The Obama Band Wagon

The media suck-up for the Obama campaign trip abroad has really been amazing. Obama's credentials, both foreign and domestic, are so weak it's like a cram before the final exam. I read one account where there was one photographer left to cover the McCain campaign at one northeast stop. Another where a reporter asked someone about the McCain candidacy and the guy didn't know who he was. Last night I was walking through the living room and caught a few moments of Charley Gibson covering the McCain campaign in Ohio. They actually interviewed 3 Ohioans on what they thought of Obama! Nice balance there. It really doesn't matter what Obama says or does on this trip--he's getting so much free face time with the folks, that if there really were a "fairness" doctrine, all the broadcast and cable corporations would lose their licenses. No bias here. Move along.

Perhaps my memory of former presidential campaigns has dimmed, but I don't remember candidates needing to assure the audience (foreign) that they really do love their country (then follow it up with all that we've done wrong). Do you suppose the Germans were puzzled? I do remember the 2000 campaign and that Bush promised to heal all the hostility and distrust the Clinton administration had spawned. Obama's lines here are just sort of rip and read from 8 years ago.

Obamania in Germany

Michael J. Fox Foundation awards 9 grants

"$2.4 million has been awarded to nine research teams to validate nine promising therapeutic targets in Parkinson's disease. To attract an industry sponsor with the resources and expertise to chaperone any new therapeutic requires a critical mass of evidence. This award could help any one of the nine teams bring a target to the point where optimization, preclinical work and ultimately clinical testing, will be viable. Projects funded in this cohort of Target Validation awardees fall into three categories: targets for therapies to alleviate symptoms of PD; approaches focused on dyskinesias, the excessive, uncontrollable movements brought on by long-term dopamine replacement therapy; and targets with potential to slow or stop progression of Parkinson's." From The Alchemist, July 23

Here's an item from 2007 on the circumstances of his illness, his first book, and his second, which was supposed to be out by now, but I haven't seen it. It also includes an inaccurate reference to the dust up over his 2006 campaign ads--I was listening to Rush Limbaugh that day, and know he didn't say what he was accused of by liberals--rarely are they accurate in their interpretation. The media watch dogs, always looking for an opportunity to bash talk radio, really rose to the occasion making a molehill into a volcano. The real moral issue, killing embryos for stem cell research, the left never wants to address. But Fox's viewpoint that he is "lucky" is inspiring to read. I really enjoyed his first book. Monday night at Lakeside we'll be seeing "Back to the Future," one of my all-time favorites.

Lakeside 2008, week 5

Last night at the auditorium we enjoyed the wonderful toe tapping performance of Rhythm in Shoes from Dayton. Their program says, "Based in Dayton, Ohio, the creative capitol [sic] of the Heartland, RIS has toured in 47 states as well as Canada, Japan and Ireland, pursuing the company's mission: to engage the world in music and dance." I had no idea Dayton was more creative than Columbus, Indy or Chicago.

Today the craft show on the lakefront begins. I've already inspected the early set ups and saw some great things. The Women's Club Tour of Homes is also today. Marian the Librarian called me Saturday with a plea to help as a hostess. Usually, I say No to these things, but based on the time schedule and job requirements, it looked pretty easy. So today I'll be telling people about the architecture and history of Green Gables, the home of the Women's Club, which is Steamboat Gothic and built in 1883. I have an encyclopedia of American home styles here at our cottage (picked up for $1 at a Port Clinton book sale) and looking at it, I think Green Gables is actually "carpenter Gothic," not "steamboat Gothic."

Steamboat Gothic architecture, a term popularized by Frances Parkinson Keyes novel of that name, is sometimes confused with Carpenter Gothic architecture, but Steamboat Gothic usually refers to large houses in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys that were designed to resemble the steamboats on those rivers. From Wikipedia

This week I'm taking a watercolor class from Bob Moyer. We bought one of his paintings last year in the art show. I missed the first two classes because we were in Columbus.

There was a huge storm when we got here yesterday, but it then cleared and now it is cool and sunny, just perfect for all the activities and visitors today.

On education, a voice from the past

This is a repeat--I came across it today while looking for something else. Here's an excerpt:

"I remember my father's opinions on schools and education. Children, his own or relatives or yours and mine, who had problems in school had one of three problems (or all three): they were 1) lazy, or 2) dumb, or 3) delinquent. With so many siblings, nieces and nephews, cousins, children and grandchildren, most of them well educated and living nearby, he learned eventually to keep his unpopular opinions to himself, or leave the house if education came up for discussion. But if you had asked, that would be the answer. He didn't believe in pathologizing bad behavior or sin, and the only acronyms that would have passed his lips were BS and SOB.

