had internet access; now 89% of those schools do. Ten years is a lifetime in cyberspace. But what about those children in the schools. Has the internet made any difference in educating them?

Do these children have fathers in the home; mothers supervising homework; are they in church on Sunday; are their neighbors watching out for their welfare?

Now, that would be a net to get excited about!

1377 Gas prices

My husband sold another painting--now we can buy gas to get home. What's it in your area? We paid $2.45 a gallon to fill up Tuesday morning [Bucyrus], but it is around $2.65 here on the peninsula. I don't have a scanner here so I can't show you any of his. But he has sold four this summer. Of course, I could get out the instruction book and fire up the digital camera.

1376 I'm good

Nathan Bierma in the Tribune writes about the expression, "I'm good."

"If you want to download Google Earth, a computer program that uses satellite images to give driving directions, Google warns that not all computers can run the application. To get past the list of the kinds of computers that won't work, you have to click on a button that says, "I'm good."

Google isn't asking visitors to flatter themselves. ("I sure am a good person!") Google is just picking up on one of the latest meanings of a very versatile adjective, "good." This sense of "I'm good" means "I'm all set," or "I'm adequately equipped to proceed." "

1375 Daughters of women

Vox Lauri noted this OSU study about daughters of women who shack up are more likely to follow mommy's model. Here.

"Research showed that young adult women whose mothers reported cohabitation were 57 percent more likely than other women to report cohabitation themselves. In addition, daughters of cohabiting mothers tended to cohabit at earlier ages than others."

This sounds like a no brainer, but I suspect there are a few other factors. For instance, at some point in the late 1970s, most girls moving in with boyfriends had mothers who didn't cohabitate. In fact, their mothers ranted and raved and told them not to do it, and the daughters blew them off. So what about them? What was their role model? To figure this out, the researchers need to be looking at the women of the 21st century who have some pride, independence and standards and find out what in society (besides parents) made the difference. Was it confidence? Education? Moral core? Religion? Allergies to his pets?

"“As more people enter into cohabiting relationships and have children, we have to recognize that this could have long-term effects on these children as they enter adulthood,” Qian said." Gee, they crucified Dan Quayle for saying that.

Oh, and guess what? "Black women were 90 percent less likely to have cohabited than their white counterparts."

1374 Good news from the back seat

In 1996 federal auto safety officials recommended that all children younger than 13 be seated in the back of automobiles to keep them from harm's way if an air bag deployed. This simple recommendation has cut the death toll in that age group by 20%. USAToday story.

Imagine the lives we could save if we would re-instate the 55 mph speed limit, stop using cell phones while driving, and apply our make-up and eat breakfast at home.

1373 Corn on the Cob tip

Susan and Jim were surprised two weeks ago to learn my husband hates corn on the cob, therefore I only serve it if we have company. Heating up water for one little ear seems, well, peculiar, for lack of a better word. She said if I dunk it in water while still in the husks then microwave it for 2 minutes, I'll have a wonderful treat. So I tried it, and thank you Susan, you are absolutely correct.

This morning I fixed an ear of corn for breakfast in the microwave. Hmmm. Scrumptious. I compared it to the corn flakes, which I bought for our house guests last week but no one opened. Here's the corn flakes:

degermed yellow corn meal, sugar, salt, malt extract, vitamins C, A, D and several Bs, and folic acid. With 1/2 cup skim milk it has 170 calories and about 25-30% of most of the major nutrients you need plus 270 mg sodium and a little protein. Not bad for processed food.

Then I looked up corn on the cob. I'm not sure I had white or yellow--seemed to be a mix, but there is a huge difference in Vitamin A. Yellow has much more. I guess it's true that the deeper the color the more dense the nutrients. I had 59 calories, + another 27 for the margarine; 1.8 g fiber, 146 IU Vit. A, 3 mlg Vit. C, 158 mlg potassium and 20 mg folate. Now I'll add some blueberries and get smarter. All this thinking is exhausting. Actually, I've just been looking for a reason to use this photo of Susan.


Susan and crew on the Scioto River

1372 A Working Poet and Realer Art

Ted Kooser, as I’ve noted before, is the current poet laureate of the United States. Brad Leithauser’s review of his Flying at Night; Poems 1965-1985 (University of Pittsburgh Press) fairly drips with eastern snobbery in the August 7 New York Times Book Review (even though Leithauser was born and raised in Detroit).

He says it is the work of a retired businessman, “moving reflectively into middle age” writing poems that are focused and imposing few serious demands on the reader. He has a gift for simile and metaphor, the professor says, not complexity, pretentiousness, obfuscation and self-indulgence and he is rooted in one place, the Great Plains.

So I looked up Mr. Leithauser on Google. My knowledge of poets is darn lean--most are, well, too pretentious and self-indulgent. Found a poem about a car idling at the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Looks, smells and sounds like a suicide to me. Of course, I live in fly over country so I might be too dumb to figure it out. And as Leithauser says, “There’s something heartening about those poets . . whose lives reflect some vital integration of the “real world” and the realer world of art.” Do tell.

