2010 Word of the Year

Is there more than one panel for "word of the year?" I thought podcast made it, but on the list from the American Dialect Society, it is a runner up to "Truthiness." Not once have I ever heard anyone use "truthiness" but frequency doesn't seem to be the call here.

Word of the Year
WINNER truthiness: the quality of stating concepts or facts one wishes or believes to betrue, rather than concepts or facts known to be true. First vote: 32. Run-off: 66

Katrina: all Katrina-related words. First vote: 36. Run-off: 22

podcast: a digital feed containing audio or video files for downloading to a portable MP3 player. From the brand name MP3 player iPod + broadcast. 2

intelligent design: the theory that life is could only have been created by a sentient being. Often acronymized and pronounced as ID, the theory is being pushed by explanations of evolution. 5

refugee: a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war,
persecution, or natural disaster. 2

Cruiselex: Cruiselex is not itself a nominated word, but the term refers collectively to all the other Tom-Cruise-related words of the year in the special category below. 0

Heck of a job: catch phrase coined by President Bush. 5

brown-out: the poor handling of an emergency. 1

disaster industrial complex: the array of businesses which make profit from by providing emergency services, especially those that result from no-bid government contracts. 3

Podcast did make some of their other lists, and so did intelligent design (I believe it made the "most outrageous" list, but lost to Crotchfruit).

Intelligent merchandise

I not a huge fan of Intelligent Design in the schools and don't keep track of all the arguments, but I can certainly enjoy their merchandise--the t-shirts, coffee cups, book bags, etc. Here is Intelligently Designed Apparel and Merchandise. Each individual design then has its own page which includes some cute explanations:

"The sensory and motor mechanism of the E. coli bacterium consists of a number of receptors which initially detect the concentrations of a variety of chemicals. Secondary components extract information from these sensors which in turn is used as input to a gradient sensing mechanism. The output of this mechanism is used to drive a set of constant torque proton-powered reversible rotary motors which transfer their energy through a microscopic drive train and propel helical flagella from 30,000 to 100,000 rpm. This highly integrated system allows the bacterium to migrate at the rate of approximately ten body lengths per second. Would you please find out who filed the patent on this thing?"

Of course, if you're not open minded and believe everything you were taught in elementary school, skip it.

intelligent design

2008 Winning the genetic lottery

On January 3 USAToday ran a story which followed up on 19 years of winners of the "High School Academic Team." The group selected in 2005 represents the 20th year the paper has featured this program which includes a scholarship, a trophy and a story in the national newspaper.

Although the winners came from many different backgrounds, they often shared certain things in common: "educated, committed parents, some wonderful teachers and mentors, high expectations and the opportunities to pursue their passions." Of the 72% of the 378 winners who responded to the survey of the winners,

• 94% said they grew up in homes with both a mother and a father.

• 57% of their fathers had doctorates, and 58% of their mothers had a master's degree or doctorate.

More than 95% of the fathers and 91% of the mothers had at least a bachelor's degree, and 100% of the parents had at least a high school diploma.

• In 43% of the families, only one parent worked outside the home for the majority of the student's school years.

In the survey, parental involvement/influence was rated "very important" to their high school success by 81% of the respondents — slightly more than "personal work ethic" (79%), "finding an activity I was passionate about" (77%) and "a great teacher or mentor" (74%).

2007 Lucas, Brandon and Josh

On my way back from the Mill Run Church yesterday I was stopped at an intersection for a light and read for the first time what I thought was just a large Christmas greeting. There were three white Christmas trees with gold halos, and a large banner with photos of Lucas, Brandon and Josh, apparently killed by a drunk driver on Christmas Day, 2004. So I looked it up when I got home.

"Joshua Worthington, 19; Lucas Carmean, 19 and Brandon Kent, 21, all died instantly when the Jeep Wrangler they were traveling in was struck head-on by a man who was driving the wrong way on Interstate 71 in Columbus near the 17th Avenue exit.

According to Columbus Police reports, the accident occurred at approximately 3 a.m. Christmas day when a vehicle driven by 28-year-old Donald Lee Richardson of 2205 Dresden Street, Columbus, was southbound in the northbound lanes of I-71 between Hudson Avenue and 17th Avenue and struck the Jeep carrying the three Grove City men. All three were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident."

Richardson had already been convicted on two drunken driving charges and had been arrested for a third for a hearing in May. I followed up the story but lost track of it after June 2005 when he was out of the hospital and sitting in jail awaiting trial. Ohio has crappy drunk driving penalties.

2006 Where there's fire there's Morels

I'd never heard of Morels, a prized, spungy mushroom until 1993 when my cousin Mel Johnson of Byron, IL contributed a recipe for steak and mushrooms to a family cookbook I was compiling. He explained in it how and where to find Morels: "Morels can be found near decaying elms, south of Byron, Illinois in mid-April." That's a pretty big territory, so I suspect Morel hunters don't give up their secrets easily. Almost the entire state is south of Byron.

In the most recent (summer 2005) issue of Agroborealis (School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks) it was reported that Alaskans were expecting a bumper crop of Morels because one to three years after a fire, they are abundant, and 2004 was the scene of many forest fires. This article, in pdf, has some very clear line drawings of Morels and the poisonous "false Morels." In addition to the scientific information, the article includes some recipes.

I'm just in love with agriculture magazines, and this one is always a delight. Not every article is on-line, but enough are that it's an interesting read.

Seven deadly sins in the workplace

This advice comes from an article on library managers, but I think they are universal--some even apply to volunteer positions or church committees. When I listen to complaints about the workplace whether it is a hospital, a ranch or a sales environment, I hear these same complaints. A list of sins and strategies are at FreePint Newsletter, a really neat newsletter just filled with bits of information on many topics, all focused on information providers.

Micromanagement

Lack of communication

Fostering divisiveness

Abusiveness

Failure to listen

Avoiding conflict

Taking credit for others' work

"FreePint is an online network of information searchers. Members
receive this free newsletter twice a month: it is packed with tips
on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.

Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to a
substantial archive of articles, reviews and events, with answers to
research questions and networking at the FreePint Bar."

HT Peter Scott.

2004 Bird feeder tid-bits

If you have a bird feeder in your yard and enjoy watching them from the window, here's a list of eight things you should do to keep it safe, including telling your neighbors what they should do. Good luck, especially with the one about keeping rodents away. Rodents love bird feeders. Excuse the pun, but I don't think it will fly.

It would be so much easier and safer if people just wouldn't feed the birds and ducks. Then the birds could return to eating natural food sources, helping the environment by controling insects and weeds, and you wouldn't be contributing to spreading Salmonellosis (a bacterial disease), Trichomoniasis (a parasitic disease), Aspergillosis (a fungus causing pneumonia and bronchitis), and Avian Pox (a virus causing warts).

Here's a neat, inexpensive contraption to keep birds away from a food supply, and I suppose it would work with a garden area too. It was designed by Janet Schmitz of Union Grove, WI and submitted to the National Hog Farmer for its Aug. 15, 1988 issue on Inventions. She says, "We were having problems with barn swallows and various other birds in our finishing barns and around feed bins. We were concerned about the potential for spreading disease. I took some aluminum baking tins and nailed and/or glued some wood lathe to the backs for support." These reflectors move in the air current and in the sunlight they are very irritating to the birds. But a side benefit writes farmer Schmitz is that it entertains the pigs. In 1988 this cost about $1.40. Probably $3.00 now. I like the little piggies she apparently painted on her invention. A very creative lady.

Even 18 years ago, farmers had an institutional memory, probably passed down from grandpa, that you don't want diseased birds around hogs (flu epidemic of 1918). But I don't think it's a good idea to have bird waste and rodent pests around your yard and patio either.

2003 I will not look in the free box

Reciting that mantra three times as I walked through the parking lot and into church yesterday didn't work. The service was fabulous--Pastor Jeff preached the best sermon on justification I've ever heard (this is my most favorite theme), so with donut hole in hand I headed for the library. Of course, I ate it first, since food isn't allowed. Just one peek in the box. How could it hurt?