Dad was an observant man and may have learned this in his own family. Although Dad went on to college, his brother 17 months younger didn't finish high school. If family lore can be believed, this kid was a problem from the beginning--definitely "oppositional defiant disorder." He had to be "encouraged" to attend the local country school by my grandfather walking him there with an occasional swat and nudge with the boot. But one of Dad's little sisters was reading the newspaper to her blind mother at age 4, and they weren't quite sure how she learned to read so she started school at that age. The brother grew up to be bigger than my dad with a mean, rebellious streak which kept him alive in many dangerous missions in WWII. There's a place for everyone, and apparently it isn't always school."

Dad was born in 1913 and died in 2002--just to give you some context.

Is there anything new in this study?

JAMA reports that decreased physical activity plays a critical role in the increase in childhood obesity in the July 16, 2008 issue, but doesn't really supply any evidence that activity and obesity are linked. Think back to your own childhood. Weren't you much more active at 10 than at 16 or 17? If they have data for the 1950s and 1960s, I'm betting it shows the same decrease, yet kids are fatter today.

I lived in two small towns--I walked (or ran) everywhere when I was a kid. I even rode my bicycle 5-10 miles to the next town to visit friends. I had a horse and went on trail rides--if I could catch him. I went to summer camp where we hiked. I earned extra money by detasseling corn (a gross, awful but very physical job). At 16 or 17, the automobile had taken over my life, and even though I could occasionally talk my mother into a ride to school, I had a driver's license for my social life.

At my class blog, I have a photo of a group of us on our bicycles ready to go on an overnight camp-out as Girl Scouts, then some photos of us four years later on a picnic to which we had driven. Which required more physical exertion--biking or stuffing our faces?

I'll let Sandy take this report apart line by line, she's good at that; for me and my peers, I'll just remind you that teens are pretty much the same today as we were in the 1950s. All this study does is document that 9 year olds are more active than 15 year olds in the U.S. They'll need to look for other causes for obesity, because teen girls have always had this pattern of activity. The conclusion is, of course, there is a need for a new government policy or program to address the problem. FEMA-tize the children.

Barbara Boxer's shorts in a knot

We all know women like this--they don't listen, just wait to pounce. Guys do it too, but I'm allowed to criticize women. If you can't attack a man's science credentials or his research [Roy Spencer, testimony on climate change], go after a totally unrelated source.

SPENCER: In conclusion, I am predicting today that the theory that mankind is mostly responsible for global warming will slowly fade away in the coming years, as will the warming itself, and I trust you would agree, Madam Chair, that such a result deserves to be greeted with relief. That concludes my testimony, and I’d be willing to answer any questions.

BOXER: Okay. I also want to point out on that on your own blog you said you never were told you couldn’t speak about your scientific views. And lastly, I guess is a certain congratulations, Rush Limbaugh referred to you as the official climatologist of the Rush Limbaugh Excellence in Broadcasting Network.

Trapped in the Net

There's an informative article in the July 9 JAMA about web searching for information about physicians (JAMA: 300:2; 213). It suggests that the internet is both the friend and foe of the physicians. However, the same applies to anyone of any profession, or even a retiree such as myself who has a "presence" on the web. I'm going to substitute the word "you" for "physician," and "client" for "patient," so you'll see what I mean. All this is paraphrased from the article.

States [or agencies or employers] now routinely publish information about your education, training, certification and publications.

These sites may also include information about disciplinary actions.

Information about lawsuits and [other employment problems] are often available with a dozen keystrokes.

Increasingly, data about your performance are being made available in the public domain.

Some information not available to the general public is shared by professional groups and insurance companies, and then indirectly to clients.

Personal information is readily available on the web.

Mortgage deed registries are now available online.

With just a last name, in some cities, a client can obtain your home address, home price, and mortgage information.

It is also possible to infer if you are married or in a domestic partnership by determining who is the co-owner.

Several Web sites will complete discreet "digital background checks" for a small fee.

Date of birth, criminal records, marriage records, bankruptcy records, small claims court filings, complaints to police and judgments are available on the web.

Social networks sites, popular with younger web users, are a goldmine of information on hobbies, favorite movies, and relationships.

Social networks often post photos of others in the network linking personal information about your friends, cyber and otherwise.

Clients can determine what groups you belong to--who is your favorite sports team, your favorite political and social causes, musical tastes, sexual orientation, etc., and it's not to hard to track your whereabouts with a check of the leisure sites for your town.

