3496 Brain aging--a test

The book Making a good brain great has a quiz for risk factors for diseases of brain aging. The number in parentheses indicates how significant the risk factor is.

1.____(3.5) One family member with Alzheimer's or other dementia.
2.____(7.5) More than one family member with Alzheimer's or other dementia.
3.____(2.0) A single head injury with loss of consciousness for more than a few minutes.
4.____(2.0) Several head injuries without lost of consciousness.
5.____(4.4) Alcohol dependence or drug dependence in past or present.
6.____(2.0) Major depression diagnosed by a physician in past or present.
7.____(10) Stroke
8.____(2.5) Heart disease or heart attack.
9.____(2.1) High cholesterol.
10.___(2.3) High blood pressure.
11.___(3.4) Diabetes
12.___(3.0) History of cancer or cancer treatment.
13.___(1.5) Seizures in past or present.
14.___(2.0) Limited exercise (less than twice a week).
15.___(2.0) Less than a high school education.
16.___(2.0) Jobs that do not require periodically learning new information.
17.___(2.3) Smoking cigarettes for 10 years or longer.
18.___(2.5) One apolipoprotein E4 gene (if known)
19.___(5.0) Two apolipoprotein E4 genes (if known)

_____ Total Score (Add up the numbers in parentheses for checked items)

Score 0,1,or 2, you have low risk factors for developing brain diseases of aging.
Score 3,4,5, or 6, moderate risk
Score greater than 6, then prevention strategies should be part of your life.

Book: Making a good brain great, by Daniel G. Amen, Harmony Books, 2005. p.180

Note: This author makes a BIG deal about keeping a journal (which if you're blogging, you're already doing), and taking supplements, and exercising regularly. Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad. He also likes meditation, extra sleep, affection, salmon, and practicing gratitude.

There is a chart on p. 178 that shows what happens to the cerebral cortex over time, based on 4,000 people. Looks like the biggest drop in blood flow to the brain is during adolescence; about age 30 it bumps up again, then levels out. The author says that if you go to a party, have a little too much champagne, go home and sleep it off, several hundred thousand neurons have died from alcohol toxicity by the time you wake up. No wonder alcohol dependence scores right around Alzheimer's in the family!

Friday Family Photo

Yesterday I decided to banish some old, old warrantees and sales slips (there's not much else to do when the weather is this cold.) They really didn't need to be in the kitchen (prime real estate), but I had the cutest little red notebook that stored them. Most instructions for modern appliances, even a watch or a TV remote are so large and printed in multiple languages they won't fit in that little notebook. But it was fun looking through it. For instance, I found the warranty for "Counselor," my bathroom scale that weighs 3 lbs light. It is now almost 47 years old and I remember the couple who gave it to us--who were from Indianapolis, but it was made in Rockford, just up the road from where we were married. It even shows who printed the form.

I also found my Lifetime guarantee for my Community Silverplate, 52 pc. set, Coronation pattern, which the Bruce aunties and uncles gave us as a wedding gift. Aunt Marg, who never had children, made sure that her nieces and nephews always knew their roots, despite the many divorces in the family. The booklet that came with it reprinted endearing remarks from long-married couples probably from the 1940s and 1950s--none as long as us today however. So I e-mailed the company and let them know that although they no longer make my pattern, it still works great for family dinners. Who knows? I might appear in an advertisement some day! Only one piece is damaged--in 1986 we had a break-in and the burglar bent a fork to see if it was sterling (but he did steal my ugly high school class ring and some other gold jewelry).


Update: If you click on the label below "family photo A" you will find other photos of us. A means our little family of 4, B is for the larger Bruce family, and C is for all my relatives. I haven't gone back and relabeled every thing yet, but it really works well.

3494 Why we need dissenters in science

Global-warming predictions are currently hampered by uncertainties about the amount of heat and carbon dioxide that the southern ocean will take up according to a report in the Journal of Climate, v. 19, 2006:6382-6390. A computer model developed by Joellen Russell of the University of Arizona in Tucson suggests that the ocean will be able to absorb more than previously thought. How much more? No way to know, plus she has to bow before the warming throne to even get this much research published.

And they've decided upon analyzing 580 million years old rock* that oxygen entered the deep oceans at the end of an ice age known as the Gaskiers glaciation. Fossil evidence indicates that large multicellular organisms appeared on the sea floor shortly after (i.e., 5 million years). End of an ice age? This was apparently some time before the industrial revolution and humankind messing everything up. Science: Vol. 314. no. 5805, p. 1529

Egyptologists have been arguing with materials scientists for about 20 years on whether the pyramids have blocks made up of a synthetic mix like concrete. Fifteen samples scanned by electron microscopes show calcium and magnesium which do not exist in nearby limestone. See? Scientists don't agree on a lot of things. The limestone guys probably are trying to shut down the synthetic mix guys with threats of "denial" charges. Journal of American Ceramics Society v.89, 2006:3788-3796.

Battle of the biofuels is heating up. Follow the money. Prairie grass will mop up more carbon than it produces, dwarfing the amount of carbon dioxide released during production and combustion. Look out corn and soybean growers. I still think the inputs will cost more than any benefit we get from this, so we REALLY need to encourage dissension in this field.

A 60 year old Somalian woman has had her IUD removed in Seattle. She continued to have children after it was inserted and (it) migrated after perforating her uterus. Seems they do that about 1-2 cases per 1000 insertions. Would you fly if 1-2 out of every 1000 jets disappeared? New England Journal of Medicine 356(2007);4:397

*I personally don't believe the earth is that old, but I can read and report it without having my mind all bent out of shape like the evolution people.

3493 WMD--Women, mothers, daughters

In 2003, the U.S. allocated $27 million dollars to support women's programs in Iraq. Under the guidance of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S. and other foreign sources funded Iraqi women to organize a number of national women's conferences and to support newly formed local NGOs that focus on women's issues. Groups like The Iraqi Women's league, The Iraqi Higher Council for Women, and the Organization of Women's Freedom are actively working for women's full representation in the political process and to ensure that the women's rights agenda does not get marginalized in the country's road to democracy.

In the 1970s, Iraq had a quality health care system, which began to decline in the mid-1980s and by the 1990s, it was in crisis. This took the greatest toll on the elderly, women, and children. The Gulf War had a particularly drastic effect on the large and increasing number of widows in Iraq who are heads of households. . . by the late 1980s the government had stopped assistance to the widows of the Iraq-Iran war. There are many unmarried women in Iraq today due to the deteriorating conditions since the early 1980s.

There was no freedom during the Saddam regime, but Iraqi women are talking today like never before and they are concerned that fundamentalist Islamic groups, Sunni and Sh'ia alike will succeed in introducting legislation that will control and limit them again. When the U.S. military commander in Najaf appointed an Iraqi woman lawyer as the first female judge in Najaf, it drew protests and death threats, and she was forced to resign.

To win support of tribal and conservative religious factions after the Gulf War, Saddam reversed many of the advances women had made in the professions and universities in the 1970s--40% of teachers, 30% of doctors, 50% of dentists, etc. By 2003 they were found--if employed--primarily in the agricultural and service sector. When schools reopened in 2003 after the U.S. occupation, the women principals and teachers went back to classes and they are well represented in the media.

Source: Women's rights in the Middle East and North Africa, Freedom House, 2005, Chapter on Iraq written by Amal Rassam, co-author with Daniel Bates of Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East.

And all this will be lost if the Democrats have their way, because they really don't believe there are WMD in Iraq.

Being a bilious feminist

Apparently, that phrase doesn't appear in all the articles and blogs indexed on the internet. At least, Google didn't find it. Yet. I think it is quite handsome. I love a clever turn of phrase. Here's the context:

"Being a bilious feminist with a potty mouth doesn't much distinguish one in the blogosphere these days." That's in an article by Mary Eberstadt who writes about Democratic presidential candidates, closing their eyes and folding their hands in an appearance of prayer in order to woo Christians--and needing to fire their on-board bloggers of the liberal left who loathe Christians and can get really foul mouthed and nasty.

That--being a potty mouth--can get you banished from my links quickly. And unfortunately, it isn't limited to Christian bashers. I've also found some Christian bloggers who think you fight mud with mud. They throw in the occasional F word too, only it isn't Fascist.

