2945 Ross has been Rathered

So a blogger got the identity of the 21 year old former Congressional page (who was 18 at the time of the IM exchange with Foley) from the ABC servers which kept it available for 5 days. Hmmm. And the former page has hired a lawyer. Do you suppose he'll go after a penniless blogger or a deep pockets network television station for ruining his career? (He's working for an Oklahoman pol.) Hmmmm?

And the media and Democrats and even Republicans running for cover are still calling Foley's behavior "sick," even though it was with a consenting adult. What is this? Bash the nearest gay week?

Now that Hastert has brought in the big guns "for a thorough investigation," and we've found out the identity of the page who blew the whistle, and that some of the pages who knew Foley was gay were egging him on as a joke, I have this observation:

We wasted months on the Clinton sex scandal which probably did distract him from protecting the country--not his encounter with an intern, but the mess Republicans made of it trying to impeach him. Let's not tie up our very expensive talent in Washington with another consenting adults picadillo.

Only the lawyers are laughing. All the way to the bank.

Brian Ross
Dan Rather
Mark Foley
Dennis Hastert

Thursday Thirteen

Banner by TNChick
Thirteen things about the Thursday Thirteen I deleted.
1) I started working on it several days ago.
2) When I saved it in draft, I changed the date and time to read Oct. 5, 8:15.
3) Began polishing it yesterday afternoon.
4) Went to Google and found just the right photograph to illustrate it.
5) Brought up the photo, and for once was able to get the words "Thursday Thirteen" in the right size and color just where I wanted it, first try.
6) Decided it was sort of lengthy, so I cut one entire introductory paragraph.
7) At 6 p.m. Columbus had a huge storm with tornado warnings.
8) We talked to both of our kids twice.
9) Our daughter who lives a few miles west of us had baseball size hail in her yard.
10) Then it hit here.
11) To be really cautious and not lose my work, I turned off the computer, and watched that TV show about people who disappear on TNT.
12) When I rebooted after the storm, my carefully crafted TT really didn't look that great.
13) So I hit the delete key and went to bed.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! Leave a comment and I'll add your name and URL. View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
I don't use Mr. Linky, so you don't need to register and your links will stay put! When I visit your site, I'll leave a comment only.

Visitors and visited:
BabyBlue, Barb, Beckadoodles, Blessed Assurances, Bubba, Buttercup and Bean, Carey, Carmen, Caylynn, Chaotic Mom, Chelle Y., Dane, Danielle, Darla, Denise, Domestic Geek, Dorothy, Faerylandmom, Expressing myself, Friday's Child, Gattina, Ghost, It’s all about me, Jane , JB , Joan,, Just Tug, Kate, Kaye, Kelly,Kendra, Lazy Daisy,
Mrs. Lifecruiser, Lyndsay, Lynn Ma, Mar, C.A.Marks, Mary, Michelle, MommyBa, Nat, Nathalie, Raggedy Randy, Ribbiticus, Shannon, The Shrone, Southern Girl, Sunny Days, Sunshine Blues, Susan, TC, Test, Tigerprr, TNChick,

2943 Democrats are circulating a list

of gay Republican staffers. Nice touch. The magnanimous supporters of gay and lesbian rights, the folks pushing gay marriage legislation, seem to be saying there should be no gay Republicans, or that before a Republican hires a staffer, he much check into his or her sexual preference. Or maybe they'd prefer no gays at all in the government if it would bring down Bush?

"It would seem that if you can't win an election on the issues, you win it on outing the gay members of the opposite party. Color me not surprised. Politics as pure perversion. If the moderates of this country have come to believe that the Republicans are "capable of anything," just wait until they get a load of what the New! Improved! and Even More Degenerate Democrats can do." American Digest

The motive, of course, is to win congressional seats so they can impeach Bush. But does the gay community want to take the fall for this?

Here's what Gay Patriot has to say to Mr. Corn (the liberal with the list):

"Did it ever occur to Mr. Corn that the representatives and Senators he mentions that may or may not have gay staffers do not care about their sexual orientation yet value their participation as public servants? Is it not rational that you can hire a gay staffer, but at the same time oppose PUBLIC POLICY POSITIONS that you are morally or philosophically opposed to without being labeled a homophobe?

Perhaps Mr. Corn is ignoring the fact that most gay conservatives identify more strongly in our American Identity than our Gay Identity. Did that ever cross your mind, Mr. Corn? Probably not since you seem to have had no problem outing a CIA agent and then letting others take the fall for your actions." Gay Patriot on the Democrats' Witchhunt(Just an idiomatic expression for burning at the stake--I have a Witch who comments here)

Remember when John Kerry decided to "out" Dick Cheney's daughter--he personally doesn't care I'm sure, but he wanted to divide and conquer the Republicans so he threw her overboard. I see a pattern of gay intimidation here.

Mark Foley
Democratic Party

2942 Homophobia in Washington

Sometimes "homophobia" is just disgust by non-homosexuals; sometimes it is throwing your natural gay allies over the side of the boat for the sharks for political gain; and sometimes it is hate by fellow gays for homosexuals who pretend to be something else. All this and more is going on in the Halls of Congress and the Closets of the DNC and GOP.

I find it interesting and disgusting that a U.S. Congressman who happens to be a Republican, gets more press inches and words on cable and network news and pixels on blogs for his perverted Instant Messages than a heterosexual pervert who planned to tie up and rape little girls, but instead murdered them. If the little girls hadn't been Amish so that half of the story could be a popular culture rehash about the quaint Amish custom of forgiving enemies, that story would have been even smaller. If the pervert had gone after little boys, it might have been a match for the Foley story for a day or two. But girls and women are assaulted, raped, fondled and receive attention from "dirty old men" in positions of authority and power every minute of the day, and the press just looks the other way; as does Congress. (Unless it happens in Aruba.)

And even though the age of consent is 16 in DC, and the "children" were mature teens considered the best and brightest, able to live away from home in a sexual cesspool of political intrigue, and so far there is no evidence of kiddie porn being sent, groping, touching, fondling or oral sex with a subordinate, the Democrats continue with their phony outrage and real outing. They want every Republican who knew to resign.

Buried in the stories, usually at the bottom where stuff like this belongs, is the information that there's quite a political in-crowd of influential gays in DC whose loyalty transcends party. Sort of a bi-partisan, bi-sexual, buy-me-for-information-or-sex sort of club. Maybe it's not as dicey as the Barney Franks' lover running a gay sex-for-sale house, or Congressman Studds and his young page lover getting a wrist slap. But they are protecting each other, and obviously were protecting Mark Foley from harm. The Democrats, in hopes of disgusting the conservative base, have "outed" the whole smarmy mess.

So who are the real homophobes?

Update: I heard an interview this morning with the guy who took the Instant Messages off AOL and figured out who MAF54 was and who the page was, then tracked him to MySpace. At the time of the IMs, he was 18 and no longer a page and living in Oklahoma. Hmmm. Have they outed all these folks for consensual sex between gays?

2941 Old Aprons

Last November I started a memory blog using an old apron as my idea to jog my memory. Now here's a really cute apron blog. I think the whole blog's about this and using thrift store items for decorating. She's really good at using the colors and themes. The 40s and 50s colors, fabrics and dishes look a lot better in the 21st century than they did in the 20th!

