3835

Making the pledge

Apparently there is a push (from somewhere left of center) for college graduates to take "the pledge." I noticed it at a Manchester College peace studies site, and it has taken up the cause. Obviously, the definition of "peace" has expanded a bit since I attended Manchester in the 1950s. It's not about war anymore, or personal behavior. They don't pledge to abstain from promiscuous sex; or to be responsible in their use of alcohol; or to make changes in their community by running for office or voting regularly; or to be pleasant and non-confrontational at work; or to avoid jobs that will support the killing of the unborn, or euthanizing the sick and elderly; or to only look for jobs that will pay off their college loans so their parents or future spouse aren't burdened with debt. The students get to define "responsible," so maybe they will do the right things. But they do pledge to consider the environment, and it started on the left coast. Surprise, surprise.

"Humboldt State University (California) initiated the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility. It states, "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work." Students define what being "responsible" means to themselves. Students at over a hundred colleges and universities have used the pledge at some level, at schools which range in size from Whitman, to Harvard, to University of Wisconsin. This now includes some schools overseas, graduate and professional schools, and high schools. Graduates who voluntarily signed the pledge have turned down jobs they did not feel morally comfortable with and have worked to make changes once on the job. For example, they have promoted recycling at their organization, removed racist language from a training manual, worked for gender parity in high school athletics, and helped to convince an employer to refuse a chemical weapons-related contract."

Didn't people always do this without signing a pledge card? Would someone who registered as a CO for the draft 40 years ago have gone to work in the armaments industry? In the 80s I refused to apply for a women's studies position at the OSU library because I knew I'd have to buy books that supported abortion; I refuse to buy stock in companies that make their profits creating alcohol or tobacco products, which in turn creates death; I don't want viaticals in my retirement portfolio; I won't buy tickets to movies or plays or buy or read books that demean and ridicule women; I write to advertisers of shows that ridicule and criticize Christians; I regularly write my congresswoman who is a Republican in name only and remind her of conservative principles; I let my pastors know when the message is weak and not gospel centered, offering false hope; I recommend books to my public library, even when I know I'm ignored; I don't laugh at jokes or watch TV programs that belittle women or Christians or the elderly or the not-so-bright; I tithe my income and I'm pretty careful to whom it goes; I am an advocate for the Mexican people's government shaping up and creating opportunity in their own country; and I would have never needed a pledge made at college graduation to know that racist language had no place in a training manual, but I'd have to be pretty desperate for a cause to turn down work because of gender parity in athletics or anything else.

The pledge was seen at something written by Neil Wollman, Senior Fellow, Peace Studies Institute, Manchester College. I'm not sure how old the item was, but it seems Manchester now is the source for this pledge that originated in California.

3834

Reading about another war

Many of the passages of David McCullough's 1776 have been very moving and informative. I didn't know Americans in 1776 had a higher standard of living than any people in the world.

"The Hessian and British troops alike were astonished to find Americans blessed with such abundance-substantial farmhouses and fine furnishings. "In all the fields the finest fruit is to be found," Lieutenant von Bardeleben wrote after taking a walk on his own, away from the path of destruction. "The peach and apple trees are especially numerous .... The houses, in part, are made only of wood and the furnishing in them are excellent. Comfort, beauty, and cleanliness are readily apparent."

To many of the English, such affluence as they saw on Long Island was proof that America had indeed grown rich at the expense of Great Britain.

In fact, the Americans of 1776 enjoyed a higher standard of living than any people in the world. Their material wealth was considerably less than it would become in time, still it was a great deal more than others had elsewhere. How people with so much, living on their own land, would ever choose to rebel against the ruler God had put over them and thereby bring down such devastation upon themselves was for the invaders incomprehensible." 1776, p. 158

I googled "Lieutenant von Bardeleben" and found out that many of the diaries and letters of the German mercenaries fighting with the English have been translated.

Timeline

3833

Read the instructions before you purchase

I wrote that yesterday was a dusty day--a new cook top was installed (old one). We ate lunch out because the men were in the kitchen cutting a bigger hole in the marble counter--there was dust and noise everywhere. Tip: you'll need more than a 30" base cabinet to install a 28" cooktop. Anyway, when they were finished, I got out two of my favorite skillets, which are cast iron and over 45 years old, and fixed supper. Not good on glass cooktops when they were used for years on a gas stove (previous home). The residue from the bottom of the skillets applied itself to the top and I'm not sure I'll ever get it off. This was a very expensive mistake. I THEN read through the instructions.

Actually, everyone I know who's opted for some sort of trendy modern kitchen feature from glass tops to granite to Corian sinks will tell you it's not your mother's kitchen! Or even the one you used for years and years. I hate marble counters. Granite shatters and you can't pour boiling water into a Corian sink.

After reading the instructions I'm not sure I would have thought immediately that the bottom of my iron skillets were covered with grease and soot, although I should have realized it because I never washed or wiped off the bottom of the skillets--they were always oven or stove dried.

The brochure says ceramic glass cooktops are tough, resistant to heat and cold, and attractive and easy to clean. They lie. Oh, they lie. The next section is: Precautions.

Check each time that the bottom of the saucepan and the cooking zone are clean and dry.

Lift up the saucepans--sliding can cause scratches

Avoid peeling vegetables over the cook-top as this could lead to grit and scratching

Use saucepans large enough to avoid spillage onto the cook-top, especially if a it contains ANY sugar, as this can cause irreparable damage to the glass ceramic

Keep the surface clear--do not keep plastic or aluminium packages on it which could melt and damage it

Each and every stain or deposit on the cooktop surface must be cleaned off quickly once it has cooled down--unless it is sugar, then get it up quickly!

Use only special cleaning products

This brochure is first in French, then English, then Spanish

Then the safety instructions say

do not to operate or clean a broken glass cooktop, or you'll get an electric shock.

And to avoid steam burns if you're wiping up a spill

Use only a flat bottomed wok (don't have one)

Make sure the diameter of the pan matches the diameter of the surface unit (all stoves instructions say that)

Use only a flat bottomed pan

A pan with a rough bottom (like my iron skillets which are not specifically mentioned) may scratch the cooktop

Never us the griddle or similar cooking sheet on glass cooktops

Do not use plastic warp [sic] to cover food. Plastic may melt onto the surface and be very difficult to clean [I think they mean impossible, since grease is in the "difficult" to clean category]

Aluminum foil will damage the cooktop--do not ever use it

Not a good idea to even use aluminum utensils because they melt at a lower temperature than other metals (there goes my tea pot)

Metal marks from copper bottoms must be removed immediately after the cooktop as cooled or they will become permanent. All the pans and skillets I have that are not cast iron, are copper bottoms.

Oh--I found it--"cast iron, metal, ceramic or glass cookware with rough bottoms can mark or scratch the surface"

Do not use your cooktop as a work surface

Don't use bleach or ammmonia to clean the ceramic surface (there goes the glass cleaner)

Don't slide an oven rack across the surface

Never use a trivet or metal stand between the cooking utensil and the cooktop

Don't drop anything on it because it could break

Don't put any food items on it even when not hot because it will make cleaning difficult

Sugary spills can cause surface pitting

Bottom of cookware must be clean and dry

Minerals in water that collects and drips from cookware may cause a gray or brown film to develop.

Clean daily with special cleaner, but not when it is warm; toxic fumes will result

Never use that cleaner on anything else.

Boy! What they don't tell you at the store. I have a 20" electric coil stove at our cottage that is at least 40 years old, and all it does is cook, get dirty, get cleaned. I won't be able to let anyone else touch this cooktop unless we have a private lesson first!

If you need a new electric cooktop or stove, be a bit less fashionable and get coil burners at 1/3 the cost and 90% less worry!

3832

Is there anyone out there who believes this is about a girlfriend?

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz's girlfriend's compensation package is the problem? Oh, please. Wolfowitz is on the Bill Clinton side of feminism, and liberals don't usually object to that, nor do they worry about nepotism.

