House cleaning tips

I'm now officially an S.O.B. Yes, I've joined the State of Ohio Blogger Alliance. I looked through a few of the sites, read some good ones and decided to join. I had a little trouble with the code, but you can find it down the left side, somewhere below medical and before the 50+ folks.

Today I ran clear water through my little 3 cup coffee maker. I always go out for coffee--in fact, I'm known for my bad coffee. But I made coffee for my dinner party Friday night and this morning for my husband (I usually bring it home, but forgot). Everyone commented on how good the coffee was. Now that I've cleaned the pot, I've probably removed whatever was causing that.

The clothes my husband brought home from the Haiti mission trip were really dirty. He unpacked in the laundry room and put everything in sorted piles, and then cleaned the suitcases. Haiti is very dusty and dirty because over the years the people have cut down all the trees for fuel and cooking. When I went down to load the laundry this morning, I discovered the cat had thrown up a hair ball and last night's supper in the shirt pile. Oh well, saved the carpet.

I heard a laundry tip on the radio a few months ago that really seems to work. Wash your whites with bleach in COLD water instead of hot. The bleach works more effectively. I was skeptical, but I think I'm a believer.

Omama. I have change, hope and a future.

The future of hope

In the Baker's Dictionary of Christian Ethics, (1973) Hope is defined as

"the conviction that God will judge the evil of the world and create a new heaven and a new earth with righteousness. The Old Testament prophets tell us that the whole of history is divinely ordered, and interpreted even the most hopeless hours in the light of the coming victory of God. A new age will replace the present one and end all woe and sin."

I suspect that isn't the direction Barry and Mama Obama are taking us.

"The New Testament takes up the theme of the Old Testament idea, but elucidates, sharpens, and specifies it at the same time."

Is this where Obama comes in?

"Jesus through his life, suffering, death, and resurrection laid the basis for that final intervention of God in history and human experience. Christian hope is concerned with the future of every human being, but it does not end there. The overarching concern encompasses the new humanity or Christ's church."

So the hope is the Kingdom of God? Seems to be some disagreement even among Christians about "what is our hope?"

"The theologians of hope want to rewrite theology in terms of categories of change--a total restructuring takes place where God is seen as part of the changing process."

Hmm. Did this guy write Obama's theme speeches? Hope, future, change? This might be the most religious guy we've ever had running for the White House! Oh, wait.

"As promised in the Scriptures, [hope is] demonstrated in the resurrection of God's Son, and experienced by Christians in the past and present."

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Obama

4645

Cite your sources!

There's a full page ad in the paper today from the State of New York Commissioner of Health addressed to Disney, GE, News Corp., Sony, Time Warner and Viacom.

"The science is clear: exposure to smoking in movies is the single most powerful pro-tobacco influence on children today, accounting for the recruitment of half of all new adolescent smokers."

No one is more anti-tobacco than I am, but for statements like that, I'd like to see some sources. It sounds like big government trying to push aside the influence of parenting, church, school, social network, and the non-Hollywood arts industry. I went on-line and looked at various studies (CDC, BMJ) read through the summaries, then the corrections, then the citations where authors were often citing themselves (bad form), and I even came across one that said that although incidence of smoking in movies was going down, smoking was going up! And yet the letter claims,

"Tobacco imagery delivers nearly 200,000 U.S. adolescents into tobacco addition each year."

I think, if I read correctly, that for a certain percentage of young teens who try smoking, many have seen a movie in the past year where actors were smoking. I don't know how many who try smoking after seeing an R movie (and where are their parents?) have also been taken to concerts, art museums, plays, library story hours, school lyceums, sporting events and school parties. Do they want to buy a hockey stick or a box of watercolors? I hope they've adjusted for other influences. I suspect that the first cigarette needs to be reinforced by some other type of influence--either genetic predisposition, family members who smoke, or peer acceptance or all three. My son, who is trying to stop his 20+ year addiction, says he was hooked after the first cigarette because he liked how it made him feel. Then smoking behavior was reinforced at school, which at that time allowed it on campus. I tried smoking in junior high, and again in college. It didn't do a thing for me, tasted awful and made my clothes and hair stink, plus I had disapproval from friends, so what would be the point? Smoking was probably in every movie I'd ever seen in the 1950s and 60s and when I was in high school, I saw several movies a week. And they really made it look glamorous and fun in those days. Obesity is passing tobacco as a health problem. Especially in childhood. Next: no movies showing restaurants, eating or snacking. No previews announcing food in the lobby. No popcorn allowed.

So guys, if the science is clear, make your citations clear also.

Michelle Obama helps John McCain

Michelle Obama who probably is wealthier and has more education than 90% of the the US population is so distraught about how awful it is to be an American lawyer, educated at Ivy League prestigious universities, married to a Senator, that her speech has really invigorated the right to come out for McCain.

“For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country,” she told a Milwaukee crowd, “because it feels like hope is making a comeback.”

If this is the "hope" and the "future" and the "change" that her husband represents, we'd better start looking for the good old days, because this woman is totally self-absorbed, spoiled and stuck-on-stupid. Yes, Michelle, you have convinced me. I'll hold my nose and vote for McCain rather than someone whose knowledge of politics and history extends to the tip of her pretty nose and sound of her mellifluous voice.

I'm beginning to think that both Hillary and Obama need to deep six their spouses until after the election. With supporters like this, they won't need enemies.

Home from Haiti

My husband has returned from a mission trip to Haiti. He loves the people, even though it is a bit of a culture shock going in and coming home. This year he was more prepared, mentally and physically. He worked on some construction projects building covers for medical equipment for the clinic and taught a class in architectural drawing to 12th graders. They loved it, and so did he. These kids are so bright and motivated, he says it is a real pleasure to work with them.

This is a photo of the Ouanaminthe Airport, and he did NOT fly in here (thank goodness!) The team flew into the Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, and were picked up by our pastor, Dave Mann, in a school bus for a 4.5 ride to the border city of Dajabon. Because the border is closed by the time they get there, they spend the night in a hotel, and continue on in the morning, but it's only about 10 more minutes. They get there in time for church. You can fly from the capital, Port-au-Prince, to the Ouanaminthe airport in about 30 minutes, but it would be about 11 hours (bad roads) by bus, so that's why they fly into Santo Domingo. Both countries are on the same island. The standard of living, the infrastructure, the industry, and the greenery of the countryside are night and day, and they are divided by a river named Massacre.

Please don't squeeze. . .

Meredith Whipple of Columbus, Ohio, had a letter in the paper (USA Today):

"When I see a political leader relying on the Word of God to solve the nation's problems, I begin to question whether he or she has a real strategy in place."

When I see a political leader relying on the Word of God I will be in a state of shock, because I've never seen it. Black or white, Democrat or Republican, male or female, Jew or Gentile, gay or straight, Red or Blue state, fat or thin, Berkeley or Boise, I just have never seen a leader of this nation from zoning board to the White House, rely on the Word of God. Sprinkling a few god words in a speech during campaign season to warm the hearts of the voters doesn't qualify, Ms. Whipple.

Lose 5 lbs. by Easter

10 lbs. by Memorial Day. That was the story in USAToday this morning. So that's 5 weeks, or a pound a week. There were some interesting suggestions--in addition to more veggies and fruit, portion control, etc., which I hope we all know by now.

Put magazines with covers of fit people on your coffee table.

Hang a summer outfit where you can see it.

Decrease or eliminate fruit juice and sugary drinks, as well as alcohol and coffee dessert drinks.

Sit down at the table to eat.

One pound of fat contains about 3,500 calories, so to lose one pound a week, you should eat 500 fewer calories each day. That probably means my husband will need to finish the chocolate peanut butter pie that's in the frig.

Colorful food tend to be more nutrient dense--blueberries, broccoli, peppers, etc. Remember, mother always said to eat all the colors. That's probably not dark chocolate candy, or golden corn chips.

If you drink a glass of water before a meal, you'll feel more full.

Before you go for seconds, wait 10 minutes; your body will probably tell you that you're already full. Of course, in some homes, everyone will have left the kitchen or cleared the table if you wait ten minutes. Everyone is in such a hurry!