2940 Would you be more likely to. . .

Last night I received a telephone political poll and I stayed on the line just for the jollies--it was so obviously slanted to the Democrats. The young man was so garbled and talked so fast that at first I thought it might be phone sex! If Democrats are using these polls to rally the troops, they are in trouble. John Kerry was in town yesterday campaigning, and I think there was even a question on him.

The questions are never gray or middle of the road or multiple choice. It was something like: "Are you perfectly 100% satisfied with the direction of this country, or is Bush taking us to Hell in a handbasket" (I'm paraphrasing here). No one is completely happy with Bush's performance. He's made a mess of immigration trying to satisfy the Democrats; he couldn't rally his own troops to straighten out and save Social Security; and on education he's spent money like a drunken Kennedy. When the final question was on Mark Foley, it was BINGO. Gotcha.

Here are the questions I'd like to hear from a pollster:

• Who is more likely to put radicals or progressives on the Supreme Court? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to raise your taxes? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to restrict our basic rights? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to let more illegals into the country? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to register them to vote? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to fight voter ID laws? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to try to destroy the largest employer in the world? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to want poor people to have your tax money, rather than lower priced consumer goods?
  
• Who are more likely to tell you the economy is tanking and is the worst since the Depression? The Democrats
  
• Who are more likely to blame a Republican President for being on vacation, rather than a Democratic Governor and Mayor who were on site? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to release private phone records to the media of a U.S. Congressman while screaming for protection of the phone records of international jihadists released to the Department of Justice? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to snoop in your pantry and your church pew? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to encourage you to abort your children? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to disrupt investment in medical drugs research and technology? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to have moles within the government who can provide leaks to the press? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to fail to protect our interests at home and abroad against terrorists?
  
• Who are more likely to abandon the Iraqi people as we did the Vietnamese? The Democrats.
  
• Who are more likely to stand up to Iran? North Korea? China? The Democrats. Yeah, that'll happen.
  
• Who are more likely to abandon Israel? The Democrats.
  

Political polls
Democratic party
Franklin County, Ohio
Pollsters

2939 Squats

The cure for this.

2938 Calorie Restriction is . . . boring!

OK, so you live longer on a calorie restriction diet because it is better for your heart. Or does it just feel that way because it's no fun? Just eating half a hamburger and fewer French fries doesn't officially compute as "calorie restriction." Darn. You must be eating "nutrient dense." Garlic, lentils, chickpeas? Are you kidding me?

This may be artistic, but it is inaccurate. I don't think mushrooms or eggplant have any food value at all--but I suppose they take up space in your tummy.
Also, you should lose weight slowly. Losing quickly will actually shorten your life, not extend it.

Getting started with calorie restriction (very boring, and you probably already knew all this--I did).

This is the Journal of American College of Cardiology article (in common English) that I cited a few days ago.

"It may even be possible that eating a very low-calorie, nutrient dense diet reverses declines in diastolic function. People in the study averaged only six years on the diet, but their hearts looked 15 years younger." It probably felt like 15 years, too.

2937 Спутник

Not even my kids know this story. I'm not sure I've ever told anyone about how one little event that the whole world knew about completely changed the direction of my life. Спутник. Sputnik.

My date, D.B., and I were returning to Manchester College after seeing a movie in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and we heard about the Sputnik launch on the car radio. I doubt if I paid much attention to the news in those days, and even TV news, which I never saw until 1960 was only 15 minutes when I did start. But D.B. knew the score. He was a sophomore chemistry major and today we would call him a geek, but in 1957, he was just a brain. I was a freshman no-major and I'd describe myself if I could, but really have little memory of that girl's personality. But both of us were sort of overcome with a feeling of dread--that the Soviet Union was now going to overwhelm the United States. I imagine I listened to him explain the seriousness of it--because I still remember how frightened I was in those days of the Cold War.

A few weeks later I walked past an article posted on a bulletin board about the USSR's superiority in science and math, and it had a graphic of the cyrillic alphabet. I stopped to examine it and was fascinated--and made the instant decision I wanted to study Russian. Since Russian wasn't offered at Manchester, I would need to transfer. It was offered at the University of Illinois, my home state, and so I made preparations to transfer for my sophomore year.

And that's how I got to Columbus, Ohio, to take a position in the Ohio State University Library in Slavic, where I put down roots, raised a family, and retired (from the veterinary medicine library, not Russian, which I've totally forgotten), and started writing blogs. Thank you, Спутник.

Where were you October 4, 1957?

Sputnik
Cold War
1950s
career decisions
serendipity

2936 Fall down go poof

My F: drive has stopped working. It recognizes files on a disk, I can even use them. But if I try to copy from my hard drive to a disk, it tells me to put a disk in. This means if I down load my photos to my computer I can't select and copy to a disk to have them printed, because the drive never finds the disk. Also can't back anything up on a disk. Anyone know what the problem is?

2935 Is Brian Ross being Rathered?

The amount of Foley material being amassed by Brian Ross at ABC, and the length of time he has held it just to release right before the election is "Rather" suspicious. Is it gay bashing when you get this explicit Mr. Ross, or is it a gay outing by a militant gay group mad at Foley for not supporting them, or is it just politics as usual for the Democrats and their media buddies who are hoping Republicans will split over this? There is no type face to compare as there was in the CBS Dan Rather meltdown, just some instant messages from "who knows who?" An astute page clever enough to save that many messages? My, he must have a future. If these are real, I'm surprised Foley was bright enough to run for dog catcher let alone Congress.

The folks behind the folks behind Ross.

Brian Ross
Dan Rather
Mark Foley

2934 Glenn Beck's off base today

He's horrified, as we all are, by the killing of school children in Pennsylvania yesterday. The man who picked up the Amish farmers' milk everyday slaughtered their daughters and granddaughters and no one knows why. It is so unthinkable that even finding a motive won't clear your brain. Glenn's website.

But Glenn is using one man's madness to launch an attack on modern society. Why I don't know. He's tossed in cell phones, Hollywood, mothers who work, and families not eating together into one big foul stew. I think a lot of things are wrong with society, like Nagin being reelected by the people he failed in New Orleans, like our former pastor's adultery, like allowing felons to work at our ports, like encouraging young girls to yearn for stick like bodies, like U.S. Moslems turning a blind eye to Jihadism. But no, I'm not going to accept any of the blame for one crazy milk man from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania who murders children after hugging his own good-bye at the bus stop.

Glenn Beck
Amish

2933 And if he were your boss or colleague?

What would you have done? Because I was a librarian, I worked with many, openly gay men (and some that were in the closet). Certain careers have been gay-friendly over the years, and gay men have enjoyed positions of prominence, power, and publishing in library science and technology. Back in the 60s we just assumed the aging spinster librarians living together were doing so for convenience and security--the fact that they were lesbians in long term relationships went right over my head.

I knew the monogamous and the promiscuous ones, and several who had also formerly been married. One of my former male employees was still married to his wife the last time he visited me, but he's now a she, so I'm a bit out of the loop on the sexual dynamics of that coupling. It's just more than I want to know. My favorite boss of many years was gay, and his long time partner was often included in social activities. Even in the weeks before he died and I visited him in hospice, he tried to be cheerful and up-to-date on what was happening at the library despite his pain. And so the dilemma of what Foley's colleagues knew and when they knew, hits close to home for me. I truly don't know what I would have done, because it is human nature to make excuses for the failings of friends and colleagues. And it is also human nature to guard your own career ladder and not chop off any of the rungs you need to advance.