Eberstadt goes on to feature some unrestrained Christian bashing in recent titles, all of which I think I've mentioned here in posts about our public library's bias:

Theocons
Kingdom Coming
American Theocracy
Thy Kingdom come
Religion gone bad
American fascists

You get the drift. They make Ann Coulter's "Godless" seem mild by comparison, and I also wrote that she was over the edge. Eberstadt points out that the left doesn't reserve its hate for Islamofascists, but instead is blatantly anti-Christian, and these authors and bloggers are embedding themselves in the Democratic party and campaigns.

Speaking of which, we've had an interesting turn of events here in Ohio. Our new Democratic Governor Strickland ran on that warm, fuzzy, "I'm a Christian too" platform and won. I think he said he was a former Methodist minister--but don't quote me on that. He could have been blind, deaf, dumb and a pagan plumber, and still have won because of our former governor's miserable record (a Republican). But I digress. Yesterday I heard he doesn't want any Iraq refugees (who will inevitably need to be resettled if Democrats are successful in their cut and run strategy) coming to Ohio because he was against the war. I hope this is absolutely false or taken completely out of context. It will make Democrats and Christians look really bad.

Update: On Feb. 17, there were 4 entries on Google for "bilious feminist," mine and 3 others, so I wasn't the only one who thought it a descriptive phrase. Also I checked my public library for those 6 titles she mentioned, and there are 2 copies of each, except American Theocracy has seven copies--5 regular, 1 large print, and 1 audio for a total of 7--the cataloger assigned it the subject heading "George W. Bush." For every one conservative librarian, there are 223 liberals. Censorship begins with the purchase.

Update 2: Dr. Helen comments on the fired blogging potty mouths who are claiming sexism got them fired: "My guess is that Edwards hired these women to make the point that he was a "progressive feminist" who took women's views seriously. His mistake was to believe that the average woman, or man for that matter, would take the views of a bigot and a hater like Marcotte seriously regardless of sex. Sexism may have played a part in Marcotte and her fellow-hater getting hired but it certainly played no part in getting them fired--their unprofessional conduct and rantings did that for them all by itself."

Update 3: on Marcotte's writing a commenter at Cathy's blog says, "This is something that I've never been able to comprehend: Why are so many Liberals unable to acknowledge the obvious in this case? Aren't they supposed to be super-sensitive to bigotry? Is it really that hard for them to notice the elephant in the drawing room? That the empress has no clothes?"

Poetry Thursday #7

Truthfully, I have no idea what a prose poem is--today’s assignment for Poetry Thursday. Poetry Previews describes it: "Although the prose poem resembles a short piece of prose, its allegiance to poetry can be seen in the use of rhythms, figures of speech, rhyme, internal rhyme, assonance (repetition of similar vowel sounds), consonance (repetition of similar consonant sounds), and images."

I’ve read a lot of poems that I would rewrite as prose and think them a better use of words and sound, or prose so lovely when read aloud I’d swear there was a poet in there somewhere. So here’s the background for today's poem:

We had a mini-blizzard (really hit northwest and south of Columbus) with snow, then hours of sleet, and then more snow overnight. Most schools and many businesses closed. So going to the coffee shop Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. was a challenge just to back out of my drive-way; it was dark and cold and I had the streets to myself. I drafted this there, and rewrote and revised at home. The more I revised, the less prose-like it became. If you’re not a regular reader here, it’s just about a coffee shop on a snowy day. Now here’s the poem:

Come sit by the fire with me. Sit by the gas flames rising from fake logs. Warm us bright blaze in the dark by the pseudo-bricks as we tip Styrofoam cups with plastic lids, sip black brew browned with cream factory made. Animate brain cells, stir up stiff tongues tropical beans, red and bright when picked by dark hands, traveling on tankers guided by pale hands to bring us warmth and happy thoughts, brown after roasting in mills and bursting to dark beans, trucked by many hands along concrete interstates and asphalt by-ways to loading docks at dark coffee shops. Come sit by the fire with me in the dark, tasting warmth, watching the snow fall on icy lines--pity the bird toes--sending power to heat water piped and purified, dripping hot in the pot held by ethnic hands that fill my cup which warms my nose by the fire where we sit.

And Happy First Birthday, Poetry Thursday.

3490 Does this smoker bear responsibility

for his lung cancer? Was it his pack a day habit that caused his disease, or was it his employer's fault, or his post 9/11 work environment, or the government? Story here at Overlawyered.

"New York City police officer Cesar Borja died tragically young of lung disease last month. Advocacy groups (including a website that regularly accuses tort reformers of using oversimplified "pop" anecdotes) and Senator Clinton pushed his story to the media to promote a multi-billion-dollar taxpayer giveaway program (that, not incidentally, would provide contingent fees for attorneys) by claiming that Borja was sickened as a hero working "fourteen-hour days in the smoldering pit", and was killed by alleged government lies about the safety of the air (though the government did call for respirators that they admitted Borja didn't wear) and the media bought it in front-page tabloid stories."

We all want to blame someone else when we mess up. It's human. But if you smoke, accept that you will probably die at a younger age, and in much more pain, than if you didn't; don't finger point at your employer who allowed it, or your government which legalized it, or your military unit that supplied it, or your buddies who thought it was cool. You bought them, you lit them, you smoked them. You will suffer.

Valentine greeting from Haiti

My husband called tonight to wish me Happy Valentine's Day. He's in Haiti on a mission trip and it's 90 degrees! It's very cold and snowy here, so he picked a great week to be gone. My daughter trudged through the snow today about noon to deliver his card (and one from the cat). He says he's got lots of photos and a thousand stories to tell. Here is the story of the director of the school in Ouanaminthe where the team is working this week. He told me to imagine the worst possible poverty, and it was way beyond that. They have beans and rice and rice and beans for lunch, but supper has a little more variety.

Happy Valentine's Day

This is a valentine my mother received when she was in Pine View school in Lee County, Illinois, from a schoolmate named Belva. From what mother said, they did not make a big deal about Christmas, but obviously from her collection of valentines (which included some belonging to her older brother) that she saved over 80 years, this was a time of great fun for the children. The inside message:
Here's a little valentine
For you, little friend of
mine,
You were first to win my
heart,
And will always hold the
larger part

The card is made of embossed paper with a cut-out edge by Whitney Made of Worcester, Mass.

I commented on the value of paper collectibles here, and show two others from her collection.

I selected this one today because of the snow scene, and because it is contemporary realism for the era. Most of her valentines depict 19th and 18th century scenes with a lot of lace, or are sort of cartoonish.

Enjoy the day!

3487 My agenda for the green groups

In June, I outlined the changes I'd like to see so we could have a cleaner, healthier, more productive environment. Now that the green groups are going to invest in the global warming bandwagon at the expense of their usual causes, I thought I'd rerun my list. I particularly liked #13, allowing squatters to have gardens on the estates of celebrities.

1. Cleaner burning coal and safer mines.
2. Drilling for oil in Alaska, which is what Alaskans want.
3. Don't allow western and southern states to drain the Great Lakes so they can farm non-agricultural land.
4. Rebuild the barrier islands while restricting coast-line communities--even for the rich. Or the poor.
5. Don't allow mega-Casinos by Indians or Cajuns or Hispanics or the Mafia or people of any special interest in coastal-tourist areas. Work on developing "real" jobs that produce something.
6. Restore the fence rows in the Midwest so the birds can eat the bugs and less pesticide will be needed, plus it is just prettier and more colorful. Encourage living snow fences to protect soil from erosion in winter.
7. Get rid of welfare for farmers (price supports) which encourages mismanagement and misuse of the land and creates ever larger farms.
8. Strict enforcement of keeping out agricultural and waterway pests. (Actually we do a better job of restricting harmful bugs that hurt our economy than we do illegal people who do it by stealth.)
9. More solar power; forget wind turbines--looks ridiculous, kills birds and changes air currents which will have long term bad effects on agriculture.
10. More bicycle paths and set asides for parks. More sidewalks for walking. Discourage culs-de-sac to reduce congestion on feeder roads.
11. Give small, efficient cars a tax break instead of trucks, or eliminate it all together.
12. Reduce the government's dependence on oil by cutting gasoline taxes at the pump.
13. Have Hollywood's falling stars let squatters use their land for gardens for the poor.

Blizzard Warning for Ohio

Central Ohio isn't getting it as bad as a bit north and west of us, but so far at 5:15, there are 305 "closings," that's schools, businesses, and malls. We've had about 5" of snow, and then about 3 p.m. it started to sleet, and sometime tonight the snow will return. Nasty! I think I heard that Hancock County [Findlay] had some 5' snow drifts. Some counties have level three conditions (means don't drive or you'll get a ticket). Unless the ice causes a break in the electricity from downed lines, it's warm and cozy here. Two years ago an ice storm around Christmas caused power outages for some of our neighborhoods for two weeks or more.