Wear a pedometer. 1000 steps is 1/2 mile. 10 flights of stairs is one mile.

Eat real food. Take the word "snack" right out of your vocabulary. Think about it. A snack usually increases your hunger, not decreases it. It's a set up--don't go down that aisle, don't try that recipe. It's a trick. And a billion dollar business.

See www.smallstep.gov for more tips.

Can you define a "living wage?"

Or, how about an "American working family?" These terms are pandering policy pablum. It's like trying to figure out the word, "uninsured." It's nailing Jello to the wall.

Let's begin with two classic cases--both single moms with 2 children. Melanie had a significant other she met in college, but they never married, and he's wandered off the reservation looking for more significance. Her first pregnancy stopped her education, and besides, she liked staying home with cute babies. She doesn't know where the SO is, so there's no child support. She's working at Wendy's for $7.00 an hour--$14,800/year. She's not unhappy; she likes the work--has flexible hours, regular customers she knows by face and order, and can walk to work, although she has a "beater" car. She's a whiz at e-Bay and picks up a little cash by hitting the garage sales on her day off. She's worked at a dry-cleaners but the fumes bothered her, and at Tim Horton's, but the scheduling didn't suit, and has waitressed at family restaurants like Applebee's and Bag of Nails earning more, but she likes the management here. She occasionally dates the men she meets on the other side of the counter.

Then there's Tanika. She's divorced and her husband has decided to find himself in the entertainment world, but borrows more money than he sends. He drinks or smokes what is left after he's paid under the table at various clubs when his group performs. Each time she talks to him, he's just about to land the big break. Tanika's no dummy. She's always been told that education is the key to a better life. With help from her parents and various scholarships, and some state aid, she has finally completed the Kent State program in Library Science. Although she's relieved to have landed a job in the public library of a nice suburb of Columbus for $16.40 an hour in a tight job market, she does have to work some evenings and occasional week-ends, and has no flexibility to trade hours. Also, she's got some whopping school debts to repay, and she's maxed out several credit cards. Her dad keeps her car repaired and running. Her mom invites her and the kids over for dinner often, and babysits when Tanika works evenings and week-ends. The library is so busy, she knows none of the people who pass through. Social life is zilch, nada, nyet and she's too pooped to even take the kids to the pool. Her day off is a school day, so she volunteers at the Lutheran Food Pantry.

As you might have surmised, Melanie is better off than Tanika, plus she could have the satisfaction of knowing she is keeping a small army of government workers busy!

She is eligible for a piece of the Earned Income Tax Credit ($40+ billion), which is a cash supplement to wages of the "working poor," and at her income that's an additional $4,536 a year.

At various times she has received help from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families because of the dead-beat dad thing until her eligibility ran out. Between jobs, she stayed on unemployment benefits as long as she could--one time almost 3 years. Although she much prefers working, she never felt a sitter did as good a job with the kids as she could do herself.

She receives a housing voucher ($16 billion), which is much more pleasant than having to live in "the projects," and although there are others in her complex--actually many--no one seems to notice. In fact, she and Tanika's family don't live far from each other and the kids play together at the pool.

In addition to food stamps, which add about $100 a week to her grocery budget* ($35 billion through USDA), her children are eligible for the National Student Lunch Program, the Breakfast Program, the after school snack program, and the summer lunch program--plus she gets her own meals at Wendy's. In fact, they're all packing on a few extra pounds--no one is going hungry, that's for sure. The NSL and SBP (from the Ohio Department of Education via the USDA) also provide these services to runaways, homeless and migrant children, but Melanie is a pretty stable gal with good values, she's "always paid her own way," so there's not much danger of that. If she runs out towards the end of the month because the cable bill was due, she can get 3 days of food at the Lutheran Food Pantry.

Melanie would have to pay a pretty high co-pay for company health benefits, so she keeps passing on that during sign up periods, but she's eligible for SCHIP (as is Tanika who is making under $40,000 but has never applied**), and it provides some coverage like dental, prescription and special lab work she couldn't get through an employers' health program.

A few months ago Melanie's boyfriend got religion and called her, wanting to do right by her and the children and make it all legal--white dress, church, flowers, etc. But she turned him down. Even if he got a job at another Wendy's their combined income would throw off her eligibility, and financially, her kids would much much worse off. She's happy where she is--who needs to marry?

Melanie and Tanika are fictitious; the programs are not.

*In Ohio a family of three would be eligible for about $100 a week in food stamps, the gross eligibility being $21,600 of family income.

**An October 2007 study found that 68.7 percent of newly uninsured children were in families whose incomes were 200 percent of the federal poverty level or higher.

His money outlived him

I've heard or read the name "John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation" tacked on to many stories, particularly on public radio, but never knew who they were. . . or what an unpleasant, mean old snot John D. was. Here's an interesting story about a "reluctant philanthropist" who set up a foundation, now with assets over $6 billion, who probably didn't have a friend in the world and was disliked even by family members.

He was such a penny pincher, he hired dwarves to work in the low ceiling basement of one of his income properties so as to make use of all the space. And there's more.

Leadership and girls

Last night at dinner we talked about how we would advise a young woman going into our career field. One woman was a lawyer; one an elementary suburban school teacher; and one a high school teacher of special needs students in an urban system. My own advice would be to participate more in committee and leadership opportunities even if you hate it (like me), because for now, that's how you establish a network and climb the ladder (at least in library science).

I noticed that at career journal.com Sue Shellenbarger notes

There's evidence children and teens aren't getting as much practice at leadership as in the past. Only 1.5% of today's young college graduates have ever worked on a political campaign, based on a study of 40,000 recent grads by Robert Zemsky, a University of Pennsylvania professor, and Peterson's, a learning-resource unit of Thomson Corp., Toronto.

With today's huge high schools, the opportunities for young people to practice leadership roles in a small, familiar setting have dwindled. "There can only be one president of the senior class," and with 3,500 kids in a high school, that leaves out a lot of kids, says Barbara Schneider, a University of Chicago professor and author of "The Ambitious Generation."

That surprised me a bit, so I looked back--and the opportunities were there for me, particularly in high school, I just didn't like it. I was in 4-H and performed "demonstrations" even as young as 11 or 12; I was my church youth group (CBYF) president; I attended leadership workshops and seminars offered by my church's district; I was on the student council in high school; I think (but can't actually remember) that other organization I belonged to like band, Pepsters, and yearbook staff, probably had assigned offices. I was a camp counselor, and after high school got on a bus, travelled to California, and worked for a summer in a settlement house situation. I can't imagine that those opportunities aren't still out there, even at large high schools. However, when I got to college, I participated very little in extra curricular activities. For one thing, the competition had ratcheted up! To be an officer, or even a committee member meant long hours, and much more competition, and I just hated anything competitive. I suspect that like grades, there is today much more competition for positions of leadership. No, I have no one but myself to blame for not becoming a leader--I didn't like it. I much preferred the one-on-one with the students, the small group teaching, getting into research and publication, and supervising a staff of one or two people.

Every place of employment has opportunities for networking, and for lack of a better word, empire building. Yes, everything is political. Get over it! That usually means paying your dues with committee work or putting in time on task forces. Breathe deep. Exhale. Pray for direction. Sign up. Feel the power.

Kiss a librarian, hug a book?

Adoptees begin with Chapter 2

This was Rapper DMC's testimony in January about the need for changes in the the New Jersey law that prevents adult adoptees from access to their original birth certificate. Two days ago the USAToday featured a story about a Maine Senator who was instrumental in getting her state's laws changed, and then discovered that two of her nephews were serving in the state legislature--and each had been on opposite sides of the issue. After she learned the names and town of her birth parents she discovered that she was born when they were near 50 and she had been placed for adoption--they were the grandparents of men she was serving with.

Ohio's records are still closed, but that will eventually fall, as more and more states bring these archaic and counter productive laws in line with modern thinking about civil rights. No one can deny a Native American his right to know his parental and tribal heritage, but for people of African American or European or Hispanic background, it is considered just fine to slam the door on their access to medical and personal history. Who knows if it was just the current thinking of social workers, or the workings of legislators representing men who didn't want to be found. I tend to follow the money.