The wife of our former President is running for President; the son of a former President is our President; when a Senator or Congressman dies in office, his wife is appointed to the office; the wives of disabled Presidents have run the country; the wife of the Democratic Mayor of Columbus gets a cushy, well paid job in our Democratic governor's administration; the wife of a former President of Ohio State University has a job and office open up where previously none existed; same for a librarian whose husband had been appointed a full professor in another department. And it is no different for girlfriends, boy toys and significant others.

The Wolfowitz "ethical lapse" is part of the larger Bush Derangement Syndrome, but with a slightly broader base.

Wolfowitz was Bush's former deputy defense secretary who helped move Bush into the war in Iraq.

He's a NeoCon, a former liberal, so he's doubly hated by the left because he left.

But most importantly, because the World Bank is a liberal institution run along the same management lines as the United Nations, he was going after corruption within the organization. If aid with no strings attached and no outcome requirements worked in the last 40 years, Africa wouldn't be mired in rotting infrastructure and corruption. If he were successful, the board and the corrupt officials taking the "aid" would be out of power.

Wolfowitz's transparency about the girlfriend when he was appointed, his willingness to recuse himself, his taking the advice of the ethics committee, were signs of what was to come. The Board panicked. Wolfowitz needed to go. Plus there's all that messy Iraq War stuff and believing Jihadism really is a threat to the world. I doubt that the Bush Administration will stand up for him; but if they cut him lose, it won't stop the liberal left from attacking something or someone else. I personally find Wolfowitz's marital behavior a huge downfall for him (and his family), but fiscally, he was probably what the World Bank needed, but didn't want.

Get a church!

Yesterday I was reading a chatty, well-paced blog by a self-identified atheist librarian. She was ridiculing the fashion tastes of the Christians who were gathering in the meeting room of the library. They must have been more joyful than allowed to be in the halls of the inner sanctum of a public library, because she said, "Get a church!" I wonder if she says "Get a kitchen" to the amateur chefs, or "Get an agent" to the wanna-be writers, or "Get a concert hall" if they sponsor the very loud hip hop groups for the teens that gather at my suburban public library as part of their "reach out to youth" program.

I truly wish the women I see at church were as modestly and attractively dressed as the ones she described and found so hilarious. I'd much rather see a floral print and lace collars than tight jeans and skinny tee's that leave the cleavage and muffin tops bursting in all their fullness for God.

Of course, what is really funny is a librarian, even me, giving out fashion advice. We're known for being tenacious, directional and investigative, but somewhat fashion challenged. And we're proud not to be taken for Paris or Rosie or some other clothes-hanger type. There are exceptions, of course. There's Matthew, the Well Dressed Librarian, and then there's Pam over at Health Sciences, and I'm sure there's more, but it's a pretty short list.

I recently saw some Christian women dressed similarly to the group she described. They were part of a prison ministry--feeding and clothing and job mentoring for some ex-cons. I wonder if atheist-librarians do that?

3830

Another dusty day

I'm in my work clothes waiting for the carpenter. We're having a new stove top installed today and it needs a slightly larger opening than the old one, which I think was installed in 1990, if I've got the ownership correct.

Old stove top, one eager burner, two half-hearted, and one out to lunch--and breakfast and dinner.
So I've moved everything out of the kitchen that I could and covered the table, chairs and bookshelves.

3829

My current choice

Harris Sherline has an editorial at American Daughter about the choices Republicans have at this point in the 2008 campaign. Romney is the only one I'd support. So I left this comment.

I realize there are no perfect candidates, but here's how I make my choice. No womanizers who will have constant stories being leaked to the press from the angry ex's and the other party; no one with cancer, even in remission, because the stress of the campaign could cause it to return and then we'll either have the wife or the Veep running the country; no one who has deserted his wife and married money. That only leaves Romney of the top contenders. This is a problem, not for me, but some Republicans are living in the 19th century. So maybe we need to also look and see if the bench is deeper than we think. Someone who will be realistic about our borders and illegals; someone who will do some of the fiscal things Bush promised, like fixing SS; someone who understands terrorism isn't going to go away with nicey talk; someone who has character, charm and a good television presence just for those voters who never look any further. Someone like Tom Tancredo.

3828

Illegal aliens

Our border guard, who is helpless, noticed her first.



But, there she was in the shadows near the border, looking for a spot to cross.



Ah, safely across, now to just blend in.


Now to scope out a place for a nest to drop her babies, who will then see our condo grounds as their forever home, a place to come back to next year. Last year, she was probably hatched in a nest right on the creek, but this looks cozier. I may have even taken cute photos of her mommy leading her and the sibs, upstream. The skunks and woodchucks probably won't come this close, so it might even be safer to have the babies here. It's close enough to walk to the creek. Afterall, the residents will probably make sure her nest is protected, and might even bring food and protect her from those noisy lawn guys with trucks and mowers.


As I type this, she has boldly walked up to my border guard, and seems to be saying, "Catch me if you can. I've come to stay."

3827

Food tag

Or a blog link fest. Not sure. Gekko tagged me.

1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you're in.

Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)miss kendra (los angeles, california, u.s.a)
Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, CA, USA! USA! USA!)
Tits McGee (New England, USA)
Kat (Ontario, Canada)
Cheezy (London, England)
Paula (Orange County, California, U.S.)
Jeff (Colorado, USA)
gekko(Arizona, USA)
Norma (Columbus, OH)

2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.
My daughter's home on special holidays. For Mother's Day we had salmon with a yummy smokey sauce, tossed salad, asparagus, wheat rolls, and lemon pie.

Rusty Bucket . Sports bar. Loud, friendly, good sandwiches. We've closed a lot of restaurants, but this one seems to be doing OK.

Schmidt's--I love their Bahama Mamas and cross cut fries. It's been too long--they also have great cream puffs. Thirty years ago, we went here regularly--not so much now. Going downtown seems a big effort.

Big Fat Greek Cuisina has wonderful seafood and Greek dishes. There have been several restaurants in this location over the last 10-15 years, and we've enjoyed most of them. We love to dip the warm pita bread in the green stuff.

We love small dinner parties at friends' homes. The price is right, the atmosphere terrific. And we're usually home early.

3. Tag 5 other people (preferably from other countries/states) and let them know they've been tagged.
Sally (England)
Janeen (Ohio)
Em (Florida)
Renny (Norway)
Mr. Cloud (Canada)

3826

Jewish Genius

If you read no other article today, be sure to stop at Commentary and read Charles Murray's article on why Jews are smarter than the rest of the population. He's a Scots-Irish from Iowa and he examines all the different theories and history of Jewish intelligence. The American "normed" intelligence is 100; for Jews it is 110.

The imbalance continues to increase for still higher IQ’s. New York City’s public-school system used to administer a pencil-and-paper IQ test to its entire school population. In 1954, a psychologist used those test results to identify all 28 children in the New York public-school system with measured IQ’s of 170 or higher. Of those 28, 24 were Jews.

Although in the end, after citing all the theories going all the way back to the Babylonian captivity, some of which have to do with employment selection, he has painted himself into a corner and finally concludes,

At this point, I take sanctuary in my remaining hypothesis, uniquely parsimonious and happily irrefutable. The Jews are God’s chosen people.

3825

Monday Memories

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about: Our First Spring in Columbus?


This photo is a bit fuzzy, but it is my husband and his mother (possibly Mother's Day) Spring 1968. We bought the house right after a big snow storm, and we were anxious to see what would come up in the Spring. There is the magnolia tree right behind them, and some wonderful daffodils (had already bloomed) that continued on another 10-15 years. There's the mighty oak tree in the front yard that didn't drop its leaves until February, the tree my husband says he doesn't miss one bit. Our drive-way was separated from the neighbor's by some very messy, straggly bushes that eventually we cut way back in order to get them to fill out.