3485 This little piggy

This is definitely not on my weight loss plan. And I'm not sure where I would wear that nose.

HT Geoff.

3484 Environmental Groups

I'm all for taking care of the planet. I wish more people would treat the planet with the respect my mother had. She used to say, and then lived her beliefs, "I can't save the world, but I can clean up four acres." I get so irritated at people who throw trash from their cars along the highway and build homes along the coasts, expecting the rest of us to clean up their mess or bail them out when a hurricane blows through. The January 27, 2007 issue of National Journal reports that groups like National Audubon Society and Sierra Club are all putting their tithes, offerings, and investments into the Greenhouse Gas Church of Global Warming. The article lists the priorities of the environmental groups now that they believe they can get in bed with the Democrats. And they're playing footsie with some outside their usual group. My comments in brackets.

1) Regulate carbon dioxide. [More jobs will say good-bye. And it won't even help global warming, if it exists.]
2) Broaden alliances with other groups, some are not known to be friendly, but politics as usual.
3) Make cozy cooing noises with religious groups. [See what I mean?]
4) Work with the Democrats. [No surprises here.]
5) Promote clean energy technology. [There will be a lot of opportunity for businesses and investment here unless Pelosi kills it with higher taxes.]
6) Expand farm bill's conservation. [Farmers are already on the receiving end of government aid and bail outs. Do they need more?]
7) Protect more federal lands. [Probably just from ordinary folks like us--celebrities will still be able to have their multi-million dollar vacation lodges.]
8) Shift priorities in EPA, Interior and Forest Service. [Whatever Bush has been doing, do it differently and charge the taxpayer more.]
9) Cheer for Pelosi no matter what. [See #4]
10) Cut subsidies for "big oil." [So do they plan to increase exploration and refineries or just punish American interests by making us more dependent on foreign owned oil?]
11) Force electric utilities to use wind power. [Ever driven through a central Illinois wind farm and watched what looks like robotic giant chickens? Not a pretty picture, but celebrities won't be building there.]
12) Require automakers to produce more efficient vehicles. [We did that in the 70s--now we have more cars than ever on the road. My van gets 26 mpg--would a celebrity drive a mini-van?]
13) Revamp farm subsidies. [I'm all for this--how about a free market and no welfare for farmers? What about putting back the fence rows and not planting right up to the highways? Frences are homes for birds that eat bugs and wildlife and cuts down on erosion.]
14) Open ranch and farm land for hunting and fishing. [Whoa! They're going to talk to the NRA?]
15) Revitalize the Endangered Species Act. [Yes, good idea. Let's remove the species that aren't endangered and start worrying about endangered people.]
16) Tax incentives for property owners who provide habitats for wildlife. [Does Oprah really need this for her California coast ranch? We've got gobs of these tax credits now, and the small holder can't use them.]
17) Review the Army Corps of Engineers projects. [Yes, and while we're at it, let's look at all the environmental protection lawsuits that kept those levees from getting built in NOLA because of impact statements.]
18] Wilderness legislation to protect federal land. [Do you suppose the Forestry folks and home owners in western states could be allowed to cut down and remove diseased and dying trees? Might help with those expensive forest fires and bring back tourism.]
19) Legislation to protect coastal areas. [Here's a thought. Let's stop bailing out millionaires and factory farms who build close to the coast. That should do more than any new legislation which will only protect contributors to the green causes and the lawyers.]
20) Reinstate Superfund Tax on oil and chemical industries to pay for cleanup. [You mean actually fund legislation? Will you stop telling gas station owners to close up and then give them no money to get the oil out of the underground tanks? Will that be on all laws and regulations, or will you be selective? You do know when you tax oil companies that we pay more at the pump, don't you?]
21) Rewrite the 1872 Mining Act. [Anything that old, fat and lazy should definitely be looked at for its usefulness--I've got a few eastern Senators in mind.]
22) Fight the coal and oil industries at all levels of government, including state and local. [Fine. My investments in energy are in Canada shale. The machines to extract the oil were probably built in Japan because you've made them too expensive to build on our soil. You'll be sending more American dollars and jobs abroad with this tactic.]

3483 What I know about women and money

It's a bit tedious relabeling old blogs, but I really like this feature in the new Blogger template. Now I'll be able to sort and print only the ones I really like. It is really useful for the memory and family photo blogs. This morning I'm reviewing (all cozy and warm during our latest Ohio snow storm) what I've written about women. I liked this one enough to give it a rerun in case you missed it. These points are all common sense, so you might not see them anywhere but here.

I haven't read the [census] report. But here's what I know for a fact going in.

• Married people are wealthier than unmarried;
• children of divorce are poorer than children of in tact families;
• divorced and unmarried fathers are less likely to provide a college education for their children than fathers married to the children's mother;
• people who work have more money than people who don't work;
• government programs often encourage people not to work, or at least reward them for working less, so they have the unintended consequence of creating a poor class;
• people in the bottom quintile usually don't stay there because their age, education or marital status changes;
• inexpensive leisure activities and entertainment lull people into not doing their best but create great wealth for a small number;
• millions of destitute people sneak into our country every year and are added to the poverty rolls;
• marijuana and alcohol keep a lot of people poor and dysfunctional while making a small number rich;
• for 30+ years schools have encouraged students to seek non-monetary satisfactions and rewards in life and liberals shouldn't complain if it is working.

Women (of certain types and political thought) have been leading the charge that keep families poor for over 30 years. Wake up and smell the coffee, ladies.

3482 Can you believe Scripture and be a scientist?

Sure. But it makes the academics awfully mad if Christians are more liberal (in the true sense of the word) than they are, that Christians will study and discuss and write about ideas and theories that are in conflict with their own, but academics can't.

This young man's research is impeccable. But some find these concepts "imponderable." He is able to describe events that happened 10 million years ago, but personally believes the earth is 10,000 years old. So do you have to believe in warlocks and witches to read Harry Potter?

"May a secular university deny otherwise qualified students a degree because of their religion? Can a student produce intellectually honest work that contradicts deeply held beliefs? Should it be obligatory (or forbidden) for universities to consider how students will use the degrees they earn?"

And they claim it isn't discrimination. Can you believe they're debating whether to even admit committed Christians who don't follow the party line to advanced degree programs? "Graduate admissions committees were entitled to consider the difficulties that would arise from admitting a doctoral candidate with views "so at variance with what we consider standard science." She [Eugenie C. Scott] said such students "would require so much remedial instruction it would not be worth my time." Remedial instruction? What makes her think she has to brainwash graduate students? Will religious questions be part of the college interview now? She's right up there with the "some of my best friends are black" folk who want Christians in the back of the academic bus.

The rhetoric of activism

Whether you've marched in an anti-war protest or bombed a research lab, the rhetoric undergirding the action is pretty much the same. This template came from an animal rights magazine in the 90s, but you can add your politics of choice: bilingualism, environmentalism, ageism, racism, genderism, feminism, etc. You will recognize many of the points from reading this list, even if you've never heard of animal rights. This was originally about chickens and their rights--but could just as easily be about white tailed deer who have a right to eat your garden or illegal aliens who have a right to cross the border and use your benefits. My asides are in brackets. Upon reading it, you'll see the futility of arguing with these people. Move on.

1) Don't use apologetic or non-offensive statements, it deprecates your views.
2) Don't accept defeatist views; it shows self doubt.
3) Human victims often collaborate unconsciously with their oppressor; don't affirm anything the destroyer is doing. You have the moral imperative; this is not a matter of simple choice.
4) Animals [or insert the cause of your choice] are not underlings but "other nations." They should not be compared to humans with diminished capacities such as babies or the mentally defective. This is arrogant [Note: "arrogant" is a common word in activist lingo.]
5) Why even suggest that conventional views have merit? It plants doubt in people's minds about your efforts.
6) As a spokesperson, you must establish your identity. Do not ever let the other side define you or what you are about [i.e., in a GQ article or a TV ad that suggests a viable alternative to your viewpoint].
7) The combination of western science, capitalism and homocentricity can be thrown up to you in expressions like "science reports" or "it is known that," or "studies show" this is sheer epistemological deficiency, cynicism and intimidation. Do not stand for it! [Note: This is an essential point: most activist groups HATE Western Culture, especially capitalism even if they using computer technology at state supported institutions, including our system of caring for children, our textbooks, our churches, etc. Christians and Jews are particularly targeted for abuse if they cite a higher morality. Their actions are much more about capitalism and western culture than saving an animal habitat or stopping a war.]
8) Only oppressors deny the importance of suffering to the individuals who suffer (keeping a bird in a cage, or a dog as a pet, or riding a horse). [Note: Militant pro life activists would point out that a fetus feels pain and suffers; militant CUBs would stress the suffering of birthmothers. Both groups might condone stalking or picketing, but only for their group, because of the righteousness of their cause.]
9) You can't do everything. If others accuse you of not caring about people, stop explaining and take a proactive stance. You must focus your attention on this one issue.
10) The abuse of animals ["abuse" includes owning pets--it's a very broad definition] is as serious as any other abuse. Apologize TO the animals, not FOR them.