No one can force a birth parent or adult offspring to meet, socialize and establish a relationship regardless of a law or adoption registry. My grandmother's great grand daughter lives on the east side of Columbus. Although we share a common heritage, exchange Christmas cards, were born in the same state, and know many people in common, we do not get together.

Open records IS NOT open adoption--these are two entirely different issues. Open records is about adults. Open adoption is about children. I think the jury is still out on the long term affects of open adoptions, but for open records, there can be no question in my mind that adults should have full rights to accurate and complete records, if they exist.

For the Records: Restoring a legal right for adult adoptees (November 2007)

My Valentine Dinner Party

Last night I hosted a dinner for three friends and I just finished the wonderful Godiva chocolates one brought as a hostess gift. Yum! I served broccoli soup, a boneless pork roast with a BBQ sauce, potato salad, baked butternut squash, fresh fruit bowl (blue berries, cantaloupe, grapes, pineapple and strawberries), wheat rolls, and peanut butter chocolate pie. To go with my color theme I made a drink of 1/3 pineapple juice mixed with red raspberry sugar-free soda. This was my first time to use the bowls I bought in July to go with my good china. My china is Syracuse, Countess pattern, purchased in the 1960s and now discontinued, with bowls going for about $50-60 on e-bay. I found an almost-match at the Discovery Shop of King's Court, Wedding Band pattern, for $4 each. At night, under the dining room light, I couldn't see any difference, but in the daylight, you can see a very slight color difference. Anyway, I was very pleased with my find, and finally being able to serve a soup with dinner!

My guests stayed until after 10 p.m., and we talked of many things--our faith, our careers, laws and regulations (usually pertaining to our specialties), and "past lives." One topic was, "what advice would you give a young woman, post-college, just beginning in your career field." It was a great evening. Every woman should have a "ladies only" dinner at least once--we even dressed up.

Great one-liners

Elizabeth Wurtzel, a democrat who says she hasn't decided yet, got off some great one-liners in today's WSJ article, "Hillary Agonistes."

In less time than it takes to get through a single session of psychotherapy, Mr. Obama can cure me--an open mind, a free spirit, a loving heart--even thin thighs.

No one with a job takes advice from someone with a chef."

". . . first flush of Obamarama. . ."

"If candidates were reading material, Obama would be pornography--he's got everyone aroused."

"Once upon a life time ago, Hillary clinton could have been Barack Obama."

"She's been called the anti-Christ, but right now she's the anti-Obama."

"Mr. Obama is what the future looks like--a biracial child of divorce, abandoned by his father, a party hardy Harvard Law School graduate."

"One of these years Hillary is going to the White House--if she has to take hostages she'll do it--she may even cry."

Now that's writing.

Friday Family Photo--Big Hair

Remember the big hair of the 80s? This photo was probably taken on Easter, 1988, when we all had hair--lots of it. To balance the load on our head, we women had to wear huge floral prints with even bigger shoulder pads!



Thirty years ago

Thursday Thirteen--13 principles of life

1. A clear conscience should never be confused with a bad memory.

2. Sweeping the room with a glance doesn't qualify as house cleaning.

3. Don't let it all hang out or you might not be able to tuck it back in.

4. Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

5. Worry is like a rocking chair--it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.

6. Whine doesn't improve with age.

7. Experience is what enables you to recognize a mistake when you do it again.

8. I don't know the secret to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

9. Just when you start to win the rat race, someone develops a bigger, faster rat.

10. Jumping to conclusions, running your mouth, and ducking responsibility don't count as exercise.

11. It is better to light one little candle than to be seen with no makeup under fluorescent lighting.

12. You can't see the big picture if your nose is pressed against it.

13. Talent is like an arm or a leg--use it or lose it.

I've heard them all somewhere, but most recently read them in various selections from God's Little Devotional Journal for Teens, Honor Books, 2001.

Another special Valentine

Vic Grace has a wonderful "love the second time around" story over at her blog. Bring a hankie.

A special valentine for you

I don't think I could say it any better than Emerald Eyes has--a list of favorite love songs, mature thoughts about love, and memories of grandparents. Go for it.

And then from me, a scan of one of my mother's valentines, from Billy Smith, a school mate at Pine View School, I assume. This is probably from the early 1920s and was embossed paper with cut edges, "Whitney Made Worcester, Mass." The inside message with a line drawing of a little boy swinging on a fence reads:

I love you little
Valentine,
But I am very shy,
And if you think
you could be kind,
Please smile as you
pass by.

Pineview School, Lee County, Illinois, Mother is 2nd from the left, front row
The little girl third from the right in the back row is Arlene Beachley David, one of my mother's closest friends. I just looked her up and saw on the Manchester College website that she died January 2, 2006. She married later in life and never had children (I attended her wedding), but I talked to her on the phone maybe in 2003, and she was living with her deceased husband's niece.

Three word Wednesday, 73

The 3 words today are

girlfriend
imagined
slight.

This should almost write itself. I always think of Suze Orman's TV financial show, when I hear, "Girlfriend. . . " and you just know the news won't be good and the advice will be tough.

Girlfriend, Suze said,
while you imagined love
there's a slight chance
you missed the bounced checks,
school loans, credit cards,
child support and gambling debts,
a mortgage about to reset,
a house that hasn't flipped,
and his mother who has.

Bone has added a blogroll if you'd like to join. Three words appear on Wednesday with which you write a poem, essay, or story.

Limbaugh on Obama

Rush said, "Obama says nothing better than anyone in my life time." The next caller claimed to be a 33 year old Republican who said that he'd rather vote for Obama than McCain because Obama, although he says nothing and is a socialist, is inspiring. Rush walked him through it, statement by statement--but the caller stood his ground. So yes, the left wing media critics are right; mush brains do listen to Limbaugh. Rush went on to say that Obama "owns" this method, so McCain and Clinton better not try it--they also aren't as good looking, he admitted.

Some of us need to move

The U.S. is divided into 3,100 counties. Of the top 30 counties that have received billions in disaster aid, 22 of them are either in Florida (13) or Oklahoma (9). Caddo County, Oklahoma has been declared a disaster area 13 times in the last decade, according to a story in USAToday yesterday. And it isn't just tornadoes, like you might think--that county has had a little of everything. If the rest of us are going to pay, either in taxes or insurance, for rebuilding after the hurricanes, brush fires, and flash flooding, then rich folk shouldn't be building their McMansions on hillsides in California or summer homes with coastal ocean and bay views, or on stilts with decks over river vistas in Ohio. Federal aid is a disincentive for insurance companies to insure, or for home owners to build in safer areas. I don't have a solution, and obviously our Congress doesn't either. They only talk about it when they aren't worrying about athletes on steroids, what Rush Limbaugh said, or alar on apples. But here's a thought.

Heath Ledger, Accidental poisoning?

Unless it's your pet Lab that will enthusiastically eat the wall board with a pillow for dessert, no one accidentally takes oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, tempazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine, all found in the system of Heath Ledger. Heath made choices along the way to anesthetize his brain and emotions.

I had a comment yesterday from someone who read an entry of mine about marijuana. He/she insisted that after using 20 years, it simply had no impact on his mind, and wasn't a gateway drug. Of course, he mentioned that the Iraq War had been running for 8 years, so it had impaired his math ability a bit, because that would mean President Clinton lead us into it--which he did sort of with all the hype about WMD, but that's another blog. He also had forgotten how to use capital letters. How hard can it be to use the shift key?

Most of these deaths aren't happening to star struck actors, they are happening to young white women. Poisoning mortality rates in the U.S. rose 62.5% during the 5-year period 1999 to 2004. 20,950 deaths in 2004 alone, up from 12,186 in 1999. The largest increases were among females (103.%), whites (75.8%), persons living in the southern U.S. (113.6%), and persons aged 15-24 years (113.3%). Among all sex and racial/ethnic groups, the largest increase (136.5%) was among non-Hispanic white females. So what's that include? Overdoses of illegal drugs and legal drugs taken for nonmedical reasons, legal drugs taken in error or at the wrong dose, and poisoning from other substances (alcohol, pesticides or carbon monoxide).