Mark Foley was openly gay, his homosexuality apparently well-known on the Hill, and a Republican congressman from Florida. The mainstream media isn't praising his fellow Republicans for accepting him for years as a colleague and friend. No, Foley's homosexuality is never mentioned, but the "failure" of his colleagues and superiors to protect underage boys is. Tricky business, ratting on a friend, a superior, or a "protected" person in today's political climate, isn't it?

In today's upside down world of political correctness, Foley's colleagues' assumed failures are looming much larger in the media than his known disgusting behavior. I think ABC was the first to break the story. A story they sat on for some time before it was trotted out after the deadline for a new Republican to get on the Florida ballot. They showed even less concern "for the children" than Foley did.

There's an editorial about this in the Wall Street Journal today, which has implications for your job and community too. Here's my thoughts:

• Do you assume the colleague's behavior is predatory if you notice something odd,
• or do you wonder if you're being homophobic, or prudish if the colleague isn't gay
• Or are you afraid you'll be accused of being homophobic putting your own career in jeopardy if you say something?
• Do you ask or tell another colleague about it
• or is that gossip if your suspicions are groundless?
• Do you talk privately to the offending colleague or boss (yeah, boss, that's gonna happen!) assuming he won't torpedo your career at the next team evaluation?
• Would you instigated an investigation of e-mail at work?
• Would you go to the ombudsman or personnel director if you knew they were also homosexual, or known to be promiscuous
• Would you know which privacy laws you might be violating?
• Would your private discussion go into your personnel record?
• Do you assume gay men are going to be targeting gay boys?
• And what if the gay boys like and encourage the attention the same way straight teens enjoy attention?
• is this another round of political correctness because of the big push for children to become comfortable with their sexuality?
• Would you alert the child's parents, who may not even be aware of his sexual orientation.

Yes, a lot to think about before you rat out a colleague.

It's my blogiversary

Three years ago today I started blogging. Counting my group blog and my LIS journal and my six other blogs besides this one, I show a little over 4200 entries. Then I went back and filled in October 1, because it didn't look tidy. And I'm really posting this on October 3, because I forgot the date.

2932 Rush was right

While listening to Rush on my walk today, I heard him say that Republicans wouldn't know how to smear cream cheese on a bagel, referring to how Democrats are bringing out various smear stories in the remaining weeks before the election. "Oh come on--don't you remember Lewinsky?" I said to myself. "Or Condit?" "Or Kennedy?" "Or labor unions' links with mafia?" or when Dick Armey called Barney Frank, Barney Fag (although that's not exactly a smear).

However, when I brought up Explorer today, my RoadRunner news flashed the story, "Scandal rocks GOP." So I typed that into Google and got about 1.5 million. I only glanced at 10-20. Then (since there is not an equivalent acronym for the Dems) I tried DNC, but those were mostly about the DNC smearing Republican candidates written by angry bloggers. Then I tried with quotes, "scandal rocks Democrats" and I think I got 3 or 4. Republicans never even got a good shot at Sandy Berger, even though I'd be in jail if I tried to do what he did.

Rush was right. They couldn't smear a bagel. Or the media is awfully silent when the page is on the other hand.

Monday Memories

Last week my husband took some of his watercolor paintings up to Delaware, OH for an art show. All were accepted. So today's Monday Memories is a photo from the Upper Arlington Art Show of 1975. This show started as an art exhibit for local artists in 1966 near the Miller Park Library with about a dozen artists. Don Dodrill, a painter friend of ours got the ball rolling. Then when it outgrew that space, it moved to Jones Middle School for a few years, then up to the city building on Kenney Road, across from the OSU golf course. That's where this photo was taken. The show is now in Northam Park each Labor Day and attracts tens of thousands.

1975 Labor Day Art Show
Although we have lots of paintings in our house, and many at our children's and relatives' homes, we also buy art. We bought 2 watercolors in Russia this summer, and here is the painting we bought from Don Dodrill, the founder of the Upper Arlington Labor Day show.

This is a bit fuzzy, but I wanted Don in the picture.

Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information

View More Monday Memories Participants
Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!I don't use Mr. Linky, so your links will stay put!
My visitors and visited this week are:Ma, Viamarie, Mrs. Lifecruiser, Reverberate58, Lazy Daisy, Lady Bug, Janene, Michelle, Anna, ChelleY.

2930 It may come back to bite them

The left branch media and those that like salacious news stories (that about covers it, doesn't it) should probably slow down on this Congressman Foley story. They are shifting the spotlight from the one to blame and making noise about the lack of supervision by other Republicans. Yeah, like the Democrats supervised Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton's sexual behavior. They got reelected.

However, The Man-Boy sex lobby is much bigger with Democrats than Republicans; after the gay marriage and polygamous marriage lobbies finish with us, saying we're denying civil rights to people who are just doing what's natural for them, we'll hear a lot more from the pedophiles. I'd show you the websites of both gays and lesbians who promote sex with minors, but I don't want them dribbling their cookies on my hard drive.

Why Foley's checked himself into alcohol rehab, I don't know. Alcoholics don't become pedophiles from pickling their brains. Pedophiles have screwed up values and might drink on the side to forget their problems. No 10 step program is going to help him. In our 21st century world, people who have sex outside the marriage bed (as described in the Bible), whether it is with their own gender, their neighbor's wife, or their uncle's dog, want to claim all that matters is their feelings. Foley is in the group that thinks sex with male children is his natural right.

Foley is obviously a gay pedophile, just like there are heterosexuals who are pedophiles. Or the bi-sexual, married blonde female teacher having sex with young male students is another example. That doesn't mean all gay men solicit underage males, but a lot do, and they have their own political agenda. That agenda is to decriminalize sex between minors and adults. They're hoping to get the law changed so they don't go to jail, in my opinion, or they want legal, disease-free sex. Sure, the rest of us call this abomination pedophilia, but they don't.

Democrats can be outed for all sorts of kinky, illegal and weird behavior and get reelected. It just doesn't seem to work for Republicans. For that I'm glad and I said good riddance, Mr. Foley.

2918 Two political sleazeballs

Don Surber's got a good one today about the Democrat's glee about Foley, the Florida Congressman caught with his pants almost down chasing some male pages via the internet while writing legislation to protect children. However, their own sleaze monkey, former Governor McGreevey, was allowed to time his resignation so the Dems didn't lose the office and then appeared on Oprah as a victim. Oh yes, and a book. Always a book. And since I'm retired, I'll just suggest you go into the stacks and find it by yourself. But look out for the weirdos. They aren't all on the internet.

2917 A cancer blog

Larry Sievers writes a Cancer Blog at NPR. It's pretty interesting because he addresses many of the thoughts and platitudes that appear in the lives of the survivors, patients, family, friends and co-workers. The above link is to the entry on how a cancer patient should respond to a smoker.

Update: Sievers died in August 2008. This link no longer works.

My vote would be for knocking him down and stomping on his cigarettes, but I was definitely in the minority. See comments.