3480 What is Love?

It's the count down to Valentine's Day. Cha-Ching. I've heard some pretty sappy things on the radio today--like buy her a naked bear. Schools that have had to stop delivery of flowers and balloons because it has gotten out of hand and they can't deliver to classrooms. "Live, Love, Laugh" is a mom and grandma who works with juvenile offenders. She has a great post on love.

3479 Butterscotch

At coffee this morning my friend AZ asked if I was planning anything different this week while my husband is in Haiti on a mission trip. Couldn't really think of anything, but did decide on one thing. Butterscotch pudding. My husband gags at the thought of butterscotch, caramel or toffee (which all taste very similar) flavored anything. Anyway, I made some butterscotch pudding and it was quite yummy--hadn't had any in years. Here's what I did--it's loaded with not so good stuff, but it's quick and easy.

Mix small pkg. of butterscotch sugar-free, fat free pudding mix with 1 cup cold milk.
Quickly (because it sets up fast) mix that with 8 oz. of low fat or fat free cream cheese that has been at room temperature for a bit.
Stir into that mixture, 1/2 cartoon (4 oz.) sugar-free Cool-Whip.
Put into individual serving cups (makes 6) and top with the rest of the Cool-Whip.
I haven't a clue how many calories or grams of fat.

This would probably work for a butterscotch pie if you were using a graham cracker crust.

What I don't understand about Republicans

Why are they considered the "social conservatives," when the only three guys who are getting any notice for 2008 from the party faithful all were unfaithful to their wives? Maybe more than one? I'd put McCain as #1 crumb-bum for leaving the wife who stood by him all the time he was in prison working for his release. By the time he got home she was disabled and no longer a babe, so he dumped her for one who had money and could fund his political ambitions. And Newt? Aren't he and Rudy both with wife #3, or did Rudy just not bother to get married this time? Then if you bring up Romney, who is squeeky clean, they back off because he's a Mormon (about the only group left in the country who take family responsibilities seriously).

You can beat your chest all you want about women and gays, and how our morals are collapsing, yada, yada, but fellas, the only people getting advice in the Bible about sex is heterosexual men. And there's bunches of it. Go look.

Are government officials blocking your mail?

Pat in NC says sending an e-mail from outside the congressperson's district is a hopeless task. She can't even get Nancy Pelosi to take her message.

"As I watch CSPAN, see news clips on TV news or read article quoting legislators, they speak of "the majority of citizens " feeling a certain way about an issue. How do they know this when they ignore or actually block opinions of the majority."

It's our tax money paying for their offices, staff, franking privileges, special jet planes with expensive staff, trips to foreign countries, etc., etc. The least they can do is accept an e-mail from out of district.

Annika said it better than I could

You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I'm part of the Bear Flag League on the Internet, meaning I have at some time in my life lived in California (actually twice). So on that list, I'm called an Ex-pat. So I drop by and read my fellow-listers' blogs. Here's what Annika said about the surge, and I thought if I had said anything, it would be what she said:

"There's a reason why I haven't written whether I think the Surge Strategy will work or whether it's a good idea. I'm not an expert in any of the disciplines necessary for my opinion to have any value. In fact, most of my knowledge regarding the Iraq War comes from secondary sources, written by other people who are similarly ignorant, i.e. the press.

The vast majority of reporters and columnists who write about Iraq and pretend to know what they're talking about are completely incompetent to do so. Not only is their journalism degree inadequate for the task (it's a glorified general ed degree) but their undisguised bias robs their output of any credibility. Yet, from my desk chair, I'm forced to rely on these people almost exclusively for my information. So, as a result, my opinions are just about as worthless." Annika's Journal

But I have been listening to reports on the radio about the CIA and the Pentagon trading accusations about who gave the administration the incorrect information about al-Qaeda and Saddam playing footsy. And you know what? I don't care. The President AND the Congress (including Hillary et al) voted for it. Now it's an obligation. It's not like getting married when you're young and drunk and think she's gorgeous, and then later falling in love with someone else named Darfur because the sweety got fat, or some such nonsense. You need to meet your obligations and not leave people to die--the way you did 35 years ago in Vietnam. You need to stop giving the enemy hope to hang on just a bit longer, the way Obama and HRC are doing.

HR Clinton on the war

While carrying dirty laundry downstairs, I heard HR Clinton promising she'd end the war in 2009 when she is president. While looking through my old blogs to add labels, I noticed this item below, and wondered since all these unsafe, crime ridden cities in the U.S.A. are Democratic strongholds, if she wouldn't practice here first by getting on the case of her colleagues.

"New Orleans' violent death rate before Katrina was 53.1 per 100,000, and in Iraq it is 25.71. It is more dangerous to be a male between 18-24 in Detroit, Chicago or Baltimore just because of the effects of testosterone on stupid behavior, than it is to be a well-trained soldier with body armor in Iraq."

Hill, it's just a thought.

3474 Environmentalism--new incarnation for the old left

So says Václav Klaus, the second president of the Czech Republic, (and these folks have a bit of experience in this area). His interview about the UN IPCC panel is translated by physicist, Luboš Motl, at his blog, The Reference Frame.

HT Amy

Is there one for cats?

This site for dogs to have their on blog is pretty cute. I saw it at Em's blog, who is having a meltdown from diet Coke withdrawal (she read the ingredients).

I'm too cheap to buy this journal (also isn't spiral), but isn't it cute? Smithsonian catalog, I think.

In the years before blogs, and in the brief life of our many colored, beautiful lynx-point Siamese, our cat was featured on a cat web site. I think it was located in Japan. Long gone now.

What Women Want

When I started blogging in 2003, I had a small problem finding interesting blogs written by women. Now they've taken over blogdom. The crafters are stunning with gorgeous photos of wip and wonderful group projects; the cooking blogs can put on weight just reading the ingredients; the mommy blogs are so well written you can almost smell the diapers and spit-up and they write vivid descriptions of labor and delivery, something I've tried hard to forget; the photobloggers seem to have a way with cats and nature; the book reviewers with their TBR lists put me to shame; the career blogs are sometimes a bit specialized and require some anonymity if they want to keep their jobs; and of course, the librarian blogs are very high tech but with a light, feminine touch.

Almost every blog I read gets 20-30 times more comments than I do (I get a lot of readers; not many leave comments). There are reasons for this, and you won't be surprised when I tell you why.

1. My age. Yes, folks, I'm old enough to be the mother or even grandmother of some of the ladies whose blogs I link to. This is a huge disadvantage in drawing comments--it's a cultural divide of unbelievable proportions. When Crazy Aunt Purl, who is 30-something, cute, divorced and struggling, not to mention funny and a fabulous cat photographer who knits, writes about getting out of debt with a strict budget, she might get 145 comments! If write about budgeting to stay out of debt, I'd be lucky to get a yawn. It's much better to hear from a peer than someone your mom's age who's never even had a balance on her credit card! Even if I sprinkled my budget advice with adorable photos of my cat, I wouldn't get comments. Aunt Purl and the very political Neo-Neocon's sites act as discussion boards where people return and comment on the remarks of the other readers.

2. Mine is not a happy-clappy blog, cheering on the ladies like some of the boomer bloggers I've read who have come out of life's struggles with a smile and a hug for everyone, and never a critical word. Wow. I love to read them, too--and you should see the comments. Lazy Daisy is just the person to visit if you need a lift--except for that really gross-out story about her son's apartment.

3. I am a conservative, evangelical Christian and am also politically conservative. I could measure the drop off of readership if I even mention abortion or creation. They are lead balloon topics for blogs, unless you're targeting those groups (dominated by male bloggers who think women should keep quiet in their presence). But I can't resist pointing out fallacies and murky thinking when it comes to protecting the weakest.