You can't slowly poison your brain cells with alcohol, marijuana or pain meds, and expect it to then indefinitely make the correct decisions on other drugs that become available, maybe because you lied to the doctor or the pharmacist to get a bigger high or low.

Gay black men have disproportionate rates of HIV

A recent article in JAMA (Jan 23, 2008) tries to sort through the puzzling statistics of HIV among gay black men. Try as she might, Ms. Voelker can't link poverty or lack of health care, although she tries. Like most of the other health problems among Americans, it's behavior.

"Studies Illuminate HIV’s Inequalities," Rebecca Voelker, JAMA. 2008;299(3):269-275.

Here's my take away from reading the article:

1) They have unprotected sex with men, as do many gay men, and report less than other groups since 1990--before that it was much higher.
2) They are more likely to have sex with other black men who are also likely to be infected. This could result in co-infections.
3) They have numerous sex partners, although this is common for gay men in general, so is not an unusual trait for their race, and they report fewer than other groups.
4) They "don't disclose their sexual orientation [to researchers]", i.e. they lie about being gay (called down low), or don't consider themselves gay even if having sex with men. I would think this could affect the results of #1 and #3.
5) Because they don't think they are gay, they don't seek antiretroviral treatment, which means they have high levels of the virus in their blood, and if having sex with other black men, are more likely to transmit it.
6) More likely to have other current STDs which lowers their immunity--gonorrhea incidence among HIV-positive men is soaring and there is an ongoing syphilis epidemic among gay men.

The presenter of the statistics, Greg Millett, MPH, a CDC behavioral scientist, will probably get into trouble for pointing out these racial differences. Or, maybe he'll just get more grant money to study the behavior more closely. But for every dollar spent focusing on social problems like race and income, that's one less dollar focusing on the virus.

The only reason to even report on HIV/AIDS is because of the attention it gets from the media, the President (see the outrage over the 2009 budget that he didn't fund it at higher levels), the ex-President and Bill Gates. Only about 5% to 7% of male adults and adolescents in the United States identify themselves as men who have sex with men, but they have 71% of the AIDS/HIV. One of the unintended consequences of improved treatment has been a growing carelessness about protection and casual sex.

Auto accidents are still far and away the big killer of young people and we could save thousands and thousands of lives of our children just by raising the legal driving age to 18. No one has been able to figure out a poverty, gender or race angle for this common sense move, so we'd rather shower research dollars on a behavior we can't control.

Monday Memories--Berkeley, whose side are you on?

I'm a California ex-pat, according to the Bear Flag League bloggers (see my links). Sometimes they invite me for blogging lunch, but I have to say no, living in central Ohio. My dad was stationed in California during WWII before being shipped out. He was a Marine. Mom and my aunt Muriel packed us all into the car and away we went, driving from northern Illinois to Alameda, California in 1944. Things didn't look good for the war effort towards the end. The war easily could have gone the other way; our losses were huge. We probably lost more men in training accidents than we've lost since 2003 in Iraq. But Baby boomlets don't read history--probably isn't required in public schools of California. Now the city of Berkeley wants to chase out the Marines. A librarian (surprise!) has called it a knee jerk reaction. No, lady, it isn't. Your state is huge and your economy larger than that of many countries. Your entertainment industry has virtually ruined our culture, and now you want to sabotage more of it. We are the UNITED STATES, and you're undercutting our government and military. Shame, shame, shame. How did California accumulate so many kooks? We've got a lot of family living in Southern Cal, and not a one of them or their friends are weird. But then, none lived or went to school in Berkeley. I've written to the mayor, mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us. They need some guidance and help out there.

Some women

understand glamor. Thank you Beyonce. 2008 Grammy awards
And congratulations to one of my favorite groups, The Band, for their life time achievement award. Four Canadians and an American, they're the best (some deceased). Story here, in a Canadian newspaper.

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Dead tree or cyber winged budgets?

Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post is not so thrilled that the 2009 budget is digital instead of paper--even if 480 trees were saved. Considering that I can't even access some of my own publications that were on the "disk" version of 1999, I wish the American public and future researchers good luck in accessing important documents that trendy lawmakers have decided need to get on the digital bandwagon. Let's hope there are always a few paper copies kept in secure libraries and archives.

"Honestly, I am still using the paper books, as is most of my staff," Tom Kahn, the staff director of the House Budget Committee, told me by e-mail. "Online is much harder to use. It makes the information less accessible and harder to ferret out. Frankly, it is no fun staring for hours at a computer screen to find obscure spend-out rates. You can't underline, can't make a note on a page, and who wants to read a computer in bed?"

I love being able to get snippets, or even whole chapters, on-line--like Ruth's article. But I don't want to give up the 3 newspapers I read everyday--in paper with my coffee. I particularly enjoy being able to get archived older articles--and I sure hope the digitizers can keep up with ways for us to read them. But when I have to read closely, I print it off. I hate trying to scroll across the page to figure out columns for years and amounts and quantities.

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Temporary and contract workers--their health

Is it the regulations or the personal behavior that cause "contingent" workers to be less healthy and have more accidents? It's a government funded report in the January 30, 2008 issue of JAMA (NIOSH and CDC), so without even reading the article, "Contingent workers and contingent health; risks of a modern economy," you just know it's going to be the fault of the federal government for not covering certain workers--usually part-timers who work for smaller firms or private contractor/self-employed. Otherwise, how would these ladies fund their positions?

I have a little experience with "involuntary" worker status. (In bureaucratic jargon that doesn't mean I was a slave or indentured, it means I would have preferred a permanent position some of those years, therefore my status of "involuntary.") One of my earliest part-time academic positions for which I received no benefits except a tuition waiver was translating medical newspapers from Russian into English. Later when I was a library grad student I had a hazardous 20 hour a week position keeping a PL480 shelving area clean and tidy and lifting heavy boxes of books upon which being cataloged no one would open, yea these 42 years. It was really dirty and I'm sure my lungs suffered from dirt, dust mites and chemical fumes from cheap Soviet paper. Also I experienced dangerous paper cuts from the ubiquitous LC cards we carried from room to room while cataloging, all the while risking ankle and arch damage wearing high heels on polished floors. "Real" workers (degreed librarians) didn't do those jobs--just we lowly peons. From 1978 to 1986 I had a series of temporary, contract positions ranging from 3 months to 3 years, and I thank God for them. I loved the start up, the risks, the poking my nose into places it didn't belong, meeting interesting people, being home with my kids after 3 p.m. and during summers, and not being required to attend faculty meetings or be on committees like my colleagues. And although I didn't know it then, I was being prepared in the school of experience and hard knocks for the best job of my life, Head of the Veterinary Medicine Library at the Ohio State University. My most memorable work-related injuries were all during full-time, faculty employment: rotator cuff problems from lifting heavy journals, and a fall outside a lab when water leaked into the hall. But I digress.

The authors of the article admit to two problems--most studies on the health of contingent workers have been done in Europe, and those studies and the few in the U.S. show that temporary workers tend to have a set of behavior and personal deficiencies that most regular workers don't. And it's most likely those deficiencies that impact their health. They are

• more alcohol-related deaths
  
• more smoking related cancers
  
• more psychological problems
  
• more musculoskeletal disorders
  
• more likely to be in high risk jobs
  
• less experience
  
• fewer hours of safety training
  
• more likely to be using equipment for which they hadn't trained
  
• more likely to have language deficiencies (illegals)
  
• self-employed, independent contractor not covered by current laws on health and safety

But not to worry, the authors plow ahead with plans to answer "the many questions that remain," and to "collect information on contingent status" which might now not be fully captured to explain workers' illnesses and injuries. No doubt they will recommend changing the current laws (last 40 years) which mostly exempt employers with <15 or <20 workers (age discrimination 1967, occupational safety 1970, health and retirement standards 1974; disabilities 1990; family leave 1993). This will be more of the ongoing destruction of the small businessman with more federal regulations, and the self-employed/ private contractor, creating a demand for more government services, a larger bureaucracy and universal, low quality health care for everyone except the politicians.