My children wouldn't remember that the house across the street was painted white then. Early in the 70s the paint was blasted off to reveal a wonderful "used brick" pattern, not popular in the early 40s when it was built, but right in fashion in the 70s. Our house was still white then, with black shutters. About 7 or 8 years later we took off the shutters and painted it a light gold with a darker trim color. It had a standing seam metal roof with bits of green and black roof paint from an earlier day, so we also painted that--tan I think. I'm sure my in-laws made a huge fuss over our baby daughter, and this may have been their first visit both to see her and our new home. June was a lovey, gushy grandmother who adored all her grandchildren and thought they could do no wrong.

3824

Back home again in Indiana

One of the nice people I've met at the coffee shop is Sharon Burns. She's also the only person I know who is making plans to retire in Evansville, Indiana. I won't even tell you all the great things she has told me--she wouldn't want too many people to rush over there and buy property. But she is also an author. She's written this book published by Barnes & Noble.


Pop over to the link and read the synopsis. If it is as interesting and charming as she is, it should be a good read. My parents are gone now, but it might have some useful information for others.

3823

We're fat, lazy and addicted, but we can control the climate

This morning I was listening to a radio interview with Governor Strickland (Ohio) who gave a rah-rah presentation about what a boost bio-mass energy sales are going to be for an agricultural state like Ohio. This was prefaced by the usual blah-blah about the seriousness of global warming and what we're going to do about it, because we, the human race, can turn it around.

And the thought occurred to me:

We can't do the right thing for the one body we actually do control--we eat too much, full of bad stuff and don't exercise; we smoke, drink and use drugs, legal and otherwise, all of which we know are bad for us; but we claim not to be able to stop these bad habits. To top it off, we teach our children that a minuscule loop of latex will protect them from the most vicious and voracious bacteria and viruses in history. And we're going to stop global warming by putting corn into gas tanks, mercury into light bulbs, buying phony carbon exchanges and gazing at the moon on Earth Day?

Where's the tooth fairy when you need him?

Standing Women

"In the spirit of Mother Earth." This is an event being held today in 63 nations at 1 p.m., according to the Columbus Dispatch.

I don't care who or what you worship, but worshiping Mother Earth isn't benign or positive thinking. It's a very, very old religion. People were no more peaceful when the men went off to war with battleaxes and spears and the women gathered berries and roots, birthing in huts in the woods and bowing down to trees rocks and ancestors.

Now someone will jump on me and proclaim that I'm negative and hateful just because I point out the obvious.

3821

School choice is saving us money

Education by the Numbers is the title of a new study about school voucher and tax credit programs. "This study calculates the fiscal impact of every existing voucher and tax-credit scholarship program, in order to bring empirical evidence to bear on the debate over the fiscal impact of school choice. Of the 18 voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs in the United States, twelve began operations before the current school year and their fiscal impact can thus be assessed." It was prepared by Susan L. Aud, PhD, for the Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation.

"When a student uses school choice, the local public school district no longer needs to pay the instructional costs associated with that student, but it does not lose all of its per-student revenue, because some revenue does not vary with enrollment levels. Thus, school choice produces a positive fiscal impact for school districts as well as for state budgets." (from summary) School choice does not take money away from the district--it saves money. It does cut back on some power, and that in my opinion, is the real threat, whether from private, voucher, or homeschool.

One program that is different than most states is Ohio's Autism Scholarship Program.

"In addition to the Cleveland voucher program, Ohio provides up to $20,000 in state funding for privately provided education services, including private school tuition, for students with autism. Assessing the fiscal impact of the Autism Scholarship Program is difficult, as autism ranges in severity from very mild to very severe, meaning that private school costs for these students will also vary considerably. To make matters worse, Ohio school districts do not currently report data on instructional spending for autistic students.

Since Ohio does not make sufficient data available, we cannot calculate the program’s fiscal impact on local public school districts. We can, however, calculate its fiscal effect on the state of Ohio. Funding for disabled students in Ohio uses weights for the various categories of special needs. For example, a disabled student receiving a weight of 2.5 would generate special education funding for the local school district equal to two and a half times the foundation funding level for one regular student. Students with autism receive a weight of 4.735 for their Basic Aid portion of the formula revenue. In addition, these students are counted in the general enrollment and generate funds that way as well. Determining the formula revenue associated with an autistic student requires multiplying the foundation amount ($5,169 in 2005 and $5,283 in 2006) by 5.735. This gives us the total funding burden that is shared between the state and the local districts. We multiply this by the local share percentage (which is 0.68) to determine how much is funded locally. What is left over after this local share is subtracted is the average state formula spending per student. The results of the calculations for 2005-06 and 2006-07 are shown in Table 7. (of the article)

Even though the program serves very few students, and even if we make the conservative assumption that each student uses the maximum voucher amount of $20,000, the Ohio Autism Scholarship Program has generated $1 million in savings for the state."

HT Joanne Jacobs

3820

Party Girl

Terrapin Station had this list of questions and I hadn't done one for awhile. It's all about parties.

1) Would you rather be the host or the guest? I like both. "Party" isn't exactly what I do--maybe more of a "gathering." If I go to someone else's party, I get to meet new people. Last Saturday we went to a Kentucky Derby party--we all wore hats and dressed up, watched the race and enjoyed a fabulous meal with interesting people. I like to have "Whistle stop" parties--if you talk about weight, age, or health, I'll blow the whistle and stop you.

2) When you are hosting, do you clean everything up the minute the guests go home? Usually. If it is really late, it can wait, but all the dishes are rinsed and in the kitchen. Right after the meal (if it's a dinner), I load the dishwasher and keep everyone out of the kitchen, but I can see and hear what's going on. The dining room is a bit tight for 6 or 8, so they really can't move, which helps my plan.

3) If you had the wherewithal, and I guess I mean more than money, to throw a great theme party, what would the theme be? Doing something on a movie theme is fun. We went to one for my son-in-law's birthday--although I think for our age group we'd have to do an era, or specific stars. We rarely see movies anymore unless they are on TNT or AMC. The 70s were the pits for movies. 90s and 50s pretty good. 30s and 40s the best. If money were no object, I'd rent a spot and we'd have some sort of opening for an art show.

4) What's the worst time you ever had at a party? This one's easy. The first party I attended as a married woman was my husband's office Christmas party. It was a small company and I knew most of the people. The host was so inebriated by the time we got there (and we're always on time) that he had wet his pants. He was so drunk, it didn't bother him either and he didn't change his clothes. It made the guests really uncomfortable. I think we left early.

5) And to end on a brighter note, what was the best? I always tell people that my daughter's wedding was the best party. She was old enough (and independent enough) to do most of the planning herself, so I just had to show up, look pretty and enjoy myself. I got to see all my friends, dance, and eat good food. She was probably a frazzled wreck, but, hey, it's all about the mother-of-the-bride, right?

3819

Librarian publishes her third book

Nancy Pearl is the 62 year old librarian who developed the program whereby a whole city or town reads the same book. She's now published "Book Crush: for kids & teens." USAToday story

Mine is hardly an unbiased opinion, but I don't think librarians are the best guides on how or why children read--or adults either for that matter. I've seen some fabulous book blogs, and the best are simply by people who love reading and want to share their joy. However, not everyone loves to read or wants to read. Nothing emotional, spiritual, or intellectual happens when they read like when they play guitar, or hit a golf ball, or feel the tug of a fish on the line, or smell the leather of a saddle against the sweat of a horse. Zero, nada, zip.

I read to my children when they were young (it's a great cuddle time), it was a positive experience for the three of us, and both could read by the age of four. We made our own books too, using the cards they received for holidays. We had spelling contests, illustrated stories, and played word games. They always got books for birthdays and Christmas from my parents. One loved school; one hated it except for recess. They had excellent teachers, in a great school system, and parents who had a good education and who read to them. One does read fiction selectively by certain authors, only in hard cover, and only what she purchases; the other never reads. Neither have a library card.

I also took them to story hour at the local public library within walking distance of our home. They both disliked this experience, but for different reasons. My daughter wanted to stay right with me in the adult section, clinging to my leg; my son wanted to go play in the park next to the library. Neither thought sitting with strangers on the floor of the library was a fun way to hear a story.