Sometimes there is slanderous information about you on the web on a blog or other social network site.

Sometimes there is negative information about someone with your same name.

The younger you are, the more tech savvy you are, the more likely it is that you've willingly traded your privacy for a presence on the web.

The best way to control the information is to be pro-active--create your own web page so it appears first. Research shows that the average web user views 1.9 pages of results per search term.

If you have a social networking site, use the privacy controls to limit access to your most special friends and family.

Be aggressive about slanderous material about you on the web. This article suggested a WSJ story of Feb. 17, 2008, "Starting out: washing your Web face," by S.
Banjo.

Regularly conduct a web search of your own name, in all its forms with quotation marks.

I'm not sure I blogged about it, or just wrote the supervisor, but after I discovered pleasant little bios and photos online about the staff of a day care center that included the names of the women's husbands and children and their interests, I was able to find all sorts of information about them using public information from the county auditor and local newspaper stories about their children and husbands (sports schedules and leisure events). If I'd been a stalker or burglar, everything I needed was available within a few keystrokes. I urged the supervisor to take down the personal information about her employees because there's way too much information out there about all of us, including where the windows are on our houses, and the access roads. Sometimes when I look up a person, all I find are donor records for their university or favorite charity from the latest newsletter. That often supplies age (graduation date) and residence. Certainly an idea of assets and interests. But what a search that could start in the hands of the wrong person. Church newsletters are online these days, with home phone numbers for the head of this or that ministry and committee, as well as photos! These photos turn up in Google Image searches. And on and on.

Good news about tomatoes

Apparently there's no salmonella threat. We can eat tomatoes again.

Although the FDA still believes that fresh tomatoes may have been a source of the bacteria in the early days of the outbreak, last week it said it is now safe to eat them because the trail had now turned toward fresh peppers.

Dr. David Acheson, the beleaguered FDA associate commissioner in charge of the probe, on Monday called the discovery of a genetic match for the salmonella strain on the jalapeño "a very important break in the case," although the ultimate source of the contamination has yet to be found.

Acheson was clear that, although the pepper came from a farm in Mexico, it has yet to be determined whether the source of contamination was on the farm, at the distributor or somewhere in between.San Francisco Chronicle

But there's more good news about tomatoes. New research shows the mechanism behind tomatoes' protective effect against prostate cancer. Rats fed tomato paste plus FruHis, a carbohydrate derivative present in dehydrated tomato products, lived longer than those in any other group. On postmortem examination, prostate tumors were found in 18% of rats in the tomato paste plus FruHis group compared with 39% of rats in the tomato paste only group, 43% of rats in the tomato powder group, and 63% of rats in the control group.

A combination of lycopene, an antioxidant in tomatoes that also protects against DNA damage, and FruHis caused a greater than 98% inhibition of prostate cancer cell growth in vitro compared with single agents. (story from JAMA, July 2, 2008, p. 33) Research published in Cancer Research 2008;68[11]:4384-4391.

Gasoline prices in Ohio

We never thought we'd be happy to see $3.77 a gallon, but since it was $4.09 over the week-end, seeing the price steadily go down as we neared Columbus was sort of nice. In the vicinity of Polaris on Rt. 23, it was $3.77; in Upper Arlington it was still $3.95 on Henderson Road, but today was $3.85 on Kenny Rd. But then, there's a Gulf storm coming. . . Let's get drilling again and build some refineries. Alternatives are fine, and we need them for their new jobs, but let's not kid ourselves into a Depression. Al Gore hasn't stopped flying or driving or heating and cooling his giant house. He just wants you to.

Carbama or Bush Lite?

Today I heard someone refer to Obama as "Carbama" meaning he was a lot like Carter. Frankly, I don't see the resemblance, especially not in clarity of speech. When Obama doesn't have a teleprompter, I don't understand anything he says, there are so many stammers and start-overs. Carter--maybe you think he was ineffective--but he didn't waffle and wiggle. They're both Democrats but that's about all you can say.

Listening to Obama track to the center to pick up the undecideds and the unhappy Obamacons I hear only Bush-Lite. He's been talking about the danger of nuclear weapons. Isn't that just an earlier word for WMDs? And he's talking about the need for a surge in Afghanistan. WMDs and surges. Bush-Lite.

New rule on abortions proposed

Apparently the NYT couldn’t find a single person to contribute a quote on why employees should not be required to perform tasks that they find morally or ethically objectionable. NYT story on Abortion provider proposal. It's called editorializing the news.