4. Although I read a lot, I'm really a dabbler, and prefer magazines and newspapers. I have no background in literature (in college I never had a class in British or American literature and rarely read fiction of any type). I like to read the review and literary blogs, but can't really make a contribution.

5. Many of my "regular" readers and commenters that used to stop by closed up shop after a year or so. Some have totally removed the blog site, others have just stopped posting anything. Even two guys I used to visit have disappeared with no explanation.

6. I don't participate in more than one ring, or event at a time. Women just love these things--they are so social! I liked Friday Feast, but moved on to Thursday Thirteen, then left that and took up Poetry Thursday. Many of the women I visit have an event going on every day of the week, sometimes two. Tasks for Tuesday or Wordless Wednesday or Super Bowl Menu and so forth--I think it's like running into each other at the market and stopping for a chat.

7. And lastly, even my friends and family don't leave comments. Some don't even read--they say they are too busy, or can't find them, or have to clean a closet. I read a lot of blogs where the comment windows are like family reunions. If it weren't for good old Murray whom I knew in high school and sends me the obituaries from our home town, you would think I just growed.

3471 A Spat of Apostles in the Epistles

This morning I was supposed to go to a women's Bible study (Beth Moore), but at the coffee shop I got started on writing a poem, was interrupted by the guy who is learning Russian and talks non-stop, so after rushing home to eat some breakfast, I just stayed and finished the poem and the blog that goes with it.

When Paul told Peter to live by faith, not the law (Galatians 2)

Concerning the Jews in Jerusalem
Peter and Paul had a big spat
"You’re putting them under the law, old friend."
Paul told Peter, "Don't preach like that."

Not for a minute did Saint Paul give in,
Even when they were face to face.
At Antioch Paul then told Saint Peter
"Your gospel is such a disgrace."

"We know by law we are not justified
Although by birth we are both Jews,
Our faith is in Christ Jesus, Risen Lord
From whom we have heard the Good News."

For you non-Christians, the back story to this poem is that in following Jesus command to "Go, tell," Paul was to preach to Gentiles and Peter to Jews. Paul was very unhappy that Peter was living in freedom, but requiring his converts to be circumcised and to obey dietary law. Sigh. It is still going on. There's just something about the Gospel that seems too easy, so people, even pastors, try to add a little here, a little there. In 2,000 years we still haven't learned.

3470 Speaking of dress codes

I grew up in the Anabaptist tradition where some women, mostly older, wore modest dresses and prayer coverings. It was called, "dressing in order." I have relatives in the German Baptist Brethren sect who still do this. I've seen clothing sites on the internet for Mennonite, and old order groups, but here's an interesting take on the products. Check out the page called Vogue Italia.

3469 Dear Mmes Pelosi and Clinton

Please don't raise taxes on the rich. Don't punish the entire country just cause you're angry that the Bush tax cuts helped all of us and you haven't done a thing. The top 5% of Americans are paying over 57% of the tax burden now and the folks at the bottom are paying no federal taxes at all.*

I'm just a pensioner, but I've benefitted from a lot of wealth transfer over the years--like all my public education from kindergarten through master's degree, all the highways and interstates I drive, the bridges (some to nowhere), the tax incentives so Wal-Mart and Target can build near my home and employ our locals who will then pay taxes, the state and national parks I enjoy, the set asides for the railroads, the subsidies to the farmers so I can have cheap milk and staples, the public libraries, and the airline bailouts so I can enjoy my vacations, not to mention the clean up of Lake Erie where I have a second home. The rich people don't need this stuff, and the poor don't use them as much as the middle-class, so lay off the rich guys, will ya? Don't mess with your cash cow.

Our investments have done so well in the past five years, that it's like having a third person in the household who gives us his take home pay but never opens the frig or forgets to fill the gas tank or asks me to do the laundry.

I know you're mad that the Bush policies have proven wrong every bad thing you projected in the economy, and you want to hide from the fact that you too read the intelligence of the former administration about the threat of Iraq, but don't punish the rest of us who've been living a pretty nice life having the rich pay taxes and invest in America.

*Especially the Mexican nationals sending money home, making their USA dollars the second highest source of income for Mexico, with tourism third and oil first.

3468 Dress for Success

Remember that old saw? Wonder what happened? When I retired in October 2000, I vowed not to appear in public in the retiree's uniform--sweat pants and athletic shoes. Unless I'm going out to pick up trash along the road side, I've pretty much kept that resolution. However, today I outdid myself. I went to the coffee shop decked out in a suit. Yesterday I bought a black pinstripe pantsuit, cuffed leg, short jacket, 100% wool and fully lined, Jones New York brand, size 8. If the Jones* page displays correctly, my suit (or something like it) appears in the "collection" category. I actually wouldn't have worn this when I worked, because libraries are too dirty; my staff were assigned dusting or table washing if we were slow. Also, I never wore slacks to work.

I don't know what these suits cost new (ca. $120 I think), but I got it for $18 at the Cancer Society Shop which sells only donated clothing (passing along $200,000 a year for cancer research), a lot of it by someone who has my short legs and small waist.

If you first started wearing slacks to work 20 years ago, dress-down or casual Fridays put you in jeans. Today at the coffee shop I saw a young woman in flannel pajama bottoms--and I see this almost every Friday. In 2000, I just didn't know how bad it was going to get.

-----

*The Company's nationally recognized brands include Jones New York, Evan-Picone, Norton McNaughton, Gloria Vanderbilt, Erika, l.e.i., Energie, Nine West, Easy Spirit, Enzo Angiolini, Bandolino, Joan & David, Mootsies Tootsies, Sam & Libby, Napier, Judith Jack, Kasper, Anne Klein, Albert Nipon, Le Suit and Barneys New York. The Company also markets costume jewelry under the Givenchy brand licensed from Givenchy Corporation and footwear under the Dockers Women brand licensed from Levi Strauss & Co. Jones Apparel Group

Friday Family Photo

My parents wedding photo.



This is when the Scots-Irish side and the German-Swiss-English side of my family got together after about eight or nine generations of pretty much sticking with their own kind. For many years I had thought myself an 8th generation American, but when more information on genealogy became so accessible via the internet, and I joined the Church of the Brethren listserv finding distant relatives, I added a few more generations. Many of them started out in Pennsylvania--I suppose if the roads had been better or if they had spoken the same languages, they might have bumped into each other. However, in the early 1700s, these ethnic groups had little or no social interaction and rarely married outside their own fellowships or neighborhoods. Moving west and south in the 1800s changed that somewhat, and by the 20th century many couldn't have even told you who their grandparents were.

My parents met on a "blind date" the summer before they started college in 1930 because a guy my dad knew was dating a girl in Franklin Grove (a girl friend of my mother) and didn't have a car. So dad drove, and both young men found a wife.

3466 Billy Graham's New Orleans Crusade

I must be the last person on the planet to open an e-mail to receive a forwarded, forwarded, forwarded, forwarded x100 story about Billy Graham leading a crusade in NOLA to Bourbon Street and having sinners rejoicing and singing along with the thousands who attended. I don't know why someone would make this up, and often the press is hostile to Christians, but folks, this didn't happen. When you see something--maybe it's medical, or political, or artistic, or spiritual--that sounds just a tad fishy ("the press will never cover this" is a good clue), do a little checking. I always use the Snopes site when I'm suspicious, but common sense wouldn't hurt either. Here's what a NOLA Baptist pastor said about the story.

One clue should be Graham's organization. It is a huge marketing machine--the Graham organization was a pioneer in using the media to spread the Gospel. His camera crews would have been right on top of this--if it happened. I'm on their mailing list, and if you've ever been in the cross hairs of a Christian group raising money, whether Mennonite or Samaritan's Purse, you know this opportunity, if true, would have arrived via snail-mail, not e-mail, with a return envelop.

Also, this is not a story the press would be afraid of. The press loves Billy; my public library which has little of value or interest for Christians, probably has every title the man ever published.

Now, go tell someone the Good News of Jesus Christ.

And a reminder from Paul: "See to it no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy." Col. 1:8

3465 What you never knew about bad breath

John Corby (WTVN 610 am Columbus, OH) was interviewing Dr. Katz about bad breath today. He even has a product for your cat and dog. Tonsils seem to be the culprit for some, sinus for others. He said don't brush your tongue with toothpaste because it has detergent in it and will cause dry mouth, making bad breath worse. One little item: apparently super models have really gross breath because they don't eat enough to make their digestion work properly.