"Contingent Workers and Contingent Health Risks of a Modern Economy," Kristin J. Cummings, MD, MPH; Kathleen Kreiss, MD, JAMA. 2008;299(4):448-450.

Cats can learn new behavior

My cat ignores the cat and dog commercials on TV. They apparently don't sound real to her. But the other day I came across a blog that had a kitty widget (movable cartoon-like character embedded in the page). With the cursor passing over the kitty's head, she would meow, and over her chest she would purr. My cat was sitting in my lap at the time, and immediately tried to investigate when she heard the meow and purring. Not wanting her to mess up what I was doing, I changed pages. But she is still much more interested in the screen than she was before, and it's been several days. She seems to be looking for that kitty that is hiding somewhere in my office.

Saturday she was preparing to leap up to my lap and I wasn't paying attention. My left hand was there, and as she jumped she dug in her back claws. Ooo, that hurt. She must have felt the difference too as I slipped my hand away. I didn't yell or scold, because it isn't her fault that someone ripped out her front claws before we got her (Cat Welfare), and for balance she has to dig as firmly as she can with her back paws when she jumps two or three times her height. But I did start rubbing my hand and when I saw the blood, I set her on the floor, and immediately went to the restroom to scrub and put on an alcohol rub. Perhaps it's my imagination, but she's been waiting longer to get my attention and gurgles a half-meow before she jumps up now. You can bet she's trained me to pay more attention!

When you absolutely, positively have to have a salty chip snack

Heat some vegetable oil--maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch in a small sauce pan. Cut up a corn tortilla (I use Azteca) into strips (scissors work better than a knife) and drop them into the oil for a few minutes, watching carefully. When they start to darken just a bit to a golden color, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle salt. Enjoy, but wait a few seconds or you'll burn your tongue. Tip: like pancakes, the first batch isn't very good--don't know what that principle is called, but the 2nd, 3rd and 4th should be just fine. One day I was helping with lunch at church during advent and we made these to go with bean soup. I thought it might come in handy for an emergency snack attack. I've tried this with flour tortillas and sprinkled with sugar/cinnamon, and that's yummy too, but I rarely crave anything sweet.

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What do you do with your old Christmas cards?

I love the time between Thanksgiving and Epiphany--lots of first class mail as cards and letters drop through our mail slot. Then what to do with them? My tendency to save paper memorabilia is a bit of a problem--especially what to do with what my grandmother saved from the 1880-1890s! I save the letters, the cards with notes, the hand-made or designed cards, and the cards with particularly lovely scenes--usually from a watercolor print. Over the years, that's a lot of paper!

This week we discovered something new to do with holiday greetings. We got a post card from a pastor and his wife of a church we occasionally visit. It's close by, has communion every Sunday, and offers a week day, day-time Bible study led by the pastor. (And the best reason to attend is we know nothing of the inner political squabbles that all churches have.) The postcard said they'd received many beautiful cards and letters at Christmas and each day selected one to pray for the senders, and they had prayed for us on Monday, Feb. 4. That's such a nice idea I think I'll freshen my prayer list with that idea.

What media bias?

Did you see the front page poll in the WSJ today, story by Suzanne Something? Shocking, shocking. 21% of the respondents to the NBC/WSJ poll were strongly against voting for a Mormon, and 20% were strongly against an Evangelical (i.e. a Southern Baptist minister). The story, of course, was all about anti-Mormonism, because then she could bash Christians, but not about anti-Evangelicalism, because then she'd have to bash liberals. Somehow, she found a pastor of a huge congregation of 35 people to quote. This woman digs so deep she needs to drain the swamp to climb out.

But more ridiculous was the anti-Hillary and anti-Obama figures. I think for Obama the poll only found 4% wouldn't vote for a black. We've come a long way baby, but not in my wildest dreams of what wonderful unbiased folk singing kumbaya we are, will I buy that figure. I've heard "Obama's a Moslem" 10 times more than I've heard Romney's a Mormon in my white, well-heeled, Republican suburb (with a very noisy Progressive/liberal element).

Nobody's going to admit to a pollster, especially one from, not one but two liberal media, that they won't vote for Hillary because she's a woman or Obama because he's black. There are millions and millions of registered voters whose only exposure to African Americans is watching Hippity-Hops grabbing their junk and flashing their bling on YouTube and TV, calling women Ho's and their buddies nigger. Sure, they'll buy their music, but that's also the image they'll take with them to the voting booth.

What would we do without government studies?

In September 2006 I fessed up that going from dial-up to broadband had been. . . broadening for me. Yes, the 20 lbs I put on I called my blogging weight. There's just no way to sit in front of a computer screen for several hours a day (which I did more before I retired), snack on peanut butter, salty chips, cheese and crackers, eat sandwiches for lunch, eat out with friends, and NOT put on weight. So I did a TT on it--about eating less and moving more--and over the next four months, shed the blogger-fat.

Fortunately, I now have a government study to back me up. Don't tell me I never give you valuable research! Yes, people who eat out at least twice a week and eat fewer fruits and vegetables than people who eat out less often and eat more fruits and vegetables and who also have less physical activity than people who have more physical activity will be FATTER. I'm just stunned, aren't you? Who knew that eating 3,000 more calories a day than your body can possibly use, would add pounds?

"Findings from our population-based survey suggest that higher levels of weekly physical activity were needed for successful weight loss maintenance if the respondent consumed fewer than five low-energy–density fruit and vegetable servings on the previous day. Our data provide insights into the details of behavioral patterns among people reporting success at weight loss maintenance and support findings in the literature that suggest both dietary and physical activity approaches are key in helping people manage their weight. Citation: Kruger J, Blanck HM, Gillespie C. "Dietary practices, dining out behavior, and physical activity correlates of weight loss maintenance." Prev Chronic Dis 2008;5(1). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2008/
jan/06_0158.htm. Accessed Feb. 8, 2008].

There's still a lot researchers don't know about how weight affects the incidence and intensity of diseases that kill us, but this much they do know--if you use more calories than you take in, you will not be fat. Maybe that's gastric by-pass, or Jenny Craig, or going for a walk every day. For most of the history of the planet, poverty and starvation were the norm for most populations (the move to private ownership of land and then other resources has changed that). Now even the poorest have too many calories. Lots of things make us fat--I know what works for me, and it will be different for you.

All this is to introduce you to a journal that recently has focused on the diseases of older people, Preventing Chronic Disease. Although I find it frustrating that so many studies focus on gapology--gap between minorities and whites, between men and women, between rich and poor, between Hispanics and Asians, between Caribbean baseball players and Alaskan mushers (I made that one up), occasionally someone discovers that no one has researched the obvious--the things we do that make us sick.

Thursday Thirteen--13 fudge phrases in American English.

English is a marvelously flexible language--has about 2 million words because it borrows from so many cultures. So why overuse some of them and dumb down our lovely language? These 13 get my vote--and my goat. If I never heard them again, I'd dance on their graves.

1. I have nothing against . . . or I don’t have a problem with. . . [be on the alert for racist, sexist, ageist or ethnic comment with the first, and nit-pickiness about a committee or task force report on the second] Another version is, Some of my best friends are. . . .

2. If it’s all the same to you . . . [You know it probably won’t be.]

3. Do you mind if I smoke. . . [We don’t hear this one much anymore--smoking near anyone is now against the law in Ohio in many places, even outdoors, but in the “bad old days” you knew he was going to light up and make your clothes stink and your lungs rot. Women didn't even bother to ask.]

4. Let’s do lunch sometime. . . [Good-bye, I’m waaaay too busy and important to talk right now.]

5. With all due respect. . . [A way to say, “I disagree,” without saying it.]

6. I’m looking to. . . [Only the less educated used this in the past, but now it is everywhere, even the WSJ and NYT. It means "I’m planning to . . ." or "I’m thinking about. . .", but seems to imply using logical thought to make a decision is suspect. Probably came along with using "I feel" instead of "I think."]

