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CIA Freedom of Information web site

In 2000, before 9/11 and the current war, the CIA prepared a 15 year forecast. [These are scanned, not digitized, so not particularly easy to read.] It is really instructive to go back and see what career government intelligence employees were warning our elected leaders about. Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)were probably the most consistent warning. Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Iraq were said to have "the capability to strike the U.S. and the potential for unconventional delivery of WMD by both states and nonstate actors." I'm sure this is not the only document in there with this information, because we know a number of prominent Democrats like Kennedy, Edwards and Kerry were beating the WMD drum in the late 90s, but then backed off when a President not of their party took their warnings seriously.

There were erroneous predictions about the global economy, and we were in a down turn then and no one foresaw the incredible boom of the 21st century. Although reading between the lines, they were general enough to be true--such has Europe and Japan needed to manage their aging work force or there would be consequences (well, duh!). If the global energy supplies were disrupted, it could have a devastating affect on the whole world (take that you "it's all about oil" peaceniks!). Also, this interesting tidbit: "Recent estimates indicate 80% of the world's available oil still remains in the ground, as does 95% of the world's natural gas." p. 17

I'd say the report was spot on about information technology and biotechnology predictions, if anything, it is a bit sluggish as those fields blossom like mold in a damp basement. The report was pretty accurate here, too: "Most anti-U.S. terrorism will be based on perceived ethnic religious or cultural grievances." Now, I wonder who plays that up and then asks, "What can we do to regain our place in the world and get along?"

For a 51 page report, the amount devoted to global climate change/warming is extremely modest, or maybe it just seems that way given the constant coverage we have today. It did address the "environmental neglect" of the formerly Marxist countries as a problem, and predicted the failure of the Kyoto Protocol, not because of the danger of a Republican administration, but because of the growing economies of China and India.

But it was soooo on target with comments about religion, I almost couldn't believe it: "Activist components** of [Christians and Muslims] and other religious groupings will emerge to contest such issues as genetic manipulation, women's rights, and the income gap between rich and poor. A wider religious or spiritual movement also may emerge, possibly linked to environmental values." Someone in the CIA spotted the rise of pantheism as a world religion. Good job!

You can do a dual search: first search your topic (Iraq= >1000 documents) then limit by year (2007=26). The date will most likely refer to the year it was "released," so you can easily see what was being said or researched in the 90s and review how that works out today. Check out NIE 2002-16HC, "Iraq's continuing programs for WMD, October 2002" which makes a "key judgement" that Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of the UN restrictions. It estimated 100-500 metric tons of chemical warfare agents including mustard, sarin, GF and VX stockpiles.

**"Religious voices are part of a two-week-long United Nations conference on climate change being held in Bali. Delegations from the World Council of Churches, the Vatican, and many Catholic orders are among the participants. The conference plans to develop an international pact to battle global warming. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and other religious leaders urged the delegates to take aggressive action to protect the environment." Report from Bali

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When Blacks are sentenced

Michael Vick, a black football player, is to get 23 months for dog fighting. And he deserves every minute and I hope they get the rest of the ring because these fights don't happen with only one guy. However, I'm looking forward to the day when a big, burly NBA or NFL guy gets 23 months for beating up his wife or girlfriend. She usually ends up dropping the charges and he might get a reprimand and returns to the court or field to make millions for an industry that looks the other way. (And yes, I've heard of Mike Tyson, but that's a different "sport.") Oprah or another woman's show occasionally covers the topic, but the media doesn't give nearly the attention it gives the dogs. Or how about jailing the creeps who sing and dance about the bodies of females encouraging assaults with easily recognisable hate speech?

Then there's Conrad Black who's been sentenced to 6.5 years for cheating the shareholders of Hollinger International (now Sun-Times Media Group), mail fraud and obstruction of justice. He was caught on a security camera removing 13 boxes of documents from his office. Sandy Berger, Bill Clinton's national security adviser, was caught also--stole important documents about the Clinton administration response to terrorism from the National Archives, destroyed them, and then lied about it. He got no jail time. Didn't I see somewhere that he was working in Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign? He should be doing more time than either Vick or Black.

And if they are lazy?

"OSU Extension/University District, a member of the Franklin County Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition, is looking for volunteers to help hard working low- and moderate- income families prepare their taxes and receive refunds. Experience in preparing taxes is a plus, but training will be provided." Seen at OSUToday, Dec. 7, 2007.

I guess lazy but employed workers won't get any help with their taxes.

Should Al Gore be required lose weight?

Should environmentalists lead the way to reducing the impact of obesity on the environment? [Interesting perspective on Gore's career leading to the prize, here.] "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated, albeit roughly, “previously undocumented consequences” of the ongoing obesity epidemic in America. They report that, through the 1990s, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds. This extra weight caused airlines to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel in the year 2000, with represent an expenditure of $275 millions and emissions of 3.8 million tons of carbon dioxide. In other words, obesity is causing increased fuel expenditures and emissions." from Sensors Watch This writer thinks cheap gasoline may actually lead to obesity since it encourages more driving.

Sheldon Jacobson, U. of I., has crunched the numbers (he looks a tad on the thin side) and figures "Americans are now pumping 938 million gallons of fuel more annually than they were in 1960 as a result of extra weight in vehicles. And when gas prices average $3 a gallon, the tab for overweight people in a vehicle amounts to $7.7 million a day, or $2.8 billion a year." (reported in Science Daily)

Forbes.com reports there are other social costs for obesity: "Obese people are less likely to be given jobs, they're waited on more slowly, they're less likely to be given apartments, they're less likely to be sent to college by their parents." Obese people miss more work, costing employers something on the order of $4 billion. Because people are fatter, airlines spend more on jet fuel, and the obese themselves spend more on gas. But these tend to be hidden from consumers themselves. Many researchers believe that it's actually cheaper, in our fast-food society, to eat a high-fat, high-calorie diet than it is to stay slim. Supersizing a meal at McDonald's, Burger King or Kentucky Fried Chicken costs a consumer only 67 cents out of pocket. But after health costs and the price of extra gasoline are factored in, for some people, the price of the meal may have been effectively doubled.

Over at Food System Factoids, the author reports "Food and drink cause 20 to 30% of the various environmental impacts of private consumption, and this increases to more than 50% for eutrophication. This includes the full food production and distribution chain ‘from farm to fork’."

Mike Huckabee, Republican candidate for President, lost 105 lbs. after being diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. He says it was hard work.

Bride inherited bad genes

Dear Abby (Jeanne Phillips) had a letter from a distraught mother last week. She was giving her daughter a lavish wedding, paid for by her and the step-father. Dead-beat dad had done nothing for his kid--no child support, ran up bills using her name, etc.--over the years, but a week before the wedding the daughter decides she wants to include him.

Dear Abby replies to mom: She is her father's daughter. Your sacrifices have resulted in a selfish, self-centered, rude adult.

So did the daughter get both her mother's doormat genes and her father's selfish genes? Someone needs to warn the groom!

If the election were today

the lawyers representing both parties would be lining up to sue over the electronic voting, because they haven't fixed it yet. We need to go back to paper ballots. But

between Gore and Obama, I'd vote for Gore.

between Hillary and Obama, I'd vote for Obama

between Hillary and Edwards, I'd probably stay home.

Between Gore and Rudy, I'd vote for Gore

between Hillary and Rudy, I'd stay home.

Between Gore and Romney, I'd vote for Romney,

between Romney and Huckabee, I'd vote for Mike.

The Republicans have a much better field of candidates than do the Democrats.

Our no renters policy

Our condo association has an owner-occupied-only policy. Unfortunately, some owners who are quite wealthy, spend half the year in warmer climes. Then there was the career mom who travelled a lot and left her college age daughter in charge of the high school daughter. My oh my--the parties we were privy to.

So the condo is turned over to the "children" (adults behaving badly). Eight or ten cars (expensive) may be parked haphazardly on our narrow street on a week-end, the garage door left up, lights on all night, beer cans strewn around the lawn.

If they weren't low class they'd have no class at all.