I didn't give a hoot about what happened to Leithauser's woman in June 1953 who'd filled the gas tank. Whereas Kooser's simple poem about a death of a child and her grieving parents brought tears.

The Last Odd Thing She Did by Brad Leithauser.

"A Child's Grave Marker"
by Ted Kooser

A small block of granite
engraved with her name and the dates
just wasn't quite pretty enough
for this lost little girl
or her parents, who added a lamb
cast in plaster of paris,
using the same kind of cake mold
my grandmother had--iron,
heavy and black as a skillet.
The lamb came out coconut-white,
and seventy years have proven it
soft in the rain. On this hill,
overlooking a river in Iowa,
it melts in its own sweet time.

Many thanks to Lynne who sent me the article.

1371 We've been Gorelicked

"[Jamie] Gorelick sat on the [9-11] Commission and said nothing about the second White memo [D o J]. Like so much other evidence -- Able Danger, the Heidelberg arrests of two Iraqi spies, the 1996 State Department warnings -- the second White memo appears nowhere in the Commission's final report. One cannot help but draw the conclusion, especially in this case, that the Commission deliberately excluded it from their report. Gorelick, at least, had firsthand knowledge of it."

Captain's Quarters commenting on Able Danger

Her ability to serve on the commission was questioned early on.

1370 Berger Beer

Big crime spree in Tiffin, Ohio--young kid imitates Sandy Berger and gets 30 days. It seems that 19 year old Daniel Aiello, Jr. posed as a U.S. soldier on his way to Iraq, thus qualifying for free beer from a local bar. He was found in the rest room stuffing bottles of beer in his camouflage pants and boots. The Judge, outraged by his imitating a soldier, gave him 30 days and 2 years probation. I wonder how much time Berger got?

And Aiello even gave up the goods--he vomited the evidence, which apparently smelled like beer.

Seen in today's Toledo Blade.

1369 Eighteenth Century Politics

As I mentioned before, I'm dragging the 800+ page Alexander Hamilton down to the lakefront and the hotel porch for my "beach reading." [Just as an aside, people are pondering why the President is reading such difficult historical books on vacation--he may be the only one in the country with such obscure titles on his must read list. Isn't that odd for a guy who's dumb as a rock, according to a rolling stone?]

The author, Ron Chernow, wrote an excellent piece for the NYT, reprinted at the History News Network, last year on the 200th anniversary of the Burr Hamilton duel, which killed the man who invented the U.S. government and disgraced a vice president. Our political scandals are tame today compared to the 18th century

This will be a "must read" overview for our September book group (in case anyone is reading this).

1368 I'm an ecological disaster

And so are you. Recently I took one of those internet quizes about consuming resources, and it turns out if everyone used nonrenewable resources as I do, we'd need 7.5 earths to support the current population! And I'm careful.

When was the first Earth Day? 35 years ago--1970? Sounds about right. I was a Democrat and a member of a large, non-denominational liberal church where the Sunday School lessons featured purple Martians instead of Bible stories (wouldn't want to frighten the kids, right?). We certainly talked a good line on saving the earth as Christians. So I'm looking around wondering what's changed since I was so excited about "saving the planet" 35 years ago.

In 1970 we owned one house (with the bank) built in 1939. We thought we'd died and gone to heaven it was so lovely, so far beyond what we'd ever expected to own. The house had no AC, wood siding, no insulation, new furnace, original kitchen, 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. When we sold it in 2001, it had two more rooms, was wrapped in vinyl siding, had a new 2-car garage (i.e., less land), new furnace with AC, and had three fewer trees (one died, one grew too close to the foundation as it aged, and one was removed to make room for the garage). Ours was still the most modest in the neighborhood; our definition of modest had changed however. The current owner knocked out walls and added a fancy kitchen--probably spending $75,000.
It just creeps up on you, doesn't it? I even recycle and reuse and wear clothes 10 years out of fashion (actually, being a librarian I can't tell the difference).

We still don't eat a lot of processed foods, but all the "fresh" stuff comes more highly packaged than anything I could've imagined in 1970. The supermarkets, even Trader Joe's, look like palaces compared to where we shopped then. And as an educated woman, I really don't want to raise, slaughter, pluck and gut chickens, so I do buy them at the store and pay some southern white woman a good wage to do the dirty work.

We've never been people to drink much "liquid to go," but plastic bottled water? We'd have hooted at that idea 35 years ago. And pop sold only in 12 packs? Who'd a thunk it. I haven't even seen a paper sack in several years.

My kids were finally out of diapers by 1970--cloth diapers--and we were already reading alarming stories about the garbage dumps filling up with disposable diapers. They were going to cover the United States with poopy diapers. I'd used maybe a dozen disposable diapers between two kids, all for travel.