Speaking of WTVN, you might remember that about 6 weeks ago I was really peeved with them for taking off Glenn Beck and messin' with me. Well, they eventually reinstated him to an FM station in Westerville on a one hour delay. But before I found him again (about 2 weeks) I started listening to WLW's morning guy, Mike McConnell, and I liked his style and the people he interviews. He's really pounding the global warming fear mongers. So now I don't listen to WTVN or Glenn.

Technorati: Glenn Beck,
talk radio, WTVN Columbus, WLW Cincinnati

Poetry Thursday #6

CHANGE is this week's theme in honor of PT's new website. What changes more than women's fashion? Truthfully, my style doesn't change that much, especially with no job to go to. So when I say good-bye to a favorite style or fabric, it is a sad day. Some go to my "vintage closet"--not to wear, but to look at, like a formal my mother made when I was in high school, or my mother-of-the-bride dress from 1993.

This poem is about the last pair of shoulder pads in my closet. Shoulder pads (for women) returned to fashion in the early 1980s after a hiatus of about 30 years. They started small and then became enormous, and gradually disappeared. Now we all have narrow, dainty, child-like shoulders again instead of looking like we suited up for the middle school football team or the soap opera Dynasty.


On removing shoulder pads from a favorite blouse
by Norma Bruce
Feb. 7, 2007

Others told me
(helpful friends)
someday on my own
strength
would I go
to meet the world
tall, strong, confident.

I’d waver; you were silent.

Mirrors told me
(how they lied)
only with your
help
could I climb
the ladder of
greed, success, power.

I’d arrange; you were silent.

Today told me
(glaring lights)
it was now past
time
should I cling
another minute to
padded, shaped, contoured?

Snip and toss; you were silent.


Technorati: Poetry Thursday

3463 Update on illegals

While my power steering fluid was dripping out yesterday (I didn't know it), I was driving along and listening to someone report that the border guard who was sentenced to a minimum security prison but sent to a medium security instead and placed in the general population where he was badly beaten by other prisoners. And now it has come out the government lied at their trial. If Bush doesn't shape up on border protection for us, he's going to lose his support from conservatives for his plan to help Iraqis protect their borders.

"In the high-profile case of two U.S. Border Patrol officers imprisoned after shooting and wounding a Mexican drug smuggler, two Department of Homeland Security documents apparently contradict the version of events put forth by the U.S. attorney who successfully prosecuted the case.

The internal Department of Homeland Security memoranda – which have been denied Congress despite repeated requests by two House members – show that within one month of the shooting incident involving Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, government investigators had identified the smuggler as Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila.

But this seems to contradict U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's claim that Aldrete-Davila came forward through a Mexican lawyer who offered to identify his client in exchange for immunity."

Update here.

Cross posted and expanded at Illegals Today.

Technorati: Illegal immigration, border security

3462 Ladies, hang on to your ovaries!

Tara Parker-Pope (just love that name*) writes the science/health column for WSJ, and on Feb. 6 she covered the unfounded belief by some doctors and surgeons that women don't need their ovaries after a hysterectomy. Although a prophylactic oophorectomy will eliminate the threat of ovarian cancer (not a huge risk, but awfully hard to detect) and might slightly reduce breast cancer and stroke, it prematurely ages a woman putting her at high risk for heart attack and hip fractures unless she takes hormone supplements. Two different studies were reported (obliquely) by Ms. Parker-Pope. So I have taken my valuable blogging time to find the journals; Lancet Oncology 2006; 7:821-828, Oct. 1, 2006 (Mayo Clinic study, free registration to read the article) and Obstetics and Gynecology, 2005;106:219-226
(a good abstract and summary).

It's awfully irritating to be at the library reference desk when a patron brings in an article torn from the newspaper and the journalist hasn't cited anything except "in today's Journal," or "last week's Lancet." They have to read the research (I hope) to describe it; would it be so hard to cite it correctly?

*

Tara Parker Pope--
such a lovely name;
sing it, play it,
hang it on a rope.

Tara Parker Pope--
she of Wall Street fame;
read her, write her,
She will help you cope.

The naked article

Or author. Do you know how to strip a Word Document of personal data? I don't. Henry says this at Crooked Timber, where I seem to be the only person listed under Library Science, and I'm not even employed.

"Fun story in the Chronicle this week, about the perennial academic pastime of trying to figure out the identity of the anonymous referee who dinged your article. Word documents preserve a lot of metadata, including, very often, the author’s name – so that if you submit your review via a Word email attachment (as many journals ask you to these days), and the journal forwards the review unchanged to the article’s author, he or she can figure out who you are without having to play the usual guessing game. I’ve been aware of this for a couple of years (I carefully strip all data before sending reviews out, just in case) – but I suspect that many academics aren’t (some of them may not even realize that Word collates this data automatically)."

See the comments at the permalink for more. They end up debating different text editors and word processing. I didn't know anyone still used WordPerfect. Guess there's been a switch back.

Losing power

Yesterday on my drive back from Shear Impressions (about 5 miles) I turned off the always busy Rt. 33 onto a neighborhood main street, and noticed at a slight curve that the steering wheel was stiff. I knew immediately that my power steering had failed--it had happened to me once before when my children were both small and in the car. It's a feeling of helplessness not forgotten. I struggled home (fortunately I work out at least 2 minutes a day and am very strong), rousted my husband out of his chair and we took off for the local Pro-Care that had the least dangerous route using both cars. Once there, we discovered that Pro-Care had gone bankrupt and we were facing an unfamiliar company name. (Lobby and phone number are the same, however.) The car, and our arms, could go no further (our son manages a quick serve much further northeast), so we had to go with them or be towed. The diagnosis is a small hole in one of the hoses, and the power steering fluid drained out. It will be close to $300, but that's minor compared to the accident I could have caused.

Power. Even when we think we have it and we are zipping along, we don't.

3459 What are they so afraid of?

Over at Bloomberg.com Susan (Boom Boom) Antilla writes about the new Answers in Genesis Creation Museum in Kentucky. The sarcasm, the smears, the snarls and sneers--what are these guys so afraid of? Don't they know they are winning the battle for men's minds, and everyday in every way we are getting better and better? Gracious, the Departments of Biology at colleges and universities across this country have renamed themselves so the word "Evolution" is prominent--letting anyone who even entertains a thought outside that box will know not to enroll. Yes, we are all evolving to be sooooo open minded and newyorkerd that we aren't even threatened by a new or different thought. But I digress.

"Forget Disney World and Epcot Center," writes Antilla. "You haven't seen anything until you've seen the Creation Museum set to open in Petersburg, Kentucky, this year." I don't think she's actually been there or seen it (opens in June), but relies on second hand information with the fair and balanced title, "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America" by Chris Hedges, a former reporter for the New York Times, obviously an unbiased source.

I don't care if Ms. Antilla and Mr. Hedges want to believe they've evolved from something slimy and not human--if that's what gets them up every day and helps them live a better life, fine. Be my guest. But don't drag me down to your level.

3458 Catching up on education

There was an item in USAToday Feb. 7 reporting that 15% of high school students passed Advanced Placement in 2006 compared to 10% in 2000. It's been going up steadily every year. Hispanics are behind both blacks and whites even though they outnumber blacks. I'm wondering if bi-lingual education (mandatory) isn't slowing them down. Most immigrants in our past knew instinctively that in order to get ahead they needed to speak and write standard English. Many Hispanic parents know that but school boards and gate keepers are denying them this dose of common sense. The article certainly didn't credit NCLB for these figures, nor would I because I'm not sure how that would affect the kids at the top of the class, unless NCLB is floating some boats we weren't expecting when the level rose. Could it be more home schooling? Surely they get to take Advanced Placement.

I chatted with a chemistry teacher in a vo-tech school the other day. She was real excited about their school library--the new librarian has dumped the carrels (that was high tech in the 50s and 60s), and now the students can check out laptops to use in the library. Also the school (which serves 10 high schools in the Columbus area) is planning an expansion, and the librarian is getting 4 times her present space. And they will throw in an assistant. Some librarians know that marketing is an important skill these days.

If you turned up your nose at a teaching career because you heard the pay was bad, you need to get a neck adjustment. Bureau of Labor Statistics clocks teachers at $34.06 and hour, or 11% more than the average professional specialty like architecture. Frankly, I'm not sure you could get me in front of a class for $50/hour, but I sure do admire the committed saints who do it. The article by Marcus Winters and Jay Greene which appeared in the WSJ also pointed out that some of the highest paid teachers in the urban districts have the worst results--Detroit, NYC, DC.