The Bali Earthquake

After the ridiculous vision of 10,000 people flying to Bali to discuss global warming and stay in tents (imagine the "carbon footprint" and pollution), and then having an earthquake on Dec. 7 remind them all that they are in no way in charge of the planet earth, well, it was just too rich. Virtually every story is the same AP report, which down played it (called it a jolt), but over at Forbes.com I did find:

JAKARTA (Thomson Financial) - A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Bali on Friday, officials said, and it was strongly felt at a UN climate conference in the resort island. The earthquake, which hit at 17:45 pm (1035 GMT), struck 261 kilometers southwest of the Bali resort of Nusa Dua, where delegates are meeting to craft a strategy to combat climate change, Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said in a statement. There was no threat of a tsunami, and the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, the agency said.

If you don't care for the Genesis account of creation (who did it and why and how long it took) try the more poetic Job 38-41 where the Lord asks Job, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? . . . Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?" And Job admits he spoke of things he didn't understand which were too wonderful for him to know. And he repented.

Gasoline conservation tips

Save on food prices. Put corn in cows, pigs and chickens, not cars. Gasoline prices in central Ohio range from about $2.80 to $3.20. Anything made with basic food stuffs is going up much faster than gasoline, according to yesterday's Columbus Dispatch.

From the Tok, Alaska Mukluk News--and this town really knows transportation (Thanks, Cuz):

1.) Fill up your car in the morning when the temperature is still cool. (The colder the ground, the denser the gasoline.)

2.) If a tanker is filling the station’s tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up. (Dirt from the bottom of their tank might transfer into your car’s tank.)

3.) Fill up when your gas tank is half-empty. (The more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it’s warm)

4.) When you’re filling up, squeeze the trigger at the SLOW setting. (Minimizes vapors created while you are pumping.)

Tok, Alaska, established in 1942 has about 1400 residents, 13 churches, a public library, an elementary school, a 4-year accredited high school and a University of Alaska extension program. Local clubs include the Lions, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Chamber of Commerce. According to its nice web site, Tok is not short for Tokyo Camp (as I was told years ago), but was named for a Husky puppy, Tok, which belonged to men of the 97th U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Photo source, Nicky

In Ohio if the election were tomorrow

Given the margin of error and the undecideds, Huckabee could beat Clinton in Cincinnati, Ohio, and does better than Rudy and Mitt. If it were Obama, he definitely would. However, in Cincinnati, McCain does the best against Clinton. This poll was taken in Cincinnati by SurveyUSA.

Remembering why I hate coupons

Generally, I refuse to play games with my food--coupons, sweepstakes, loyalty cards, filling out forms on the internet, etc. But this week we got a coupon for our favorite pizza place up the road. Well, it's not really our favorite--that one is in Grandview and since we moved in 2002, it takes too long to get there. But this one is pretty good. Anyway, there was a "$1.00 off any size" coupon. So even though we really didn't need a pizza tonight (we ate out last night), I called one in. The price had gone up about $3! That's the primary use of a coupon--to cover up a price increase. And I know that because I used to write and interview about these scams, but it still makes me mad. Based on other price increases, it shouldn't have gone up more than $.40. It's you global warminists doing this, you know--putting corn in our gas tanks instead of our cows.

It's not too late

to purchase American made gifts. Made in the USA has some lovely things--glass, pottery, toys, backpacks, etc. You can also support local Christmas bazaars and church sales. This tip came from Janeen's web site, a mommy with a lot of good information about allergies and yummy recipes.

Sweet potato muffin mix at Homestead Gristmill

Homestead also has a craft, workshop and learning site you'll have fun exploring.

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Usually this is called homophobia

observes James Taranto, on the "proof" provided by the Idaho Statesman on Larry Craig. I wonder what is the point? Can closet gays not be good Senators? I admit they probably don't make the best husbands, but that's between him and Mrs. Craig. To look at the roster the Democrats have put forward for president, a Senator's qualifications aren't all that important. They're deciding among the wife of a philanderer (he kept her busy trying to take over health care in the 90s), a lawyer with good hair who's made his fortune suing American businesses and now has a huge carbon footprint to show for it, and a guy who was writing essays about becoming the president while in kindergarten in Indonesia. Maybe it's time they took another look at Bill Richardson or Al Gore.

[Tom] Russell, 48, a Nampa native who lives in Utah, was among three men who contacted the Statesman about what they described as unusually attentive behavior on Craig's part. . . .

Russell worked as a food service manager at Bogus Basin ski resort and said his encounter probably occurred in the 1983-84 ski season, soon after Craig had married following the 1982 page scandal. Russell had taken a food class from Suzanne Craig [the senator's better half] and had heard the rumors that Craig was gay.

Russell, openly gay at the time, said he set out to engage Craig "and attempted to show a personal interest--not in a suggestive way--but a personal interest to see if he would respond."

"I recall that he was very delighted to talk to me--smiling, happy, very delighted--and that he had suggested that we could get together sometime," he said. "Why would he have a personal interest in meeting me elsewhere?"

Russell said he became convinced Craig was gay because he used subtle signals consistent with communication between gay men in public places.

"You've heard the term, 'gaydar'? OK, it's there. You know it. You know when somebody is raising an eyebrow at you because it's their gesture when they say 'hello' or when they are subtly trying to send you a message that they recognize you as being a gay person."

Nothing came of the meeting, Russell said. But he came forward now because he is offended by Craig's denials.

"I'm disgusted because it's hypocritical, and he's lying. He's lying through his teeth. Heterosexual men do not behave like that."

SpudNuts redux

Certain blog entries get hits regularly--broken zippers, frozen car doors, the auto show, Fornesetti plates, Roger Vernam--and SpudNuts. I blogged about this treat which I enjoyed on the Urbana side of the University of Illinois campus in the 1950s and 1960s here.

In rechecking the sites that mention this delectable donut, I found an article written about the inventors, the Pelton Brothers, in the April 1952 Modern Mechanix magazine. The whole article is scanned and almost as tasty as the Spudnuts I remember. However, I'm not sending you to the link, because right after I enjoyed it, I got a notice from McAfee that I had a virus, various messages appeared, and then everything went down. But it's out there, if you want to pursue it. The virus might be totally unrelated, but just thought I'd mention it if any SpudNut fans are reading this.

Update on pedometer: Currently at 8802, which means I'm about 6,000 steps behind. Not easy to get stepping in bad weather.

Hackers hit Oak Ridge

I've lost track of how many times my information has been stolen at Ohio State and the state of Ohio. Sometimes, I don't even know why the information was in the database that was hacked. I surely don't know why an intern was carrying around an unsecured laptop in his car. A recent report on 60 minutes said credit card information is being stolen from retail stores because they're using insecure wireless networks. But even smart, techie people can be fooled, particularly by "phishing," so don't open those attachments.

"Employing a highly targeted social-engineering trick, hackers were able to gain access to a database at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory -- one of the United States' biggest nuclear facilities -- containing information on people who visited during the past several years. Since the lab handles nuclear material, it collects quite a bit of personal data on visitors, including their Social Security numbers. The bad guys sent e-mails that appeared to be either an invitation to a scientific seminar or a Federal Trade Commission complaint. In both cases, users were prompted to open attachments. Despite the fact that this place employs some of the smartest people in the country, 11 staffers opened the attachments, and the hackers got in. Worse yet, the attack may have been part of a larger coordinated effort -- investigators are looking into that possibility." from TechNewsWorld

The Oak Ridge site posts this warning--and I'd call 15 years a bit more than "several":

The original e-mail and first potential corruption occurred on October 29, 2007. We have reason to believe that data was stolen from a database used for visitors to the Laboratory.

No classified information was lost; however, visitor personal information may have been stolen. If you visited ORNL between the years 1990 and 2004 your name and other personal information such as your social security number or date of birth may have been part of the stolen information. While there is no evidence that the stolen information has been used, the Laboratory deeply regrets the inconvenience caused by this event.

They laughed at me and moved on

Years ago, when I was a bit more militant about women's accomplishments, I suggested at a faculty meeting that a new campus library (I think it was the depository on Kenny Rd) be named for the first Ohio State University Librarian, Olive Branch Jones. I mean, what could have been more perfect--she even had the word "branch" in her name, and most library systems have branches. My suggestion was dismissed as a joke, but I was serious.