From WSJ health blog: “A rule under consideration by the Bush administration could broaden employment rules that now cover abortion to include emergency contraception. Under the proposed rule, employers that get federal funds would be required to guarantee that they won’t refuse to hire health-care workers who object to providing abortions.”

Hey folks, there are plenty of health care providers, doctors, nurses, and techs who have no qualms about abortion related deeds. But don’t discriminate in employment against those who do have a few scruples left about destroying human life. They are probably an underserved minority.

The growth of Wal-Mart

This is stunning. I remember the first time I walked into a grungy, crowded Wal-Mart in Florida. Probably early 80s. We didn't have any in Ohio and I'd never heard of the chain. Several years ago we toured Arkansas and witnessed what it has done for that state. But this growth data is amazing. Seen at Club for Growth. http://projects.flowingdata.com/walmart/

Today Wal-Mart affects everything you do or buy, whether or not you ever shop in one. If it's shipped, or packaged, or stored, or tagged with security, or manufactured, Wal-Mart's methods have influenced it. Wal-Mart's done more for the poor in employment and raising their access to material goods than all the government programs, and probably more for poor countries than all our government bail-outs and aid.

I wish vibrant Christianity or remarkable education ideas could spread like this.

Lakeside 2008, Raccoon Run

Today was the 28th Annual Raccon Run with the one mile fun run at 8 a.m. and the 5K at 8:30. I took a few photos as we walked to the church service on the lakefront.

Here we have the Kete Family of Bay Village, Ohio.
Runners and spectators are important, but it couldn't be done with out the Lakeside volunteers.
Barbara and Marilyn match runners with their sizes.

A revival of chautauqua

When my parents were children, the traveling chautauquas were winding down in popularity (were popular from the 1870s-1920s). Movies, radio and the automobile were taking their toll on this "old fashioned" form of entertainment. There was one in Dixon, Illinois, close to where my dad grew up in Pine Creek, and one in Franklin Grove, Illinois, near the farm where my mother grew up (both were in Lee County, and there may have been others). People came from miles around and set up little tent cities, and enjoyed musicals, lecturers, medical shows, and entertainers. The peak year of the traveling chautauqua was 1924 when over 10,000 little midwestern towns hosted over 40 million people who came to be educated, entertained and uplifted. (American Midwest, 2007, p. 692). In fact, this is where I first heard of the Chautauqua movement because my grandparents had helped with the local organization. I didn’t know there were permanent Chautauqua sites like Lakeside, Bay View, Boulder, and Lake Chautauqua, NY until we first visited Lakeside. There is a movement afoot to revive the local traveling shows. Port Clinton hosted Ohio's traveling Chautauqua this summer.

Here’s a link to one called “New Old Time Chautauqua” which tours in Washington. They are having an Aqua Chautauqua this summer which looks like fun.

Founded by the Methodist Church, Lakeside on Lake Erie is one of the few remaining chautauqua communities that thrive today. I think there is one near Lancaster, OH, but I'm not sure it is called a Chautauqua community. I know there are permanent cottages, and entertainment. Each summer, Lakeside provides "spiritual, cultural, intellectual and recreational programs designed to nurture the mind, body and spirit." Sometimes, our summer population grows to near 10,000, but it's more like 500 in the winter.

See Illinois Harvest, Traveling Culture The above program photo is from the Redpath Collection

Blue, blue, my trash is blue

When we bought our summer cottage in 1988, it was an opportunity to redo a house with a color scheme (and someone else's furniture), so I chose blue, pink (mauve), and cream--certainly not a cutesy look I would have at home. The house is pink (mauve) and the outside trim matches the inside trim. I chose a coordinated wall paper border for each room with stylized sea birds, light houses, ducks, and flowers. It was fun. But that was 20 years ago, and a few things are showing some wear. The kitchen wastebasket, for instance. It's narrow enough to stand between the 20" electric stove and doorway, and tall enough to hold 2-3 days of trash, but last summer someone stuffed it a bit full and a small crack appeared, then another and another and another. I've reinforced the inside with large bands of sealing tape, but still the cracks appear. It has also gradually faded to gray from the afternoon sun, which is not part of the color scheme.

Blue plastic household items were all the rage in the 1980s and 1990s (I have coordinated laundry basket, dish drainer, dish pan, cooking tools, bowls, lamps, etc.), but they are scarce as hen's teeth today. Yesterday I prowled the Port Clinton Wal-Mart and Bassett's. Bassett's came close and I almost bought a white one for the size. They had the blue lids but were out of whatever container matched them.