Every teenager who thinks it looks so cool to light up and have smoke burn your eyes and nose and make you stink should read Ruth's comment:

"I have smoked since I was 13-years-old and I am 61 now. Smoking to me is like second nature. Yes I have tried to quit but without success. In my life I've been told that I have achieved things others could not do on their own. I lost over 60 lbs with sheer will power and kept it off. I used to drink vodka everyday; I knew it was not good for me but couldn't stop for the longest time. I no longer drink today, sheer willpower. I've been told if you could quit eating and drinking you should be able to quit smoking, but I just can't. I have cancer and am going to have surgery to remove (hopefully) the entire tumor within 30 days. I've finished the pre surgery chemo, it did shrink it a little bit so now I have to see one more doctor, a lung doctor and were ready to schedule. I have esophageal/stomach cancer, I'll have two surgeons operating, one on my stomach and one maybe on my chest. I know I'm a damn fool but I think the only way I can quit smoking, is if they lock me up, which is about to happen. I have to stay in the hospital between seven and ten days, it scares me to death. Wish me the best. No lectures please."

2916 The Truth is Inconvenient

"In May, our nation was exposed to perhaps one of the slickest science propaganda films of all time: former Vice President Gore’s "An Inconvenient Truth." In addition to having the backing of Paramount Pictures to market this film, Gore had the full backing of the media, and leading the cheerleading charge was none other than the Associated Press.

On June 27, the Associated Press ran an article by Seth Borenstein that boldly declared “Scientists give two thumbs up to Gore's movie.” The article quoted only five scientists praising Gore’s science, despite AP’s having contacted over 100 scientists. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2006-06-27-inconvenient-truth-reviews_x.htm

The fact that over 80% of the scientists contacted by the AP had not even seen the movie or that many scientists have harshly criticized the science presented by Gore did not dissuade the news outlet one bit from its mission to promote Gore’s brand of climate alarmism. http://epw.senate.gov/pressitem.cfm?party=rep&id=257909

I am almost at a loss as to how to begin to address the series of errors, misleading science and unfounded speculation that appear in the former Vice President’s film Here is what Richard Lindzen, a meteorologist from MIT has written about "An Inconvenient Truth." "A general characteristic of Mr. Gore's approach is to assiduously ignore the fact that the earth and its climate are dynamic; they are always changing even without any external forcing. To treat all change as something to fear is bad enough; to do so in order to exploit that fear is much worse." http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008597 "

From "Hot & Cold Media Spin: A Challenge To Journalists Who Cover Global Warming" speech by Senator James Inhofe, Chairman, Senate Enivornment and Public Works Committee, September 25, 2006

The one area I might disagree with Sen. Inhofe, is when he says, "The American people know when their intelligence is being insulted--when they are being used and duped." For starters, that's almost a campaign slogan used both by the right and left. But more tragically, I meet a lot of gullible people who have swallowed these lies and truly believe that humans have the power to control the climate. They have refused to look at centuries of climate data and trends and can only remember a decade of mild winters, or last year's hurricanes, if that. The previous global warming scare was around the time I was born, so mostly I remember the coming ice age scare of the 70s and 80s. That's warmed up a bit now. The Gullibles (or Democrats or Humanists) don't want to look at the Kyoto results, or the increasing population of polar bears, or the huge sums environmental groups spend on political campaigns. They just want to be afraid, worried, and in power.

Climate Change
global warming
An Inconvenient Truth

See also:

http://epw.senate.gov/pressitem.cfm?party=rep&id=212247
http://epw.senate.gov/pressitem.cfm?party=rep&id=213589

2915 Global Warming

There's a slight hope that Americans are recognizing the scam and hoopla of global warming. Grich has a nice overview of Monday's speech by Senator James Inhofe, who is the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and his concern that the media is accepting lies and half truths and alarming the public.

"Since 1895, the media has alternated between global cooling and warming scares during four separate and sometimes overlapping time periods. From 1895 until the 1930’s the media peddled a coming ice age.

From the late 1920’s until the 1960’s they warned of global warming. From the 1950’s until the 1970’s they warned us again of a coming ice age. This makes modern global warming the fourth estate’s fourth attempt to promote opposing climate change fears during the last 100 years."

Climate Change
global warming

2914 The NIE leaker

The Democrats and their fellow travelers have lessened the chances of a timely withdrawal from Iraq, in my opinion. We saw it happen in Vietnam, with the young John Kerry-types in the forefront of the protests, giving hope and comfort and energy to the enemy, and it's happening again. Although as long as Bush is President, we probably won't run out on the people we've put at risk by liberating them from a tyrant.

But I'm really wondering about the latest government leaker. He seems to be in cahoots with the guy lowering gasoline prices. The NYT obviously took the terrorism quote out of context, but it can't be refuted without divulging critical information by releasing the whole thing, so we have accusations of "cherry-picking" from both sides. What the President has chosen to release is much more damning to the Democrats than what the leaker released to the NYT. We know the leak is related to the coming election, because the report is so old. So that doesn't look real great for the Dems either. It seems to be the old timey story of the media in bed with the Democrats, except. . . This global terrorism increased threat when you really look at it, is Muslims killing Muslims--all over the world. Many more than U.S. forces have killed. And before George Bush, they were going after us, here and abroad, and succeeding, too. Whether Clinton was busy with other adventures or he just had bad advice, he didn't push back.

Given human nature, and the history of past wars, is there some reason why their violence would NOT escalate when someone started to push back. Afterall, they aren't Democrats who run when someone says "boo."

Andrew C. McCarthy says, well duh, Osama said it in 1998!
Daniel McKivergan quotes Richard Clarke, one of Clinton's favorite sources in defending himself on Fox News.
Bull Moose notes that the Iraq war did not create Jihadism.

2913 Log-in requirements

If there's anything that leaves me cold at a good blog, it is the log-in or registration requirements. Yes, I know, you could say blogger.com requires it, but at least most people using blogspot allow anonymous comments. The most recent aggrevation was Article VI Blog. They had some good ideas on the Mitt Romney candidacy (theme of the blog is politics, religion and the constitution). However, you can't comment if you're not registered; in fact, you can't even send a general thought to the site owner if you don't have a log-in. I would have e-mailed the guy that he had a nice site. I can't remember a zillion passwords (already have 10 or 12 + 3 e-mail addresses). I checked the site's forum and I think they had 29 people registered. Need to open a few windows before they get stale. It's a good site, but way too restrictive and I probably won't return. On the Thursday Thirteen meme days, I'm down to visiting blogspot folks unless I know ahead that I won't have to jump through hoops to comment. And using Mr. Linky just means registering twice, so I avoid that too.

2912 Property reappraisal

We had dinner last night with fellow Lakesiders--i.e., we all own property in a vacation community on Lake Erie, where the land is owned by an association. We lease our land and the house only has 730 sq. ft. So we get virtually no services from the county, or the township who sets all our codes and rules, and almost no children live in the town because most home owners live elsewhere. We are not counted among the 40,000 residents of the county (over one billion in taxable property), but about 60% of the families who do live there have no children.

We were all stunned by the new increases. Are they gold plating the gymnasium of Danbury Township High School? Of course, we don't vote in that district so we have no say in how they divvy up their golden egg (i.e. Lakeside), but I think they are close to killing the goose, and if not that, the character of our little community. Increasingly, only the wealthy can afford to buy there, and in recent years builders have been building spec houses, and even some three or four "locals" are buying up multiple properties.

First, the actual year around residents who live and work in Ottawa County or nearby sold out and moved to less expensive towns; now many retirees are selling off because the taxes are quite high (for nothing in return). When the wealthy move in, we've noticed their "wants" and "gotta-haves" start changing the very reasons they bought property there. Their homes are professionally landscaped and decorated; their donations to the various fund raisers carry much more weight than the folks who have more modest means; they populate the various boards and committees. In checking the county stats, I see that Ottawa County has half the Ohio poverty rate--about 5%--probably because all the poor had to move!