And I came away with two fairly substantial books. Anne Graham Lotz' 2003 title, "My Heart's Cry," and "The art of reading scripture," an Eerdmans title, 2003. The Lotz book, in hard cover, I assume was withdrawn from the church library because several years ago the women's group used this and they may have bought multiple copies. She is Billy Graham's daughter and in my opinion, the best preacher in the whole family. The Eerdmans title is probably a donation, and the librarian didn't select it.

On the outside chance that someone donated it directly to the box and the librarian didn't see it, I'll take a look and suggest it if I think it is useful. I suspect they know their audience, and this isn't a book most will read. Looking inside at the acknowledgements I see it is a volume of essays of a "four year conversation," and one they DIDN'T include was on the visual arts (included a woodcut from the essay). So. . .

2002 Reinventing the image of God

Week-end edition of the Wall Street Journal has an interesting interview with Leon Kass, former chairman of the President's Council on Bioethics, by Bret Stephens. It begins with a discussion of Hwang Woo Suk, the South Korean researcher who has admitted to fabricating cloned stem cells. The media were complicit in the fraud, he believes.

"As far as Dr. Hwang is concerned, Dr. Kass is merciless, and he fires grapeshot: "Scientific fraud is always revolting, but it is fortunately rare and, in the end, truth will out. But in this case, American scientists and the American media have been complicit in the fraud, because of their zeal in the politics of stem-cell and cloning research and their hostility to the Bush funding policy. Concerted efforts have been made these past five years to hype therapeutic cloning, including irresponsible promises of cures around the corner and 'personalized repair kits' for every degenerative disease. The need to support these wild claims and the desire to embarrass cloning opponents led to the accelerated publication of Dr. Hwang's 'findings.' . . . We even made him Exhibit A for the false claim that our moral scruples are causing American science to fall behind."

The article also includes his concerns about performance enhancing drugs, psychotropic behavior modifying drugs, life-span increasing drugs, and living wills. Read the article here.

2001 Report of Commission to Strengthen Social Security

About four years ago, December 2001, The Report of the President’s Commission "Strenthening Social Security and Creating Personal Wealth for All Americans" was issued--it had 256 pages. Of course, we all know that it is now languishing, and not even President Bush seems too excited about it. However, that isn't what I wanted to tell you. Surprise.

I happened to find it in the CyberCemetery which is where old committees, commissions, departments and agencies are buried. CyberCemetery is part of the Federal Depository Library Program, created through a partnership of the University of North Texas Libraries and the USGPO to provide permanent public access to the Web sites and publications of defunct U.S. government agencies and commissions.

Let's say, for example, you wanted to know who the chair of the 9/11 commission was, but you didn't remember the right title. The search window will accept, "chair 9/11 attack." And it finds "The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States" and it finds 170 pages for you to look at, probably because the chair's name appears in the side bars so frequently.

Using quotation marks to define your search, such as "food pyramid" instead of food pyramid, will get you closer to the defunct committee or commission report you want. The second phrase will find the word food and the word pyramid anyplace in the document. It's a wonderful way to waste time. By keying in "agriculture" I learned that the first Iraqi aircraft used after the war was an Mi-2 helicopter from the former Saddam Hussein’s military, refitted to spray date palm trees. That came from a news release of The Coalition Provisional Authority, now defunct--I think. I tried to download its history, and my computer failed. Ghosts in the cemetery?

Quilt Show Photos

I went back to the Mill Run Church this afternoon with my digital camera and took some pictures. I don't have a great camera and am sort of inexperienced at this, but I hope it will give you the idea. There are about 40 pieces, wall hangings, quilts, and pillows in a show described here.

This is a close-up of "Lyle's Letter to Santa." You can see the 7 year old's handwritten letter on the Ohio Star, bordered with fabric reminiscent of the early 20th century.

This is a close-up of the hand drawn squares done by children in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami which were pieced and quilted here by our quilt ministry to be returned to them after this show.

This is a family history quilt using photo transfers and it has matching pillows.

The texture of the cantaloupe is achieved by the different depth of the stitching. This is a small wall hanging.

The show is at The Church at Mill Run, 3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026, and it continues through February 24, 2006. The church web site is http://www.ualc.org

Quilting
Quilt shows

1999 A Japanese English Homemade Reality Show

This young lady accosts people in Japan and gives them an instant English lesson. It's called YouTube. She's actually pretty good. I don't know if she arranges with her "guest" ahead, or not, or who is holding the camera. I've looked a few others on YouTube, and this enthusiastic English teacher is definitely the best of the batch. I also link to Badaunt, a New Zealander who teaches English in Japan. Wonder if she watches this?

HT Biblioblog who finds this addictive.

1998 Happy Orthodox Christmas

Yesterday was Christmas for a huge number of Eastern Christians. So I was googling to see how it was celebrated. Things aren't so great for Kosovars, Serbs, and Romas, despite the well wishes of the season. I didn't understand this region's ethnic battles when we were at war there in the 90s, nor WWI or WWII. But this I do know: Ethnicity trumps religion every time, whether it is Ireland, the former Yugoslavia or Iran/Iraq. These items are from a Greek on-line newspaper, but I noticed some of them at other sites using a standardized news feed.

Serb president says no independence for Kosovo
BELGRADE (AP) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said in an interview published yesterday that he will never accept independence for Kosovo. “As far as I am concerned, I will never sign any decision granting independence to Kosovo,” Tadic told the Glas daily. He said the solution for Kosovo should result from a compromise. He added that the Belgrade delegation will seek to defend “Serbia’s national interests.” “We will use all political and diplomatic means to defend them,” Tadic was quoted as saying.

Roma
The UN mission in Kosovo urged a community of Gypsies to leave lead-contaminated camps in northern Kosovo and move to a former French military base. About 560 Gypsies, also known as Roma, have lived for more than six years in three makeshift camps in northern Kosovo near an industrial area polluted with high levels of lead. The contamination poses a serious health risk to the 125 families living there, the World Health Organization said. The UN and others have described their plight as one of the region’s worst humanitarian problems. (AP)

Visit
Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian prime minister handed out sweets and sipped the local firewater with Serbs yesterday in a rare visit to the dwindling Serb community on Orthodox Christmas Eve. “I came here to see how you’re doing, how you live, and to wish you a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas,” Bajram Kosumi said as aides carried in bags of sweets and chocolate for the children. (Reuters)

1997 Small Comfort

Don't you think the troops get awfully tired of the nonsensical phrase, "We support the troops, but not the war." How many gays would be happy to hear from parents and friends, "We support you, but hate your sexual identity and believe it is a sin," or how many artists want to hear, "We support your decision to be an artist, but my God, that thing's ugly; what does it mean!"

So although I'm sure the troops were happy to meet with the VP, think what some support from home would mean in bringing this thing to a close.

1996 Obedience

Our Women of the Word (WOW) study this winter at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (UALC) is Priscilla Shirer's "He Speaks to Me." This is a Lifeway publication, so if you are familiar with their DVD/video + workbook format (Beth Moore), you know the drill. I had to leave after the DVD yesterday to hang the quilt show, but I think Priscilla is a dynamic speaker. She fully engages with her audience. So far, her examples don't speak to me (about small children), but at 66, I'm not the target audience. However, this morning in preparing day 1 of week 1, I noticed on p. 10 this phrase: "obedience requires sacrifice," followed by her examples of serving family before her own desires, time with the Lord, not overeating, controlling spending and honoring her husband's authority. I'm not sure I agree--that this list could be called "sacrificial." Well, only in upper middle class America.

This is a list of joys, in my opinion. 1) She has a family to serve. So many don't. At my age, I know many widows. I visit nursing homes filled with people whose self-worth as Christians was built on serving others, and now are tasting the bitter fruit of no purpose to live. 2) She has a Bible to read and lives in a country where that is permitted and protected by law. So many don't. 3) She has enough food available that she can choose to overeat. So many don't, or may have only one or two staples to choose from. 4) She has a good income--a dual income in fact, which creates discretionary spending. So many don't. Their choices are all made for them--pay the minimum and hope the bill collectors don't call. 5) She has a husband who loves and protects her and enables her to have a Christian ministry. She is an African-American in a country where the marriage rate for blacks is 39%, down from 80% a hundred years ago.