I just mention this so nobody gets too puffed up about her ability to inspire children to read. And don't have too many regrets if you didn't have the time, inclination or interest and you think you've failed your children. If they are readers, they will find a way. There are many studies on learning types, environment, accessibility, illustrations, word difficulty and choices. And the "research" changes from era to era. When I was a little girl, teachers and librarians discouraged books in series, now it is encouraged. Comic books in a library? They would have been horrified, but not today.

Yes, by all means expose children to good literature with good illustrations; just don't be alarmed if they go another direction.

3818

Helicopter parents

That's a term for parents who hover. I thought I was the world's most hovering Mom, but I was a novice. Or maybe some of today's parents just seem that way because others are so neglectful.

The Columbus Dispatch had a photo of a boy, about 8 or 9, flying a kite in a park, talking to his mom on the cell phone with one hand, managing the string with the other. She calls every day at the same time, the article noted.

He was with his father.

Last night we went out to eat with a young, about-to-be-divorced mom and her two young sons. Both the father and grandfather called to talk to the boys.

3817

Tighty whities

Are tight, shorter length jeans back in style for all guys, or just gays? I saw a photo on the fashion page in WSJ of skinny leg, tight jeans, hitting snug in the crotch as well as the ankle just above the shoe. This wasn't the photo (from Sartorialist) but the same idea--tight and white. Quickly--hit the resale shops before all the 80s jeans are gone.

3816

A Mother's Day post

Joan has a great Mother's Day post today--stop by and enjoy it. I'm not a "goal setter," (I'm a problem solver), but I liked it. Not everyone wins in the gene pool, but Joan and her sibs (most are also bloggers) and my sibs and I were very fortunate. Joan's mom is Methodist minister (as was her father) and I've also visited her blog, and she's writing about her mom!

My mother wasn't a pastor, but she certainly did her share of teaching Sunday School, Bible school, and women's Bible study around her dining room table while volunteering for about 35 years at the local nursing home after looking out for her own mother and mother-in-law. My mom was a talented writer--even wrote some short stories--but I can't imagine her ever taking up blogging. She even destroyed my father's letters from WWII after we children found them in the attic. I have every letter she ever wrote to me--just filled with Illinois crop and weather reports and updates on my grandparents' health. Just fascinating stuff, but I enjoy seeing her handwriting.

Yes, Joan and I are blessed.

3815

Sometimes I have trouble with English, too

Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised if newspapers are shrinking or folding and people are communicating in text messages with no capital letters, numbers for words, and no punctuation. English is a world-wide language, can be difficult, and each culture puts its own slant on it. I use English all the time, and sometimes I struggle. (I have a problem overusing adverbs and parenthetical statements.) Yesterday I was reading Terry Teachout's theater column in the Wall Street Journal (you can see part of it here on his blog). I don't do theater, although I did see a matinee in New York about 50 years ago, but I like to keep up. Please don't misunderstand; he's a superb writer, but I'm out of practice. It's like reading some of the old research articles from the 20s or 30s in JSTOR--it's good exercise, but tiring. Maybe it's my age, or the age we live in age in which we live. I was exhausted by my own pauses: read, reread and ponder the meaning. I knew the idioms and phrases weren't critical to the sense of the essay, that he was just enjoying being playful, but still. . . I love words, language and meaning, and it shouldn't be so difficult. For instance:

"not excluding," does that mean "including?"

"repays careful watching," does that mean you get back the time if you pay attention?

"a couple of much-admired revivals not with standing," does that mean yes, the play has had revivals that were good?

"it goes without saying," I know that means "I'm going to say something you'll agree with, but I'm saying it anyway," but . . . it's still confusing to say you're not going to say it and then you do.

"an actor who sings not a singer who acts," would mean one is better at cross over than the other?

"can't be anything other than gorgeous," means very pretty, but why do so many of our idioms use the negative to be positive? Do Greeks or Cambodians do this? Probably, if they speak English.

"would that this tale were something other than an ordinary celebrity vehicle," What do you call that construction of, "would that. . .were. . .other than"? Future pluperfect past something?

"deliver the goods with postage to spare," must mean it's beyond successful, but I'm not familiar with the phrase. Is it theater English? New Yorker English? An idiom from his school days? Pony Express?

"so transparent as to be but invisible" I'm sure this construction has a name (so . . .as to be . . .), but it's been a long time since English class.

"a pair of golf-playing straw businessmen in bespoke suits" Yes, I did have to look up "bespoke" which is past tense of "bespeak" which is a British tailoring term meaning you choose the material. And I know a straw man is something made up to knock down. But strung together (a play about African Americans), I'm a bit confused.

Friday Family Photo

Here it is. The new bed, with the new bedspread, and the new wall color. Not quite finished yet. The bathrooms still have some work now that the carpenters are finished (try to get that done before you paint). I'm hoping this will be the last bed. We've had a problem with that.

After: new color is light gold with some green undertones, flipping the wall and trim colors from the guest room, looks good with the wood tones. Coverlet is cream, gold, green and blue. Bed is from Amish Vault in Bucyrus, OH.
Before: with dark blue faux glaze that was awful to try to cover. Every room in the house was either faux glazed or wallpapered, but this one seemed to have an impenetrable glaze over the glaze--and was actually lighter than most of the other rooms, so we did it last.
Still a bit of work to do
Have you seen that ad on TV where the guy starts flipping the wall switch asking his wife in the next room what it is for? She has no idea. Meanwhile, down the street a garage door is going up and down on a car hood, "Life comes at you fast," is the voice over as it crashes onto a bewildered woman inside the car. We'd forgotten that switch that shows above the dresser top because it was faux painted too. No idea what it goes to, but if a garage door starts moving. . .

3813

Casual Friday Circus

On Friday I get "the best dressed" award. There's just no competition. Today I had on navy, non-faded jeans with a touch of appliqued lace and felt flowers on the left leg and a pressed white shirt, and black heels. My hair was combed; and I was wearing a touch of make-up--powder and rouge, but no lipstick. A watch, glasses and wedding rings completed the ensemble. Compared with my fellow coffee drinkers, I could have walked the red carpet at the Oscars. The competition wore pajamas, shower thongs, rumpled khaki knee-length shorts, skimpy t-shirts over colored bras, horizontal striped short shorts with full side pockets, hooded sweat shirts and rock group tour shirts.

The young lady in the sketch has a lovely face--I can tell now that she doesn't wear the Goth make-up she used to wear or color her hair odd hues. Her puffy muffin top spilled over her low-slung gray sweat pants, and her bra straps hung over shoulders, barely up to the job asked of them. The t-shirt reminded me of what men wore 60 years ago who worked summer construction. But she was well dressed compared to her friend wearing the flannel, print pj bottoms. These young ladies, who I think are students at the local high school, make the case for school uniforms.

Still, the teen years are for experimenting and rebelling. When I was a teen I wore faded boy-cut Levis and most of my friends didn't. I'm sure my parents just sighed and rolled their eyes. I did wonder about some of the adults I saw today. Some boomer moms come in and their kids are better dressed and coiffured than they are. Is that rebellion in reverse?

And now, from the folks who poisoned our pets

From Medscape.com:

"May 8, 2007 — Healthcare professionals and others who compound medications using glycerin are being reminded of the importance of testing for diethylene glycol (DEG) contamination before use, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned yesterday. DEG, a solvent, is a known poison used in antifreeze.

Although the US supply of glycerin is not known to contain DEG, contaminated glycerin is known to have caused deaths in other countries over the past several years, according to an alert sent yesterday from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and adverse-event reporting program."

And we import glycerin from China. Didn't see a word about that in the Medscape article. Other medical sites aren't being so cautious, citing "lack of transparency" of Chinese officials. The first quiet, back page warnings about glycerin came out about 6 weeks ago; then NYT had an article a few days ago; then Medscape and some medical sites finally alerted their readers--they probably saw the NYT article. Glycerin is used in many products from toothpaste to cough medicine. Tell me again why the Federal Government should be in charge of all aspects of our health care.