Raimund Goerler, University Archivist gave a 2003 Kent State LIS convocation address about Miss Jones here and it is stored in OSU's Knowledge Bank, a digital repository (I backed into this article in a google search and the author was not identified so I redid the search starting with Knowledge Bank--which means you should always have the author's name on the scanned item). I'm so happy to see her getting some credit--after all, she was head of the library from 1887 to 1927. As far as I know, there is no tree, brick or building which bears her name.

She started as Assistant Librarian, becoming the first University Librarian after 8 years--although she hadn't had "professional training." I'd guess the 8 years prepared her, since not much was out there in the way of "library" training. The library degree even today is sort of a key to the door and you'll be an apprentice the rest of your career. After experimenting with various classification schemes, she was one of the first to select the Library of Congress system in 1902 because of the availability of the printed catalog cards (and she had no cataloger on staff). She oversaw the move of the library from a classroom to Orton Hall (where it remained for 20 years), and the eventual design and construction of William Oxley Thompson Library in 1912 (obviously not named for her, but it should have been).

She lost the argument not to build something monumental--she wanted a more practical and useful building, rather than large open spaces and grand staircases. Eventually, long after Olive had gone to the big stacks in the sky, she got her wish, because in the 1970s, Thompson Library was chopped up, modernized and mongrelized into a hodge podge of inconvenient cubicles and little spaces. It's now closed for 4 years and is being restored to something that will look like a monument to learning and knowledge.

It was on the 3rd floor of that library building that Fred Kilgour developed what would become OCLC with 1200 employees and offices in 7 countries, with headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. We both came to Thompson Library in 1967--although he went a bit further--establishing the first computerized library network, while I soon went home to raise children.

Rest in peace, dear Olive Branch Jones. I found out by reading this article that somewhere there is a memorial to you dedicated in 1933. I wonder where it is?

Almost a Friday Family Photo

When I was a little girl, this major league pitcher for 14 years lived on our block, and played with the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Braves. I went to school with his children. I knew he'd gone to Mt. Morris College with my parents, but didn't know he'd graduated from Manchester College in 1934. In 2006 he was inducted into the Manchester College Hall of Fame which was established in 1994.

Church kitchens

As long as I was employed, the church kitchens of Columbus were safe. But this week I've worked in two different church kitchens, one to make candy and one to serve an Advent lunch (I also served communion, but that's not done in the kitchen). Yesterday I made cole slaw a new way and wanted to record the recipe before I forgot it. I think it is called "Asian cole slaw," (but not quite). It doesn't taste at all like my mother's slaw, which was sweet and had apples and raisins.

The woman in charge of the kitchen and Advent lunches wasn't there--she has a part-time Christmas job, so she had written out the instructions and purchased the ingredients. Fortunately, a woman I knew whose teen-agers were in Luther League (or whatever it was called in the 80s) with mine had made this before and was able to assist me. I've looked this recipe up in Google today, but most versions have sugar, some have peanuts, some have mayo, some have onions, some seseme seeds and most had more salt. I tend to over salt things, and I thought this was fine and it wasn't dripping with oil like so many church salads. Because so many of the guests are 80 or over, or have special dietary needs, I suspect sugar and extra salt is left out.

First, find a really huge bowl, bigger than anything you have at home and a giant spoon. If you don't spend much time in church kitchens, this is the first challenge--our church has a commercial grade kitchen, guaranteed to drive the ordinary woman crazy.

Add four packages of chopped raw cabbage slaw mix (don't know the size but I'd recognize it if I saw it) to the bowl.

Mix in four packages of Ramen noodles, reserving the flavor packets which are inside (I think this is what it is called--real stiff, hard things in little curls?) Crunch and separate the hard dry Ramen noodles, and mix with the cabbage. If you don't do this, you'll have hard dry lumps in the slaw and your guests will break a tooth. I'm so glad the other lady had made this before, because that part was left out of the written instructions.

Then mix the 4 flavor packets into the dressing, which is made of

2 cups of oil
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper


Mix the dressing thoroughly with the cabbage/noodle mix. Ignore the more experienced church ladies who try to rush you.

Put the bowl in the commercial size frig for at least an hour; friend from the 80s said overnight is even better to enhance the flavor.

Before serving, toss in 2-3 small packages of slivered almonds.

Serve this crunchy delight with the black bean and rice soup, corn bread, and scoops of colorful sherbet in plastic cups with a crisp sandwich ice cream cookie on the side (these are fixed ahead, refrigerated, and put out with the meal) on tables decorated for the season by the other church ladies who were asked to help.

Bring the leftovers home after they've first been offered to the guests; a perk of service for Jesus.

Thursday Thirteen about protecting your skin

Today's Wall St. Journal had a skin care article because that's the woman's business, and WSJ is all about business! I glanced through it, and decided I could glean 13 ideas from it, some I'd never thought of. For instance, I always thought nice skin came as an inheritance from your parents or grandparents, and doing sensible things like staying out of the sun or tanning booth, and not smoking, but this article didn't even mention those things. The interview was with Tracie Martyn, a skin care specialist for celebrities and socialites, and here's what she does in cold weather. This looks like a lot of work, but if it is your business, I suppose it is like investing in yourself. I looked her up, and she really does have fabulous, glowing skin.

1. She exfoliates 3x a week (I looked this up on her web site and it is $90.00 a jar),
2. 10 minutes in the morning,
3. followed with a shower,
4. then moisturizes,
5. applying with an upward movement so she doesn't drag down her skin.
6. Tracie sleeps with a humidifier in cold weather,
7. and wears sunblock even in the winter (I don't know if this goes under or over the moisturizer)
8. and applies extra moisturizer before going outside,
9. and then covers her face with a scarf.
10. She drinks only moderate amounts of alcohol.
11. She sleeps on her back.
12. She never uses a pillow, and says she can tell by her client's skin if they do.
13. She always gets her beauty sleep.

I've heard drinking a lot of water is important for skin health and eating a good diet. But Tracie didn't mention it to the interviewer, so maybe there's a second interview somewhere out there.

They should also sue Jackson and Sharpton

The parents of Justin Barker who was beaten December 4, 2006 in Jena by the "Jena 6" plus others who were juveniles are suing the parents of the cowardly thugs who beat up their son. They should also include Jesse and Al, who decided to jump in and defend these young criminals to boost their flagging careers as so-called black leaders. These two old men are trying to get African Americans to blame others for their community problems. The criminal behavior of the kids (and their whiny moms) are increasing the danger that black Americans will be the victims. I'm just guessing, but what do you want to bet that the Jena 6 had already beaten up a few of their black peers before they took out their adolescent rage on Justin and weren't called to account for it?

And they have help from the experts. Yesterday James Alan Fox, a criminologist, reported in USAToday that there is silence about the escalating crimes committed by blacks against blacks.

"Murder statistics can be misleading. Despite a modest 1.8% increase in homicides nationally in 2006 from 2005, the situation in many cities is more dire. Police chiefs report escalating street violence, particularly involving youngsters and gangs with guns.

Some startling trends can be seen in the latest national homicide data. From 2002 to 2006, the rate of murder committed by black male teens rose 52%, with a smaller but significant increase among black male young adults and black women. In contrast, there was no increase among whites of any age.

Gang-related homicides have crept upward in recent years, virtually returning to the peak of the early 1990s. Since 2002, gun killings have climbed 13% overall — but 42% among teens and 71% among black teenage males — while non-gun homicides have essentially remained unchanged."

So who is at fault? Not the kids, not their parents, not the aging, sagging has-beens of a 50s-60s civil rights movement. No. It's the federal government. Cuts in funding for youth programs. Backing off from gun control. Even without being hit over the head with it, it's all Bush's fault, is the sub-text (given the dates he cites). Well, I don't buy it Mr. Fox. Back to the drawing board for you and the other experts. It just could be that youth programs and more regulations and marches on Washington just don't do it for this generation.

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Our first snowfall of the season

We don't get a lot of snow in central Ohio, so those of you from Chicago or Cleveland will laugh at this. It started snowing around 3 a.m. and these photos were about 7:30 a.m. The bus driver told me she is from California and is having a little trouble.