We had only one car in 1970, and one TV. This past week-end, my sister-in-law said she thought they had 10 TVs for 2 people (she has a mobile home and 2 trailers). I think we have 7 if we count the one here. In 1970 we laughed at the idea that people would have computers in their homes--to track finances and recipes and write letters. What a hoot (I heard a sermon on this in 1970). In 2003 I had three.

We do have only one cell phone. It is 5 years old. I took it into Verizon and the clerk had to find an older person (about 30) to wait on me.

1367 Apologies for World War II

The Chinese demanding apologies from Japan for deaths and torture during WWII strikes me as a bit odd. Now that its the anniversary of the end of the war, we're reading about it again. Japan was probably responsible for about 10,000,000 deaths in China during the war. Certainly nothing to be discounted.



But Mao Zedong and his democide committed in the Hundred Flowers Movement, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution, all in the last 55 years can take the credit for over 40,000,000 deaths. I'm no math whiz, but the Chinese people, particularly the educated class, would have been better off under Japan than under Mao.

Also, I've noticed that when the American left wing compares US prisoner camps they bring up Hitler and Stalin, but not Mao. Why is that do you suppose? Mao made them look like beginners. He hated his own people and culture, as well as other ethnic groups.

I used these war stats because of the references so they can be checked.

1366 My collection of dead links

Every once in awhile I run my blog through one of those link checkers. I think I've found 5 or 6 "dead" bloggers, and know there are quite a few who haven't posted for weeks. Months. Oxblog is losing Josh. Actually, I didn't link directly to him, but did read him from time to time. He says: "Perhaps my memory is clouded by nostalgia, but it seems to me that when I started blogging, the blogosphere was a nicer place."

Actually, bloggers don't like what blogging does to them personally, if the truth be told. It isn't the other guy that bothers me. I've got my favorites; occasionally they make me think, laugh, or weep, or just click off and vow never to read them again. Or I read the blog and can't think of a thing to say. Or worse. I can think of something to say and it's outrageous and completely out of line to say that to someone I don't know in face time.

But Josh is right about bloggers preaching to the choir. Sometimes I can go through 8 or 10 clicks and they are all quoting each other, or have one liners with 4 hot links to here and here and here and here. I really would read left wing bloggers if they weren't always one note Bush bashers. I'd sort of like to know what they believe. I used to be a humanist and a Democrat and I like to think I made sense in those days. After all, I always say I wouldn't own a home on Lake Erie if I'd waited for the Republicans to make a fuss.

1365 Observer on abuse at Gitmo

"While we observed absolutely no evidence of torture of prisoners at Gitmo, it is clear that the daily atmosphere is rife with harsh abuse: The prisoners are constantly assaulting the guards."

Story here.

1364 Librarian Make-over

Yesterday I caught a re-run of a Life and Style show that was featuring make-overs. The first segment was two geeky guys, one of the t-shirt type and the other the bland tweedy sport coat and tie variety. Wow--the staff turned them into stud muffins. Then they took on the challenge of. . . a librarian.

Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library young adult librarian used the segment to do a really terrific PR job for librarians in general--one of the best I've heard. I thought she was attractive as is--long, wavy waist length dark hair and stylish glasses. But folks, I just got to tell you, what passes for a pretty librarian usually doesn't make it in the real world. She was dressed for the vagaries of library HVACs--sort of heavily layered. The thermostats you see in a library are just for show--they don't really work.

The make-over Bully said she'd never in all her days of transforming geeks (she didn't say that word) seen such a change. And Sharon was really stunning. Except for the boots. That just looked silly with the lovely dress. Now sometimes you need boots to wade through stuff where I worked (vet library), but probably not public libraries, unless you're talking about the stories you hear about losing books.

Check here for Sharon's version of the story and why she agreed to it.

1363 Remembering the anniversary

Esther was on the subway when the power went out two years ago yesterday across the upper eastern U.S. She tells a great story. When I walked over one block with my cup of coffee looking for a functioning microwave yesterday morning, my neighbor reminded me what day it was.

1362 Ladies, Can we talk?

Ladies, when the guys put down female pols they always attack their looks--legs, waist, breasts, wrinkles, hair. Remember how they attacked that Republican Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, in the Florida 2000 election? Let's elevate this a bit. If you are ridiculing Hillary Clinton for anything other than her core beliefs, take it down. Got a monkey photo on your page? Take it down. It's a guy thing. Look at her Senate record. If you don't like her policies, if you think her stands will hurt the country, then explain, educate us, make your case. Don't grovel down in the mud with the little boys. It's beneath you. [pun intended]

1361 Sweet Sour Mick

Sung to the tune(?) of "Sweet Neo Con"

Sweet Sour Mick
Rocking in the chair,
at the retirement home.
Well, you're full of hot air
When you call yourself a Stone.



Originally this was more timely--sat in draft form for a few days, and I just found it as 1350. He's probably retired by now. Somewhere I read that tickets to his performance were $10? Gosh, he'll be at Lakeside next year--older than most of the audience, but those has-been Brits are big here.

1360 Congratulations, Ladies

Library Guy reprints an article about what the Jewish settlers have been able to accomplish in Gaza since 1967, and how it's about all to end.