Sopranos, Sex and the City and Albrecht

About a year ago, Chris Albrecht and Jeffry Bewkes, riding high with the success of smarmy, sexy HBO series, were being honored by Phoenix House for their contributions for substance abuse programs.

"There are few corporate leaders or companies as deserving of our Public Service Award as Chris Albrecht and HBO,” said Mitchell S. Rosenthal, M.D., president of Phoenix House. "They truly serve the nation, keeping troubling social issues like drug abuse, homelessness and poverty in the public eye."

"We are grateful to Chris and the many friends and associates of HBO who came out to honor him and support the work of Phoenix House. Thanks to them, we will be able to reach out to help more young people in need." Story in 2006

Now Chris Albrecht has resigned, claiming his physical abuse of a girl friend was caused by his alcoholic relapse. According to today's WSJ, Bewkes helped Albrecht smooth over a 1991 abuse of a female employee with a $400,000 settlement.

If it weren't for the 1991 incident, it could be a he said, she said case. But seems to be the chickens coming home to roost if you ask me, and you know what that smells like.

Thursday Thirteen--My Book House

The carpenters and painters have left, and we've got most of the dust corraled (always, always turn off your furnace fan if you are remodeling or painting, or you spread the dust throughout the house). This morning I was putting back the bookshelves and knick-knacks, and dusted off "My Book House," which just happens to have 13 volumes. Oh, you only have 12 volumes? Then you're missing "In your hands, a practical guide for parents," which links special projects and crafts and advice for using the 12 volume set.

My mother got a set of My Book House as a bonus buy when she bought a set of Book of Knowledge encyclopedias probably in the early 1940s. At least, I don't remember a time we didn't have both sets. Ours was probably the 1937 edition. Sometime in the mid-1970s, I walked into a little antique store in Lakeside, OH, and saw a set for $25, a 1953 printing. It was a lot of money for something my children had probably already outgrown, but one of my siblings (with the first grandchild) had been given the family set. Our very most favorite story to cuddle on the couch with was, 'Wee wee mannie and the big big coo," because we loved to hear Mom do the accent.

1. In the nursery
2. Story time
3. Up one pair of stairs
4. Through the gates
5. Over the hills
6. Through fairy halls
7. The magic garden
8. Flying sails
9. The treasure chest
10. From the tower window
11. In shining armor
12. Halls of fame
13. [unnumbered] In your hands; a practical guide for parents, rev. ed., 8th printing, 1951.

The covers/binding of my set are like the above photo [taken from the internet, but that is from the 60s], and the set I grew up with was dark blue. The illustrations seem unchanged. Fabulous. A child can look for hours at one painting or drawing. The early sets from the 20s had only 6 volumes. Google Olive Beaupre Miller, the editor, for her very interesting story. Her papers are at Smith College. She lived in Illinois and some years back I read a very nice biography of her in an Illinois magazine, but I can't seem to lay my hands on it.

3809

New issue of City Journal

The Spring 2007 issue is up and ready--you won't be disappointed.

Andrew Klavan’s witty “The Big White Lie,” was up for a preview earlier--but others are brand-new. Kay Hymowitz’s “The Incredible Shrinking Father,” --artificial insemination and its troubling effects on our culture and jurisprudence; Sol Stern, in “Save the Catholic Schools!,” outlines the dangers they face, adding a story about a remarkable one in Harlem; Stefan Kanfer’s account of journalist, humorist, businessman, and impresario Elbert Hubbard, and Theodore Dalrymple’s study of novelist Arthur Koestler; Adam Thierer’s “The Media Cornucopia,” which describes the Left’s various arguments for shutting down our burgeoning 21st-century TV, radio, and Internet universe; Peter Huber’s “Germs and the City,” which I've cited here before based on his WSJ article.

3808

Get a Chihuahua?

A friend stopped to chat at Panera's and she told me she hadn't been to Bible study recently because she was taking advantage of the good weather to work in her yard (on Saturdays). Part of her yard problem was her dogs. Three Goldens. Big. Dogs. Eat. Poop. "But I feel so safe," she said. Well, Bottom Line Newsletter (Winter 2007) says one of the myths about safety is having a big dog. Most big dogs are not barkers. What is needed are small dogs that make a lot of noise, like Chihuahuas.

I've never known any dog that didn't bark when I walked up to a door. My son's huge (Mom, she's just a puppy) Lab barks. A lot.

3807

The case for vegetarianism

Not that I would, but medically, it makes sense. It's an impressive argument.

Some extremely common conditions in the Western world are relatively uncommon in purely or predominantly vegetarian and fruit-eating societies. These include 1) severe atherosclerosis and its devastating consequences (heart attacks, brain attacks, etc.); 2) systemic hypertension: in societies that eat minuscule amounts of salt, the systemic arterial blood pressure is usually about 90/60 mm Hg, a level near what it is at birth but a level in the Western world often associated with shock; 3) stroke; 4) obesity; 5) diabetes mellitus; 6) some common cancers (colon, breast, prostate gland); 7) constipation, cholecystitis, gallstones, appendicitis, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, inguinal hernia, varicose veins; 8) renal stones; 9) osteoporosis and osteoarthritis; 10) salmonellosis and trichinosis; and 11) cataracts and macular degeneration. from William C. Roberts, "Facts and ideas from anywhere," Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2007 April; 20(2): 200–208. Also available as Roberts WC. Atherosclerosis: its cause and its prevention. Am J Cardiol. 2006;98(11):1550–1555

3806

Reasons to homeschool

Parents who choose to homeschool put in a lot of work and hours, but I think they get back more than they give. Sherry has a wonderful post about winding down the school year here. She writes one of the best book blogs on the internet. You'll never be sorry you visited.

But the essay on homeschooling by a Catholic mother at First Things really blew me away, Schooling at home by Sally Thomas. Something about her "day in the life" reminded me of my mother and myself--the way we taught while we parented, although neither of us homeschooled. Every moment was a teachable moment. Now when I yearn to hear Mom's voice (she died in 2000), I remember the days as a child wishing she'd just stop explaining, elaborating, using family stories and history, showing me the innards or roots of some animal or plant, how to hold a paint brush, where to put the horse's hock on my drawing, etc. etc. Homeschooling is good for kids, but it's really wonderful for the parent.

3805

Never forgive

The United States forgave Japan's war debts years ago, decades actually. But now Guam wants compensation for the occupation by the Japanese, so where to go, where to go. Why--to Congress for reparations of course. It failed last time, but now we've got Democrats in power.

Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo in March introduced the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, which calls for federal compensation related to the Japanese occupation of Guam between 1941 and 1944.

Bordallo introduced the same bill during her last term, but it failed to pass. Story here.

It was supposed to come up this morning in the House Natural Resources Committee. Oh, that sounds green! Sure to make it this time. Any shade of green as long as it costs money.

Madeleine doesn't look very ethnic Pacific Islander, does she? Her deceased husband was the governor of Guam. Since 1973 Guam has had a non-voting delegate in the House. They do get to vote in committee, however, and she's a member of the committee to which this was proposed.

HT Hoystory

3804

Mort and me

It's phone tag in cyberspace. I occasionally drop by the blog, Octogenarian, written by a retired journalist living the good life as a snowbird in Florida. Mort is a secular Jew who had a fascinating career and is enjoying sharing his memories while upgrading his technical skills. Like me, he does get political. And he's a liberal. Earlier this spring his blogging was a story in the Palm Beach Post which he posted at his blog. I was a bit surprised, knowing all the problems in the world and his vast experience and talent, that what irked him most was "mean-spiritedness and lack of compassion of people, especially those from the religious right." I tried to comment, but the comments had been turned off for that one, so I went to an older entry and commented that compared to some really big problems (and I cited the ones exacerbated by the liberals) this seemed like an odd complaint.