Sacrifice? What do you think?

Cross posted at Church of the Acronym.

1995 Do it for the children

social security reform

1994 Bad guys and bad stuff

The Ohio State University is offering for the first time a course on Bioterrorism. The new course examines possible threats to public health, plants and animals. The undergraduate course, the first of its kind at Ohio State, was proposed by OSU's International Studies Program to help train students in the Intelligence and Security major.

To teach the wide-ranging course material, OSU Plant Pathologist, Charles Curtis brings together scholars from across the university including professors from Public Health, Plant Pathology, International Studies and the Food Animal Health Research Program. Guest lecturers include a former deputy assistant to the defense secretary for chemical and biological defense. Professor Curtis says that among the general population there's a lack of awareness about the potential biological threats that exis. Full story here at the WOSU site.

We had dinner with the Curtises about a month ago and I enjoyed learning about this course. I've known Chuck about 20 years and he is always on top of things and has a wonderful rapport with his students. I know this will be an important course for people intending to go into government careers.

Bioterrorism

A very long disengagement

is the title of an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Chronicle Review," Jan. 6, B7, by Mark Bauerlein. It seems I've heard this refrain before--even thought it myself about 20 years ago when my children were in high school--or maybe 30 years ago when they were just starting their formal education.

His article draws on a number of surveys which seem to all show that today's high school and college students are running on empty when it comes to history, civics, literature, arts, geography, and politics, all seemingly from a decrease in reading and an increase in blogging, chat rooms, surfing the net and e-mail. What they've gained in technology, they've lost in curiosity. They seem to be suffering from "acute peer consciousness."

Yet, my children didn't have technological distractions, these wireless apron strings to their friends, but even 20 or 30 years ago I was complaining that the school was emphasizing thinking skills, broad context, personal responsibility and a deeper understanding of life without expecting the children to have background and content put there by the school system. Memorize facts? Don't even think it, you old fashion Mama! They were expected to drop their buckets into empty pools and bring something up.

Yes, a very long disengagement--but I doubt that personal technology is the culprit.

1992 New Quilt show at UALC

Our church's Visual Arts Ministry, of which we are both members, hung a huge quilt show this morning. Well, maybe not huge by your standards, but there are about 40 quilts, and our arms get sort of tired. Ken said, "I think we're going to need to recruit some younger members" (we're all over 50). This show which will run between January 7 and February 24 at the Church at Mill Run, 3500 Mill Run Dr., Hilliard, OH 43026, includes rich, vibrant colors, traditional patterns like log cabin and pin wheel, family memory quilts with photo transfers, humorous hangings, contemporary and modern art, seasonal and historical pieces. These quilts are not for sale, and most represent many hours of love preparing a gift for family or friends.

One very interesting quilt designed and made by a member to memorialize her father is called “Lyle’s Letter to Santa.” In this design she focuses on a letter handwritten by her father to Santa Claus in 1915 when he was seven years old. So the center of the quilt is a star on which is his handwriting stitched with embroidery and a photo transfer. The star is called “Ohio Trail” and represents his ancestry; the ribbon, greens with candles and a bit of Victorian flair represents the era. Then at the bottom there is an embroidered sleigh, red on a white background, which represents the gifts he asked for in the letter, all in the sleigh. This is truly a magnificent tribute.

The Quilters Ministry is about six years old and meets monthly for fellowship and instruction. This year they made 14 quilts for Project Linus which is based in Illinois and gathers homemade quilts for sick or traumatized children. They've also made quilts for orphanages in Guatemala and China from which members adopted children.

Each year that we've hung this show I've seen spectacular growth and talent. These ladies are a real pleasure to work with. And the reason Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (UALC) has a building with an address in Hilliard is that we have three campuses, one in Upper Arlington, one in Hilliard, and one on the west side of Columbus. If the church founders had picked a spiritual name 40 years ago like Resurrection or Trinity or Bethlehem, we wouldn't have this confusion.

Quilting
Lutheran churches

1991 Found at Thursday Thirteen

"Novelist in training" has some great cat photos. I found her at the Thursday Thirteen, and she also has a photo blog mostly of Utah where she lives in addition to this one. Great stuff. Don't know where she is in novel land or if she's published yet. I'll have to look further.

1990 But they have strict gun laws

Banks are robbed in the European Union at a rate of one every 90 minutes, and they are becoming increasingly violent with explosives and kidnapping employees. Seems they are also using knives and hypodermic needles.

There's a story in the BBC News, but I don't think it mentions the weapons, which I saw in another newspaper--Financial Times, I think. The BBC reporter seems to be concerned that greater security will cause the criminals to become even more violent. Must have been trained at the New York Times or WaPo school of terrorism reporting.

1989 Phoebe Philo Phalls Phrom Phashion

Phoebe Philo, 31, has resigned as creative director of Chloe, a women's wear brand and star performer last year in luxury goods.

She took a materinity leave a year ago and now wants to have time to raise her child, apparently. She's credited with having turned Chloe into a powerhouse, and joined the fashion company in 1997.

So I'm figuring in 1997 she was 22, right? Maybe she just needed a break from being an over-achiever and great success at such a young age.

1988 Secrets

These aren't really secrets--we all know them--at least intuitively. These are Investor's Business Daily "Ten secrets for success" which they developed after analyzing leaders.

Investor’s Business Daily’s Top 10 Secrets to Success

1. HOW YOU THINK, IS EVERYTHING:
Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

2. DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS:
Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3. TAKE ACTION:
Goals are nothing without action. Don’t be afraid to get started now. Just do it.

4. NEVER STOP LEARNING:
Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.

5. BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD:
Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

6. LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS:
Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

7. FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY:
Don’t let other people or things distract you.

8. DON’T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE; BE DIFFERENT:
Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9. DEAL AND COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY:
No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

10. BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE; TAKE RESPONSIBILITY:
Otherwise, Numbers 1-9 won’t matter.

I would have some problems with a few of these based on my experience and personality. First of all, I hate to set goals. I'm a problem solver. Don't give me pie-in-the-sky talk about 5 goals to accomplish before the next annual report. And don't we all know successful people who aren't particularly positive, are horrible communicators, and act before they have all the facts? They were certainly in my career field, and I even reported to a few. In general, I'd have to say I knew very few librarians or staff who were positive and upbeat about the future or their careers. There were always budget cuts and staff shortages to deal with. The sky was always falling. Negativism is pervasive in academe, except for the football coach when interviewed on TV.

And then too, I knew fabulous communicators with stunning personalities, super empathetic and warm, who couldn't work their way out of a paper bag. This was particularly true when I worked in the state government. But in general, the tenth one is essential in everything you do. Honesty is always its own reward. I'm also a big fan of #3 through #7. All in all, not a bad list--I saw it at the library today.

1987 Write a letter today

The postage will increase on the 8th. How about thanking people who gave you gifts for Christmas? (I wrote my children today.) Or helped you with an event? Or performed so beautifully in that choir concert you enjoyed over the holidays? Or who have recently had surgery? Or, why not surprise your radio or TV favorite with an actual fan letter. What about that elderly uncle who lives alone but likes to walk to the mailbox at the end of the drive-way. Wouldn't he be thrilled to find something other than "dear occupant?" Go for it. You have a few days to save a few pennies and make someone happy.

1986 Duct tape offer

I'd planned to send my roll of duct tape that we just uncovered in last week's reorganization to Pat Robertson's caretakers, but Right Wing Nut House has taken care of that. Even if you believe God sends a stroke as punishment, you don't have to blurt it out to the media and look like a patsy for the Palestinians. Pat also is developing jowls, wrinkles and a paunch. Is that God's punishment for going over the hill?