"It's no surprise that women are treated like property in these countries as that's the only way Muslim men can feed their egos, to dominate others rather than ever actually produce something. What a victory for these people that their terrorism has paid off, with Western intellectuals cheering them on. You can only wonder how many youth who have been brainwashed from birth in the madrassas and draped in their culture of bomb-worship and martyrdom will join the global jihad as it now appears they actually have a chance to win. While our soldiers at Guantanamo have to wear rubber gloves when handing out Korans, it's pretty reasonable for them to conclude that the West is ready to fall and the global caliphate is a real possibility. Israel's retreat from Gaza will certainly do wonders for their recruiting."

The mild mannered librarian concludes: "We'd like to offer congratulations to all the liberal, progressive humanitarian women's rights environmentalist anti-war protesters who have made ending the 'occupation' of Gaza a top priority. What was an oasis of life is now to become a zone of death." Conan, the Librarian

1359 Coffee on the Hotel Porch

I reheated my coffee at a neighbor's and carried it to the Hotel Lakeside Porch where I overheard this.

1358 Ka-boom

I'm on battery power. We just heard a big ka-boom and all the power is out. Hope this isn't a repeat of August 2003 power grid disaster of eastern U.S., northern Ohio, and southern Canada. Signing off for awhile.

1357 As summer winds down

The coffee shop is changing its hours--now I have to wait until 7 a.m. So many of the college kids have returned to school that the local business people are filling in with "alumni" who now may be grandmothers themselves. Labor Day week-end is a real hoot--you never know who the wait staff might be.

The programs this past week-end were wonderful. Friday night the symphony offering was "Broadway and the Movies" with Kern, Rodgers, Webber and Williams. Saturday night was Gary Puckett, who I'm guessing must be nearing 60, but still has a fabulous voice. He gave a lovely Christian witness and had a time where he invited veterans to come to the stage to shake their hands.

The weather has turned a bit. Coolish. I purchased regatta t-shirts for both of us, not that I'm much of a sailor, but I watched them being made--3 colors, designs on both the front and back. Really labor intensive when done on the old fashioned silk screen. Mine is long sleeve, and yesterday on my bike ride it felt really good.

I'm working my way through Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. With all we hear about intrigue and chaos in our 21st century government, I must say, it can't touch the 18th century. I'm amazed this country ever made it through the first 5 years. Gleaned along the way: Hamilton was a man of deep, unalterable principles; hair trigger temper; superhuman stamina who enjoyed beating his enemies at their own game; magnified his personal problems; was quick to perceive threats and issue challenges.

"If Washington was the father of the country and Madison the father of the Constitution, then Alexander Hamilton was surely the father of the American government." (p. 481)

1356 Why don't they listen to [insert name here]?

Greg over at Shush [Aug. 10] has a point that reminds me of the peace activists [even the name is a bit bizarre] who were here at Lakeside last week. Reminds me of the grieving mother who has already personally met with the president but wants one more shot to tell him he's wrong. However, Greg is talking about the American Library Association, a group sort of like the elected representatives from thousands of churches from hundreds of denominations who gather annually to feel important passing resolutions no one will ever read, and no one outside their little "club" supports. He writes:

The complaining on the ALA Council list for the past month has been something to behold. "Why aren't there news releases out on those resolutions!" "Why didn't American Libraries put more information about those resolutions in the magazine!" "Why hasn't George Bush begged our forgiveness for going into Iraq after we passed our resolution!" Well maybe not that last one but you know they dream about it. Anyway, a number of the more vocal liberals are up in arms because they feel the resolutions on disinformation and on Iraq haven't been properly promoted. They've been demanding that ALA staff drop everything they might be doing (probably even vacations) and devote all their time to telling the world that ALA has stuck her foot in her collective mouth once again."

And let us go back to the torture resolution once again. In April of this year the Bill of Rights Defense Committee offered an invitation for ALA to sign on to a letter opposing torture. The immediate response of Councilors? Sure! No mention of who the group was but they're against torture too so let's make common cause! Apparently once a resolution is passed, ALA is then forced to hop on any bandwagon and storm any windmill that may cross the shadow of one of the Council's proclamations.

These resolutions do nothing but drain time and energy away from ALA but they are the bread and butter of Rosenzweig, Kagan, SRRT, et al. These are the things that make them popular when they're sitting around with their various leftist friends from other leftist groups and organizations. All tittering away over bad Bush jokes and bragging how they convinced a national organization to say "F U" to over half the country. Rosenzweig is already on record that sabotage and invective are what make him happy. Are we really supposed to believe he has the organizations best interest at heart? Any of them?

If you're not a librarian, you're scratching your head--especially if your town library branch has been closed, or the hours cut back, or everything on the shelves is 20 years old to pay for the computer system. "What's this to do with libraries?" you wondered. Greg's point exactly. You are now smarter than the folks he has to work with on ALA. It's a good template for your own association or organization or church council TO AVOID.