7. I think we need to ask ourselves. . . [Experts use this phrase to introduce what they want you to do--it’s a fudgy way to be bossy and authoritative.]

8. At the end of the day. . . [I actually heard a caller to a talk show say, “At the end of the day there’s light at the end of the tunnel” and “Finally, at the end of the day, the bottom line is. . . “ This is a useless phrase; if it has a meaning, it is “finally.”

9. It’s generally believed that. . . (fill in the blank) [Something is about to be said you’ve never heard of, or disagree with, like “humans control global warming“ and you (but not I) need to cut back on your carbon footprint.]

10. How ‘bout them Buckeyes or (your team’s name here). [Guys say this in place of ordinary polite greetings, such as “Good Afternoon,” or “How are you?”]

11. I’m no expert, but. . . [I’m about to pretend to be one.]

12. It’s easy, you just . . . [This won’t be easy at all--you‘d better take notes.]

13. Basically / Absolutely. Basically, these two words are the most overused words in American English. Don’t you agree? Absolutely! “Basically” is used in place of stammering (repeat the phrase 3 or 4 times to make it work) while you think of something to say, and “Absolutely” is a 4 syllable word for Yes.

The big one

Can you guess how many ones (numeral or words) appear on the U.S. one dollar bill? Before taking one out of your wallet or purse jot down a number. I guessed 10, and so did my husband. The student from CSG at the coffee shop guessed 5, another guy said 7. Actually, it depends on the bill, but in looking at three different one dollar bills, I had between 22 and 29 ones on a one dollar bill.

There is only one reason to vote for John McCain, and that's Jihadism. And it's important. But the other ones all go against him. 1) He's too old. 1) He's noted for a flash point, bad temper. 1) Do you want an old guy with a bad temper going up against Iran? 1) He left his faithful, hard working wife and mother of his children who waited all the years he was in a POW situation for a trophy wife. 1) His new wife's father has financed his political career. 1) He's the sponsor of McCain-Feingold (campaign finance reform which is fine for guys with a sugar daddy-in-law). 1) He's squishy on amnesty. 1) He's more concerned with pleasing the guys across the aisle than conservatives or Republicans. 1) He's a media lap dog. 1) He appeals to Democrats and Independents in the primaries, but they'll dump him for their regular date come November. 1) He can't carry the South. 1) He either plays dumb, or is dumb, on the economic issues. 1) He has co-sponsored many bills which are an anathema for conservatives. 1) He loves being the bi-partisanship candidate--why not just have one party? 1) He likes being a maverick, but Democrats hate their own mavericks, why do they like ours? 1) Because they can beat him come November. 1) He snubs and insults conservatives, and was being considered as Kerry's running mate in 2004. 1) Why should time in prison, even if not your fault, be a resume enhancer? 1) He's supported Ted Kennedy more often than George Bush. 1) He has no business experience. 1) He has no executive office experience. 1) He's climbed aboard the broken, creaky global warming band wagon with the other hate America crowd. 1) In order to become a Republican, he'd need to start flip-flopping right now, something conservatives usually don't like. 1) He needs to raise a lot of money just in order to have grass roots support.

How many ones is that? How many do you need not to support McCain. But work very hard for your local guys you'll be sending to Washington, because Hillary doesn't need a rubber stamp Congress in bed with her and Bill.

Three word Wednesday, 72

Today's words are posted here at 3WW, a site where you can comment and invite others to read your offering, which can be an essay, poem, song, etc. Today's words are

Bridge
Disturbed
Still

Photo by Nea, a disappeared blogger
The Hardin Bridge on a summer day, not disturbed by talk of modern weight limits, stands quietly over the still Etowah River in north Georgia, a monument to a time when life was not so hurried, friends were forever, and passers-by weren't scrambling for more stuff. Best not to linger. Sometimes the river is swollen and angry, and if you look closer, you see the guard rails have been battered by drunk drivers at night unable to stay the course. Pause and you might think you hear voices, young lovers from the Great Depression or a soldier on leave before Korea or Vietnam, and then only silence. Even in the symmetry, you begin to see the irregularities--crooked tree branches building an arch over the steel trusses, wavering shadows, a cluster of leaves across a line that attempted infinity, and clouds breaking up a clear blue sky. Move along. Don't long for the past here.

True Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton

At one of my other blogs, I posted a year long Puritan reading list challenge. I'm pretty weak in this area, so the only name I recognized was John Bunyun, and I did struggle through Pilgrim's Progress a few years ago, but that wasn't on the list. For your reading pleasure, I'm supposed to be reviewing for my blog One Month to Live; Thirty Days to a No-regrets Life, by Kerry and Chris Shook (Waterbrook Press, a division of Random House, 2008). But frankly, when you've been reading 17th century Puritans, like Samuel Bolton's The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, 21st century Warren-wannabees are pretty thin stuff. Suffice it to say, the 30 day book is boot-strap Christianity, and I don't know a soul who would have the time or patience to complete the daily three "Make it last for life" homework suggestions, or even the "Make it count moments" that precede them.

Day 17

1. "Number a page from one to five, and list five different gifts that you know you possess. Don't be modest [yada yada]. . . This week ask at least 3 close family members or friends to list 5 gifts they see in you. Have them give you their lists. . .compare. . .what's the surprise and why."
2. "In what ways does your current job or career field reflect your passion? If you knew you only had a limited amount of time [yada yada] List the obstacles that prevent you from having your dream job. . . Go over this in prayer with God."
3. "Think through the handful of people who have helped you most in your life. (thinking, thinking, thinking) Now prayerfully consider sharing one of your struggles with someone this week . . ."

Isn't this right out of Willow Creek's Network Guide, which asked for an assessment which you matched with one from three other people? And you had to list your passions? Or am I thinking of What color is your parachute?

Keep in mind, this was just one day--the 17th. This was preceded by several pages of discussing GPS systems, and the Gospel hasn't been leaked yet--not sure the authors get to it. I checked the last few chapters/days and didn't find an explanation of the Gospel. By day 27, it is suggested that if the reader feels a vague, nagging question, sensing her time on earth is running out, she should snap out of her self-focus (which she's just been doing for a month) and start praying for the poor and hurting people on the other side of the world. Would that grab you?

I predict this title (the Willow Creek book says I score high in prophecy and wisdom) will be a very successful--maybe not a best seller like Rick Warren's books, but it has all the elements many church members want--lists, assignments, time frame, God-words, positive pep talks, and anecdotes ranging from construction to leprosy to mountain climbing (which is used as an example of forgiveness rather than the cross).

Time for a new ticker

Not heart surgery, but a new 30 day challenge. I wasn't even close to my 6,000 steps a day (although I think I forgot to update some days), averaging 4600 a day. Now I'm resetting to 7,000. If the weather would settle down, this would get easier. I unclogged a storm drain today which is good for the brakes, but doesn't do much for my pedometer.




It's pretty wet here today, so here's the new ticker.

The high cost of living

or the cost of living high? The middle class isn't disappearing; it isn't endangered. We've been sold a myth.

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Defense spending

A chart in the WSJ today showed that defense spending is at 4% of the GDP. It was above 5% in 1990 according to OMB, then went down to 3% 1999-2001, then rose to 4% 2004-2007 (I'm reading the chart; didn't see the numbers in the article). In Bush's budget predictions it should go up--I'm not sure if that is in spending, or because revenues will be down when the Democrats increase taxes. During the Korean War defense spending was 14% of GDP, and 9.5% during the VietNam War, and 6% during the Reagan years as noted in Bret Stephens article on Declinism. He notes that within a few years of the Reagan military build-up the Soviet Union collapsed. Europe and Japan with virtually no military costs during the same time period entered a period of economic stagnation.

Hand wringing over how Europeans and Asians see us is a politicians' hunt for fools gold, he says. Watch for a new book by Fred Kaplan, another author getting paid for predicting America's decline. They've been quite popular during the Bush administration and will probably drop off if a Democrat is elected, even if nothing changes globally. These declinism books are a bit like the anti-war movies these days. Do they sell--I mean to anyone but public libraries, who love this stuff.