When Mort found my comment he e-mailed me to clarify, which of course I had to answer with even more documentation. However, his e-mail server bounced my message, saying it was for spam abuse. So I had to go back to his blog, leave another message that in addition to facing closed comments, I was now blocked from replying to his e-mail. He has e-mailed me saying he doesn't know why, but of course, I can't respond. Nor can I leave my other e-mail address at his blog, because if I wanted that spread all over the internet, I wouldn't be using Medscape. Here's my comments in response to "mean spirited religious right" (code words for conservative Christians, not conservative Jews or Muslims or Hindus).

I was disappointed to see you set up the strawman "religious right" as what irks you most in life. I'm an evangelical Christian and a Republican, who was a Democrat until age 60. I can't imagine that you search the dial for conservative talk shows, and you certainly can't find conservatives on the network or cable news, unless you are watching the very timid Fox News. I, on the other hand, have almost no access to fairness unless I choose Fox, which sometimes is a bit too entertaining and giggly for my tastes. I read all the major papers, but am subjected to terribly biased opinion posing as news in the NYT, Wapo and WSJ. I don't mind it at all on the OpEd page where it belongs--just don't throw it into the news reporting. Because you are a liberal, I think you see this as "normal" or the way it ought to be because people can't be trusted to judge for themselves.

I believe I saw a survey that journalists were about 12:1 liberal to conservative; but you have nothing on librarians, who are 224:1 liberal to conservative. These are the folks who buy all the anti-Bush and anti-Christian books they can get their hands on, while insisting that another view must make it through the accepted review channels of Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, both owned by the same publisher.

What irks me most isn't left wing harangues, blogs or reporting. That is so much hot air. It's the result of leftist and socialist ideas that make it through congress or into the business world that result in real damage. What irks me is millions of Africans dying of malaria because do-gooders got DDT taken off the market; what irks me is the 60% poverty rate for single women and children when it is only 3% for married women, an almost direct result of militant feminism; what irks me is the head long rush into silly, expensive regulations and crushing business decisions that global warming fundamentalists are trying to impose--it's just a new age religion in different robes; what irks me is journalists who buried on the back pages the Christians who were tortured, mutilated (disemboweled, castrated, throats cut while alive) and murdered by Turkish Muslims, when Muslim terrorists who were "subjected" to wearing women's undergarments made the front pages for weeks and months.

Republicans are weak and disorganized and religious conservatives have all the same problems as anyone else--divorce, obesity, ill health, mortgages, etc. You need to find a bigger, stronger enemy to face down, and unfortunately, I think it is going to be the anti-semitic left wing of your party.

So in an e-mail he clarified it: hate in talk radio seemed to be the culprit. Well, here again, I'm pretty sure Mort doesn't listen to Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, but I do. And I also read or watch the major media. If you watch CBS, NBC, ABC TV or read NYT, WaPo, WSJ or USAToday, you can't get away from the liberal media. You'd have to look for the conservative media--and talk shows are opinions and don't pretend to be news, balanced or otherwise. The major media vehicles publish opinion as news. That's a HUGE difference.

And I read the web sites like Media Matters, that slices and dices and dispenses the raw meat to the liberals, what they think the talk show hosts are saying. Maybe 2 lines from a 3 hour show. But this I do know. If Rush Limbaugh is a Christian, he never mentions it. Glenn Beck is open about being a Mormon. Michael Medved and Dr. Laura are very open about being observant Jews. Laura Ingraham is very open about being a Catholic. Bill Bennett is some sort of conservative Christan (Southern Baptist?), but I don't know which brand, same with Hugh Hewitt.

Parody and poking fun is not "hate speech," Mort. Pointing out inconsistencies in Michael Fox's ads for political candidates is not "hate"; just because he has a disease doesn't mean he gets a pass to lie. Although I'm sure our Democratic Congress will try to make it so. What Rosie O'Donnell says IS hate speech because you get her words combined with her hate-filled expressions on TV, but if she can find a sponsor for it, let the public decide with their consumer dollars whether to support her hatefulness. Even so, she wasn't removed for her words, but for her demands for more money.

Rush Limbaugh (the non-religious talker) is first of all an entertainer, former disc-jockey, and sportscaster. He uses phrases and voice clips from the people he parodies--like "Barack the magic Negro," a phrase from the left coast LA Times, or the Justice Brothers, sound bites of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton singing duets about victimhoodness. His term "Feminazis" is close--but still no cigar, because it was a term applied many years ago to just a couple of shrill women in the media, who in fact, do support programs and ideas that would probably result in the demise of the male gender if taken seriously. Rush will often just read the words of a liberal columnist or journalist--that's all--just read it aloud. With pauses. Giggles. Sighs. Laughter. Now is that hate speech? One of his favorite phrases is the "drive-by media" (journalists who don't actually listen to him but take pot shots) who use the phrase "mean-spiritedness."

And "lack of compassion?" Mort, there have been so many studies on the generosity of conservative Christians--they far exceed the liberals and humanists, and liberal Christians. Protestant denominations and Catholic orders take Matthew 25 very, very seriously. That is our marching orders, not the belief that we will change the world. That's why humanistic-academic social plans so often fail or make things worse in the long run--they have no roots, no deep source and just enlarge the problems they try to solve. So, here I, the librarian, just have to tell a journalist to go back and review your sources.

A WSJ story about a new test for Down Syndrome ran yesterday. Although it mentioned the number of false positives, it did not say that 90% of women whose babies tested positive for Down Syndrome chose abortion. Now that, Mort, is a liberal slant to a news story. It was what was left out.

But sometimes it is the word choice. White intermarriage. Black miscegenation. Two phrases in the same story about intermarriage of races.

Or how about these.

Global warming. Climate change.

Pro-choice. Anti-choice. Pro-abortion. Anti-life.

Iraq debacle. Iraq conflict.

Right wing conservatives. Democrats.

Lots of ways to slant the news.

3803

God Bless America

‘God Bless America’

We hear George Bush say it regularly; in fact in all our imported US TV and films, the phrase ‘God Bless America’ is a very natural and normal expression in the USA, as well as talking about praying.

The use of God and prayer in public life by public people is a question of your sanity in the UK. The US has a separation of church and state, yet has a very religious society. The UK has a state church, but a very secular society.

But if the UK prime minister used these phrases, there would be outcry; they are inconceivable in public life, except maybe for our Queen. In deed earlier this year Tony Blair in an in-depth and wide ranging interview referred to his belief in God in guiding him, and there was a public outcry, and fear that he was a religious maniac.

Even our Queen, can only make a statement of broad general spirituality, rather than a definite claims of God being for us as a nation, and an appeal to prayer.

There is a voluntary principle in the USA with no tradition of church-state, yet the US is a country that claims ‘One Nation under God’ and that ‘in God we trust’. Whilst 40% claim to attend weekly in the US, with people seemingly anxious to be seen as churchgoing, in the UK the claim for church association is 5-7%. It is 1% in many of our largest towns and cities.

Religion in the UK was imposed until recent times, but we can now choose our religion. In the USA, religion has always been personal choice. I’m not sure if that qualifies us to make any observations, but it might explain some of the ways we see things taking shape in the USA, and I hope help you understand us better." Brian McLaren , a Letter from London

One percent attend church in some of your towns. Who is writing you letters? Sounds like you could use some encouragement and a little Gospel of Jesus Christ. And looks like Americans should never advocate a state church.

3802

The Kansas Tornadoes

Have you seen the photographs of the flattened Greensberg, KS? Then before they could even pull people out of the rubble, some more came through the same area. Fortunately, the people were prepared with a warning system, or there would have been a huge loss of life. But. . .



Did you hear the Kansas Governor, Kathleen Sebelius, thinks that if Bush weren't in office, the National Guard could make this terrible scene better? Better than what? What is left to guard? It amazes me how the Bush Derangement Syndrome blows into town to affect otherwise intelligent, capable people, aka Democrats. Before this silly comment, she'd been a Democratic rising star. Must be burn out.

I looked at the death count--10, for a town of 1,600. Isn't that a higher percentage than New Orleans' Katrina? Does Bush hate white folk? Rural people? He waited 4 or 5 days before going there. Did Kansas have tornadoes before Global Warming?