1355 Resurrection lilies

Before we purchased our Lakeside home in 1988, I'd never noticed the lovely pink resurrection lily, which just surprises you suddenly on an August day by popping up through the soil. I rarely see them in central Ohio, although I'm sure they are there perhaps sneaking through in July when we are up here. We asked our neighbors about these splendid surprises, and they told us their name. Mrs. Thompson, the former owner, was known for her love for and tender care of a variety of blooming plants, ground cover and run-away bushes. We have a magnolia bush that is half the size of the house.

Borrowed from www.greyfort.com photo album
So I was a bit shocked when Susan last week-end and Jean this week-end, our house guests, both called them "naked ladies."

More in the category of "naked lady" was the across-the-street renter this past week. An extremely well-endowed, middle-aged earth mother type, she walked her three dogs each morning. . .in her sheer nightgown. And with no plastic baggies for the follow up.

1354 Gardening tip

You probably thought you'd never see a gardening tip on Ms. Brown Thumb's blog, didn't you? I saw one in the paper this week that reminded me we need to do a little ivy pulling around the porch. The columnist said you can remove those little "footprints" that are left on siding and foundations after you've tugged and struggled with the tenacious ivy. Dab them with linseed oil (boiled or raw), let it soak for 15 minutes, then scrape with a wood scraper or rough cloth.

As far as I know, there is no way to remove your children's footprints from your heart. They will continue stomping around even when almost 40.

1353 Mohammed's message for Cindy

Mohammed at Iraq the Model has a thoughtful message for the grieving Cindy Sheehan, who has let herself become a tool of the anti-war forces and continues to spill her son's blood.

"You are free to go and leave us alone but what am I going to tell your million sisters in Iraq? Should I ask them to leave Iraq too? Should I leave too? And what about the eight millions who walked through bombs to practice their freedom and vote? Should they leave this land too? Is it a cursed land that no one should live in? Why is it that we were chosen to live in all this pain, why me, why my people, why you?

But I am not leaving this land because the bad guys are not going to leave us or you to live in peace. They are the same ones who flew the planes to kill your people in New York. I ask you in the name of God or whatever you believe in; do not waste your son's blood. We here have decided to avenge humanity, you and all the women who lost their loved ones." Read "A message to Cindy Sheehan" here.

1352 Langston Hughes' Brass Spittoons

The assignment in writing class was to write a poem about some type of job we'd had in the past, and the teacher provided Langston Hughes "Brass Spittoons" as a sample and we spent some time discussing what he might have meant. Tricky stuff, deciphering what a poet might intend. Although there's little doubt that cleaning a spittoon wouldn't be much fun.

So I used Hughes' poem as a template for mine, following his style, to write about corn detasselling, the adolescent right of passage in the midwest. [I don't know enough html code to get this to space correctly--if anyone can suggest an indent that isn't a blockquote, let me know.]



Working for DeKalb Seed



Pull the tassels, girl.

Polo
Dixon
Stratford
Woosung

Pull those pollen tassels.
Mud between the rows
in between your toes.
Bugs on the stalks.

Mud in the boots
dirt in your gloves
Sunburned eye lids.
Dew on the leaves
Soaking your sleeves.
Forget where you are, girl.

Two weeks in hot July, girl.

Fifty cents
One dollar
Two dollar
Save it all

Buy shoes for the horse,
a dress of course
For a Saturday date.

Tug those tassels, girls

sisters
friends
sack lunches
dropped at the farm by moms.

Faster, faster arms aching
Get a rhythm, back be breaking
Water at the end of the row.

At night in your sleep, girl,

row on row
on cutting row
on green row
on glistening row

All night till dawn
Pull the tassel,
Hey, girl.

1351 You can't be too careful in a small town

In writing class the assignment was "Choose a well-known person from public life whose actions betrayed the trust or adulation he or she had earned from the public. Write an editorial, poem or song lyrics about the actions of this person."

So I chose to write about finding an old book of poetry at last Sunday's used book sale, written about 35 years ago by a man who was the pastor of a large suburban church and a rising star in Christendom. I poured out my disgust recounting how I flipped through it reading the dedication to his wife (to whom he was unfaithful), the acknowledgement of his congregation's support (which he abandoned), and doing the math in my head to try to figure out where he might be today. I used no names--not his, or the church or the city.

As our little group critiqued my essay, the story of infidelity mixed in with colophons and dedications must have sounded vaguely familiar--beyond the usual country and western ballad "you done me wrong" motif. One woman asked his name, and I told her. She said she knew his father from another state. Another woman in the class from the east coast said, I work with his daughter.

There are just no secrets in Lakeside!

This is not us, but the room looks familiar

1350 Free to a good home

While biking to writing class yesterday, I stopped at a cottage with a card table in the drive-way on which were stacked books and games. The sign said, "Free--please leave the table."