I think I need to find an old timey hardware store or general store where the stock is infrequently updated, or kept forever until it sells.

I've seen some creative uses for old plastic, however, especially bags. I don't know what these artists will do when the environmentalists get all the women barefoot and pregnant again shopping with canvas bags and growing the family's food in our backyard gardens, eating by candlelight. Here's a very clever 1950s style dress done by a Kent State student, Cathy Kasdan of Cleveland, OH, for her thesis. Isn't it wonderful?

The artist writes, "The dress is all hand knit from grocery bags that were the result of actual trips to the grocery store. As soon as I told people I could use their old bags for a project they brought them in by the bag full, I received thousands! The plastic grocery bag came about in the 1950's along with futuristic optimisim about America, so I made a "typical" 1950's ensemble complete with pillbox hat and purse, not pictured. I am going to have my pieces in an art show on recycled art at the School of Art Gallery in downtown Kent along with a group of other people beginning April 19th." Seen at Craftzine.com

I could be wrong, but I really doubt that my trash container, dish drainer and laundry basket will ever be sought after for a museum of plastic. But you just never know. I have a blue-green glass electric wire insulator displayed on the book shelf that we dug up in the yard.

The closing of Starbucks

600 company-owned Starbucks stores are on the chopping block in a bid to weed out the losers and improve profitability. Here is
Ohio's list. None of these closings affect me personally, but today's WSJ reports customers are organizing "Save Our Starbucks" campaigns. I don't use Starbucks often--coffee is a bit strong for me, but it beats a fast food store if I have a choice. Another one has opened recently near our home in that ugly monstrosity on Tremont Road (multiple-use trendy), but it's within spitting distance of the Caribou and Panera's that I regularly use. I've seen Starbucks in some odd, difficult to reach locations, and they certainly aren't after drive-bys, because you'd have to plan miles ahead to figure out how to exit the main road and find the access. There's one on Bethel Road in Columbus between a shopping center and an underpass which you can get to only if you're driving east; there's one on the south side of Henderson Road in a maze and jumble of small food shops, banks and bars that you could miss if you blink; the access drive way for the new one on Tremont Road in Upper Arlington is so difficult to find that you might as well continue on and go to Caribou, just a block further south. Really, some of these seem designed for failure, or a training ground for difficult assistant managers, but what do I know? They aren't on the closing list. Maybe no one knows where they are?

Cross posted at Coffee Spills

Lakeside 2008, Art class at the Rhein Center

This is the 10th season that the Rhein Center has been open. It's such fun to take classes there in a beehive of activity--kids painting rocks, grandpas making glass light catchers, moms building birdhouses, teen-agers learning watercolor--and last week, me learning to draw better. That was the name of the class and it was a short version of "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain." As I've noted before, I was a good childhood artist, but quit some time in my teens. I tested high for art in college tests, but I didn't want to face the competition of those who'd actually had art training, so I've never had any formal art training, except taking classes for a week or two from local housewives, and hobbiests. I still draw and paint much like I did when I was 11 or 12. I'll quit for 20 years or so, and then start up again. I'm always 12. Here are 3 samples of age 12, age 34 and 64.

This is a bit fuzzy, but the center drawing is mine, 6th grade, Trigger.


Acrylic, probably about 1974
Watercolor about 2004
Anyway, I did buy a sketch book even though my drawing didn't change much during the class. It's very hard for me not to draw the way I've been doing it for 60 years.

Lakeside 2008 and the switch to digital TV

There are groups worrying about Spanish language viewers and their old TVs, but not older Americans who speak English and have old TVs all over the house and at Lakeside. Our itsy-bitsy Lakeside TV was purchased, I think, in 1987. It works fine and is hooked up to an antenna on the roof that the previous owner installed. (It's caught in the tree limbs so we might be able to get more stations if it would move.) We get a ton of stations--ABC, NBC, CBS, two different Fox, public TV from Toledo and Canada, some that are shopping or religious which appear or disappear depending on the time of day. Really, it's more TV than any vacationer really needs. But because of the age of the set (it's old enough to vote, drink and join the military), I don't think we can even connect to cable, and the converter box probably isn't a possibility either due to only one thingy (my all-purpose tech word) on the back which currently connects to the antenna.

“Lawmakers have expressed concern that switching to digital technology may negatively affect people who live near the Mexican border. Because Mexican broadcasters are not required to switch off their analog signals, some Hispanic residents of southern Texas or California may opt to rely on Mexican analog programming instead of upgrading their TVs to receive digital signals from U.S. stations. As a result, they would not be able to receive important public-safety warnings and emergency notices broadcast within the United States.”