1985 Postdenominational coffee shop

The title of the article I'm taking to the coffee shop this morning is a mouthful: "Postdenominational Christianity in the twenty-first century," by Donald E. Miller, Annals, American Academy of Political and Social Science, 558, July 1998. If I'm lucky, the Wall Street Journal will get there before I'm out of other things to read, because I'm sort of afraid this is going to be one of those "new paradigm," "seeker sensitive," "new reformation" dirges that are announcing in the death knell of liturgy, hymnal singing, and music that doesn't grow tumors in your ears.

Actually, I'm always surprised at the number of religious gatherings I find at the coffee shop. My husband meets with his Cursillo group at Bob Evans--although they move around a bit. I've met two different women named Brenda at Panera's, one is a chaplain and the other has recently moved here and reads her Bible and listens to music several times a week a few tables from me. I've invited her to our Saturday women's group because she is new in town and doesn't know anyone. At Caribou there's a very intense group of young business men who do Bible study before heading for work. This morning I'll see a group of 4 or 5 retired guys who meet to discuss their faith and response to the culture--I think they are Church of the Nazarene and Baptist. Then there is a black pastor and his assistant whom I see on occasion; they pastor a church north of here that meets in a shopping mall. In fact, I can't recall a time I've been in a coffee shop (as a semi-regular) that I haven't seen someone with a Bible.

Sometimes I want to look at my watch and say, "Let's have a word of prayer before we start this meeting," but I just go back to my reading.

Update: The WSJ didn't arrive until after I finished the article, which was really quite readable and well paced. It is based on the author's observations of Calvary Chapel, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, and Hope Chapel. Our church, UALC (Upper Arlington Lutheran Church), fits his description of the seeker-friendly, postdenominational church to a T, with the exception that we have seminary trained clergy, and many of these churches don't.

Thirteen Things about NORMA in the last 5 days 1. Served communion on Sunday. 2. Entertained house guests for the New Year celebration. 3. Played with my new grandpuppy, a Chihuahua named Abbie. 4. Read "Beyond the River" by Ann Hagedorn. 5. Wrote 23 blog entries, including this one. 6. Cleaned out 2 drawers and one file box. 7. Sorted through all the bills and invoices for 2005. 8. Wrote 6 notes (real handwritten notes with stamps) to friends and relatives. 9. Delivered magazines to a library sale. 10. Attended book club. 11. Met a friend for breakfast. 12. Took a walk on a mild day. 13. Did some financial research. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Jane 2. I heart Peanut Butter 3. Straddling the line 4. Colleen 5. Grumpy 6. Busy Mom 7. Dariana 8. Jane, Cozy Reader

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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1983 The press has done it again

The West Virginia mine bad reporting incident reminded me of the press fiasco of Katrina, but Achoress has said it better than I could:

"So, yes, one could could excuse the press their mistake, and forgive the torturous turnabout which came after, if only they had not - just a few months ago - done precisely the same thing while covering Hurricane Katrina. Recall that back in New Orleans - just as last night - unknown people ran about, shouting unverifiable “news” and the journalists, particularly the always-voracious cable news outlets, latched on to the “news” and emotionally redelivered it, without checking it out, without doing the basic job of journalism which is: if your parents say you’re not adopted, and you look just like your brother, confirm, confirm, confirm."

1982 Maureen Dowd vs. Ann Coulter

Both of these women journalists are vitriolic, sarcastic, bombastic and often angry. The difference is Coulter's columns actually contain information and facts. I tried, I really did, to read Maureen Dowd's column today about Abramoff, but it wasn't about him. His crime didn't appear until paragraph five where she gets to "the Abramoff plea bargain." On the way there she manages to smear only Republicans, as though there are no Democrats involved. Then she moves on to bashing Bush, then Cheney, then she's on to quoting the WaPo that Bush has used something (legal) 108 times. Then moves on to smearing Bush for a joke he cracked at a medical center, completing her tirade about Abramoff (I think) with Nixon. That's a lot of column inches to point out that Abramoff has a plea bargain.

She might spend a bit more time on the whole smelly process of tribal casinos. Today's WSJ reports "Indian gaming is a $19 billion industry involving 228 tribes operating 405 gambling operations in 30 states." "Lobbyists, legislators and inside-the-beltway lawyers are the real stakeholders in Indian gambling," according to Alexis Johnson, Arizona lawyer, and Abramoff is the tip of the ice berg.

I think Dowd knows that, and her column is smoke and mirrors. She'll want to check into some of the Democrats' favorite causes when she's finished bashing Bush and Cheney (yeah, that'll happen) because these tribes getting wealthy on gambling are exempt from local taxes, state labor laws, municipal ordinances, zoning restrictions and environmental reviews.

For well-paced, factual vitriol, here's Ann Coulter. You can find Maureen Dowd on your own.

1981 Nibbled to death

by fees, taxes, surcharges and related components. I've been going over the year's expenses. My, isn't it a treat to look closely at the phone bill, electric bill and gas bill? Where do they get this stuff? If they divy it up into enough small pots do they think we won't notice? Well, we don't, for the most part. Were the taxes for WWII ever removed? This is just the phone company (SBC) and Verizon has a different set.

• federal access charge
  
• federal universal service fee
  
• federal tax 3%
  
• federal long distance tax
  
• federal universal service fund
  
• regulatory surcharge
  
• 911 system fee
  
• sales tax 6.75%
  
• state tax
  
• municipal tax

Our electric bill from Ohio Edison (Lakeside) is just as confusing. First they alerted us that there will be a 3% increase in a "transmission related component" approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or about $1.50. I'm left to ponder how transmission differs from delivery. That new charge is not to be confused with the

• transition charge
  
• generation related component or the
  
• delivery charge

Our electric company in Columbus is AEP, and it has transmission charges, distribution surcharges, customer charges and transition charges, that don't look anything like the Ohio Edison hen scratches. If we're getting a 3% increase approved by the FERC, I missed the ferkin announcement.

1980 National Education Association supports left causes and candidates

with members dues. About a third of the members' dues goes for political lobbying, gifts and grants. Unions now have to disclose how they use their members dues, and it isn't pretty, according to this editorial in yesterday's WSJ. The Union gave away $65 million last year to Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Amnesty International, AIDS Walk Washington and dozens of other such advocacy groups. I'm not sure how that helps teachers (certainly doesn't help children, but that isn't what the organization is about).

"Reg Weaver, the union's president, makes $439,000 a year. The NEA has a $58 million payroll for just over 600 employees, more than half of whom draw six-figure salaries. Last year the average teacher made only $48,000."

". . .last year the NEA gave $45,000 to the Economic Policy Institute, which regularly issues reports that claim education is underfunded and teachers are underpaid. The partisans at People for the American Way got a $51,000 NEA contribution; PFAW happens to be vehemently anti-voucher. . . Protect Our Public Schools, an anti-charter-school group backed by the NEA's Washington state affiliate, received $500,000 toward its efforts to block school choice for underprivileged children. . . the Floridians for All Committee, which focuses on "the construction of a permanent progressive infrastructure that will help redirect Florida politics in a more progressive, Democratic direction," received a $249,000 donation from NEA headquarters."

This one really surprised me. The Fund to Protect Social Security got $400,000, presumably to defeat personal investment accounts. I have a teacher's pension (STRS, university faculty) and we're not eligible for Social Security--not our own and not our spouse's--so just what is NEA protecting? Are they afraid that if their members also had personal accounts when they did work under SS, they'd be less dependent on the union?

Librarians don't have a union; they have the American Library Association, ALA. It looks out for libraries, not librarians, with campaigns against censorship, the Patriot Act, and the Bush administration. I guess that's a good thing to keep their eye off the ball after seeing what NEA does to schools. The NEA may be an arm of the DNC, but ALA is far too liberal to be anybody's patsy.

Public disclosure page.

National Education Association
Unions

1979 The Index of Economic Freedom

For 12 years the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal have cooperated on the Index of Economic Freedom, and today's article in the WSJ compared the freedom outcomes of two small countries, Estonia, which has moved quickly with reforms and Chile which has moved slowly. Estonia is 7th and Chile is 14th.