Smart lady! When I was Head of the Veterinary Library at Ohio State we occasionally gave away journals we didn't plan to bind. From my office I took a small oak table from an earlier generation of library furniture (I had an eclectic decor that spanned 50 years) and put it in the hall outside the library's doors. Then I piled it high with wonderful race horse journals that were at least 5 years old, and not in our binding quota. I made a sign, "Free to a good home" which seemed appropriate for our specialty. When I opened the library the next morning I was shocked to see all the journals on the floor and the table was gone!

I was a member of all the college listservs, so I immediately sent out an e-mail message pleading for my table and explaining my error. It was returned the next night with no comment.

1349 What's Becker sniffing?

Why shouldn't CNOOC (i.e., The Chinese government) just own all our oil, Mr. Becker? Why stop with just UNOCAL? Why shouldn't the Peoples Liberation Army be embedded right off shore in our gulf and Alaska. Noooo problem. Geeesh. Sometimes I can't believe the stupidity of the "experts."

1348 What is your favorite food to grill?

A web site I stumbled into asked me that very personal question. Tomorrow when our son and my husband's sister and husband are here, I plan to grill bratwurst, but it will be done on the kitchen stove in my big black cast iron skillet. The dirty little secret is that it is cleaner, faster and healthier to use the stove and carry it to the deck after assembling everything at the kitchen table. If Pete and Peg are reading this, the lovely grill you gave us is next door at the neighbors where we can use it any time we wish, but so far, the demand has never come up. Tonight I'm grilling salmon--same method.

1347 Bryant Gumbel and Kelly Ripa

Kelly has had guest co-hosts this week because Regis is. . .on vacation, I guess. Never have I seen a more mismatched pair than Giant Bumbel and Kelly Ripa. There was absolutely zero chemistry, he isn't funny, he is snide, and he stepped on her lines. I don't think this man likes anyone, especially someone better looking than he.

Miss Flora

On July 26 my first grade teacher died. Born in 1906, she was 40-something the day we walked home from school together on a crisp fall day, me feeling quite important to be in her presence, pacing myself to keep up with her brisk steps. My family had moved to Forreston in the middle of my first grade year, and our second home in that town was across the street from her home where she lived with her parents. Mercifully, I have forgotten her exact words when I asked the prim, diminuative spinster in high heels and a suit how old she was, but do recall to this day her reply was sharp enough to teach me it was rude to ask a lady that question.

First grade in her classroom was traumatic for me. My Mt. Morris teacher, whom I loved, had already told me that I should expect changes--"they say 'thuh' instead of 'thee'" she quietly told me, referring to one of the few words I could read, "but there is a wonderful playhouse in Miss Flora's classroom." But that wasn't all, I painfully discovered. The Forreston first graders knew how to read sentences and spell, and I didn't. The first time Miss Flora began calling out words and my classmates put pencil to paper to write them down, I just stood up to look at someone else's paper to see what I should do. The entire class gasped and pointed and she flew across the room like a tiny bird to stop my cheating. One day Miss Flora kept me after school for 45 minutes staring at the blackboard until I could figure out what the word "paragraph" meant.

A dishtowel from the cute playhouse was once tied around my face when I talked out loud, and another time she jerked my braids hard from behind because my head was too close to the paper when I printed. Mainstreaming as an educational concept was not known then--we all just went to school together. Children who couldn't read or write were either ignored in the back of the room or ridiculed. She made life miserable for one little boy whom I still remember. He dropped out of school in second grade.

One day last week my brother called me from Florida to say he'd seen her obituary in the hometown newspaper. I'd forgotten that he too had been in her first grade. "What I remember about her," he said, "is that when we were quarantined (one of my sisters had polio in the fall of 1949) and couldn't go trick or treating at Halloween, she brought candy to our house."

Generations of children really did get a solid foundation from her, I know that intellectually when I look back and realize all the basics I learned in her class. Still, I was pleased to hear that little snippet of her kindness to a suffering and frightened family. My own memories needed a little balancing.

1345 When is stealing not theft?

When a library publication prints the story. Conservator compares the theft of classified documents with the theft of maps, as reported in Library Journal and American Libraries.

"The headline for last Tuesday's article refers straightforwardly to an "accused Yale thief." The article's lead paragraph states equally straightforwardly that Mr. E. Forbes Smiley III is "charged with stealing rare maps," etc.

Needless to say, the initial notice in American Libraries on Berger's unauthorized removal of documents from the National Archives contains no version of the words "theft" or "steal." "

In checking the American Libraries website, I noted this resolution on disinformation. It's a hoot, considering their own carefully worded obfuscation and manipulation of information to say nothing of playing in the puddles instead of checking the ocean.

1344 Erma Bombeck and Peter Jennings

The Jennings eulogies have not mentioned his connection to Erma Bombeck. It was her appearances on Good Morning America in the 1980s that got us switched from CBS to ABC. Not that Jennings was on the morning show, but we'd turn off the TV after her monologue and when we turned on the TV in the evening after work, there he was. Walter was gone by then, we weren't crazy about Dan, so Peter seemed a fresh face--handsome and articulate--appearing everywhere in the world when exciting events happened.