In Columbus, I think we have 6 TVs; I know it's silly since I claim to not use much TV, but I'm sure we're not the only older Americans who think our reception is just fine. Has anyone in Congress worried or even asked about the environment? Calculate the landfill problem when households like mine dump all our 1970 and 1980s TV sets. They work fine--yes, it's not the clarity of HDTV, but then no one looks short and fat with bad skin flaws like they do on the newer widescreen flat digital TVs either.

Italy, Saturday Day 11, Orvieto

We had a free day to explore the city before we boarded the bus to drive to Rome for the flight home on Sunday. There was a Saturday Farmer's Market right around the corner from our hotel. Wonderful local produce, cheese, meat, flowers, and clothing.

Is Grove Parc Plaza an example of politics as usual for Obama crowd?

Boston Globe looks at housing in his Illinois district. Not much hope or change here; move along.

"As a state senator, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee coauthored an Illinois law creating a new pool of tax credits for developers. As a US senator, he pressed for increased federal subsidies. And as a presidential candidate, he has campaigned on a promise to create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund that could give developers an estimated $500 million a year.

But a Globe review found that thousands of apartments across Chicago that had been built with local, state, and federal subsidies - including several hundred in Obama's former district - deteriorated so completely that they were no longer habitable." Boston Globe article

The Developers were Obama buddies, according to the Globe.

“Campaign finance records show that six prominent developers - including Jarrett, Davis, and Rezko - collectively contributed more than $175,000 to Obama's campaigns over the last decade and raised hundreds of thousands more from other donors. Rezko alone raised at least $200,000, by Obama's own accounting.

One of those contributors, Cecil Butler, controlled Lawndale Restoration, the largest subsidized complex in Chicago, which was seized by the government in 2006 after city inspectors found more than 1,800 code violations.

Butler and Davis did not respond to messages. Rezko is in prison; his lawyer did not respond to inquiries.”

Lakeside 2008 Nostalgia

That’s one of the big selling points of a Lakeside vacation--nostalgia. A return to a simpler, easier, less stressful time--sort of time travel in reverse. We began renting in 1974 and bought our cottage in 1988, 20 years ago. Believe me when I say, the Lakeside of today is not that of 20 years ago, and especially not 35 years ago, despite the 19th century cottages you might see. That quiet piece of Americana is a figment of our imagination; Lakeside’s what city people think small towns are today, and what small town people seem to remember of the place where they grew up. I grew up in two small towns and I remember outhouses, hand pumps in kitchens, linoleum rugs, kerosene stoves, and basements with dirt floors. Trust me, you don’t want that!

There were a handful of cottages selling in the $40,000 range in the late 80s, but they did need work. When we started renting in the 1970s, if there were comparable houses in Lakeside and Columbus, the Columbus house would cost more; by the late 80s, a Lakeside house of comparable size and modernity would cost more because many people were investing in second homes creating a demand.

Our first rental was an upper unit in a four-plex and cost $45 a week in 1974. We had a porch and I could see the lake and the children playing the park. That unit has now been combined with the one next to it and rents for about $1200 a week, but the view of the Lake is still there.

What I remember about Lakeside of the early 1970s is that renewal and upgrades were beginning. There was a gasoline crisis (in 2007 dollars it was higher than today), long lines at gas stations, and people were turning to places closer to home for vacations. At Lakeside, property owners were starting to straighten the foundations, replace moldy wall board, paint the cottages, and install an additional half bath under the stairs or in a closet, and maybe a ceiling fan. A few people had telephones, televisions and AC, but not many. Bicycles were old clunkers. I remember stopping by the Fountain Inn to watch a few minutes of a Soap Opera---many others were doing the same. Our unit didn’t even have a radio, I don’t think the vacuum cleaner worked, and the kitchen made me ill--couldn’t cook in it until about Wednesday.

By the 1970s, the large cafeteria eating places and boarding houses had disappeared because most cottages had kitchens, and government regulations put most of them out of business. But today’s "old timers" remember that Lakeside. If they are nostalgic for standing in line in the sun or rain to eat, it must be for the prices. But in the 1970s and 1980s the Hotel Lakeside served 3 nice meals a day, and it was lovely to eat in the dining room and look at the water. We really miss that, but the Association doesn’t seem to be able to hire a company that can make that work.