"The Index measures 161 countries against a list of 50 independent variables divided into 10 broad factors of economic freedom. Low scores are more desirable; the higher the score on a factor, the greater the level of government interference in the economy, and the less economic freedom a country enjoys. . . A systematic analysis of these factors continues to demonstrate that countries with the highest levels of economic freedom also have the highest living standards."

The nice thing about using the website is that you can select the variables and see how different countries compare within their regions. Canada and the U.S. are almost always neck and neck whether it is wages, or trade policies; except for fiscal burden, and there Canadians have us beat (lower score is better). Here's the executive summary--note particularly what is happening in Latin America where Chile is the poster child for economic freedom and all the rest are marginal or repressed. Three countries in Latin America made the 10 most worsened list.

1978 Mom! I'm famished. What's to eat?

There's a lot of media coverage of overweight children. Given the success of the anti-smoking campaigns (which I support), I'm guessing we'll see the lawyers and do-gooders checking our lunch boxes and dinner tables before too long--after they get the pop and snack contracts with the food companies out of the schools (which I support).

So here's a tag for you and the rules: you can only tag a blogger over 50 and you copy the question and let the person know he or she's been tagged.

What snack items did your mother allow in your home and put out for you when you were growing up--either home made or store bought? And what item was absolutely not allowed? Here's mine:

1. Buttered slice of bread with sugar-cinnamon sprinkles.
2. Egg nog--milk, egg, sugar and vanilla.
3. Raw potato slices.
4. Kool-aid if it was really a hot day (made with sugar).
5. Peanut butter toast or sandwich.

We NEVER had soda pop in our house.

I'm tagging Mr. Cloud, Octogenarian, Bonita, Jane, and Cuppa.

BTW, Mr. Cloud and Cuppa are married, and both have fabulous winter photos on their sites--check it out.

1977 Blooger burps

What else would you call it when your blogger template goes all crazy? The writing window for "create" was all messed up this morning, but I know a little code and remember life from a kinder, gentler software, so I kept going. It was a little like driving at night in the rain with no headlights. Then when I posted my last entry about Canada, Blogger.com somehow scooped up the NLM page from the previous entry, and used its bold green heading style to morph into my title and face! It was scary, I tell ya. So I quickly exited before it tried to become part of my blog family (I have six, you know). Leaving it alone in the closet for awhile, I came back, and everything was just peachy.

1976 Building boom in Canada for the Arts

Although there's more to be done, Canadians will be happy about this:

"The arts are experiencing a construction boom in Canada unlike any other in modern memory, as museums and galleries scramble to open the biggest, best, and most recognizable buildings they can afford."

Story here.

1975 Sorry, no more room for tools!

PubMed has a new tool bar to install, but now that I've got the lower level of the condo clean and neat and all our tools in a nice arrangement, I don't think I'll clutter up my computer screen with one more tool bar. I love my Google tool bar, though.

Check out the NLM Technical Bulletin for details.

1974 Journalist gives up job to become a Marine

A 32 year old Wall Street Journal reporter in poor physical condition decided to go for it and become a Marine officer after living in China for 7 years and reporting on the tsunami last December. He'd been disgusted and sicked by the murder of a colleague and the beheading of Americans. He wanted to become part of something bigger than himself and so he trained and disciplined himself until he could pass the requirements. What made him give up what some would see as a wonderful career? On December 15 he wrote his story in the WSJ:

"It's a cliché that you appreciate your own country more when you live abroad, but it happens to be true. Living in China for the last seven years, I've seen that country take a giant leap from a struggling Third World country into a true world power. For many people it still comes as a surprise to learn that China is chasing Japan as the second-largest economy on the globe and could soon own a trillion dollars of American debt.

But living in China also shows you what a nondemocratic country can do to its citizens. I've seen protesters tackled and beaten by plainclothes police in Tiananmen Square, and I've been videotaped by government agents while I was talking to a source. I've been arrested and forced to flush my notes down a toilet to keep the police from getting them, and I've been punched in the face in a Beijing Starbucks by a government goon who was trying to keep me from investigating a Chinese company's sale of nuclear fuel to other countries."

HT to our Blue Star Mom, Beth.

1973 When Bess Myerson became Miss America

You'll enjoy this story of how Bess Myerson made the day for a young Jewish soldier stationed in India, a long way from home--the Bronx. He's a very experienced writer and editor, but a little new to blogging.

1972 And that's no bull

Speaking of the New Year, maybe it's time for a new screen saver? How about something really cute, like some Angus art work by a famous animal artist, Frank C. Murphy. You can get left leaning bull, or right leaning bull, it's entirely up to you. Aren't these heifers just too cute?

Check here for more Angus clip art

1971 Tag for the New Year

The Soul Sings has tagged me, and here are the rules.

Rules: “The first player of this game starts with the topic “five weird habits of yourself,” and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don’t forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says “You are tagged” (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours.”

1. I add up the purchases in my head (rounding to the nearest dollar) as I place items on the conveyor belt at the grocery store. I'm almost always within 50 cents of the correct total, but I've never been able to balance my check book.

2. I collect first issues of journals and write about them, but mostly I look at them in a pile under the small couch in my office, and do nothing with them.

3. I leave my home very early in the morning to buy a cup of coffee. I'm not on my way anywhere except the coffee shop, and I've done this for the last 50 years or so. Wasn't so bad when coffee was a quarter. Now it probably amounts to a mortgage payment in a year's time. I write about what I see and hear at coffee shops.

4. I analyze library databases as I use them, and usually e-mail the contact person about the screwed up mess in the numbering of series or complain about the terrible printing options. I was just looking at Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science at OSUL and OhioLINK and almost had a meltdown. Sometimes I write about that too.

5. I have 5 or 6 places for loose change, but have forgotten where most of them are. It's like found money (actually it IS found money) when I come across the receptacle. Most recently I cleaned out a pink mitten that had no mate, but did have $3.00. Although it's not exactly a New Year's resolution, I'm planning to do some drawer cleaning to go along with our big December clean out, so I expect to claim some lost funds.

And now I'll tag Pat in NC, who is pretty in pink, and Beth, a proud military mom, and Cathy, who is incredibly crafty, and Joan, who is Beth's sister, and Eric, who needs a little encouragement (he took my blogging class).

If I had 6 habits, I'd mention that I shamelessly promote my blogs.

1970 Don’t ask don’t tell--Christians in U.S. history.

This is a paragraph from an Ohio history teachers’ website. I was looking through it after reading about John Bennington Mahan whose story is told in our January book club choice, “Beyond the River” by Ann Hagedorn. Virtually all the abolitionists were devout Christians, and often they were battling Christian slave holders. The abolitionists' homes and businesses were destroyed, their lives and families were threatened, they were whipped, imprisoned and "egged." Both sides used the Bible to defend their own morality. The slaveholders were motivated by economics, but why leave out what motivated the abolitionists? They believed in the common humanity of blacks and whites; that Jesus had died also for the black slave, that they were their brothers and sisters, and that slavery was an abomination in the eyes of the Lord, a insult to a holy God. Their commitment and beliefs are reduced to “conscious choice to break the law” in this passage--sort of a "values clarification" exercise. Mahan died a few years later, probably as a result of his imprisonment.

“Rev. John Mahan, Rev. John Rankin, and others in Brown County, Ohio were not just making a choice to help slaves to freedom; they were making a conscious choice to break the law. The case of abolitionist John Mahan illustrates the fine line between —doing the right thing“ (his conscience) and —breaking the law,“ his capture, arrest, trial, and the results that followed. People involved with the Underground Railroad broke the law every time they helped a runaway. This not only put them in danger of going to jail but also their family (some were left destitute).” Case histories, Underground Railroad

Ohio history
slavery
abolitionists
Presbyterians

1969 What's private is also political

How many times have we heard or read that abortion should be private and not political? That's because the unborn in the minds of many are either property of the mother (but not the father), or a parasite living off the good graces of another.

Liberals are outraged by Alito's ruling that it was not an undue burden for a married woman to notify her husband that she was having an abortion. Now that notification didn't save the child's life, did it?

So the story of the antislavery saints of Ohio, "Beyond the River," reminds me a lot of the current "private vs. political" struggle.