Second homes accounted for the last real estate boom. So if you've bought one, you've probably experienced the same thing.

Technorati has 26 posts tagged Lakeside, Ohio and most of them seem to be mine. So here's one more.

Lakeside, Ohio
Ottawa County Ohio
property taxes
vacation homes

2911 Natural tobacco

Have you seen the ads for "natural tobacco?" The one I saw the other day reported that it doesn't use any of the 464 chemicals found in other cigarette brands (I don't know if they are all in the same cigarette, or if they are adding several brands together).

Oh goody. A real natural death, instead of an unsafe, chemical death. And the various lung associations and health organizations say this is just a marketing ploy (as are most products marketed as "natural") because even without the synthetics, they may contain higher levels of nicotine and tars. Bidis or beadies, the poor man's cigarette, which are flavored, are particularly bad.

Most chronic, addicted smokers started as teen-agers. By the time their brains have matured and they can make sound choices, the nicotine pull on the brain function is very strong, overriding their common sense.

2910 A healthy heart

If you're reading this, you're probably younger than me, just because of the average age of bloggers. Maybe feeling smug about that? I'm your mother's age--or gasp, your grandmother's? Touch of ageism? That's OK. I was that way too when I was in my 20s and 30s. Thought the good life was all about being young. Why, I'm not sure, since most of the really happy and secure people I knew back then were all older! They'd all successfully met challenges and were enjoying life. Go figure. I didn't know then I would live to be over 65 or be married almost 50 years--just assumed it. Most people in my family did.

It's a fact. Everyone ages; but we don't all do it the same. And it's always been that way. The maximum life span really hasn't changed much. We're saving a lot more babies, and licked many childhood diseases, so the average lifespan has changed, but we've always had the old-old. If I can trust my genealogy research, many of my great-great-greats lived well into their 80s and some into their 90s. In fact, you can't choose your parents, and for all the hoop-la about environmental hazards and mad-cow and E. coli, there's only one thing you can do that's a sure fire way to get older by extending your own lifespan.

I was born with a heart problem--an extra circuit that acted up more and more as I got older. I didn't know I had an electrical misfire, and neither did my doctors, because unless you're having tachycardia or arrhythmia while you're at the hospital or clinic for something else, no one finds it. And if you've lived with it all your life, you just think light-headedness is normal. This flaw in my circuitry was discovered 10 years ago and I was medicated to control it. I had an ablation in 2002 to destroy the circuit, was medicated again until the rhythm was right, and then since about 2004 have had the heart God intended.

Miracle of modern medicine--pharmaceutical research and surgical skill. You bet I am. But the only thing I can do personally to slow down the actual aging of my heart is caloric restriction. It is not the same as lowering my body weight. Reducing body size through exercise doesn't have the same effect. "Decreasing caloric intake by 30% or 60% significantly prolongs maximal lifespan in laboratory animals when instituted at young or middle age." [Journal of the American College of Cardiology, vol. 47, no. 2, 2006]

This is bad news for those of us raised on a typical Western diet. We want to blame the transfatty acids, or McDonald's or dirty air, or something in the water, or the Bush Administration for not funding more programs in schools, but the fact is we're in charge of prolonging our lives by reducing our caloric intake. Caloric restriction delays or prevents other problems too, not just heart problems, and I'll leave it to you to look it up. PubMed (Medline, National Library of Medicine) is free and you can get the articles at your local library.

I guess that's why the really old people we see are so skinny. With a BMI of 19.7 (the mean in human studies), people would probably think I was 90.

2909 Speaking of photos

When I take photographs, I'm always reminding people to take off their sunglasses. Big black blobs on the face don't make for good pics unless you're a bumblebee. But in this Wordless Wednesday at Ribbiticus' site, you can see the eyes and nothing else. Makes you wonder why they even bothered or how they would know if a stranger stepped in.

2908 Rescuing old photos and diaries

When the family was cleaning out the apartment of Neno, my husband's grandmother, after her death in the 1970s there was a large box of photos that no one wanted. I glanced through it, didn't know most of the people, but grabbed it like it was gold. It is such a treasure! I just can't imagine anyone tossing old family memorabilia. And that's how Travels with Jean became a retrospective blog. It tells the travels of Jean Ritchie, a British maiden lady, a mid-wife, who traveled with her mother and sister, keeping detailed diaries illustrated with photos, postcards and trip memorabilia. After her death in the 1960s, most of her diaries were destroyed--deemed worthless by the people who settled her estate. But her sister had 3 of them, and her sister was the godmother of the person who is posting Jean's diaries on the internet so they won't be lost like the others were. Isn't that great? Stop by and take a look.

2907 Friday Family Photo

This old photo is new to me. We just got it last week while visiting my husband's family in California.



It was taken July 4, 1953 at Lake Webster, Indiana, where my husband's grandfather and aunts owned a summer cottage together. Although he rarely saw his father, the aunties made sure my husband and his sister were included in everything and they have many happy memories of summer vacations at the lake with aunts and uncles and cousins. This photo includes my husband's sister Jean (in the swim cap), his cousin Darlene, his cousin Janie Kay (daughter of cousin Alberta) sitting on his knee, and a friend Katherine Ring.

Last summer we ran into some residents of Lake Webster while we were at Lakeside. I believe they told me that it is no longer a vacation destination, but primarily an area of permanent homes.

Lake Webster, Indiana
old photographs
families
1950s

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Food Triggers
Last week I wrote on my TT: "I watch my weight. I watch it go up. And then I'm really careful and I watch it go down. This is called yo-yoing, and all the ladies know this is not good, but we all do it."

We all have them. Certain flavors, snacks or habits that throw all our good intentions to the wind. I don't have a problem with candy or desserts or ice cream. Here are my triggers--obviously a few more than 13 which is why I grouped them. If I can avoid these, I don't even get hungry.

1. potato chips or corn chips
2. saltines or Ritz
3. Anything wrapped, inserted, folded or inside pastry--could be apple pie, chicken pot pie, or taco salad
4. cheddar cheese or American cheese or cream cheese especially on #2
5. pizza any type, but especially pepperoni with double cheese
6. peanut butter anything, especially with chocolate
7. French fries
8. sour cream or gravy
9. biscuits, rolls, bread
10. butter or margarine especially on #2 or #9
11. Lots of choices, buffet, snack trays
12. Reading food blogs, recipe magazines, watching Food channel
13. Snack food aisle in grocery store

Do you know your triggers?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! Leave a comment and I'll add your name and URL. View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
I don't use Mr. Linky, so you don't need to register and your links will stay put! When I visit your site, I'll leave a comment only.
Visitors and visited:
American Daughter, Mrs. Lifecruiser, The Shrone, Southern Girl, It’s all about, Nathalie, Kaye, Sunshine Blues, Joan, Raggedy, TC, Just Tug, Darla, Nat, Mary, Kendra, Ghost, Chelle Y. Aloysius, Buttercup and Bean, Carey, Lazy Daisy, C.A.Marks, Blessed Assurances, Beckadoodles, Test, Lyndsay, TNChick, Dorothy, BabyBlue, Friday's Child, MommyBa, Ma, Ribbiticus, Chaotic Mom, Randy, Kate, Barb, Michelle, Bubba, Kelly, Jane , Carmen, JB , Faerylandmom, Mar, Denise, Sunny Days, Angel Feathers,Susan, Tigerprr, Dane, Danielle, Domestic Geek,

2905 Solitary

is the title of a piece of fiction written by a policeman who blogs. Go over here to Texas Music and read it. It's one of the best I've read on the net, or maybe anywhere in a long time. And I know a bunch of writer wannabees. Then stop at Joel's blog and read his comments on it.