Scottish handwriting website

I expect to see my DH on this site any day.

The primary purpose of this site is to provide online tuition in palaeography (reading old handwriting) in the context of early modern Scottish historical documents. It is aimed mainly at those whose research involves reading Scottish historical records written in the period 1500-1750,although some assistance is given with 19th century writing too.

Take a Bite Out of Road Rage

While enjoying my morning paper and coffee at a Lane Avenue shop, I observed the long term effects of driver rudeness and bad manners, or as it is known, “road rage.”

A young man driving a forest green, late-model car slowed down to make the sharp turn into the coffee shop parking lot. Behind him, the driver of a white, older-model automobile honked, probably because the young man thought turn signals were just for sissies. The rudeness of the second driver (white car) prompted the first driver (green car) to come to a full stop while negotiating his turn just to teach the other guy a lesson. He then made a well-known gesture with his finger for emphasis. As these two immature whiners glared and made threatening motions, they were oblivious to the cars accelerating behind them from the near-by traffic light. Two other cars driven by young people, probably on their way to classes at Ohio State, collided.

Tough-guy (white car) appeared as though he was going to pull into the parking lot from the side street and pummel macho-boy (green car), but when he saw the accident, he drove off. The first driver disappeared quickly into the coffee shop absolving himself of blame to all within earshot.

I haven’t read any physical profiles of rage-roadies, but I know that dog bites are usually a guy thing, and I suspect road rage is also. A thumbnail sketch of a dog bite is: young male adult owns young male dog which bites male child. It’s not that female dogs never bite or that girls are never victims, but statistically, you need to protect your male children from guys who own male dogs. Well, little boys can mature, dogs can be neutered and children in your care can be kept away from Pit Bulls, Rottweilers or German Shepherds, the breeds that cause the most fatalities in children.**

But is there a solution for road rage? Yes. You can’t leave the testosterone at home, but men (and women) can practice good manners, empathy and common sense while driving. The next time someone cuts in front of you, instead of swearing and making obscene gestures, say “dog bite” and smile.

Fortunately, those two young adults were not injured, but they needlessly will have the burden of the rudeness of two older drivers on their driving record and check-book for a long time to come.

**JAVMA 210, no.8 (April 15, 1997):1148-1150; JAMA 279 no.1 (January 7, 1998):51-53; Pediatrics 96 no.5 (November 1995):947-950 and 97 no.6 (June 1996):891-895.

Written in 2002

Library Principles for Students, from the Old Testament

This was written by Jim Farrington, music librarian at Wesleyan (source: posted on MLA-L by the author) based on "Lamentations of the Father" by Ian Frazier. I found it today in my computer files while making a file transfer. Ah, such happy memories.

Of the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea, and of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but not in the Library.

Of the hoofed animals, broiled or ground into burgers, you may eat, but not in the Library.

Of the cloven-hoofed animal, plain or with cheese, you may eat, but not in the Library.

Of the cereal grains, of the corn and of the wheat and of the oats, and of all the cereals that are of bright color and unknown provenance you may eat, but not in the Library.

Of the round pies of baked dough, topped variously and wondrously with goodness of the Earth, especially with extra garlic and double cheese, you may eat, but not in the Library, neither may you carry such therein.

Of quiescently frozen dessert and of all frozen after-meal treats you may eat, but not in the Library.

Of the juices and other beverages, you may drink, but not in the Library, unless it is that drink of two parts hydrogen and one of oxygen and only then should the mixture be held in a container of the prescribed shape and nature that miraculously do not spill even when
up righted.

Indeed, when you reach the place where the Library carpet begins, of any food or beverage there you may not eat, neither may you drink.

Laws When at Table, in Carrel, or in Wingback And if you are seated in your comfy chair, keep your legs and feet below you as they were. Neither raise up your knees, nor place your feet upon the table, for that is an abomination to me. Yes, even though this might be something you would do in confines of your own domicile, your feet upon the table are an abomination, and worthy of rebuke.

Draw not with your pens or pencils or other implements of writing upon the table or the books before you, even in pretend, for we do not do that; that is why. Yours shall not be the last eyes to gaze understandably upon the words so written, and they should be as fresh for your followers as for you and your antecedents.

On Vocal Discourse

Do not speak loudly with thy neighbor or study mate within the Library; for it is as if you scream all the time. If you find a troubling idea foisted upon your eyes between the bindings of a book, your voice rises up even to the ceiling, while you point to the offense with the finger of your right hand; but I say to you, scream not; only remonstrate gently with a knowing nod, that you may correct the fault of the author in your own essay.

Likewise, if you find your mind wandering from the soulfulness of your studies, again I say, refrain from conversing with whoever be at hand so that others might not be so distracted.

Play not the electronic gadgets fitted to your ears at such a volume as to cause others to march to your drum machine.

Though the need will eventually arise that you must give in to your ignorance of a matter bibliographic and throw yourself prostrate to the all knowing ones behind the Great Oaken Desk in the Reference Center, wail not despairingly nor gnash the teeth loudly, for the sound carries great and far in that part of the Library, and then many of your peers will know of your misfortune; behold, I whisper myself, yet do not die.

Various Other Laws, Statutes, and Ordinances

Attempt not to repair broken word carriers with your own tape, for these are matters better left to our specialists.

Forget not that to steal is one of the original sins, and you will be punished woefully, if not now then in the fullness of time.

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Using a pedometer to improve your health

The other day I walked 5 miles. I know that because I was wearing a step pedometer (similar to the photo), and only one mile was "exercise" done outside. The rest was my activities at home, and going out twice to shop. Recently I read, "Using pedometers to increase physical activity and improve health" (a review article) in the Nov 21, 2007 issue of JAMA, pp 2296-2304 (many public libraries have a subscription). The researchers had reviewed 26 published studies that reported on pedometers among outpatients, 8 randomized controlled trials, and 18 observational. The conclusion was that use of a pedometer is associated with significant increases in physical activity and significant decreases in body mass index and blood pressure. This was across all ages, races, gender, and state of health.

Some guidelines specifically recommend 10,000 steps a day, although I don't know that this goal would change the outcome. So, if you're like me and exercise isn't your thing, clip on that pedometer. I'm not sure why it works, but people, me included, seem to increase their activity level when using a pedometer. When I'm wearing it, I'm more likely to walk upstairs to the bathroom rather than use the one 2 ft. from my desk; I might take the laundry from the basement to the bedroom in three trips instead of one; I'll walk into a room on a different floor to ask my husband something, rather than holler; I'll pace while reheating my coffee rather than stand and stare at the microwave. It's not brain surgery. Here's some other ideas from the Walking Site.

Take a walk with your spouse, child, or friend
Walk the dog
Use the stairs instead of the elevator
Park farther from the store
Better yet, walk to the store
Get up to change the channel
Window shop
Plan a walking meeting
Walk over to visit a neighbor
Get outside to walk around

So during this high calorie Christmas season when it is cold and drippy outside, I'm setting a goal of 5,000 steps a day through January 5, 2008. If I can do more, I will, but if I set it too high, I'll get discouraged. One good walking place is the Giant Eagle store. I can never find anything I want in that store and spend a lot of time walking around.

Bone health in older men

Age, weight and COPD are the predictors of bone health in men writes Jacob Goldstein in the WSJ yesterday. One in four men over 50 will have osteoporosis related fractures. Staying fit is important because strong muscles mean better coordination, and weight bearing exercise helps bone density. Of course, being a non-smoker will help the lungs and the bones. Another predictor is weight below 175--thin men are more likely to have weaker bones, just like women.

"[Angela] Shepherd's system, published in the Annals of Family Medicine, uses three variables: age, weight (lighter men are at higher risk) and a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which mainly affects smokers. Smoking and excessive drinking both increase the risk of osteoporosis."

It also helps to stay off ladders and roofs and hire someone to clean the gutters while you rake, even if you were a good athlete in high school, drank a lot of milk, and currently lead an exercise class for women that includes weights. Last week a local architect in his late 60s fell off a ladder and died from his injuries.