"Their response was to tighten restraints, to raise the walls of confinement higher, to argue for laws to protect their human property, and eventually blame anti-slavery crusaders for fomenting revolt."

Anti-abortionists are painted as the personification of evil woman haters by the pro-abortionist camp--and nothing Alito has done or stands for will ever be more important in their minds than abortion--not civil liberties, or the death penalty, or the 2nd amendment, or the 10 commandments in schools or Christmas trees in the public square. Just as in the early 19th century when slavery threatened the union, it has come down to one issue again in the early 21st century. And Christians are complicit now as then.

"Even though members of the church agreed with him [John Rankin, a Presbyterian minister] that the Bible was opposed to slavery, to say it publicly was a radical move, . . .never [to be] discussed from the pulpit." p. 31

Advent Carol Service

Although Advent season is over, I'm listening to the Advent Carol Service from the Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge on the BBC radio player which was originally broadcast November 27. I can't give you a link or I'll lose my station. It is really quite lovely, and may perhaps be more welcome now than before. I think I started here, after reading Tom Roper's site.

Nine Ten Planets

This story of the discovery of the 10th planet in our solar system is not new, but was one of the top stories of 2005. There's just a lot I learned in school or from my doctors or in graduate school or from politicians that just isn't true or factual, but we used to believe it. Wonder what's next? Evolution?

1966 Parting company

We accidentally received a copy of YouthWorker Journal yesterday and I blogged about that at Church of the Acronym.

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year

Our friends Tom and Pat are coming over from Indianapolis. The guys have been friends since their teen years, and Tom was the best man in our wedding. Our children are about the same age, and some day I hope to see their son Mike's name on the title page of a novel. Their daughter Rachel teaches in an urban school in Indianapolis.

We'll either go to a movie or a jazz concert--it's their call, then either to Old Bag of Nails or Rusty Bucket--our call--for something to eat, and then downtown to look at the lights, which so far, we've managed to miss. I think there is a Ferris wheel at Skate on State something set up to draw people downtown during the holidays. Hope we aren't too late.

I hope you have a wonderful, healthy, prosperous 2006.

May your investments do well,
your medical visits few,
May your friends be many
and love always surround you.

At least, that's what matters when you're my age!

1964 Why AmVet's won't take TV and microwaves

Am Vets picked up just about everything we put out yesterday--nothing was broken, and everything was in good condition and resaleable at their shop. But they will not take a TV or microwave. Too many poor people already have them. They didn't say that, but take a look at this.



HT Randy who found it at the Christian Science Monitor.

"The Census report also compares, from 1992 through 1998, people's perceptions of whether basic needs were being met. More than 92 percent of Americans below the poverty line said they had enough food, as of 1998. Some 86 percent said they had no unmet need for a doctor, 89 percent had no roof leaks, and 87 percent said they had no unpaid rent or mortgage."

Gee whiz. I know middle class folks who have unpaid rent and mortgages!

1963 Thorncrown Chapel receives AIA award

We had a wonderful trip to visit Frank Lloyd Wright and E. Fay Jones buildings last summer, about which I blogged here. The American Institute of Architects has awarded the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which we visited, the 2006 Twenty-Five Year Award for architectural design that has stood the test of time for 25 years.

"The small but soaring glass and cross-braced pine chapel, designed by the late E. Fay Jones, the 1990 AIA Gold Medalist, nestles into an 8 acre woodland setting on a sloping hillside in the Ozark Mountains. It stands 48 ft. with 24 ft. wide by 60 ft long dimensions for a total of 1,440 sq. ft. Its 425 windows, make of 6,000 sq. ft of glass, filter woodland light across its upward diamond-shaped pine trusses to form ever-changing patterns of light and shadow throughout the day and night." AIA Columbus, Dec. 29, 2005.

Approximately 5,000,000 people have visited Thorncrown which is the built dream of Jim Reed, who purchased the land in 1971. When raising money for the chapel, the banks told him that tourists wouldn't come to a glass chapel in his back yard in Arkansas. The Reeds son Doug Reed is currently one of the three pastors at the chapel which is supported by donations. Jim Reed died in 1985 and Jones died in 2004.

Jones's other chapel in the Ozarks, the Mildred B. Cooper Chapel, is also a delight, and one of my blogger links, Hokulea recently visited there for a Christmas service that sounded really special,

"Today the church pianist had a small gathering in her place of employment. She is the manager of the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel check out the website and catch a glimpse of the gem of our lovely village. The place seats about 100 and was fills with people, most involved with the choirs of their churches. We sang for two hours watching the glorious winter sunset throught the barren trees. It was a delight."

Thorncrown Chapel
E. Fay Jones
Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel
Ozarks
architecture

1962 Why New Orleans failed long before Katrina

New Orleans used to have a thriving African American community, according to this article by Joel Kotkin which compares the paths to growth between Houston and New Orleans. It probably answers my general question in my blog about the robust U.S. economy about why so many cities with entrenched poverty also elect Democrats year after year and keep slipping backward.

“But during the 1960s, the push for economic growth that created an upwardly mobile working class was replaced—in New Orleans as well as most other cities —by a new paradigm that emphasized politics. Political agitations promoted various forms of racial redress, and the rights of people to receive government welfare payments. By the late 1970s, African Americans in many American cities had gained more titular power than they’d ever dreamed of, including the mayoralty of New Orleans.

The new political gains of black Americans were widely regarded as a major step toward an improved social status. This coincided with the rise of a new form of urban boosterism—which showcased downtown renewal districts and insisted that the dramatic decline of city quality of life during the 1960s and 1970s had been reversed in the 1980s and 1990s. Urban elites, including in New Orleans, burbled about the vigor of their cities. Right through last year’s Gallup poll, leaders and residents of the Crescent City had (along with San Francisco) one of the highest levels of municipal self-esteem in the country. That now appears sadly delusional.

The truth is that, rather than improving conditions for average residents of their cities, many urban politicians and interest groups have promoted policies that actually exacerbated a metastasizing underclass. Urban liberals tend to blame a shrivelling of Great Society programs for problems in cities. Observers such as former Houston mayor Bob Lanier have suggested, however, that the Great Society impulse itself is what most damaged many cities—by stressing welfare payments and income redistribution, ethnic grievance, and lax policies on issues like crime and homelessness, instead of the creation of a stronger economy.”

Sadly, the needed tax and business and local government reforms will be ignored and instead:

". . .our urban leaders and their enablers—from rich developers to social agitators—will insist their old strategies are working. The media will likely echo their press releases. This will work only until our cities crumble under pressure, as in New Orleans, explode from within, like Paris, or simply become irrelevant anachronisms at the margins of modern society."

Read the whole article in either html or a pdf file complete with pictures.

New Orleans
Great Society

1961 Remember stories and theater on radio?

Today I followed a link at Jay Kegley’s blog to a free radio site, LibriVox, which provides totally free audiobooks from the public domain. Volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then LibriVox releases the audio files back onto the net (podcast and catalog). Their objective is to make all books in the public domain available, for free, in audio format on the internet.

From that site I clicked through several other free audio sites, including old radio theater. "Bookworm" showcases writers of fiction and poetry. Podiobooks.com will feature your book if you are an author--a good way for you to get an audience. FreeAudio.org was featuring The Law by Frederic Bastiat. “The Law is one of the most important books ever written on the uses and abuses of law. While short, The Law has proven itself time and time again to be life changing to those who read it.” I’d never heard of it, but am finding it very interesting. This site seems to feature titles important to liberty and freedom, and includes Frederick Douglass’ autobiography.

You can spend hours mining these sites for novels, short stories, poetry and essays.

1960 Before and After the Clean-up

It may be difficult for you to see the difference in these photos, but let me assure you, except for one small tray (filled with rolled pennies, WWJD bracelet, buttons from shirts no longer worn, a high school ID photo, and pens that don't work) which my husband wouldn't give up, these shelves are now functionally organized.