CNN grabbed us briefly in the first Iraq war, then it was back to ABC and Peter. Fox News was a late comer to our local cable carrier, so I didn't pay much attention to it until maybe 2002 or 2003. I gave up on Mr. Jennings during the beginning of the current war. As professional as he was, he just couldn't hide his distain and dislike for President Bush. It colored everything he said, from word choice to the slight sneer. If he ever let a positive phrase pass his lips, I'm guessing he was quoting someone else, something all the MSM do to appear "balanced." I also didn't like that he was so critical of US policy, but hadn't become a citizen after two decades on the payroll (he corrected that shortly before the cancer appeared).

However, his eulogies brought out many things I didn't know--like he hadn't finished high school but attained the heights of popularity and income and continued on a never ending search for information and comprehending complex topics. He loved interacting with children and appreciated jazz. I didn't know that and feel better about him now. I know he will be missed by his many fans.

He is survived by his fourth wife, Kayce Freed, and his two adult children with third wife Kate Morton.

1343 Photos of Lakeside

Eric was one of my "blogging" students two weeks ago, and when he got home he posted some photos of his vacation here. Stop by and say Hello and introduce yourself.

1342 Sailing the front porch

My husband took sailing lessons last week in the mornings, but because he was teaching art in the afternoons, he didn't have any time to practice. He's found a neighbor to go out with him this afternoon (brave man--the water is terribly calm). So he's practicing on the front porch.

Here's the set up as I step around the corner to watch. The rope is tied to the kitty condo and held by his left hand. He has two 12" high folding stools representing the sides of the sunfish sail boat. The rocker is close by supporting the tennis racket which he is using in his right hand as the "tiller." On the floor is the instruction book with 200 diagrams and illustrations, open to the skill on which he's working.

I don't know what he looks like on the water, but he's darn good navigating the front porch.

1341 Reading the sports page

Yesterday in writing class, Naomi who teaches creative writing to children, mentioned an odd factoid about newspapers--the reading level of the sports page is higher than the front page or op ed! "It's the similes and metaphors," she said. "They require a higher level of comprehension." Could it be? So this morning at the coffee shop I glanced at the sports page of the USAToday, just for fun.

Here's a statement from the Money page:

"Sprint and Nextel have a game plan for the future, and it's not what you might think. The play book goes like this. . ." Couple of sports idioms--financial pages do a lot of that. Almost exclusively written by men who think their audience is male.

Now here's the sports page:

"Pittsnogle went from reserve center to cult hero to verb in the space of a few weeks. Physically, he's 6-11. Metaphorically, he stands much taller." This article uses these colorful and alliterative phrases: "a wisker short"; "unlikely underdog"; put him on a pedestal"; "play in the paint"; "quick-draw jumper." Full Pittsnogle story here.

Not only was the sports writing better paced with more difficult vocabulary and idioms, but it actually used the words VERB and METAPHORICALLY. I would have written more, but someone joined me at the table, so it was time to chat.

Made a believer out of me.

1340 Writing at Lakeside

Writing class this week is taught by Patricia Mote of Berea, Ohio. Not only is she an experienced teacher and author, but she is also a publisher and editor. And she comes to class prepared! I love that! So she brings a wealth of talent to the class. She's doing a beginners group in the morning and advanced in the late afternoon. Her next project is a book about the restored theater district in Cleveland which she tells me has the second largest number of theater seats in the country next only to New York.

I biked home at 5:15, ate a little supper and then returned to the Rhein Center (no AC and getting hotter as the day progressed) for watercolor class. Remember the chanters I wrote about a few entries back? Chant for peace with 7-11 songs (7 words sung 11 times)? Well, they were the only other group in the building. I thought I'd go crazy. Not a word about the One who can really bring peace.

1339 The Big E

This week at Lakeside, Dr. Eugene Swanger is the Big E. Yesterday it was standing room only in his lecture about China and Taiwan. As the room filled up Pastor Barbara had to direct some people to the lobby of the hotel to meet the fire code. It being Peace Week, one sweet 70- something lady in front of me said, 'Someone can have my chair, I can sit on the floor.' Then a negotiator type guy standing against the wall began interrupting Barbara's introduction of Dr. Swanger by suggesting, peaceably of course, how we could all adjourn to another room (already being used for something else) while wasting 15 minutes of the limited time. Pastor Barbara graciously declined his offer and continued. Love that woman. Great smile.

But usually, the Big E is Mike Albert, the Elvis impersonater. He draws a huge crowd and fills Hoover Auditorium. He puts on an outstanding show varying it from year to year, and has his own fan club.

I talked to him this morning on the phone. Yes, the Big E was in my son's shop to get his trailer fixed. My son asked him what he did and he just said he had a rock and roll band, because without his wig and bling bling, he really doesn't look like Elvis. When he found out who he REALLY was, my son called me and put the Big E on the phone, so we chatted about Lakeside. Really nice guy, too.