2904 Sometimes you get what you pay for, and then keep on paying

I often wonder what the unintended consequences will be for some of the modern "green" designs. A school board in Illinois is suing the architect of their new $1.5 million multipurpose room at the school that is unusable. The concrete construction was supposed to be cheaper and more energy efficient, but instead, the sound is deafening.

"The Pontiac-William Holliday school board voted Tuesday to sue the architectural firm that designed its new multipurpose concrete dome building.

At issue is a deafening echo and reverberation in the $1.5 million circular building that houses a gymnasium and band room at William Holliday Elementary."


Full story Archi-Tech Magazine. The dome shape was one of the reasons the bond issue passed. Story here. Still listed on the architectural firm's resume.

Isn't there a way to test this stuff ahead of time? When Frank Lloyd Wright began using concrete block and ran into structure and water problems, you could say new material and methods were to blame. But in 2004?

2903 Coming soon at this blog

Tomorrow for Thursday Thirteen I'm going to list my 13 food triggers. These are the tasty morsels, memories or events that make you want to eat more. I've sent the list to my sister so that when we visit in October, she will have nothing delicious or yummy in the house.

As far as I'm concerned, all the diet advice is wrong or at least misleading. What actually works is so boring no one would read it so it is rarely published. Except here. As I've said many times, here and to your face, losing weight isn't rocket science (unless you have a malfunctioning endocrine system, then it's a bigger challenge). Think ELMM. Say it. Sing it. "Eat less, move more."

Last year about this time I noted that winter is on the way, the season we Midwesterners plump up from lack of light and becoming couch potatoes. We put on fat layers like we were bears ready for hibernation. I was doing pretty good in 2005--lost 5 of the 20 lbs and then I visited my sister in October. It's not that we ate so much--oh, we went out a few times--but it is cozy, comfortable and chatty to be with her. That's the death knell for for changing bad habits into good. It requires peanut butter on toast, or something sprinkled with cheese. That brings on the "Oh, well" attitude. But I don't want to get ahead of tomorrow's Thursday Thirteen. Stay tuned.

2902 I watched 3 TV shows!

I overslept this morning until 6:15. My inner clock is confused with the trip to California, where I was waking up at 4 a.m. which was 7 a.m. in Ohio. However, I watched three TV shows last night--"Dancing with the Stars," the premiere of the new Ted Danson show, "Help me help you," and "Boston Legal," which I'd never seen. Thoroughly enjoyed them all. We love to dance and enjoyed ourselves at Debbie and John's wedding reception Saturday night where the disc jockey played a minimum of the boomer tuners and almost nothing of Gen-X era stuff.

The Boston Legal show was the premiere of season three and the introduction of some new characters (I think). Here's the scoop from a fan site: "New attorney Jeffrey Coho and Denise Bauer defend a judicial clerk suspected in the death of the married judge he was sleeping with. Alan enlists successful domestic law attorney Claire Simms to help an adoptive mother who was fired for requesting maternity leave, made all the more challenging when she meets her client, a large African-American transvestite. Denny is accused of being a dwarf bigot and Shirley demands the complaint against him gets resolved before it tarnishes the firm." I thought it was hilarious and touching, especially the big black guy Clarence who thought he was more funny as Clarissa. The Denise Bauer character was great. The dwarf episode shows up everyone's inner bigot.

I also enjoyed the Ted Danson premiere even though some critics panned it. I recall one contract job I had for a library network in which we shared the building with a psychiatrist and his clients. We often heard screams and yells from his office, and sometimes I think it was he and his wife, so I'm not surprised that counselors have significant personal problems.

The Dancing show always suffers from a weak female host, this year Samantha Somebody. I find it hard to believe that with all the female celebrity wannabees they can't find someone who at least looks happy to be on camera. Maybe they do that to keep Tom Bergeron looking quick and funny?

My husband kept saying, "Who are these people?" But I think I recognized more than I did in season 1 (when the soap star I'd never seen before showed us way too much), which was a summer replacement that caught on, wasn't it? Here's this season's bios, but the website is way overdone with annoying advertising. Bruno has a blog. Jerry Springer, a fellow Ohioan, wants to hang on only long enough to learn the waltz for his daughter's wedding. He was the worst male dancer, so that was probably a ploy for votes.

Boston Legal
Dancing with the Stars
Help me help you
season premieres
Our California Trip

Hypochondria

You Are 0% Hypochondriac

While your physical health isn't always perfect, you don't freak out about it. You know there's only so much you can do, and worrying doesn't change anything.

Are You a Hypochondriac?

2900 Snot funny

I was just browsing one of my favorite lady bloggers. Talented, professional gal. Not yet 40 and has had several strokes. So what's she doing? Getting drunk. Not often, in fact rarely. But I think she needs all the brain cells she's got left. We all do. Maybe the stroke took her critical decision making skills.

2899 Journalist pot calls blogger kettle black

Robert J. Samuelson writes for two well known publications, Newsweek and the Washington Post which syndicates him in other mega-cities. Millions of readers see his photo. He runs around the country speaking to big poo-bah conventions and picking up awards. I read his tirade against bloggers column in the Orange County Register.

I find it a bit disingenuous for a man who earns his living telling others what to think with the printed word with his face attached to the column to say that bloggers "scream for attention." Or that they "aim to make money." Or that they don't fear a violation of their right to privacy (he's a liberal, but I'm guessing he has little privacy). Or that they are extroverts in crass self-promotion. Or that some who claimed to be amateurs were really aspiring film makers (like no "real" journalist has ever scammed the public?). Or that only 11% of bloggers write about politics and government (how many newspaper columnists do as compared to entertainment and fashion another form of crass self-promotion?). Or that bloggers have "undiluted passion for self-publicity" (he has never signed a contract with an agent or griped to an editor about column inches?).

What a cry baby.

2898 The most powerful women

The Sept. 15 issue [I think that was the date] of Forbes features a story on the 100 most powerful women. I was somewhat dismayed to see that Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, and Meredith Viera were listed. Shouldn't they be on the celebrities list? I mean, gosh, they read the news from teleprompters! The U.S. only got 53 slots and 3 go to celebrity news readers? They don't create anything, not even money like Oprah does (she's justifiably on the list). And Melinda Gates? She married well. Laura Bush at least helped George be a success with some tough love; I think Bill Gates made it with little help from Melinda, no matter what she thinks about malaria (and I personally think she's wrong).

So I checked Google to see who was on the list of the 100 most powerful men, or even most powerful people, but there wasn't such a list. I wanted to see if Charlie Gibson or Matt Laurer made it, or any spouses besides Kerry and McCain whose political careers would be toast if they hadn't married money.

There are 4 Israeli, 2 Indian, and 7 black women (from various countries); no Canadians. 30 are in government and 48 run corporations. I question that Hugh Hefner's daughter should be on the list--surely there are more important women in publishing.