The English speaking peoples account for 7.5% of the world's population, but their economies produce more than a third of the global GDP. . . the English language is an intellectual global currency. "A history of the English speaking people since 1900" (Harper Collins, 2007)

Schools in the Columbus, OH metropolitan area (both city and suburban) have been closed for three days now due to the extreme cold. The wind chill factor is a problem for students waiting outside for busses. At least, I think that was the reason. Back in the days of global cooling, I don't remember that schools closed for cold weather in northern Illinois.

3457 Featured on another site

American Daughter picked up my blog on what's behind the words (global warming vs. climate change; animal rights vs. animal welfare, etc) and posted it at her site. American Daughter features many guest columnists, bloggers and regular contributors in a variety of formats including audio, video, live webcasts and pictorial essays. Stop by and take a look. It's a very dynamic site, so click on the "front page" button to see what's on today. Make her site a regular visit.

Things I wonder about--the tomato

Every morning I drink 6 oz. of tomato juice with a Tbsp. of vinegar. Very tastey. It's much lower in calories than orange juice and has 90% of the daily requirement for Vit. C, plus a bunch of other good stuff you won't even notice. Cold tomato juice gives me a stomach ache so I buy the little unbrand 6 packs and don't refrigerate them. What puzzles me is why a 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce or a 1/2 cup of stewed tomatoes is so much lower in percentage of vitamin C. I've read labels of tomato products that have virtually zero vit. C listed.

Does anything smell worse

or give the eye more pleasure than a Ginko tree?
Here's a wonderful site to browse Ginko Dreams. Both the agricultural library where I worked for 3.5 years and visited many more, and the veterinary medicine library where I worked for 17 years had lovely tall Ginkos right outside the entrances. The smell when they drop their fruit is like vomit, and the students would track the rotting residue into the library (along with "stuff" from the animal stalls). Ah, the memories make me smile.

3453 Leaving race behind

Amitai Etzioni doesn't like it when people ask his race, even when the U.S. government asks. He discovered that if he marked a box labeled "other" that he was simply assigned to a racial category. He writes in "Leaving race behind" American Scholar, Spring 2006:

"Treating people differently according to their race is as un-American as a hereditary aristocracy, and as American as slavery. . . The national ideal says that all Americans should be able to compete as equals, whatever their background. . . Since the onset of the civil rights movement we have ensconced in law many claims based on race: requirements that a given proportion of public subsidies, loans, job training, educational assistance, and admission slots at choice colleges be set aside for people of color. . . There must be a better way to deal with past and current injustice. And the rapid changes in American demographics call for a reexamination of the place of race in America."

Etzioni notes that Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the U.S. and their population growth, both legal and illegal continues at an explosive pace. In 2003-2005, one of every two people added to America's population was Hispanic, but they may be members of many ethnic and racial groups. Race is biology, but ethnicity is geographic and cultural. By the third generation, 30% of Hispanics and 40% of Asians in the U.S. have married outside their racial or ethnic group. Will the government continue to offer their children special benefits?

Who needs help from the government? In my extended family we have on the one hand well-off, well-educated African American and Hispanic relatives who are married and living a stable, comfortable life style, and on the other, dirt poor, living-on-the-edge, poorly educated white relatives, "shacking up" as we used to say even before we knew poverty and marriage were related. Do you give reparations to the black family (whose ancestors were never part of U.S. slavery)? Do the Hispanics (who don't speak a word of Spanish) get a special deal for a job? Do you just give more money in welfare to the poor family, but no special incentive or slot for college because a middle-class black child got it?

One thing Etzioni doesn't touch on is the race careers--politicians, journalists, social workers and academics whose livihood depends on keeping us a divided nation. A black professor is suing because he didn't get tenure and he's claiming racial bias. But he's also doing stem cell research--adult stem cell, and doesn't believe in embryonic stem cell. Could be something else at work that has nothing to do with race. Did you see the article in the NYT about the woes of the highly educated, wealthy black people who can't find good nannies? Like most of the race-based articles, it was terribly anecdotal, but apparently some east European nannies have actually made a choice of whom they want to work for, and so have some black Americans and Caribbean women. I personally think the only color that matters here is green, and to get a good nanny in NYC you probably have to at least pay $40,000 a year with benefits.

Technorati: affirmative action, Racial Issues

First Italian American Woman in Space Disgrace

They may want to take back this award. She's now been charged with attempted murder, after an earlier kidnapping charge in which she pepper sprayed another woman in the space flight program who was involved with the guy that Nowak wanted for herself (she's married; no one told her you don't get two?) Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein, an unmarried fellow astronaut. When arrested Nowak had a BB gun, a steel mallet, a 4-inch folding knife, rubber tubing, $600 and garbage bags. She had worn diapers so she wouldn't have to stop while racing to get to the airport to confront the other woman. She was wearing a wig--and must have smelled a little funny.

OK. So the jokes about PMS are all over the airwaves. But you can't tell me someone in the chain of command didn't know there was a problem, but because she was a woman, they back peddled. I'll bet Oefelein knew she was dangerous, but thought his career was at stake if he said anything. It may have even been consensual--or could have all been in her head. It happens. But who was going to believe the man?

3451 Why aid for economic development fails

and often hurts the very people it tries to help. In the late 1970s I had a wonderful 3.5 year contract as a bibliographer/reference librarian in agricultural economics. More specifically, I was paid by the U.S. Department of State, Agency for International Development, through a grant won by Ohio State University's College of Agriculture, Department of Economics who wanted a librarian to help develop a collection of research about how local, home-grown small grants for credit, not gifts, to people with little or nothing lifted families and villages out of poverty and hunger. To correct a problem created by an earlier group of well-intentioned social scientists in the 1950s-60s post-colonial era, these grants also went to women and to small collectives in rural areas. Perhaps it was credit to buy several sewing machines, or looms, small tools, or a working well for a village which could then sell the water. Savings and investments are concepts totally foreign to many cultures and I don't know the success rate of these programs over the long run. Really, compared to the amounts you think of as "aid," these grants were very small, but they were not Utopian or from the top-down. The aid went to the entrepreneurial and those with a network of family or friends who would use their services. And don't forget those of us along the way who were paying our mortgages, tuition and Lazarus' bills with these grants--we benefited too. It paved my career path for two more contracts, and then a 17 year faculty position in the Veterinary Medicine Library.

Western interference in the economies, politics and cultures of third world developing countries has not turned out well. The American left loves to point fingers at Christian missionaries who started hospitals, schools, churches and developed a written language for Africans, Asians, and Islanders, but their footprints are tiny compared to the disaster of foreign aid from Europe and the U.S. The missionaries at least were accountable to God and their denomination; the governments and the U.N. agencies who soaked the guilt-swamped for more money funded various interventions in their societies which were accountable to no one, not even us taxpayers, elevating a class of dictators, bureaucrats and home grown thieves.

For all the statistics and scholarly stuff, check The White Man's Burden; why the West's efforts to aid the rest have done so much ill and so little good, by William Easterly (Penguin Press, 2006) and The Trouble with Africa; why foreign aid isn't working, by Robert Calderisi (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006). Both authors were officials with the World Bank (one for 16 years, the other for 30) and have seen this problem from the inside out. And just to balance out your public library's collection, you might recommend either or both titles, after you've done your own research. [UAPL owns 2 copies of the Easterly title.]

Some reviewers found Easterly's writing style "cynical and breezy" choosing to criticize how he said it--even his chapter headings--rather than what he said. This is a tried and true method to keep people from reading or buying a book. One review of the Calderisi book starts out by comparing the number of people who died in the WTC with the number of Africans who die of AIDS, and how much the EU spends helping its own farmers. This is also a diversionary tactic to not deal with the book in hand. Build a straw book and burn it. Easterly and Calderisi clearly show that aid has not produced the desired results; Africans are now being victimized by their own rather than Europeans. The naysayers will want to kill the messenger and want to do business as usual either from guilt or because they are in the money pipeline.

Monday Memories--Did I ever tell you about Alice?