[Public service announcement for the other resident of this household]

4398 Ohio has dirty cars

In Ohio we're used to dirty cars. I may run my van through a car wash 4 or 5 times a year, especially if we need rain. The van is gray, the asphalt is gray, the sky is gray--you hardly even notice the dirt. In California and Florida where the weather is 50-90% better, the cars are spotless. Maybe dirt shows up more on sunny days.

On the left coast where cars are king, they're starting to notice that you can get from point A to point B in a dirty car just like we do in fly-over country. The WSJ reported that 30-40 million gallons of urban run off in Santa Monica Bay is from car washing. Now it's the eco-mites vs. the clean-car buffs. Following the carbon footprint steps, city governments and non-profits are now selling coupons to allow the owner to use a commercial carwash.

Will the car owner emit more carbon when he puts on weight from the lack of exercise he got hand washing and polishing his car?

Fabulous 50s photo from www.godblessamericana.com/2004-01-15/

Chocolate and peanut butter

Yesterday I helped in the kitchen at Advent Lutheran making "Buckeye Candy" for a Christmas fund raiser. We don't do fund raisers at our Lutheran church (UALC); each ministry applies for a portion of the budget, which is raised through tithes and offerings of the congregation. But these projects are useful also for fellowship and bonding. When we're in Lakeside in the winter, the little churches in the area are running so many fund raisers you wonder when they have time to do anything else. You could eat an ethnic style dinner at a different church all winter long. Anyway, back to the candy.

Yesterday we rolled dozens and dozens of little peanut butter/confectioner sugar/butter balls, to be refrigerated over night. Then today they will be dipped in chocolate (with paraffin to harden), placed in little candy papers, and boxed. They take orders, but don't actually have a bazaar. I'd planned to go back today and buy maybe 2 or 3 dozen to set out at a party we're having on the 30th. Here's my dilemma. I can resist chocolate; I can resist peanut butter. Together--it's a huge problem. I have a refrigerator in the garage and I could store them there. However, I do walk past that frig several times a day.

I wonder if my neighbor has room for a box of candy.

One of the ladies told me about another fabulous recipe, too. Called "Rolo Pretzels." Google it. Sort of like bite size "turtle" candy. Sounds really easy and very yummy--assuming you have great resistance and fortitude around the holidays.

And where should our confidence be?

Exactly when are we the people, the president and the congress supposed to believe the National Intelligence Estimate. Is it the 2005 report which tried to take all eyes off Iraq, or the 2007 report which appears when interest in the mideast is flagging as an election approaches? Pardon me if I find the media salivation and hysteria about this a bit transparent.

In 2005, the authors of the report "assess[ed] with high confidence that Iran currently is determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure, but we do not assess that Iran is immovable."

In 2007, they "judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program. Judge with high confidence that the halt lasted at least several years. . . . Assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons." Excerpt from Taranto

Does anyone have confidence that the WMD intelligence reports we heard about all during the Clinton years (including the inspections), or the Iran threat we've been hearing about and seeing results of in Iraq are in any way accurate? Well, if you are a Democrat, you discount all WMD reports even if your own Senators (Clinton, Edwards, Kerry, Kennedy, et al) preached and warned about it; if you are a Republican, you seem to hang an awful lot of our security and freedoms on agencies with very little accountability when it suits your purpose and ignore them when they don't. Hmmm. Two peas in a pod, innit?

Update: "The Wall Street Journal http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010946 reports in an editorial that "the NIE's main authors include three former State Department officials with previous reputations as 'hyper-partisan anti-Bush officials,' according to an intelligence source." So it could be that when the media and Democratic politicians treat the NIE as a political document, that is exactly what its authors intended. " Best of the Web, Dec. 5, 2007

We've finished the Christmas cards!

This year my computer failed the day after the night I printed out a draft of the letter and a list of the labels. So we had to hand write the cards, and run the letter through the photocopier looking a bit squiqqly, but they are done earlier than most years. Is that the unintended consequences of technology--you tend to leave it all to the last moment because you've saved a bit of time on the front end? My husband wrote some and I wrote some, and I think some of you who were supposed to get personal notes didn't if your card was addressed by him. He paints; I write.

I suppose the day will come when no one sends cards--sort of like calling cards in days of the early 20th century. My daughter and nieces still send cards, but now most of them are 40 or over and they aren't the young generation anymore, except in my mind. Do 25 year olds send Christmas cards? But I love getting the cards and photocopied letters--all the trips, the theater, the opera, the hikes and picnics, the photographs of oodles of grandbabies, and now great-grands. And of course, at my age, many of the letters contain news of terrible losses and illnesses, or sadly come with only one name when for years there were two.

As I addressed a card to a first cousin once removed (daughter of an Illinois first cousin) who lives here in Columbus on the far east side I was reminded again that I've only seen her once, in 1993 at a family reunion. I last saw her parents at my mother's funeral in 2000. I've watched her kids grow up on Christmas cards, and learn about her brothers and sisters and their children through her once a year notes. Some years I hear from her parents, some I don't.

Almost 60 years ago

Harry Reid's tirade against Rush Limbaugh on the floor of the Senate was addressed by Margaret Chase Smith almost 60 years ago.

It is ironical that we Senators can in debate in the Senate directly or indirectly, by any form of words, impute to any American who is not a Senator any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming an American—and without that non-Senator American having any legal redress against us—yet if we say the same thing in the Senate about our colleagues we can be stopped on the grounds of being out of order.

It is strange that we can verbally attack anyone else without restraint and with full protection and yet we hold ourselves above the same type of criticism here on the Senate Floor. Surely the United States Senate is big enough to take self-criticism and self-appraisal. Surely we should be able to take the same kind of character attacks that we “dish out” to outsiders.

Read the whole 1950 speech. Back biting, freedom stomping senators are not just a product of our age.

One less candle

A few days ago Christians and non-religious consumers were being told to get rid of all their incandescent Christmas tree lights and buy new, low energy LED bulbs (if any at all)--you know, those same energy saving China-made-in-coal-fired plants where we can't see the smoke. Now Jews are supposed to light one less candle. This carbon footprint thing is the biggest "cry wolf" fiasco in my life time. Pretty soon, you won't be able to get people to consider picking up their own trash or giving up smoking because they won't believe it's a problem compared to their so called carbon foot print.

However, you can offset this carbon footprint made by your outside Christmas tree lights by staying married.

"A married household actually uses resources more efficiently than a divorced household," said Jianguo Liu, an ecologist at Michigan State University whose analysis of the environmental impact of divorce appears in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Mlive.com

Malaria is a leading cause of death and illness worldwide.

(CDC)--742,000 child malaria deaths in Africa alone were estimated for the year 2000. The U.S. has contributed to this death toll by caving in to environmentalists' hysteria about DDT. Now we hand out nets soaked with pesticide.

In the U.S., about 6,000 teen-agers die in automobile accidents each year, 4 times the adult rate, and a lot of these could be prevented just by raising the legal driving age to 18. About 7,000 people a year die in hospitals from medication errors. It appears that more people in the U.S. now die from the mostly hospital-acquired staph infection MRSA than from AIDS, according to a new report from the CDC. Simple hand washing by staff could have prevented many of these. More people die in a given year in the U.S. as a result of medical errors (estimated at between than from motor vehicle accidents (43,458), breast cancer (42,297), or AIDS (16,516). (To err is human).

Drug intervention is saving the lives of many obese Americans from cardiovascular disease, allowing them to live longer with debilitating conditions--arthritis, diabetes, stroke, cancer--because it doesn't solve the obesity problem. (JAMA, Nov. 7, 2007). But it's still most dangerous of all to be an unborn child of a mother with a choice in America--at least since the beginning of the women's movement in the late 60s. The late 70s through the early 80s were particularly dangerous for the unborn. Johnson Archive

Taxpayer bailout for subprime borrowers?

Why not? The government bails out both agribusiness and the small farmer, the corporations and the mom and pop stores, the railroads and the airlines, the state and local government officials who botch up their congressional earmarks, the auto industry, the poor public schools and the floundering charter schools, the state highways and the interstates alike, the student loan recepients and the university administrations that talked them into it, the medicaid nursing homes and the welfare moms. The USA bails out former enemies and future enemies both. We have been conditioned to think that there will be a safety net no matter what because the good times will always roll.