Does anyone who speaks English know what this means?

"Differential access to and ability to use communication technologies creates potentially disenfranchising knowledge gaps."

I'm guessing it means someone at the local level wants federal government money to teach kids to use computers, but only if the kids are poor or minority. What's your guess?

"Distributed Data Curation Center (D2C2) investigates and pursues innovative solutions for curation issues of organizing, facilitating access to, archiving for and preserving research data and data sets in complex environments."

Someone was enamored with the first Star Wars character, R2D2. "Facilitate" is one of the squishiest words in the English language. Very useful--stretches, morphs, expands into total worthlessness. My good spell checker burped at "curation."

"Beginning April 1, 2008, The Frank Gates Companies/Attenta will become Avizent™."

I remember when Lutheran Brotherhood (fraternal insurance company) became Thrivent--a made up name. Acronyms are one thing, like JAMA or OCLC, but "designer names" that sound like pharmaceuticals are just irritating. I would rather do business with a Frank Gates than an Avizent, which sounds like a med for an STD.

I love words, especially in English, and I hate to see them abused and kicked to the curb.

Wine vocabulary;
men and women use different vocabulary;
teen-speak ;
ingredients lists;
Latinized vocabulary
using must, may and might
adverbosity
sheep

First place for tacky radio ad

On my way to the coffee shop about 6:30 a.m. this morning I heard on 1230 am radio the tackiest ad I've ever heard. I'll have to paraphrase since I couldn't stop and write it down:

"If Patty hadn't signed up for Match dot com she wouldn't be brushing her teeth in her bathroom with her boyfriend."

That's beyond bad taste. And speaking of which, it's probably not a good idea to shelve his razor next to your tooth brush, either, but this was the best I could come up with.

Warm, wet and wild

That ought to confuse the spam bots, but it's just a description of our weather today. The golf course is oozing fog as the warm air hits the cold ground, and there's standing water everywhere. I think we have what Illinois had yesterday; then the temps will drop tonight. I only have one more day on my step-challenge, but won't make it, but I will still up it for the next 30 days to 7,000.




A friend in Colorado called Sunday and said he was putting something in the mail that he hoped arrived here by Thursday. Yesterday we got an e-mail stating that their access road had been closed by an avalanche. In the last 3 days they'd received about 3 ft. of snow and he'd been on the roof shoveling, 7'-6" of snow (deepest spot). He says in his county they design for 65lb snow load, and his roof came out to 72 lbs per sq. ft. They have had 33 ft. of snow this winter. Good skiing. But the mail will have to wait.

Church of the Best Buy

Sometimes I arrange my poetry into shapes. My best efforts were a Christmas tree, a tornado, and a side profile of a man's face. So when I see information in an ad arranged to give two messages--one verbal, one graphic, I stop to read it. In yesterday's paper there was a small ad for the Best Buy Scholarship fund. I don't think I own BB stock, but I shop at Best Buy once a year for my son-in-law--it sells "consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services through more than 1,200 retail stores across the United States, throughout Canada and in China." Volunteerism figures prominently at its corporate website. 1500 of the scholarships (non-renewable) are $1,500, but 51 are for $10,000--well worth taking the time to apply.

The ad I saw was all words, but shaped like a human, and it listed all the volunteer activities high school students might be doing which would qualify them for a Best Buy college scholarship. It was really quite clever and well done. Here's the list, and notice #14. (I added the numbers.)

1. Worked at the local food pantry.
2. Mentor
3. Picked up garbage off the freeway
4. Delivered meals on wheels.
5. Tutored a 2nd grader.
6. Walked the neighbor's 2 dogs.
7. Visited residents at a nursing home.
8. Rang the ------ (unreadable) for a total of --??--- hours.
9. Raked leaves for elderly people.
10. Mentor for a 3rd grader,.
11. Mowed the lawn for a handicapped neighbor for the past 4 summers.
12. Shoveled snow for Mrs. Jones.
13. Volunteered at a book drive to raise money for children's literacy.
14. Got a B+ on my chemistry test.
15. Organized a school blood drive,.
16. Basketball coach for 5th grade boys.
17. Read to toddlers at the local bookstore.
18. Children's summer program assistant.
19. Wildlife nursery volunteer.
20. Cooked for homeless teens on the week-end.

The only academic item on this list is a B+ in chemistry, and it is so different than the others, (it was the left arm of the figure), it almost looks like an error. The scholarship does have a grade point requirement, and obviously, the selectors are not looking for a teen who did all of this. In fact, a B+ in chemistry won't get you far in academic competitions--perhaps that's why it was included, to encourage the less than stellar students to apply.

What I like about this list is, 1) specificity, and 2) age appropriateness. They are not asking 15 year olds to go out and organize farm workers, picket abortion clinics, sleep on the streets with the homeless, or build homes for low income people. The list just by appearing in the paper shows that everyone, no matter how young, can do something close to home (and close to a Best Buy store, which is part of the FAQ). Only #20 seems out of place, considering the logistics and exclusivity of the idea (a pizza party with other teens sounds like a better idea to me rather than let-me-help you-feel-inadequate).

I think it is nice that Best Buy is a good corporate citizen, that it helps the communities from which it earns its income, and that its employees have opportunities to volunteer. However, I also believe its first commitment has to be to its real mission, to make money honestly in an ethical manner for its investors, which will in turn be good for its employees, the U.S. economy and the global economy.

This is a good lesson for youth staff of churches--as long as they keep in mind their real mission, which is to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ--his life, death and resurrection--discipling their youth to move out into the community, and not just compiling to-do lists to keep their young, affluent members busy with feel-good projects.

Update on Pinky

I've now added Pinky's photo sent by a member of his family to this entry, which updated this entry. Pinky the pony taught several generations of children how to ride.

Monday Memories--When time ground to a halt

Last week my hairdresser, just making conversation while she made me presentable for another 7 weeks, said, "And what have you been doing lately," an easy question, but time whirls past so quickly I was just speechless (yes, it does happen). Then another friend asked the same question on Friday, and again I had the feeling I'd just stepped out of a hurricane--not because I'm busy (I'm never busy), but because time just seems to go by with storm speed. And when it doesn't, it's not a good sign.

You've probably all experienced a moment, minute, hour when time, instead of rushing by, seemed to slow down, or even move backwards. Maybe it was a fall from a ladder that seemed to last forever, as the ankle turns and the fingers slip and you go down, down, down; or you're in the hospital at mother's final illness, and every breath seemed an hour; or your husband / lover / boyfriend tells you over a cup of coffee in the kitchen that he has fallen in love with someone else and all you can process is the stain the cup makes on the placemat because you don't want to know the next minute and what he will say.

And that's all the further I got with this memory of my daughter's auto accident in 1988. I could feel that icky, sticky feeling in my throat and the beginnings of A-fib, and decided, it wasn't worth a blog. So, you can fill in the blanks here with your own time-slowing-down-story. Everybody has one.

Change--is it just a campaign phrase?

I wonder if this is what Obama means. That a Clinton might tell the truth.

Concerning her records buried in the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, which opened in 2004: At the time, Mrs. Clinton promised that "everything's going to be available." More than three years later, the library that is partly funded by taxpayers has released less than 1% of its records, and the withheld documents include two million pages covering Mrs. Clinton's White House tenure. As usual with the Clintons, they've managed to make the controversy seem so complicated that everyone has lost interest. If she's got all this experience, shouldn't we know what it was? Story here

If it weren't so serious, it would be funny

I was reading through comments left at my church blog written over 3 years ago. I was describing dehydration and starvation as a medical treatment--and it wasn't about Terri, but about an elderly man I knew, whose daughters were trying to go around the stepmother's wishes. My list for his end of life included:

· Dry mucous membranes (mouth, nose throat and genital organs)
· Constipation
· Impaction (buildup of stool in the body), severe abdominal cramping and bloating, nausea and vomiting
· Electrolyte imbalances (salt and water problems in the blood and tissues)
· Arrhythmias (heart problems); myalgias and malaise (muscle pain and marked fatigue)
· Cough and shortness of breath
· Severe depression and confusion, severe agitation and fear, delusions
· Dry, cracked skin
· Urinary, vaginal and bowel infection
· Bronchitis and pneumonia
· Blood in the bowel, stomach, kidney and lungs, kidney failure
· General systemic collapse and death

Three comments were left, either by spam bots or real people with bad English who surf the internet with key words. 1) If you suffer these symptoms . . ., 2) I have the pleasure of visiting your site. . .contact______for medical services, 3) You may want to read about obesity. . .