Incidentally, all things being equal, women earn as much or more than men. Single woman without children earn more than single men without children; and any woman working 80 hour weeks, willing to travel and relocate and have absolutely no life other than work, with a supportive spouse, gets the same compensation or better. See this Forbes article It seems that women have different career goals than men. Huddathunkit.

Forbes
women
gender
economy
celebrities

2897 Who is President Tom?

While walking in the park with my radio yesterday morning I was listening to Glenn Beck talk about "President Tom." Who is that, I wondered, figuring it was a nickname and he'd clarify. I don't watch his TV show (in my opinion his radio presentation has weakened a bit since he has to devote so much time to TV). His callers seemed to know President Tom. He said he was afraid of him. So I looked it up. Google, which has been annoyingly anticipating all my questions lately, didn't throw it up on the screen. So I found the Glennpedia, which reported:

"President Tom is Glenn's name for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran." Some liberals progressives don't like it that Glenn has compared President Tom's speeches to those of Howard Dean and Michael Moore. I'm just saying. . .

No comment

You Should Weigh 141

If you weigh less than this, you either have a fast metabolism or are about to gain weight. If you weigh more than this, you may be losing a few pounds soon!

How Much Do You Weigh?

Monday Memories

This photo is from my sewing blog, but I'll repost it here because I can't get blogger to upload the photo I wanted to use.


So I'll just list the items here that are "memories." The quilt was made by my grandmother's sister Martha who died in childbirth at age 34 in 1889 leaving a husband and two little boys; the two cloth dolls are mine, one made for me by a neighbor, Ruth Crowell, and one by my mother; next to them is a handmade by my great-grandfather, stackable spool thread holder and pin cushion, with 19th century thread; the 2 glass jars have decorative glass lids and were used for jelly and jam made by my grandmother from her grape arbor; the decorative plate belonged to my husband's grandmother, Neno; the odd shaped metal thing lying on its side was used by my great-grandmother Susan to punch down bread dough back when that activity consumed a lot of a woman's time; the blue glass insulator is from an electric pole probably replaced in the 1940s; the dark cup is actually a sterling silver engraved baby cup given to my daughter by her paternal grandparents (needed some polish); in the cup are engraved baby spoons given to our oldest son; the long flat object is a rug hooker in its original box used by my great-grandmother and I think it was used for repair, not for making rugs.

Hanging on the wall in a ca. 1930s frame is an embroidered saying about mothers, and I think it was made by my husband's mother when she was a teen-ager; the subject of my husband's watercolor on the wall is the barn hay loft on my mother's farm, originally owned by her grandfather, now owned by my brother; the scenes on the quilt over the chair are of buildings in Mt. Morris, IL where my family lived; it is folded on the chair of my husband's grandfather refinished and recaned in the 1970s; and my grandparents' lamp in the foreground was converted from a kerosene lamp to an electric lamp in the early 1900s and is now in my living room.

Along the ceiling is a wallpaper border with book patterns which covered up the cats stenciled there some years before. This room was my office in our house (sold in 2002), and I really liked it because I could look out over the trees and enjoy all the family memories. However, the realtor said we should convert it back to a bedroom in order to sell the house, so we did by packing all this away and borrowing some furniture and toys.

Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information

View More Monday Memories Participants
Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!I don't use Mr. Linky, so your links will stay put!
My visitors and visited this week are:Ma, Viamarie, Mrs. Lifecruiser, Reverberate58, Lazy Daisy, Lady Bug, Janene, Michelle, Fruitful Spirit, Anna, Krystyna,Chelle,

2894 The high cost of living in 1913

While waiting for my luggage to be delivered (it went to Las Vegas instead of Columbus yesterday) and being put on hold by Road Runner (my internet connection was down after some big storms in the midwest), I decided to clean off my desk. My goodness! What a nest of useless scraps and bits. In addition to old phone numbers and messages from only God knows, I found an article I'd printed about a year ago called, "The waste of private housekeeping" by Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Gilman*," author of The Home: Its Work and Influence. It was published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 48, 91-95, July 1913. I don't recall why I printed it--perhaps so I could make fun of it in a blog?

Her thesis is that wives and mothers do the domestic work of servants, without regard to fitness or experience, and that this is extremely inefficent. First, only incompetent people would be servants, and second, marriage keeps women in perpetual apprenticeships, because it is inefficient to have 15 out of 16 families using "mother-service." If you were around in the 1970s or 1980s, you'll recognize all this since the feminists pulled it from the archives and dressed it up a bit.

Mrs. Gillman, of course, was one of the 1/16 who paid someone else to do her wife and mother work (probably a woman) while she pointed out the waste in having the other 15/16 doing repetitive work in a single kitchen whereas "one properly constituted kitchen can provide food for 500 people, equal to one hundred families, and with space, fittings and supplies certainly not exceeding those of 10 private kitchens." She was quite specific about the savings in sinks, ranges, tables, refrigerators, pantrys, cupboards, fuel, to say nothing of breakage and repairs, and purchasing in quantity. Ten skilled experts, she estimated, using proper tools and conditions, would be cheaper than 100 clumsy beginners (newly married women in imperfect kitchens).

She concluded: "The professionalization of cooking, cleaning and laundry work should be hailed not only by the economist but by the hygienist, the eugenist, and the social psychologist as a long upward step in world progress."

Ah, Ms. Perkins Gilman, welcome to the progress you envisioned--of gleaming fast food kitchens, long commutes in gas guzzlers to the day care center, millions of mommies wrestling each other at the glass ceiling, coming home to a housecleaning and gardener service that employs people of questionable green cards, and a home health company that sends a Somali to take care of grandma.

[Gilman is a favorite in women's literature classes for "The Yellow Wallpaper," a short story about a woman who goes insane from domesticity.]

I love California, but. . .

it has its share of odd-balls and trouble-makers that try to set trends for the whole country.

"California attorney general Bill Lockyer has been busy sticking his nose into a host of places it doesn't belong. For example, announcing that he has evidence to indict people in connection with the spying "scandal" at HP. Now he's filed a "lawsuit against leading U.S. and Japanese auto manufacturers, alleging their vehicles’ emissions have contributed significantly to global warming, harmed the resources, infrastructure and environmental health of California, and cost the state millions of dollars to address current and future effects." The premise of the suit is that the cars are a public nuisance; i.e., "an unreasonable interference with a public right, or an action that interferes with or causes harm to life, health or property." " Professor Bainbridge

Maybe he should ask Californians to give up their cars first--just for health, of course.

2892 A beautiful wedding

Our purpose for being in California was to attend the wedding of my husband's sister who is 10 years younger. He and his brother walked her down the aisle at the beautiful Jones Victorian Estate in Orange. Friday was a bit cool and cloudy for the rehearsal, but Saturday was a bright, golden California day. It was a happy relaxed crowd with a guest list of long time friends, new friends, co-workers, in-laws and former in-laws. Both the bride and the groom's former spouses and former in-laws attended, so not only did we get a whole new bunch of relatives, but we got to see the ones we "lost in the divorce."

Deb in the ladies dressing room

A tear in my eye, but I leaned over and got this photo of the brothers with their sister bride.

Deb's daughters and grandson and her best friend Sue were her attendants. John's little great grandsons had scampered away before I could click the camera. John had his son, brother and nephew.

A new niece and nephew, Carol and Jeff, the groom's children

The wedding cake had attendants also, served in an open garden arbor with scattered rose petals, in keeping with the red rose theme.