By the end of 2006, 61% of the subprime loans were going to people who had credit scores good enough for a conventional loan. Whether it was greed, thinking they would flip the property, or emotion, they fell for it. And all sorts of industries benefitted in spending frenzies.

We don't have a subprime loan on any of our properties, but we will certainly be affected if our neighbors in UA or Lakeside or Canal go into foreclosure. We have many friends who work in unrelated industries such as retail, or banking, or construction or service trades, or the university, or travel and leisure, to say nothing of the ones who are living on savings and pensions. Those people struggling to meet $1500-$2000 a month mortgage payments certainly won't be buying new baggy jeans for junior, or buying plane tickets to visit Grandma at Christmas, or meeting their college loans for their daughters.

I wasn't around in the 1920s--but the signs of the coming Great Depression were all around as loans were being called in on the people who bought land to support the war effort. Hoover can't be blamed for the depression and FDR didn't do anything to get us out of it that was effective in the long run.

If giving people a few more months on their mortgage, however badly they planned, will save the whole nation from a collapsing economy, how could that hurt?

The definition of rich

According to a new survey, the Republicans get it right.

Rich" to a Republican isn't quite the same thing as it is to a Democrat or independent. Only 28% of Republicans associate "rich" with having money, material goods and power, compared with 41.5% of Democrats and 51% of independents. Republicans were much more inclined to define "rich" as having family, friends, freedom, faith and peace of mind.

Click on the thumb nail to read the entire survey.

Must, may and might

When I learned grammar these were called auxiliary verbs. Used with a verb they become a verb phrase helping with an action or condition. There are twenty-three auxiliary verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been, has, have, had, do, does, did, shall, will, should, would, may, might, must, can, could. I can't imagine how confusing it must be for non-English speakers to make their way through this list of auxiliaries, and how to use them. Some speakers of English go overboard with these little crutches.

I recently read a draft report called Draft Report of the Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control . Control is a favorite word of librarians. But what I noticed in this draft report (they are requesting comments) is the overworked auxiliary verbs. The first part of the document is loaded with "must." In case you hadn't noticed from my blog, librarians are fond of dogmatic, strongly worded statements, and are very opinionated. So, in this draft were "must"

continue
step forward
look beyond
realize
begin
do their work
continue
be used
be a part of
analyze
work
devise
be taken
purchase
be derived
be openly arrived at (wordy too)
be created
be pursued
be considered
be usable
be able
be seen
come
achieve

Then after that powerful mandate, the writers soften up a bit and move on to "might"

take on
be shared
have participated
include
be to develop
be to engage
lend
be made
exist
be facilitated

and then finally wimp out altogether with "may"

still conclude
be operated
be forbidden
also lead
be opportunities
also be possible
change
be openly available
not be compatible
change
not provide
prove
be required
potentially be
of most interest
result
benefit
require
be unfamiliar
vary
have changing and expanding needs
be considered
arise
not be optimally applied

If you are a school teacher or a social worker or anyone working in a government agency, you probably use these helping verbs throughout your documents too. I think they mainly contribute to the time it takes to accomplish anything in publically funded agencies. These little verbs might be the reason Google, a start up 9 years ago by two grad students, is stomping out the need for librarians. Now that the Google founders are rich and going all greeny on us, we can expect them to act more like librarians, which will give my profession a chance to catch up.

Deadly winter storm

From the Dakotas to the northeast--and I'm betting it will be blamed on global warming.

Drivers in much of the Northeast navigated a treacherous mix of rain, sleet and snow Monday as a storm blamed for at least 14 deaths slid through the region after pounding the Upper Midwest.AP story

How to update your Christmas card list

I saw this at Shirley Hornbeck's Genealogy Tips, #2:

FINDING LIVING RELATIVES:

To contact a living person whom you have lost, write a letter to the person, be sure to include your address and telephone number in the letter. Send the letter in an unsealed stamped envelope, along with a cover letter to the Social Security Administration, Letter Forwarding Unit, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235. Include in your cover letter as much as you know about the person: Name, Social Security number, birthplace, birth date, name of the person's parents. You do not have to know all of the information, but the process will be quicker if you give more identifying information. If the person you are seeking is listed in the SSA files, the letter will be forwarded to them and it's up to that person to contact you.

If they owe you money, don't hold your breath.

We deserve better than Rudy

Nice guy. Did a lot for New York. Funny. Charming. But Americans can do better. His personal life is a mess--now they're dragging up the details of public funds being used to escort and protect his mistress (now his wife) during the 9/11 period. We're-so-above-being-judgemental writers and commenters really aggrevate me. Then if public money is used, then maybe they'll take a second look. The personal is political. Just ask the Clintons. If his wife and kids can't trust him, why should we?

4385 Kennedy to get 8 million for his book

How much would you pay to own it? How much would you have to be paid to read it? How many copies will Upper Arlington Public Library buy? Great cartoon, Nov. 29

4384

Hillary's handlers

may want to get Bill out of the kitchen. His remarks this week in Iowa about opposing Iraq from the beginning, were just false, and so easy to check, that it's just a reminder for the American people about how glib and prone to lying for no particular reason, he was. Even I remember his lauching air strikes to take out WMDs, "Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors." He believed Hussein had the weapons and believed he'd use them again. Like Bush, he still believed in the cause months after we went to war in 2003. Why not just say that you used to believe in regime change and then admit being wrong or saying he would have done it differently? Is it better to lie about what you said and believed? I can't imagine that this helps his wife. He didn't help Gore, so maybe he'll stab her in the back too. Maybe it's all about Bill?

Why John Edwards shouldn't be President of the United States

"Edwards became wealthy as a trial lawyer. His craft was therefore derivative: When something happened to someone else, Edwards filed a lawsuit. He then told his client's tale. He made millions doing so. If I were seriously injured as a result of someone else's carelessness, I would consider hiring John Edwards. These are impressive verdicts and settlements.

But I will not vote for him as president. I simply don't trust him. When his lips are moving, I am never quite sure what comes out. It often sounds like callow hyperbole, as in the stumping in New Hampshire.

Edwards' skill is attracting seriously injured clients and then forcing large cash payments from those who caused their injury. That doesn't make him a pioneer in social justice. He's just a very good lawyer who made enough money to cash out and try his hand at being a master of the universe." Norm Pattis

She didn't notice his cruelty?

I don't read a lot of blogs that discuss divorce; this one I read for other reasons, but found this an eye opener: "For example, there was the time when thinking about the future, I inquired if a family was something we might want. The response I received was that he wouldn’t be opposed to having children if he met the right person. Though I tried not to show it, I was taken aback. I was his wife. Didn’t it stand to reason that if we had committed ourselves to marriage that I was the right person? Apparently not…

And once he told me that without a job, an apparent purpose in life, my intellect was dimming and soon I would be like his mother. His mother! If I had a dime for every time he compared me in unflattering ways to his mother…"

Keith Kerr, gay activist

Is there anyone out there who thinks CNN, and particularly Anderson Cooper, didn't know that General Keith Kerr was at the debates to try to embarrass the Republicans about a Clinton presidency regulation called "Don't ask, don't tell." And isn't it a bit disingenuous when obviously, he got to the top of the heap by NOT revealing his homosexuality while he was on his way to general? Gay men must be the only minority (about 1%) who are also the wealthiest, best educated, most insured, most politically active, most mobile, most represented far beyond their numbers in every area of the arts, entertainment and literature, but who still want to be considered victims. Anderson Cooper is our next Dan Rather. Says he just had no idea.

Black sweater fashion showdown

Today's WSJ featured a story about a $99.50 black sweater from Land's End (owned by Sears) up against a $950 black sweater from Bruno Cucinelli. Both were made of cashmere from Mongolian goats in China, but the "cheap" one was made in China and the expensive one in Italy. The writer said the Land's End was a bit stiff and wrinkled easily, but the Italian sweater had to be returned to the store for repairs because something started to unravel. The $950 sweater was made in a 17th century castle by workers who get a 90 minute lunch or a free 3-course meal at work cooked by local women. So when rich, limosine liberals buy a sweater from Cucinelli, they can rest assured that the hand work was truly done by hand, and no 3rd world worker was allowed to improve himself on her dollar.