1338 Did you spend the night at Grandma's house?

Parenting is the title of a column in the Plain Dealer written by Dr. Sylvia Rimm. This morning's question was from a mother of 3 whose own parents who live close don't invite her children to have "overnights," but her husband's parents who live some distance welcome the opportunity. I only skimmed it since I was already writing this blog in my head, so I don't recall Dr. Rimm's solution.

Did you? I didn't. Well, once I think. It must have been for a very good reason, and because it was so rare, I remember that time with great fondness. My paternal grandmother was blind, but she knew all about kids--she'd raised 9 on a farm with no plumbing or electricity. My dad, understandably, believed she'd paid her dues in the mothering department, and didn't want her watching kids for anyone, not even my mother. His siblings just ignored his example, and so my cousins had all the fun plus grandma's good company and the influence of her sweet nature.

My husband and his siblings and cousin spent every week-end with his "Neno and Biggie." Those days and their fine Christian values and modeling really live on in his memory to this day. While his parents slept in on Sunday morning after a night of partying, the kids were in Sunday School at Memorial Presbyterian. The grandparents were actually raising his cousin, so I suspect the other children were welcomed playmates for her. He also spent his summers with his father's family at a cottage at Lake Webster, Indiana. His parents were divorced, so this was a way to be a part of his father's family. God bless all the aunties and grandmas who fill in the missing chinks in a child's life!

My own cildren never spent overnights with my parents, although all their cousins did (I think it was rare). I did ask once, was turned down, and never asked again. We lived two states away, so obviously a week-end jaunt wouldn't have been convenient. Once when the children were in pre-school we did take a week's vacation and left them with my sister-in-law who had a day care center. They thought they'd died and gone to heaven, and hoped all the other kids were new "cousins." When they were in middle school we flew them to California to spend a week with my father-in-law and his wife. They still talk about that visit (grandpa cooked bacon in the microwave!) and remember it fondly.

I didn't read Dr. Simm's reply, but because the writer refers to her parents' home as "museum like" I think I can detect the problem. Either Mommy has no rules at all and wants no one, especially Mom, to discipline the little sweety pies, or she has a list of rules to follow that runs to eleven type written pages, about bedtime, favorite foods, allergies, bath temperature, laundry soap, type of reading material, etc. Someone doesn't measure up in these kinds of situations.

1337 The Grieving Mother

This woman hanging around Crawford, TX is in a lot of pain, and it will only get worse if she lets the anti-war protestors take over her dignity and loss. If you read through the various accounts, the Bush Administration has been very patient with her, but for some reason she will not be satisfied until she has convinced the President by personally talking to him, that he should wave a wand and stop this war. Her grief has made her crazy. I feel very sorry for her. But you know what? That won't bring her son back, and then she'll find something else.

I watched my grandmother grieve for the last 20 years of her life after her son was killed in the China Burma India theater. She wanted answers, but never got them. And I'm so glad. Just two years ago we found out what happened to him. What a terrible, horrible waste of a fine young life caused by the incompetency and arrogance of his commanding officer. My grandmother's uncle was a teen-ager when he ran away and signed on to be a soldier in the final months of the Civil War, long before she was born. He died of dysentery and is buried in Tennessee. Grief? His family left his name out of the family Bible, and we didn't discover him until we started doing genealogy. Look down through history and find a war that doesn't have grieving parents or dissenters.

When my oldest son died over 40 years ago, I demanded answers from the hospital, the pathologist, a pastor, my friends and my family. (I didn't think to ask God because I wasn't a believer then.) I was not a nice person and I was really angry. If camping out at the summer White House would have given me answers, I probably would have tried it. There is no response in this world that heals that grief, you can't hug it away or talk it away or listen it away. Losing a son who volunteered to be a soldier in a time of war, to protect his country, who loved the Iraqi people and believed in the cause his mother doesn't like must make it all the more unbearable for her. I just wish she weren't dishonoring what he believed in by pursuing what she believes in.

1336 47,000th visitor

Some time during the night or early morning my blogodometer turned over to 47,000. Today the Truth laid Bear says I'm #441, which isn't bad considering there are over 14 million blogs out there. This changes all the time--once I was down in the 200s, and last week I think it was 700 something. I truly don't understand these rating services--I think I get rated on the basis of the ratings of the bloggers who link to me. Does that make sense to you? And always, always, Mr. Bear says I have an average of 71 visitors daily. No matter if 300 or 15 stop by, it is always 71. All of that is a fabrication, too. If my site gets pinged because someone strung together the words like "playful xxx kittens pursue Canadian librarians" and my little photo of librarian Susan's kittens comes up on the list, but reused on someone else's site, the site-o-blogger gives me a nod.

I'm now on a California consortium/list--I'm considered an ex-pat Californian because I lived in Alameda in 1944-45 and in Fresno in 1957. Wow. The right is really out there on the left coast. I've contacted an Ohio list, but haven't heard back. Maybe 38 years isn't long enough time to be an Ohioan? I say "warsh" just like a native.