Before the great clean out

After the reorganization

See the mat board in plastic peeking from behind the shelf? It is now resting comfortably in a flat file, which took days to purge. All the books from the bottom shelf (if we could learn to paint by reading books, we'd be making a fortune, but have instead spent one on books) have been moved into the art studio to shelves that were liberated of old notebooks stuffed with specs that were out of date. Then 15 years of American Artist were moved and are neatly shelved by year and month instead of jabber jibber. See all those cameras? They used to be all over the place, sometimes in a case, sometimes not. Now they have friends to keep themselves company. See those little plastic film containers building pyramids like cheerleaders? In the trash--we had about 50. See the box on top of the shelf. It contained slides which have all joined their slide friends in another cabinet behind those louver doors (the kitty litter is also behind those doors and that artificial floral arrangement is to pretend you can't smell it).

Now on the other side of the room is the larger 36" shelf we swapped with our son, and a few items, like those photo boxes were moved there. This shelving unit contains a lot of reference material--magazine photos, Christmas cards, sketches, etc. Also, loaded carousels for painting reference--probably every barn in northern Illinois is in there. The paintings on the wall are mine--all of Lakeside, OH. A mirror would have been nice, but after getting rid of so much stuff, I didn't want to start buying again.



Well, what do you think?

storage
art supplies

1959 Year-end assessments of the economy

Those of us concerned about the poor will be delighted to read all the year end assessments of the economy. If you were Kedwards people who believed all the sour economic news floated by the DNC during the election of 2004 please know nothing helps the poor more than a good economy--although it does hurt Democrats if they aren‘t in charge because then people aren't beholden to them.

Now that we’re retired on pensions and moving to the bottom quintile again, where we were in our early 20’s, I’m very happy with the thriving economy and am puzzled that liberals who claim to care so much are so unhappy. And it is a mystery to me why the cities with the highest poverty rates keep returning local Democrats to office to run things. You can fool some of the people all of the time, I suppose.

“Remember the 2004 debate over the "jobless recovery" and "outsourcing"? Here's the reality: The great American jobs machine has averaged a net increase of nearly 200,000 new jobs a month this year. Some 4.5 million more Americans are working today than in May of 2003, before the Bush investment tax cuts. The employment expansion in financial services, software design, medical technology and many other growth industries dwarfs the smaller job losses in the domestic auto industry.

Critics of the U.S economic model charge that income gains for workers still have not caught up with the losses from the 2000-2001 high-tech collapse. Now they have. The Treasury Department reported last week that "real hourly wages are up 1.1% versus the previous business cycle peak in early 2001." Workers are now earning more per hour in real terms than they did at the height of the 1990s expansion.” Rodney Dangerfield Revisited in today’s WSJ

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Jan. 2006 reports a very positive picture: "As we begin the 50th month of economic growth this new year, not too much has changed. You can expect 3% growth in 2006 to follow the 3.6% of 2005 -- an excellent showing considering the massive hurricanes, record oil prices and relentless Federal Reserve Board interest-rate hikes. . . The U.S. will create two million new jobs in 2006, on top of 1.8 million in 2005, enough to hold the unemployment rate to 5%. With jobs plentiful, employers will add nearly 4% to paychecks. . . Corporate America's balance sheets and profit margins are the strongest they've been since the 1960s, with only a few industries, such as airlines and U.S. automakers, in trouble."

U.S. economy
unemployment
economic growth
jobless recovery

1958 Mere Magazines

In today's Wall Street Journal Dr. Thomas P. Stossel of Harvard Medical School takes on the hypocrisy of some of the top medical and science journals. Recently, some high profile U.S. journals like JAMA, NEJM, and Science have been caught with their data down, publishing articles from India, China and Korea ranging from cloning to stem cell research to nutrition after heart attacks that would never meet FDA scrutiny in the USA because of the limited clinical trials and bad data. His gripe with these journals' editors is that they quick to criticize the pharmaceuticals (i.e. big business that took the risks) but seem to be blind to the power trail in academe or their own flubs.

"Many [academics] would run over their grandmothers to claim priority for a discovery, impose their pet theory on the field, obtain a research grant, win an award or garner a promotion. . . We exercise our ambitions by publishing research papers in journals."

And he concludes: "If reporters understood that journals are magazines, not Holy Scripture. . ." Oh I love that.

I can't find a free link to Dr. Stossel's article, but here's one he wrote for Forbes with similar information and different details called "Free the Scienctists."

medical journals
anti-business bias

1957 Book Club selection for January

This coming month's selection is "Beyond the River" by Ann Hagedorn. The subtitle: the untold story of the heroes of the underground railroad. The action takes place in Ripley, Ohio, across the river from Kentucky--a free state and a slave state. I'm not far into the book, but the writing is good and draws the reader into the story immediately with setting the scene and building the characters. However, when I read about this era, which according to Hagedorn begins in the 18th century with people who were against slavery and believed they were born to change the world, I can't help think of our current battle between the pro-life and pro-choice forces. What is a life and what is its value. There are many paragraphs that with a few word changes could describe our politics today, where every court nominee depends on what was said about abortion 20 years ago in some clerking memo.

"As news of the Missouri Compromise reached Carlisle, Kentucky, where [John] Rankin lived, and nearby Concord, where he preached, Rankin felt the pulse of his community quicken. He sensed the anger in the hearts of slave owners and the frustration among antislavery advocates when he stood at the pulpit seeking to prove that slavery was as great a crime against the laws of God as murder, and arguing that every slaveholder must free his slaves to adhere to the teachings of the Scriptures..."

Also, I'll need to check my Family Tree database. John Rankin was born in East Tennessee in 1793, and that's where my family's ancestors settled after service in the Revolution (Scots-Irish who hated the British), and I think I remember some Rankins in the family.

1956 Bush book critics

Over the holidays, the President is reading "When Trumpets Call, Theodore Roosevelt After The White House," by Patricia O'Toole, and "Imperial Grunt, The American Military On The Ground," by Robert Kaplan. A talk show hostess like Oprah can recommend anything and the MSM falls all over her. But every time it is reported in the news that the President is reading a particular title, some literary snob jumps in and makes snide remarks about his choices, his ability to read, his grades in college, or his conclusions.

The president enjoys reading biography, history, military science and economics, and Literary Saloon reacts predictably--doesn't think he can read two books, and doesn't believe he is an avid reader. She/He probably believed Kerry's opinion about the worst economy since the Depression. If you hate Bush, you'll believe--or not believe--anything. This summer when he was reading "The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History," "Salt: A World History" and "Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar" journalists and critics were "reading" all sorts of strange things into his choices. Oh yes, and they criticize him for not watching their newscasts. Reads and doesn't watch TV. Sounds smart to me.

But at least "Saloon," the blog of Complete Review, knows what it is: "The Complete Review makes no claims whatsoever to any form of objectivity in its reviews and opinions. We acknowledge that the biases and personal views of the editors colour all aspects of this site." That's refreshing, isn't it?

1955 A wonderful love story

between a brother and sister that will have you laughing and crying at the same time. Read Jake's story about the mysterious Christmas puzzles.

1954 Podcast is Word of the Year

Nathan Bierma who writes "On language" for Chicago Tribune reports:

"The editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary have validated the sudden spread of podcasting by naming "podcast" the Word of the Year for 2005.

"Podcast," defined as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player," will be added to the next edition of the New Oxford American Dictionary.

The word originated as a play on the word "broadcast" using the name of Apple's popular handheld digital music player, the iPod."

He goes on to say that the word "pod" isn't from the Greek, as in "podiatrist," but rather, "The word "pod" began as "cod" in Old English, meaning "the husk or outer covering of any fruit or seed." The 'pod' spelling isn't recorded until 1688, according to the Oxford English Dictionary." No one seems to know why the P replaced the C, but apparently numerous English words meaning swollen or protruding start with the letter P, but let's not go there.

1952 The Travesty of Daniel

Insulting, demeaning programming about Christians wouldn't be so bad if there were anything to balance it. Like a show about an actual Christian who wasn't a ghost or an angel. The new NBC show, Book of Daniel, about a dysfunctional Episcopal priest is supposed to "edgy," "challenging" and "courageous." Yea, and I'm Madonna in a reality show about Detroit. The series is written by Jack Kenny, a non-Christian who describes himself as being "in Catholic recovery," and is interested in Buddhist teachings about reincarnation and isn't sure exactly how he defines God and/or Jesus. "I don't necessarily know that all the myth surrounding him (Jesus) is true," he said.