A huge difference I see today over the 1970s are the activities for children and family groups. When my children were little, there was bike riding, swimming, fishing, sailing lessons, hanging out with friends, a game of tennis if you could get a court, a playground, miniature golf and shuffleboard with adults, and story hour on Saturday at the Women’s Club. There was no children's beach; no kiddie pool. Now there are so many programs for kids in arts, crafts, music, sports, and spiritual life, I couldn’t even begin to count them. I think it reflects our need to schedule our lives or face panic. No child at Lakeside could possibly whine, “There’s nothing to do.” Programming for adults has more variety too, from nature walks, historical tours, wellness programs, and exercise routes as well as the usual lectures and Bible studies.

A number of things have disappeared from the Lakeside we first knew in the 1970s: The lakefront got chewed up in the high water period of the 60s and 70s, huge boulders were brought in to protect the property, then the water receded so the view is very different; old clunky bikes are all but gone--mine is 40 years old and has 28 year old tires, but it’s a rarity; boom boxes of the 1990s--all the kids have I-pods now; dress-up clothing--women are wearing shorts and baseball caps to Sunday services in the auditorium, and I’ve seen more butt-cracks on men in baggy cargo pants than anyone should be subjected to; the payphone-- everyone talks on cell phones; cigarettes--I rarely see a smoker in Lakeside, not even the litter; fixer-up cottages--you probably won’t find one if you’re hoping for a bargain--you’ll need to fix one up that was remodeled in the 80s; healthy weight--maybe it’s the baggy clothes but I’m guessing the average Lakesider is 30-40 lbs heavier than 35 years ago, although some still jog and the Raccoon Run is still popular; antique shops--I think there were four in the early 1970s--fun for browsing; automobiles are slowly moving to remote parking--there are more and more streets with yellow lines; fewer big name programs--in the past we’ve seen Pat Boone, Shirley Jones, Emmylou Harris, and others--now programming is more family oriented and few are extra charge--Eleanor Roosevelt actually visited right here where I’m sitting in 1940.

What’s here now that we didn‘t have then: modern kitchens; beautiful bathrooms; many new homes; more open porches; lavish flower gardens and decorating; The Rhein Center is now 10 years old--it’s been a wonderful addition for arts and crafts; lakefront church services--I think those started in the 90s; ATM machine; credit cards; Wi-Fi; cable TV; the current lovely lakefront Pavilion was built in 1988--we never saw the original one, only the horrid 1950s “modern” version; golf carts are everywhere; over 30 cottages have been redesigned or designed new by my husband--something we would have never anticipated in the 1970s when we first came through the gates.

What hasn't changed: the sunsets and sunrises; summer love; lines for ice cream; getting together with friends and neighbors you haven't seen for a year; beautiful Lake Erie; picnics in the park.

Other nostalgia since the gate fee was ten cents, with a few highlights of the season:

1873: Lake Shore Christian Home becomes Lakeside Company
1874: Lakeside dedicated, 5,000 people attend the program
1890: Francis E. Willard, of WCTU is speaker
1895: Susan B. Anthony lectures; Governor William McKinley is speaker
1901: Lorado Taft lectures on art; Gen. Booth, founder of Salvation Army is speaker
1921: Fisk Jubilee Singers; Lutheran Chautauqua begins
1922: William Jennings Bryan
1924: Dr. E. Stanley Jones
1929: Billy Sunday preaches to 5,000
1934: Amelia Earhart speaker; Lowell Thomas--reserved seats $.25
1936: Mary McCleod Bethune speaker
1939: Last run of the Northern Ohio Electric Railway between Toledo and Marblehead
1940: Eleanor Roosevelt visits Lakeside
1940s: Gov. John W. Bricker led a Bible class
1950: Robert Taft teaches Bible Class
1951: Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
1956: Marian Anderson sings; first Lakeside Art Show
1954: Island View platted; J.C. Penney teaches a Bible class
1965: Al Hirt, Jazz trumpeter; William Warfield; Mike Douglas; season pass $25
1970: Norman Vincent Peale
1972: Doc Severinson in concert
1973: Roger Williams plays; Lionel Hampton orchestra
1974: The Bruce family rents on Plum for their first visit to Lakeside
1975: Barby Bright and Jane Aigler open an art store
1981: Fred Waring
1982: Victor Borge
1983: Douglas Edwards, CBS News; Norman Vincent Peale
1984: Four Freshmen perform
1985: The Osmonds; Ray Charles; Duke Ellington Orchestra; Dale Evans
1989: Emmylou Harris; season pass: $175
1991: Shirley Jones (there was a storm and the power failed--the show went on with a generator)
1993: Four Lads; Four Freshmen
1996: Four Aces, Four Lads;
2002: The Turtles; Gaelic Storm
2003: Crew Cuts; Gary Puckett; season pass: $335
2005: Russ Taff; Phil Keaggy
2006: CeCe Winans; season pass $395
2008: John Davidson; Capitol Steps; Sandi Patti; season pass $435


19th century restored Lakeside cottage with landscaping

Why should I have to shop around?