Wedding Planning
traditions and customs
families

2891 The Gamble House

The city of Pasadena, celebrating its centennial this year, has taken good care of the the Gamble House, the winter home of the Cincinnati Gambles of Procter and Gamble. The Greene brothers, Charles and Henry, had attended MIT and were on their way to California to join their parents when they visited the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 and were charmed by the Japanese pavilion. [Note to my family: My grandmother attended this with her parents when she was a teenager and I've always thought her home had elements of design influenced and made popular by Wright and the Greenes]. We toured this lovely home, but photos were not allowed on the inside. It had an extensive restoration, reopening two years ago.

2890 Greene and Greene, the bungalow architects

Charles Sumner Greene, 1868–1957, and Henry Mather Greene, 1870–1954 moved to Pasadena in the 1890s and developed the style known as bungalow, and were influenced by the same Japanese style as Frank Lloyd Wright. Our guide told us that they were extremely successful, especially with the old money crowd, but then the new money folks wanted something flashier and brighter, so they fell out of favor. We saw some wonderful examples of their work, as well as smaller imitations in Pasadena, and we were able to tour the Gamble House which is owned by the city of Pasadena.





These homes are in the Hillcrest/Wentworth Area of Pasadena. One of the best known is the Blacker House, but I don't think we got a photo. Much of the interior was sold off by an unscrupulous owner causing some new preservation codes for the district. It is being restored.

2889 La Miniatura and Storer House

These were drive-bys on our Frank Lloyd Wright tour of homes in LA. The first of his textile block houses was done for Alice and George Millard for whom he'd designed a Prairie Style home in Illinois in 1906. It's in really tough shape but in its day was considered a perfect backdrop for the owners' art collection.



John Storer was another Chicago client who decided to try out Hollywood. This home at 8161 Hollywood Blvd. is lived in and seems to be in good condition, but we couldn't go in. There are 11 block patterns and it is built on a steep hillside.



Original drawing of the Storer House in Library of Congress.

2888 The Jews and the Democratic Party

As several pundits have noted, the [Democratic political] blogs have become a hot bed for anti-Semitic sentiments.


"Developments in the Democratic Party bode ill for the Jewish people and for the state of Israel – home of up to 40% of the world’s remaining Jewish population. The rank and file of the Party has become increasingly anti-Semitic and support for Israel has noticeably fallen. Democratic Congressmen have reflected this trend in very visible ways: their votes and actions in Congress reveal that support for Israel has eroded in alarming ways. Furthermore, more than a few Democratic Congressman have openly made statements that are either clearly anti-Semitic or can be fairly construed to be at least, “anti-Semitic in effect, if not intent”.

These disconcerting trends can be observed by a bottom-up approach: looking at the grassroots base of the Democratic Party, how these views are expressed in Congress, and how the Democratic leadership has responded to these developments. Since the House of Representatives appears to be headed toward a Democratic majority and certain key Chairmanships will fall into the hands of Democrats with anti-Israel histories, these trends will have very serious implications for Jews and for the state of Israel." The American Thinker

Look out. Can the Blacks and Hispanics be far behind?

2887 Ennis House by Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright designed a home in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains for Charles and Mabel Ennis. Our photo taken from the Hollyhock House gives an idea of its size and the view. Our Ohio tour group was able to visit and tour this house a few years ago, but it has now been closed to the public and is really unsafe. The last owner made a few attempts to preserve it, but caused more deterioration. Our tour guide had been a docent here and said that the inside was in good condition. She told us it was used in a number of movies.

View from Barnsdall Park, Hollyhock House

The front side of Ennis House actually looks better than the back. The lighter colored blocks resulted from an attempt to preserve them with a glaze which actually worsened the water damage and is almost impossible to remove. It was damaged in the 1994 earthquake and the bad flooding of 2004-05 in the area.

View of reconstruction and reenforcement of Ennis House. To stabilize it will cost about $5 million; but about $15 million to restore the whole site to its former grandeur. They are looking for some deep pockets, in case you're interested!
This is a "textile block" house and for more information on this and others, go here.

NPR interview about the Ennis House, listen here.

Ennis House
Frank Lloyd Wright
California architecture

2886 Where are the demands for apologies

from the Muslims for kidnapping innocent civilians, attaching bombs to them, and then letting them get blown up when they are released. Read that AP story today, and just wondered where the outrage is for proving the Pope right? I don't know where the story was buried in your paper, but in the Orange County Register it was on page 11. The Pope stating the Obvious, the Historical and the Truth, of course, gets front page demands for an apology.

"Insurgents are now using unwitting kidnap victims as suicide bombers _ seizing them, booby-trapping their cars without their knowledge, then releasing them only to blow up the vehicles by remote control, the Defense Ministry warned Thursday."

2885 Hooray for Hollywood!

Famous Hollywood sign seen from the Hollyhock House we were visiting
Although Hollywood doesn't look exactly like I thought (our guide called it a state of mind), we had a wonderful architectural tour which included the Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes and buildings, Hollyhock House, Ennis-Brown House, La Miniatura, and Storer House, some drive-bys only because they are privately owned or under reconstruction.

Wright's career was struggling from his disastrous personal failings when he was hired by Aline Barnsdall, an oil heiress, to develop her 36 acre property, called Olive Hill, as an arts community. Much of the supervision was passed along to his son because he was busy in Japan. His fascination with Asian art and elements, which most likely began at the Chicago's World Fair in 1893, is really apparent in these homes. Also, some poor choices in construction materials and building locations.

We were able to tour Hollyhock House which is in the early stages of restoration. Some furniture has been recreated by local artisans and there are pieces of Stickley furniture of the period in the house. Our docent was able to point out the various changes to the original from over the years, and it was interesting to see the models of buildings that were never built.




For awhile in the 1940s and 1950s the Barnsdall house was a memorial to Dorothy Clune Murray's son killed in WWII, and was used by the USO. Various arts organizations have also used it, changing some features to suit their needs.

Theater and pond; Wright loved elements with water, but always had a problem with leaks and materials

Note: I can't get blogger to upload the rest of my photos, so will try later.


Stylized representations of Hollyhocks are throughout the house.

The models of development that never happened.


Library with Aline Barnsdall's portrait

Frank Lloyd Wright
California architecture
Hollyhock House

Friday Family photo

This isn't the best quality because it is a scan of a photocopy, but I was so thrilled to get it last week. The handsome young man on the right is my Uncle, and I think I know why my Mom used to say my brother (and now his son) resembled him. This is the graduating class of the country, one room school, Pine View, in Lee county, Illinois. Often in these rural schools, the teacher wasn't much older than the students (which in fact is still true in some high schools where a new teacher/graduate might be 22, and some of the students 18 or 19). However, I think it is interesting that the teacher and her 3 female students are all wearing identical dresses. I'm wondering if it was a home economics project, or if the photographer had clothing on hand for the photo shoot. Is anyone an expert on studio photography, or have you seen this before? I know many photographers in those days had suit coats and ties on hand for the men, and much later when my father had his formal portrait taken in the Marines in his dress blues, he didn't really own the uniform.

1916, when this photo was taken, was a good time for farm families, and my grandparents were doing well. My uncle went on to high school, I think he had a year or two of college, and then travelled in Europe (WWI was over). However, the disaster in this country known as the Great Depression was actually affecting farmers by the early and mid-1920s because many, including my grandparents, had over extended themselves during the war because of the demand for food. When the war was over, the market for their crops stopped, but they still owed on the loans.