All you can do is turn it off--not just the show, but the whole channel--or write to the advertisers and let them know you will vote for this show with your non-dollars. Complaining to NBC will probably just give it more publicity. You know how the liberals love to whine about censorship.

1951 Just about packed up

We decided to rearrange and repack and give-away, and I've written about that ordeal here and here. AmVets are supposed to come tomorrow to pick it all up, and we've taken everything to the garage, hoping we don't have to move that car today. And I use the royal "we" here because everything was too heavy for me to carry.

I think there is over $10,000 of drapes in the pile--however, used drapes have no value especially if they've been created for specific windows. And there are size 37 sport coats and suits, an almost new pair of black loafers that hurt my feet, bright fuschia Capri pants size 8 with an even wilder top (what was I thinking?), winter sweaters, Hawaiian shirts, a 20 cup coffee maker, about 50 8-track tapes, pictures in frames, a double bedspread with matching pillow shams, twin bed skirts, two director's chairs, b & w TV, microwave, books, toys, a number of cookie tins nesting, notebooks and paper and pencils, portable typewriter, a tall chair for a drawing table, and other stuff I've already forgotten. Three 40 gallon trash bags of shredded documents went out with the trash pick-up this morning.
Some things were rescued and redistributed--like jewelry from the 70s and 80s to a niece who can reuse the beads in her art, and itty bitty figurines and toys for a friend who makes dioramas. We pulled out a framed photo of the Columbus skyline at the last minute deciding we could reuse the frame.

This is going to feel good when my muscles stop hurting.

AmVets
donations
housecleaning
clutter solutions

1950 Hostile aggressive drivers

are also hostile and aggressive in other areas of their lives and are also more likely to drink and drive, according to a report I heard this morning on drivers from 18-45. I guess we knew that intuitively, didn't we? So when you hear the squealing tires, the horn blaring, and you get the finger, just imagine what his wife and kids are putting up with.

1949 Love cats, and the occasional dog

This is a thought from the writer Anne Lamott, in "Mothers who think," July 22, 1999, www.salon.com.

"If you hang around sober alcoholics long enough, you will hear at least a few of them pronounce that God's will for them is to be happy, joyous and free. I personally believe that this is a bit of a stretch, or at any rate, a very American conviction. My priest friend Tom Weston says that God's will for each of us is to have a life. "And it is up to us to go and get one. Find some work, some love, some play. Taste things. Be of service. Feed the hungry and clean the beaches and clothe the naked and work for justice. Love God, love your neighbor. Help build a world where it is safe to be a child, and where it is safe to grow old. And love cats, and the occasional dog." I think this pretty much says it."

1948 Are there two of you under one roof?

For over a week, we have been discarding, rearranging and repacking our files, books, art work, church records and memorabilia. All so I can move my drawing table and art space into the family room/husband's office which has nice north light. If you have two musicians, or two artists, or two doctors in your house, you will understand the problem. We are two organizers trying to share space. My husband is more tidy, but I'm the better organizer. I can think alphabetically, chronologically or by keyword. But all three mushed together drives me crazy. After he was hitting the home stretch yesterday (I'm not even close), I took a peek. I looked inside a box labeled, "Hawaii and stuff." I found some papers from church workshops of 30 years ago, never looked at after the event; some black and white photos of my husband when he had hair and polyester suits; a 1994 NCARB memo; a 17 year old letter; and some items from our 1985 trip to Hawaii.

When I looked at the boxes and boxes of old financial records, I discovered not only did we have all the cancelled checks, but all the invoices, bills, and statements too. He was too discouraged by my displeasure to even think about another reorganization, so I went to Staples and bought a small paper shredder, and am going through about 15 years worth of bills, etc. I have no idea where the first 30 years are--but apparently I've done this before. I decided to shred them because of all the account numbers. They don't mean anything to me, but with the ever growing number of databases on the internet tracking us, I just didn't want them floating around the garbage dump, or where ever these will finally be buried or incinerated.

Earlier in the month I'd planned to hire my friend Bev to reorganize us, but now see the folly of that idea. We got ourselves into this, and no professional organizer (or marriage counselor) will get us out. But Bev, there is still the garage! It is very tidy, but I can't find anything in it because he organized it.

Here's the polyester suit. I also found the bill for the removal of the two apple trees that show in this photo which happened about 20 years later.

1947 Women can’t take this anymore!

NOW and the Feminist Majority have launched Enraged and Engaged as part of Freedom Winter '06 to stop the confirmation of “extremist” Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. So watch out for some funny stuff because I’ve read through their news items with all the alarmist words, but can find not one single specific thing they can point to--just the usual “call your Senator, send e-mails, send us money, lots of money” rant, rave and hoop-la.

Samuel Alito
Supreme Court
Politics as usual
National Organization for women
Feminists

1946 The Road to Kelo is paved with wheat

"Beginning with its 1938 term, the Court actively promoted broad national authority over economic and social affairs, at the expense of state power. The justices relied on novel and expansive interpretations of the spending and taxing power, the general welfare clause, and, above all, congressional power over interstate commerce. The high point (or low, depending on your perspective) occurred in Wickard v. Filburn (1942), where the Court decided that even wheat grown by a farmer for his own consumption was nevertheless in interstate commerce and therefore subject to federal control. After Wickard, it was hard to see how any activity, no matter how small or remote from national interest, could escape potential federal regulation. The idea that the federal government was a government of limited powers gradually disappeared, with the approbation of the federal judiciary."

As we move toward the Alito hearings, this is an interesting summary of the 2005 Supreme Court and how we got here. "John Roberts will be an improvement, but one vote is still only one vote—which is why the battle over the next vacancy will be so bloody."

1945 A mother's poem for her sons at war

One of the boxes I pushed around today was genealogy, and I found a poem written by my grandmother in 1945. The hand writing was my aunt Marian's because my grandmother was blind. She had three sons in the service during WWII. I've been seeing a lot of service people sending holiday greetings, so here's to all of you who wait for them to come home. You're not alone.

As I sit alone,
thinking back over time,
I recall pleasant memories
that once were mine.

When I rocked two little boys,
One in each arm,
and tucked them in bed
without fear of harm.

A few years later
the third son was there
to occupy his place
in the old rocking chair.

Little did I think then
that the day would come when
they would all be scattered afar
to serve in this awful war.

Poor John fights desperately
to see Germany collapse,
while Howard guards our shores
from those terrible Japs.

Joe Russell will fight on
Till the battle is won,
and the last Japanese
is brought to his knees.

To myself, and all mothers I say,
be patient, and brave,
and never cease to pray
until the boys come home to stay.

1944 A visit from the puppy

Our cat hissed and ran up to the landing. Meanwhile, the little 4 month old Chihuahua carefully stepped out of her carrier, sniffed and barked. She's adorable. Lots of personality.

1943 Student story is a hoax

A U Mass student reported that agents from the Department of Homeland Security had visited him at home simply because he had tried to borrow Mao Tse-Tung's "Little Red Book" for a history seminar on totalitarian goverments.

"The story, first reported in last Saturday's New Bedford Standard-Times, was picked up by other news organizations, prompted diatribes on left-wing and right-wing blogs, and even turned up in an op-ed piece written by Senator Edward M. Kennedy in the Globe.

But yesterday, the student confessed that he had made it up after being confronted by the professor who had repeated the story to a Standard-Times reporter."

Story here. HT Conservator

Even Ted Kennedy was taken in and commented on it in his column blaming the Bush administration's intrusion on civil liberties. Laura Capps, a Kennedy spokeswoman, said even if the student's story was a lie, it did not detract from Kennedy's broader point that the Bush administration has gone too far in engaging in surveillance. My, that has a familiar ring to it doesn't it--sort of like the forged documents and Dan Rather. The truth doesn't matter--only the assertion that it could be true.