I'll have to check the label on my black mock-turtleneck bought on sale 2 years ago at Meijer's for $5.00. That leaves me a little to drop in the collection plate rather than wearing my wealth (or pension check). And it hasn't wrinkled or unraveled.

Country Music

Over at America Matters, there's a good post on country music.

I had the opportunity once again with my family to visit Branson Mo. over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Sure it's a heavily traveled tourist town. But the vibe and feel of the town is what got me. I was re-invigorated by the end of our three day stay. Every show we saw proudly spoke of God and honored our Veterans. Every shop we went to had a patriotic theme. This town wears their love of God and America on its sleeve. This invigorating vibe was every where. I loved it and I feel all is well in America because of it. There is a lot to say about our folks who make up our small towns and who make country music. They are grounded and as real as it gets.

4378

Biting the hands that rescued you

If there's anything more pugnacious than on-line squabbling among Christians, it's the on-line pot shots by members of the adoption triad. Yesterday I was reading an interesting article at the NYT blog Relative Choices about adoption--it was a reunion story between a birth mother (a writer/journalist) who never had another child and her PhD bi-racial daughter, who didn't have a good adoptive mother, but has been quite successful and well-adjusted. Without the birth and adoption, neither would probably be where they are today (in my opinion) and both had overcome personal adversity. Still, it's a nice reunion story--many aren't.

Also at this blog there are some writers and commenters who are the younger group of international adoptees (so their birth mothers are not represented). Some have returned to their country of origin to look around. Unlike the thoughtful responders from the 1950s and 1960s who did the best they could given the mores of the time, these adoptees are subtly militant. Others from the late 80s born or birthing in a totally different era aren't the least impressed with "openness" or "family building." Nor do any seem pro-life, assuming I suppose if they'd been scraped into a garbage pail they would have been saved the horrific fate of being a well-off American. Some are journalists by profession and have definitely benefited from the anti-Wal-Mart, anti-capitalist, anti-Western culture atmosphere of their college training. They seem so mired in ennui that their "culture" or history or language (or their birth parents) were ripped from their tiny little fists in those delivery rooms and orphanages.

Who said life was fair? I grew up with married parents, 3 siblings, 6 grandparents, a good school system that offered neither art nor foreign language with its caring teachers, and with friends who pretty much looked and acted like me. There are others who grew up with many more advantages materially, but some with less familially. Some people struggle to come to the USA, others need to flee to Canada or France while they still can and leave the rest of us alone to enjoy our miserable existence.

Wansink new director

Brian Wansink, Director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell, is now Executive director of the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. He studies environmental factors that push Americans to overeat. "No one goes to bed skinny and wakes up fat," he says. I'm not sure exactly what it means, but it sure is true!

What is the best way to mindlessly change behavior? Simply and metaphorically, we need to put the serving bowl back by the stove. Smaller plates. Taller, skinnier glasses. That's what we want to go for. Things they don't have to think about. It's not about educating people. Part of it relates to economics, I don't mean dollars and cents. I mean the economics of cognitive effort and the economics of physical effort. Here's an example. We eat a lot less of the Oreos that come in mini-packs of 2 or 3 because there's a little cognitive cost and a little physical cost to opening another little package. We have to pause and think. From a Wired interview

I've noticed that. If I leave a serving dish on the table, I'll dip in for another helping even if I'm not hungry. If I just left it on the stove, I wouldn't even think about it.

A Quiz for Idiots

I saw this in a local publication, so you can substitute "your state" for the word Ohio except for #9. Ohio is the birthplace of many presidents and movie stars, so you should try that one. You'll probably be able to do most of these even if you don't live in the United States.

Quiz for Idiots

Okay, here it is by popular demand, our first annual Quiz for Idiots. Fasten your seat belts and here we go!

1. What is the capital of the U.S.A.?

2. What is the capital of Canada?

3. What century is this?

4. Who is the governor of [your state]Ohio?

5. Who are the two U.S. senators from [your state] Ohio?

6. What county is Columbus in?

7. What planet do we live on?

8. Who is the Vice-president of the United States?

9. Name five states that abut Ohio.

10. What is the capital of Mexico?

Quiz Answers below

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Ottawa
3. Twenty-first
4. Ted Strickland, Democrat
5. Sherrod Brown (D), George Voinovich (R)
6. Franklin
7. Earth
8. Dick Cheney
9. Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia
10. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México, D.F. or simply México)

HT Short North Gazette, before the last election.

"Fatherhood changed him"

Just not enough to marry his girlfriend of seven years, the mother of his 18 month old daughter. Yes, the intruder that shot him in the bedroom of his $900,000 home inflicting a fatal wound created a terrible tragedy for his family and his teammates, but let's not laud Sean Taylor's parenting, any more than his past scrapes with the law and fights off the football field. Although his daughter will probably not grow up in poverty, most children whose mothers don't marry the father of their children do. It's the number one cause of poverty in America. And he was a powerful role model. This tragedy has multiple threads--let's not get them tangled.

Perhaps I've watched too much Law and Order, or episodes of the Closer, but burglars don't look for people in home invasions, they try to avoid them. And there are easier places for a revenge killing if this was related to his previous problems with "bad guys."

The Night Before Christmas parodies

This week a friend sent me an up-to-date parody of the Night Before Christmas, one of the politically correct versions. As I was checking for parodies (this poem has inspired hundreds--I remember we had one for McKinley Hall at the University of Illinois for Christmas 1959), I really enjoyed this one at a site for parodies.

A more spiritual version of the famous Christmas story
By: Sister St. Thomas, B.N.D. de N

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the town,
St. Joseph was searching, walking up roads and down;
Our Lady was waiting, so meek and so mild,
While Joseph was seeking a place for the Child.

The children were nestled, each snug in their beds,
The grown-ups wouldn't bother, there's no room they said;
When even the innkeeper sent them away,
Joseph was wondering, where they would stay.

He thought of the caves in the side of the hills,
Lets go there said Mary, it's silent and still;
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Made pathways of light for their tired feet to go.

And there in a cave, in a cradle of hay,
Our Savior was born on that first Christmas Day!
The Father was watching in heaven above,
He sent for His angels, His couriers of love.

More rapid than eagles God's bright angels came;
Rejoicing and eager as each heard his name;
Come Power, Come Cherubs, Come Virtues, Come Raphael,
Come Thrones and Dominions, come Michael and Gabriel.

Now fly to the Earth, where My poor people live,
Announce the glad tiding My Son comes to give;
The Shepherds were watching their flocks on this night,
And saw in the heavens and unearthly light.

The Angels assured them, they'd nothing to fear,
It's Christmas they said, the Savior is here!
They hastened to find Him, and stood at the door,
Till Mary invited them in to adore.

He was swaddled in bands from His head to His feet,
Never did the Shepherds see a baby so sweet!
He spoke not a word, but the shepherds all knew,
He was telling them secrets and blessing them too.

Then softly they left Him, The Babe in the hay,
And rejoiced with great joy on that first Christmas Day;
Mary heard them exclaim as they walked up the hill,
Glory to God in the Highest, Peace to men of good will!
You'll find parodies silly and serious and even in Spanglish here.

Free speech in Canada is on the way out

Is this the direction the U.S. is moving? In Canada you can not only get in trouble for "hate speech," (just like here), but you also can't call someone "an enemy of free speech." Now that's hateful! Read about it at Volokh Conspiracy.

The court is insisting that Canadians' speech not only follows the government-approved ideology on the topic of race, ethnicity, and religion (an ideology that I agree with, but that I don't think should be legally coerced). It is also insisting that Canadians' speech follows the government-approved ideology and terminology on the topic of free speech itself.

What's for dinner?