3801

Porn again Christians?

You can go to this site for all the details and follow the links to come to your own conclusions. I'll just pull out a few. I wouldn't say I've seen porn on Christian blogs and websites, but I have seen some pretty unseemly, sloppy stuff, and I've heard of it creeping into our local churches in careless attempts to be "relevant" in reaching out to unbelievers.

Said [Chris] Rosebrough, "Rupert Murdoch is a born-again Christian and Rick Warren claims to be his pastor. As a Christian, Murdoch is committing an egregious sin by owning, expanding and profiting from pornographic channels and Rick Warren, as his pastor, has a Biblical duty to call Murdoch to repentance and/or put him out of the church."

I didn't know that Murdoch owns Zondervan, the publisher of Warren's best selling Purpose Driven Life. This is sad, sad indeed.

I just scored 100% in that quiz on religion that Newsweek ran about 2 months ago. You don't have to get an A in religion to know in your gut that pornography hurts women and children, hurts marriages, hurts society, grinds the soul and mind into the dirt, and makes mega-millions for the owners and producers. Mixing Christian books into the TV soft porn business? Come on, Pastor Warren, step up [to the collection plate] and do some counseling. I like a good investment portfolio, but there are certain products I won't buy--alcohol, nicotine, and viaticals. But I thought I was pretty safe with Christian books.

3800

Book club selections for 2007-2008

In May our book club meets at Barb's lovely home. It has never looked more lovely that last night--almost like a park with trimmed beds and lovely perennials and potted flowers. Our final and fun selection for our book year was Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray, who published her first novel when she was 60. Then with one minute to lobby our choices, the members offered suggestions for next year's reading, with the absentees sending theirs with another. Here's what we'll be reading, although all of the suggestions sounded terrific.

September: Learning to Bow by Bruce Feiler. My caution would be that this is based on his teaching experience in Japan in 1987-88--20 years ago, and was published in 1991. We probably wouldn't want our culture evaluated by a just-out-of-college, one year visitor's first book.

October: Field work by Mischa Berlinski. A first novel by another American visiting a foreign country. A trained classicist, Berlinski worked as a journalist in Thailand where this story of two clashing American cultures--anthropologist and missionary--takes place.

November: 1776 by David McCullough. This is the title I threw into the mix. McCullough's use of diaries and letters and his ability to weave in the stories of the little people we never heard in our history texts is just awesome. George Washington managed to write almost 950 letters in that year, while running the war campaign.

December: Inside the Kingdom by Carmen Bin Ladin, Osama's sister-in-law (half brothers whose father had 22 wives), affords a peek into her life in Saudi Arabia. From the book jacket cover I thought she might use Michael Jackson's surgeon. Do you see a resemblance?

January: A tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is a 1943 classic that was made into a movie. It will be an interesting comparison with the immigrant life today.

February: We'll be doing something Shakespearean with a special guest, who actually taught my children when they were in elementary school.

March: Digging to America by Anne Tyler is a story about two families who adopt Korean children. Tyler is an excellent writer, popular with women, and I'm sure there will be enough stereotypes to go around.

April: Amazing Grace by Steve Turner, a pop/rock journalist, is the book [or part of it] about the hymn on which the movie was based.

May: I'm proud of you by Tim Madigan, yet another journalist, the story of Mr. Rogers.

Also suggested (but we only choose 9) was Unknown world by E. J. Edwards, Snow falling on Cedars by David Guterson, For the Glory of God by Rodney Stark, and Religious literacy by Stephen Prothero. I scored 100% on .Prothero's quiz, and 71% scored 80 or above

Monday Memories--The Stereopticon

There are so many memories in this photo I almost don't know where to begin. The room is the north living room of what had been my grandmother's house, but which was the house of my daughter's grandmother in 1973, my mother. It is my recollection that my great-grandfather purchased this property when another farmer lost it to debt, maybe in one of the late 19th century panics. He and his son Ira farmed a lot of land in the Franklin Grove-Ashton area of Lee County, Illinois. Ira died from an infected cut finger in 1908 at the Ashton farm. Around that time my grandparents who were living in Wichita, KS, lost their little baby, Oliver, at birth. Grandfather David offered them this farm if they would come back and help--he being about 80. At least that's what I have in my head. Around the same time he made significant gifts to the Brethren Church in Wichita where my grandparents worshiped.

It was an unspectacular, 8 room, boxy farm house. Grandma had it remodeled adding a huge gracious dining room, a second staircase to a lovely bedroom with a canopied balcony, a big airy kitchen with "modern" features like a built in corn cob storage for the blue and black cookstove, manual dishwasher, table with flour bins, a walk-in pantry/storage room, an upstairs servant's bedroom, plus two bathrooms, a dumbwaiter, a generator and a sink at the back door for washing up before entering the house.

By the late 1960s the house had fallen on very hard times and was almost unliveable, and when my grandparents died, my mother went to work to transform it to the house it actually had never been, and it became a family and religious retreat center. One item you can see through the windows are the grape arbors my mother rebuilt and coaxed grapes into growing again. Thus my little family traveled from Ohio and took a week's vacation there for about 10 years.

My daughter is five years old in this July 1973 photo and totally engrossed in the stereopticon my mother and her siblings had used, and which my siblings and cousins had enjoyed on the slow Sunday afternoons we had visited in the 1940s and 1950s. She's lying on the couch that my Grandma bought in the 1950s to update the look--the arms were so wide you didn't even need TV trays (there also was no TV)--with her head on the pillows her grandma made.

The little girl in the photo would still jump into my arms and sit on my hip with her long brown legs almost touching the ground. She has a band-aid on her foot from running barefoot all day, and her golden brown hair had not yet seen a scissors. She's wearing a little green and yellow nightgown I remember well, so I think it was twilight--my kids didn't run around in the morning in night clothes. From the looks of the dirt on her feet, we had probably skipped bathtime, and I'm guessing that under all that thick curly hair was a sweaty, sweet smelling, damp neck--the windows behind her are open to bring in a little air.

Ah, the Monday memories. As I was finishing this, my daughter rushed in the door to use the computer. "Oh mom, do you have a band-aid?"

All aboard the gravey train

I noticed this in the BOMA Newsletter [Building Owners and Managers Association]. This is going to be a very high priced ticket to nowhere:

"Whether or not you trust in the science of global warming and mankind's ability to reverse it, policymakers from both political parties at all levels of government are looking at how to "green" their communities and reduce carbon footprints.

Early in the 110th Congress, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made it clear that the issue of global warming would be a legislative priority. "Scientific evidence suggests that, to prevent the most severe effects of global warming, we will need to cut global greenhouse-gas emissions roughly in half from today's levels by 2050," Pelosi stated in her opening remarks at a February hearing of the House Science and Technology Committee. Speaker Pelosi went on to say that the committees with jurisdiction over energy, environment, and technology policy have been asked to report legislation on these issues by June in hopes of having "legislation that will be a starting point on global warming and energy independence through the committees by July 4 so that, this year, Independence Day is also Energy Independence Day."

To accomplish this task, Speaker Pelosi has created a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which will develop policy and strategy recommendations. Already, several bills have been introduced in the House and Senate, and several more are anticipated, including ones by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-MI) and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

One of the issues that BOMA Intl. will closely watch is whether a carbon "cap and trade" program will be included in any legislation that is enacted. This approach, which would cap greenhouse-gas emissions and permit emitters - such as utilities and industrial customers - to trade carbon allowances, is strongly supported by many Democrats in Congress, but not by President Bush. However, support for this type of approach has gained some followers from business. In January, 10 major corporations and four environmental groups came together to form the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP). The groups, which include DuPont, PG&E, BP America Corp., and the World Resources Institute, are calling for mandatory carbon reductions from major emitters, including commercial buildings."

Note: that is "grave" as in tomb, not the sauce.