The irony of a spammer or bot trying to help when the wife and staff were colluding to kill him.

Now in your 65th year

In your 65th year
by Norma Bruce

Do your shoes squeak
and your knees creak?
Does your nose run
when you’re having fun?
Do your chin hairs
appear in flares
of righteous self pity
and poetry so witty?

Does your inner self
demand more wealth?
Do your feet hurt
and the tomato squirt?
Does it all hang out
so you want to shout
Enough’s enough
Life’s getting tough?

Does the sky look bluer
and your last love truer?
Do little snacks matter
and make you fatter?
Do you know it all
right before the fall?
Calm all those fears
Welcome to your “Golden Years.”

DSpace and institutional repositories

If you aren't a librarian, archivist or pinhead, you won't care, but there's an article in the latest D-Lib magazine on Carrots and Sticks. When I first stumbled into an institutional repository (probably Ohio State's) I began specifically looking for them. As a former cataloger, I would give them a D- in access. Miss Oldfather and Miss Dean would have rapped my knuckles. If it weren't for Google, they'd be worthless. I don't care what they do in Portugal or Pennsylvania to market these to their faculty, staff and students, they are one more black hole of information that needed a good librarian to design and run it, but which looks like it was turned over to the campus IT department instead. They are the 21st century equivalent of the mid-20th century closed stacks, using the Katrina method of shelf arrangement.

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From my Birds of a Feather archives

"Am I the only one who notices that the same folks who think we pea-brains control the climate are the same ones who thought it was OK to remove food and water from a woman who wasn't sick or dying, just helpless and dependent, and let her starve and dehydrate? Or that it is OK to kill babies because they come at an inconvenient time or have defects and anomalies? Or that it is OK to use human embryos to get grant money for research as long as it is for a worthy cause? Or that it is OK to deprive 3rd world peoples of DDT so that millions of them die, but the bird eggs will be strong? There seems to be a god complex infecting the liberals. And the humility vaccine seems to be in short supply." From March 23, 2007

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New Notebook Time

There just wasn't enough time, space or pixels for everything in the last one. So here's what I didn't write about.

Deaths of journalists--I had noted particularly Mexico and Africa

Role disability--53.4% of us according to Archives of General Psychiatry

What the Constitution says about the religion of candidates

What Anabaptists say about Doctrine of Justification

November consumer spending rising fastest in 3.5 years

Americans aren't saving enough--GAO

Schwarzenegger's $14 billion health care plan

Public housing solutions in architecture journals--40 years of reading this

Social worker jargon for staff workshops

Should churches and religious groups be paying real estate taxes

Consumer changes 2005-2007

AMT, Bush tax cuts

Recipe for Chicken Merlot

13 fudge factor phrases (I'll probably still use this for a TT)

Free genealogy sites on the web

My "new" first issue (1895)

"If you're not hungry several times a day, you're eating too much."

New strain of MRSA in MSM

"Overcoming the worry gene" was most e-mailed WSJ story

Abortion front page story in Dispatch--word choices of reporters show hostility to pro-life supporters and advocates

The 2001 rebates

Lithuanian Jews "The Unknown Black Book"

Black 17 year old, accepted at 6 colleges, comments on Obama are really strange

How will your candidate handle Jihadism?

Posting calorie counts in restaurants

Stomach banding also cures diabetes - better than lifestyle changes - JAMA

Edwards' rich-poor gap a lie - Thomas Sowell

Freddie Mac swindles Ohio pension system

When half as much is twice as good

Top 1% of income earners paid 39.58% of all income taxes in 2005

Do not smoke or drink during Super Bowl--health risk

Notebook by Colorbök, Inc. 2716 Baker Road, Dexter, MI 48130, made in China, of course. Each page has narrow lines, and either the pinto (verso) or the sorrel (facing) with head turned. I also bought earlier a small nesting box with four horses in this design which includes a butterscotch/palamino color horse.

Who's behind the push pull into a recession?

I used to think it was media--but they only read what they're sent; then I thought maybe it was the Democrats since they've been moaning about the economy for seven years in order to get elected (remember 2004?); but lately I've been thinking it's the get-rich-quick guys, who rush in for the bargains when everyone else gets weak kneed. Reading the January results in today's paper

The Dow is still off just 0.2% from a year ago

Employment grew in January by 75,000

Unemployment is 4.9%

The average fixed rate 30 year loan was at 5.68%. Wasn't it about twice that in the Carter years?

January projections for subprime losses were double digit, but actual losses on 2006 subprime loans are slightly above 1%

The Dow had its worst January since. . . January 2000 (Clinton, if I recall)

Follow the (guys hoping to make) money.

Extending unemployment benefits

A look at the history. They are usually extended far beyond the original plan, some for years, having the effect of "permanent" jobless benefits.

Crappy White Trash Stuff

Placemats with Lionel Barrymore's artwork. It's an interesting way to sell on e-Bay. I followed the link from Books Found who sells on line. You've got to admit, she's got a way with words. I don't read e-bayese, so I don't know if they sold. Nice touch--I think we had carpeting in that green color.

Because the placemat potential is trashed by the fact that some stupid guy in some placemat marketing department who came up with the idea of these placemats ruined the whole thing by printing them on panic-level ugly green backings and then, if it was possible to screw them up more than that, he thought it would be clever to laminate them with apparently the cheapest worst quality laminate he could find in the 1960s.

Retro-Soviet art

When visiting the former Soviet Union, specifically St. Petersburg (aka Leningrad, Petrograd), "if you are really interested in art and have limited time, I'd go for the Museum of Russian Art, Государственный Русский музей. The Hermitage is European art, but the other is Russian art, and much of it you've probably never seen, not even in art books or classes. There was a huge display of Soviet era art [summer of 2006], both the public and the underground." Me blogging about Russia. Neo-Neocon thinks this Obama poster is retro-Soviet; some of her readers say it is Che-lite, others Yugoslav partisan. It makes me nostalgic for my early career years in Soviet studies, shuffling the PL480 novels about machine-tractor station romances and 5-year plans.

"Art has a duty to speak out fiercely and courageously against oppression, exploitation, lies and hypocrisy in all their manifestations. It must point to the possibility of a better life and a better world. It matters not that the message lacks clarity, that it is incomplete and imperfect, and that it deals only with this or that particular. Art is not politics or science. It has its own identity and speaks with its own voice. While adopting a passionate stance on the great issues facing humanity, it must ever remain true to itself." In defence of Marxism.

Oh yeah! Slogans and Shibboleth. I'm picking up my poster right now to go march in the streets.

What's in your kitchen?

This was written in April 2006 when I was commenting at another blog, that kitchens encourage us to over eat, by design. I noted all the stuff that wasn't food in my kitchen, but which keeps you in there--eating.

What is in your kitchen and kitchen cabinets that has nothing to do with your eating or food preparation and storage? Here's my list:

small TV (never on during meal time)
radio/cd player
car keys
stash for charge card receipts
basket for mail
cat's food and water bowl
junk drawer for candles, pencils, addresses, stamps, calendar etc.
telephone
notepad
reminders of appointments
artwork
magazines
cleaning supplies
kleenex
flower vases
several games
seasonal decor as needed
medications
flashlight

Looking around today, I could add

prayer job jar
cell phone
calendar
recent letter
grocery circular
candles and matches on the counter (storm warnings)
hand lotion and alcohol wash
bag of garbage (too cold to take it out last night)
greeting card to be sent
invitation to a party
church newsletter
husband's sunglasses
cat's medication

Looks like it is time to tidy. The only thing from the first list moved out is the cd player.