I'm about turkey'd to death. I fix myself grilled veggies for lunch (today's choice was onions, black beans, red bell peppers, turnip greens and shredded carrots), but while my husband was fixing his turkey sandwich, I snitched a few pieces. We've had either turkey or ham every day since last Thursday. Today I threw out the beef and gravy and the rice with cheese and sausage that were last week's leftovers which had been pushed to the back and forgotten. So tonight we're having Maryland style crab cakes (Trader Joe), baked sweet potatoes, green peas, tossed salad, and fresh strawberries. Have you finished up or frozen the Thanksgiving left overs at your house?

Bush's Legacy

Early this morning on CBS News I heard two women discussing Bush's desire for a legacy, thus the recent Israeli-Palestinian summit. It was innocuous and bubble-headed even for women who read others' text for a living. I couldn't see the TV, but the "expert" had an annoying voice best for print journalism. I don't think he's seeking a legacy; we'll hope he will not be as interferring as Carter and Clinton as a former president, but be a gentleman like his father.

Here's my ten suggestions for a Bush legacy, in order of importance, five positive, five negative.

1) The appointment of two outstanding judges to the Supreme Court, Roberts and Alito. This will extend many years and perhaps be able to return the Supreme Court to its original intention, moving it away from creating law. Kennedy, his father's appointment after the Bork nomination failed, was a tremendous disappointment for conservatives, so it is possible that with time, this one won't be in number one place, but for now, that's where I'd place it for long term impact.

2) The tax cuts and overseeing the most robust economy in the history of this nation I'd place second. Facing my retirement in 2000 dependent on the health of the stock market, I was watching my accounts stagnate, and then tumble after 9/11. Right now the economy is softening and Democrats are making all the wrong moves, especially for retirees (look out boomers) mainly because they use taxes to punish, not to move the country forward.

3) Getting us back on our feet after 9/11. Although I didn't dislike Al Gore and wouldn't have been upset if he'd been President (my first election as a Republican), it is still hard to imagine his taking charge after that disaster. For awhile it looked like there might even be a resurgence of patriotism and love of country, but that quickly faded as the Bush hatred over the lost election of 2000 continued to fester and eat away at the reasoning faculties of otherwise sensible people.

4) Freeing more women in Afghanistan in the 21st century than Abraham Lincoln did slaves in the USA in the 19th century. We don't know yet the full consequences of this, because women were quite advanced in this country before it was stolen from them by the Taliban, and the climb back up will require a lot of will. American feminists have ignored this achievement rather than give Bush the credit.

5) Leading the country into an unpopular, controversial war with the support and backing of both parties, including some of the same senators who later reversed their decision. That Bush held strong and refused to abandon the Iraqi people the way Nixon did the Vietnamese is a huge legacy, especially for those he saved from the blood bath had he caved into demands for pull-outs and withdrawals from his enemies.

And on the negative side of the legacy ledger.

1) Offended his supporters and party by nominating a weak Supreme Court candidate (White House counsel Harriet Miers) and by attempting to partner with the Democrats on an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants. These two actions also hurt any Republicans who supported him on other issues.

2) Not being able to corral his stampeding RINOs and missing the opportunity to reform Social Security by taking total control back from the government to allow investment in personal accounts.

3) Standing firm in his resolve that all societies deserve and desire a democracy. Perhaps only history will decide this one, but you've got to admit trying to jump start a 7th century mentality and push or drag it into the 21st century, is a tough row to hoe.

4) The biggest tax spender on education ever to enter the White House, crafting a program with Ted Kennedy's help. Did he tell us during the 2000 campaign that he wanted to be the "education president?" Earmarks (pork) and wasted foreign aid--but that's more congressional, and something we've just come to expect from our government, isn't it? This and the next one have made him an anathema to many conservatives.

5) Expanding medical care to a government drug program with Ted Kennedy, thus laying the ground work for the Democrats to make it even worse and more expensive. I think government-doled, rock-bottom health care for every household earning less than $1 million is a real possibility after 2008. Those making over a million will still be able to purchase first class care like they do in socialist countries.

We have these drivers in Ohio, too

Crazy Aunt Purl writes a humorous but "hurt-so-bad" blog, and has turned it into a book. She's divorced (the story's in her book), has lots of cats, and knits. On her way to Thanksgiving dinner with her grandmother and parents, she encounters a drunk driver trying to kill a lot of people; she called 911, but was kept on hold for 20 minutes, and finally had to exit the freeway.



Driving with your middle finger wagging is usually a pretty good breathalizer.

This is from her archives, Jan. 31, 2005. Someone should recommend this as a hymn for divorced people (I've reformated).

"When my husband left me,
and a variety of other really bad things
began to happen in succession
my landlord put the condo up for sale!
my car stolen from the subway station!
Mr. X goes to Italy without me!
moving costs me almost $1000!
clearly, I have pissed off the gods!

I finally decided to give up
on keeping up appearances.
I gained a few pounds.
I smoked in public.
I told the pizza guy that my husband had left me.
I was a little crazy
in those first few months,
I admit.

Eventually, I figured out
that my goal was
to simply live out loud.
Lie less.
"No, actually, my sex life isn't fulfilling."
"To be honest, I am not everyone and I do not love Raymond."
"Actually, I hate sushi."
"Yeah, I'm older than Sanskrit. What is your point?"

The unintended consequences of pro-active medical care

Name the disease or condition, and early diagnosis and treatment can reduce poor outcomes. Who knows what could happen in health care if patients heeded the advice on diet, exercise and smoking? Yes, who knows. Actually, we do know. Longer life resulting in higher Medicare and Medicaid costs further down the road. Another outcome we know about because it has already happened, is fewer primary care physicians. The expanding menu of interventions, screening tests, vaccines and devices has dramatically increased the work of patient care for all medical specialties, but particularly the guy who's going to make the decision when you complain of feeling poorly, according to JAMA Commentary, November 21, Vol. 298, no. 19.

"Providing all recommended preventive services to a panel of 2500 patients could require up to 7.5 hours a day of physician time; generalists report that roughly 4 separate problems are addressed at each office visit for those older than 65, and even more for those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes," writes John D. Goodson.

The workload is overwhelming and the reimbursement levels for primary care physicians favor the interventions and more expensive care which in turn passes the patient on to specialists. Now, if you were in med school (or paying for your child to go to med school), looking down the road at even more interference by the federal government, and higher insurance costs, would you choose family medicine or pediatrics, or would you head for the safer and richer green pastures of a specialty? Goodson reports that first-year internal medicine residents who express an interest in general internal medicine are less than 20%, but only about half of those will remain committed to this area.

Goodson goes on to recommend higher compensation by the CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services), the federal agency that determines how doctors will be paid. If this problem isn't corrected, a large portion of the population will lose access to personal care (or any care). Imagine. The government creates a problem with layers of bureaucracy and regulations (low reimubursement for general care) and is then expected to fix it (with more layers, studies, panels and commissions).

The perfect storm of immigrants flooding the country needing massive social services, to mix with a growing cloud of aging baby boomers who demand only the best. Katrina anyone?

Head injuries in sports

The Columbus Dispatch recently published the winning photos in its photo contest--semifinalist photo is 2 little boys colliding in a soccer game. They had on nifty uniforms, special shoes and knee socks--and no helmets or head protection. In his book Making a good brain great, Daniel G. Amen, MD writes:

"A concussion or mild "traumatic brain injury" (TBI) is far more than just a bump on the head. According to the American Academy of Neurology, "There is no such thing as a minor concussion." A study from UCLA found that "the level of brain glucose use in people who suffered mild concussions was similar to that in comatose, severely brain-injured patients. . . Even mild head injuries result in major changes to the brain's metabolism and could make victims susceptible to more serious damage from a repeated blow."

Dr. Amen advises parents to never let their child knock the soccer ball with his head--heading drills, in which a child's head is knocked repeatedly, are of greater concern to pediatricians than is the occasional head-punt in a game. A study of adult soccer players found 81% had impairment of attention, concentration, memory, and judgment when compared to non-players of similar age and circumstances. He says football players are struck in the head 30-50 times per game and regularly endure blows similar to those experienced in car crashes.

Dr. Amen, who has seen over 30,000 brain scans, says: "I would not let my children hit a soccer ball with their heads, play tackle football, or snowboard without a helmet. I encourage my own kids to play tennis, golf, table tennis, and track. Your brain matters. Respect and protect it."