When my children were pre-schoolers, I met Alice through an open housing human relations group. We were the same age and each had two children about the same ages. We began doing a few things together, like taking the children to lunch, the library, or the park. Our kids even shared chicken pox because I noticed spots on her daughter's face when we were all on a picnic. We browsed craft shops and garage sales, the kids in tow. We both read a lot and kept up a steady stream of conversation. I sketched and painted and she enjoyed crafts. She kept busy and involved, but decided she would pursue an advanced degree. This was in the early years of the women's movement and there was a lot of buzz about the value of being a mother vs making a contribution in the work place. Even I attended some "consciousness raising" groups at the university and felt the pull. It was heady stuff for young mothers whose highlight of the day might be a consult with the pre-school teacher or the dentist. We then began a rather complicated schedule of shared babysitting. She needed my help much more than I needed hers, because I didn't need as much time away from children. There was no time to just do the fun things in our little group of six. I was looking forward to summer when her classes would be over. One day in June she drove up with the children and announced she was leaving her husband. The three of them drove away, the three of us stood in the drive-way and waved good bye. I never saw or heard from her again. It was Father's Day.

------
There aren't too many left in the Monday Memories group who post regularly, but it's a convenient way to recall some things of the past, even the less than pleasant ones like this.

There's an age gap in house cleaning!

The over 60 ladies are definitely keeping cleaner homes! But we're even on who has a cleaning service. See the Good Housekeeping Survey. I never leave the house with the bed unmade, although sometimes my husband is still in it when I leave. We learned years ago that it was much for efficient for the last one up to make the bed.

HT The Laundress

3448 I'm putting myself first

There's a phrase that makes me gag. I was watching Oprah today while fixing supper (potatoes, onions and carrots with a little olive oil in the oven, and then I'll grill some salmon). She's doing a show on women who don't look their age. It's really amazing what getting them out of jeans and sweats and putting on a little hair color and mascara can do. But one woman came out and they had the photo of her 10 years ago and today on the screen. "What did you do?" asked Oprah. "I decided to put myself first," she said oozing confidence. "How did you do that?" Oprah repeated. "I'm putting myself first," she repeated. I guess if you eat junk food and never exercise, that's putting others first? When I did that I just called it getting careless and eating anything that wasn't nailed down.

3447 My very own 12-step program

My girlfriend AZ and I get together on Monday mornings for coffee and she is cleaning out her storage area, returning letters and things, pitching other stuff. We became friends in the late 70s, so she found some of my writings which she returned to me today.

It seems I wrote a 12-step program for myself [I have no memory of this] when I was in the midst of the terrible-teen years. I can't be sure this wasn't copied from someone else. Even in those days I was pretty good about adding a citation to the original. So here it is--with some reordering of priorities and eliminating some wordiness for this viewing.

If you're not familiar with the twelve steps concept it revolves around not trying to change other people or blame them for your situation and releasing it to God (or a higher power if you and God are not on speaking terms). I've always said that raising teens is what led me slowly out of the Democratic Party, and although it was probably 15 years down the road from writing this, I see the roots.

1) The only person I can be responsible for is me. I will think, feel, and act in ways that make me and the people around me feel good.

2) I will give up my image of the perfect parent who always knows the right thing to do, who always fixes up or cleans up after everyone.

3) I can't keep my children out of trouble or from being hurt. I release them to God's care.

4) My children have many needs and emotions. I will respect these needs and emotions.

5) I also have my own needs and emotions, and I expect my children to respect them, too.

6) I will do my part to be a responsible parent.

7) I also expect my children to do their part as members of this household and family.

8) I will not be negative or punishing, knowing that everyone likes praise, approval and acceptance, and I will praise any effort they make to be caring, responsible adults.

9) I will be reasonable in my expectations of my children, but I also accept my right and responsibility to set limits on behavior in my home and in my presence.

10) I will not expect perfection of myself or my children and I will be honest about my imperfections and seek only to change myself.

11) I will resist rescuing my children when they get into trouble of their own making. Because I realize that taking responsibility for another person's problems does not help but weakens the person, I will allow my children to experience the natural consequences of their own judgement or behavior.

12) I will resist allowing my children to be dependent on me. When I allow this I encourage resentment from them and self pity and bitterness from myself because we can't meet each other's expectations.

Looking back I'd say it's not particularly useful to even write down expectations for the way others will treat you. That's obviously an area over which you have no control. Nor would I today say I'm going to act a certain way so others will feel good. That's also something over which I had no control. I can't even imagine my mother writing something like this (my dad, maybe). This list has a very strong "yes, but" flavor, don't you think? It's pretty clear when I wrote this I was grabbing back anything I handed over to God. And notice how I listed what behavior would receive praise? I was really into responsibility, wasn't I? The teen years aren't easy--I wasn't very loveable and neither were they, but I'm happy to report that along about age 25 your kids will return to being the fabulous people you envisioned when they were little. May you live through it and thrive for another day!

War time pen pals

Our troops always need mail. I recall reading a letter saved by an elderly relative written by my great uncle, 16 years old, who had lied about his age and enlisted during the Civil War. He was so homesick and desperate for mail. He died of dysentery a few days before the war was over. Now people send e-mail, and I've sent a few myself just to let them know I appreciate them--although I'm not exactly in their age group. I think you'll enjoy this memory of pen pals during WWII by a former soldier. He probably wrote great letters--good practice for his future career as a journalist and a blogger.

You know the Bible 100%!

 

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Not 100%, but some of the questions are pretty easy.

HT Annoyed Librarian.

3444 Laconic t-shirts

Lots of choices, but I sort of liked this one, suitable for writers. I love a good pencil to blame.


Although I liked this one, too "Democrats: the party of premature withdrawal."

Laconic blog

3443 Virginity pledges vs. condom use in adolescents

Why do you suppose some groups, the media especially, are so opposed to teens being instructed that abstinence is a viable alternative in sex education? Never mind, just tuck that thought away for another day and move one to things we do know. Studies do show that parents are in favor of abstinence education. What got the most media attention hype was a report [Peter Bearman and Hanna Bruckner in the Journal of Adolescent Health, April 2005] that apparently showed virginity pledges made no statistically significant difference in STDs in young adulthood. Upon rechecking their methods that was found not to be the case because their methods also showed that condom use failed even more in making a difference in STDs among this sample, and they were not looking at the teen years, but 7 years after the fact. A study done in June 2005 showed the Bearman and Bruckner study had many design flaws, plus the media had ignored many of the statistically significant differences, like male pledgers had 30% lower rate of infection than non-pledgers. I only bring it up now because recently I heard this misinformation mentioned on a talk show.

Lower STD rates [25%] is just one among a broad array of positive outcomes associated with virginity pledging. Previous research has shown that, when compared to non-pledgers of similar backgrounds, individuals who have taken a virginity pledge are:

Less likely to have children out-of-wedlock;
Less likely to experience teen pregnancy;
Less likely to give birth as teens or young adults;
Less likely to have sex before age 18; and,
Less likely to engage in non-marital sex as young adults.
In addition, pledgers have far fewer life-time sexual partners than non-pledgers. There are no apparent negatives associated with virginity pledging: while pledgers are less likely to use contraception at initial intercourse, differences in contraceptive use quickly disappear. By young adult years, sexually active pledgers are as likely to use contraception as non-pledgers.

Read it here, "Adolescent Virginity Pledges, Condom Use, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Young Adults" by Robert Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., June, 2005.

Although the groups compared did have similar backgrounds, it appeared to me that more non-pledgers were from divorced homes with higher incomes and less religious involvement than the virginity pledge youth. However, whether the differences were statistically signficant enough to satisfy social scientists, I don't know.

And as we all know from life, making a promise doesn't mean keeping a promise.

Here's a good discussion opener for you and your daughter.

technorati: virginity pledges, contraception, condoms, STDs

Poetry Thursday has moved!

Here's the new site; I'll have to change my template link. So here's this week's challenge: "Given all the changes here at Poetry Thursday, we thought change would be a good topic for this week’s (completely and totally optional) idea." That's something to think about. This might be the time to post my shoulder pads poem.

All I did was attend a different church service today (we have eleven) and was amazed at the changes I saw. Not sure there's anything in that to write about, but change is always with us, isn't it? I've mentioned it before, but "change" is one of the reasons I retired at 60 instead of 65. I was so tired of the constant changes--the reporting line, the staff, the consortia, the committees, the technology. I thought there must be more to life than learning a new software gimmicks that would be gone in 6 months, or the names of student staff who would only stay a quarter. When you're young--like 18-25 or so--the changes dribble like a soft rain and you hardly notice them. Also, you tend to gloss over them thinking it (the changes) are temporary and eventually things will settle down. Doesn't happen. As you age your mind accumulates and stores all these changes and their warranties and instruction manuals are still on your shelves; they become burdensome.