3797

France's new leader

My horse didn't win in the Derby (Street Scene won), and I wasn't even thinking of offering an opinion on France's race. I'm mean, I didn't want the leftist lady to win, but secretly I thought she would. Often countries do vote themselves into total loss of freedom. Anyway, Sarkozy won. I'll say this, France can put forward some good looking candidates. Both.

I know you knew that, but this is a log so I need to keep up. Seems he wants to save France for the French. What a concept.

3796

Training ground for biased big media?

The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper is one of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of struggling free circs, those piles of newsprint and skinny magazines you see in the lobbies of coffee shops, shopping centers and libraries. Technically, they offer an alternative, but if they become successful, a bigger paper usually buys them. I hear they pay well, and the slant is, well, very, very one way or the other. The Stranger is left, although I've only read one article. It's anti-religious right. Yawn. That's like an elephant being afraid of a mouse. There is not a single leftist program proposed since FDR that hasn't succeeded. Conservatives, at best, toss an occasional banana peel, and a baby might make it out alive in the Dakotas that otherwise would have been thrown in a trash can.

The article that was sent to me is "Cross Purposes" by Erica C. Barnett. For some reason she thinks it is sad that Seattle's old line, dying liberal churches are shrinking and becoming irrelevant. When we joined UALC [it's a conservative congregation within a liberal denomination] in 1976 our pastor had formerly been a Lutheran pastor in the northwest--can't remember if it was Oregon or Washington. But I remember him saying that the mountains were white capped from all the letters of transfer that never made it. That means, for you non-Christian readers, when people headed west, they left their relgion back in the east or midwest and started worshiping Mother Nature. If they needed a little familiarity for a wedding and cozy pot lucks, they could always join the Unitarians. So I don't know where Erica's been hanging out, but it ain't church.

So she writes a lengthy story about the "new conservatives." But she has a very odd hitch in her gitalong. Seems to really focus on externals, hoping I think, to turn off . . . who, exactly? In describing the people she's afraid of (i.e. conservative Christians) seen at two different gatherings, tiny Church on the Hill, and big Mars Hill:

T-shirts and jeans
overalls and sweats
casual sportswear
bearded guy in sweats
blond man in sneakers and faded blue jeans
brown long-sleeved t-shirt
thrown-together, house-party-ish scene
heavily gelled hair [preacher]
sloppy, untucked dress shirt
wooden bead necklace
trendy wide-strapped brown leather watch
girls in glittering half-sweaters
sloppy emo boys with tattooed arms
disheveled hair
pregnant women in stylishly expensive maternity jeans
loud and a bit slovenly [preacher]
Jimmy Kimmel-esque comedian [preacher]

I haven't seen that much fashion description except in my own complaints about what people wear to church these days.

When describing the liberal Mainline Methodists in Ballard, WA she says. . . not much about their appearance, but does cite their criticisms of the new kids on the church block, and they have a serious case of edifice envy.

"Very much your father's conservatism"
"women are the nurturers who should go home and have babies"
"negative, almost misogynistic view of women"
"emergent or emerging" [these are 2 different terms, but she doesn't distinguish]
"They've built a show that attracts masses of people. That legitimates it"
"it's possible they are simply not paying attention"
"an astonishing number believe in reincarnation, which is not a Christian doctrine"
"we're in a time when people pick and choose what they want from their religious experience"
"appeal to people who think we live in apocalyptic times"
"creates a system where people can have a feeling of control"
"they see themselves as cutting edge, whereas mainline churches are struggling to keep their doors open"
"theology of fear"
"they're cool and they can go out into the world"
"they'll outgrow it"

Oddly (or, not so odd since she wants a job with a "real" paper), Erica sees the mainline church goers (most with gray hair and canes), as more tolerant and diverse because there is a sprinkling of gay couples, and some female pastors. She thinks it is quite OK for the Methodist pastor to be preaching on the "evil empire" the U.S. is becoming with obscene tax-cutting, but not OK for the Mars Hill guy who's preaching that the suburbs have just as much evil as the city. She calls the conservatives intolerant with retrograde political leanings (she only sites homosexuality and women as evidence of "retrograde"), and apocalyptic, rebelling against the pop culture while appropriating its language and styles.

Yes, Erica's looking for a job with a playa.

Who makes Don Imus look like a choir boy?

Michael McGee Sr. Oh please, Lord, let him be a race, nationality, religion and party we've never heard of. We've got enough problems in the media.

Word inflation

Or is it word deflation? I like Staples. Shop there for my paper and computer needs. Yesterday I needed ink. Took in my little cartridges for the discount. Folded inside my receipt (which I just looked at) is an ad that says, "Salvation from PC frustration. See an associate for assistance." That's a stronger altar call than we get at church!

My candidate has a plan

All the others want is a vacation.

[from Taranto's column] The Associated press asked the candidates for president what they would most like to have if stranded on a desert island. Here are the responses:

Joe Biden, Dennis Kucinich, Duncan Hunter and Mitt Romney said they'd bring their wives. (Notably, Hillary Clinton did not say she'd bring her husband.)

Mrs. Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama and John McCain all said books. Rudy Giuliani said "books and music."

Chris Dodd said "coffee with cream and sugar."

Sam Brownback said a tarp.

Mike Huckabee said a "laptop with satellite reception."

Tom Tancredo said a boat.

Bill Richardson said "BlackBerry and a Davidoff cigar."

Buy Jinky's book

Here's a photo of Jinky and his "mom." First he had a blog, now a book. It's a bit racy for me--after all he's a Hollywood dog--but some of my readers, especially dog lovers who want to help a good cause, will love it.



My other blogs about Jinky.

3790

The spread of poverty

I've often said that the way middle class families lived in the 60s and 70s would be considered poverty today--one car, 1.5 baths, 3 bedrooms, no AC, no dishwasher, one TV--and of course, no cable, no cellphones, no computers, etc. But I didn't expect the Census Bureau to agree with me.

"Forty-three percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

Eighty two percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 35 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning. Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions; Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception; Seventy-three percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a more than a third have an automatic dishwasher."

Instead of broadening the base of poverty (to induce guilt, get more votes and more taxes), it would be better to focus on the really destitute. TCS Daily article.

3789

It's a horserace

Tiago
Among the Republican field I will support Mike Huckabee or Mitt Romney or Tom Tancredo. I have no interest in McCain, Rudy or Newt; they haven't treated their wives and ex-wives well. Maybe that's why they play it fast and loose on abortion? Some of the candidates I've never heard of.

For the 133rd Derby, I think at Donna and David's party Saturday night I'll go for Tiago, 15:1. He won at the Santa Anita Derby. His jockey rode Giacomo to victory, and John Shirreffs is the trainer. He is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss. There are no good stories this year--no female jockeys, no blind or deaf horses, no murky backgrounds among the owners--or if there are, it's so common the reporters are ignoring it. I had to find the list on page 6 of the sports section this morning.

Would you like a cute Chihuahua?

No, not my grand-puppy, but one at this Chi Rescue. Look at that talented pup who walks on his two front legs. Jinky, the Hollywood dog, is out advertising his book, making a case for rescued dogs. He's led a pretty fabulous life, first blogging which is how I met him, and now as a celebrity author. You'll fall in love with the Lambster, an abused Bichon, that Jinky writes about.

New stories at the reunion blog

The ladies' breakfast

Center School in Trot Town

Town hang-outs

My first document in Zoho.  I stopped by Aunt Lora's blog, from which I clicked on a blog by a father of an autistic child from which I got to Zoho.  It is an online word processor that I can access from anywhere--I think. 

Ooh.  I like the background color feature and the type font.

--------------->

OK. Now I'm back in the blogger.com posting template. I'm not exactly sure when or where I would use this Zoho. I always type in the "edit html" feature of blogger, except occasionally I switch to "compose" when I want to add some color or change the font. I can get into blogger.com from any computer. Does anyone know why I need Zoho Writer? I haven't tried the other features. Maybe I'm not techie enough to know what a jewel it is--the reviewers raved about it. Easy sign up.