Wal-Mart no longer carries the J.R. Watkins face cream I learned to love after purchasing it at the Port Clinton store last summer. I wonder if I can sue to require them to do so? Why should I have to shop around or send for it?

When I was researching the Gee accident story, I see Dr. Rebekah Gee, MD, MPH, an obstetrics and gynecology resident in the MGH/BWH combined residency program in Boston, was a plaintiff the Wal-Mart Massachusetts case forcing the mega-retailer to carry, Plan-B, a product the founders and owners find immoral and unhealthy. It kills embryos--it’s an early abortion without the trauma of thinking about a potential life.

It’s just amazing. Protesters try to force Wal-Mart to relocate or not build, denying jobs and low cost products in the area, and when they do jump through the hoops, they try to force them to change not only their business practices, but their personally held ethics and religious values.

Feb. 14, 2006 (Just in time for Valentine‘s Day, Wal-Mart announces it will carry Plan B) “A new [Massachusetts] state law that took effect late last year following heated debate on Beacon Hill requires all hospitals to provide the morning after pill to rape victims. It also allows pharmacists to dispense the pill without a prescription, but does not require them to do so. . . .

Sam Perkins, a lawyer for the three women, praised the board's decision and said he was prepared to file lawsuits in other states should Wal-Mart not overturn its policy. Abortion rights groups and women's organizations have also urged Wal-Mart to change its policy.

"From our point of view, they've bowed to the pressure of litigation, in part," Perkins said.

The plaintiffs — Katrina McCarty, 29, of Somerville, Julia Battel, 37, of Boston, and Dr. Rebekah Gee, 30, of Boston — were turned away when they tried to buy emergency contraception pills at area Wal-Marts.

The women said they knew they would be refused when they went to the Wal-Marts in Quincy and Lynn and that the action was planned with the abortion rights groups and lawyers.

"I'm proud to be able to tell my patients that they now can go anywhere for their prescriptions," Gee said. "My patients should not have to shop around." “

Gee’s attempt to fill the prescription was not personal, but a part of a planned action by abortion rights groups and Planned Parenthood. President Gee is a Mormon if I remember correctly. Should make for some interesting family discussions.

Now, will Wal-Mart be required to stay open all night, or to rush purchasers to the front of long lines at check-out? Will they need to stock kiosks outside bars on college campuses? How far do they need to go to satisfy the abortion lobby?

Happy Anniversary Ohio Sea Grant

Tomorrow, Friday July 18, Ohio Sea Grant will host its 17th State Legislature and Congressional Day on the shores of Lake Erie, giving state and local elected officials a chance to learn more about the issues facing the Great Lakes and what Ohio State University has done over the years to solve those issues. Ohio Sea Grant celebrates its 30-year anniversary as a NOAA program this summer. One of the dinner speakers will be Charles E. Herdendorf, Director Emeritus of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab. He lectured at Lakeside last summer, and it was one of the most interesting programs we ever had.

What about heterosexual partners?

Seem to be a few inequities in the tuition break for OSU employees. Gay partners get a tuition break, but not garden variety partners? Technically, I suppose that's because of Ohio's marriage law--that marriage is between one man and one woman--but there are plenty of couples who live together for other reasons (hiding assets, don't want to lose pension benefits, are still married to someone else, etc.) who might wish to have a tuition break.

"Eligible dependents of some Ohio State employees no longer have to wait to take advantage of the university’s reduced tuition benefit.

Staff and tenure-track faculty have had a three-year wait from their date of hire to become eligible for the dependent tuition benefit. But starting fall quarter 2008, sons, daughters, spouses and same-sex domestic partners of eligible OSU employees can take a 50 percent reduction based on in-state undergraduate general and instructional tuition rates — 75 percent if two parents or partners work at OSU."

Why not foster children, siblings, nannies, and live-in in-laws? Y'all come. The state coffers are full!

President Gee's daughter and husband injured

According to the Columbus Dispatch, OSU President Gee's family has been injured in a scooter/SUV crash in Pennsylvania. We saw thousands of these scooters when we were in Italy (I think gas is about $9 a gallon there), but then, there weren't too many SUVs with which to collide. I remember Rebekah as a teen when her dad was heading OSU the first time. Her mother Elizabeth died of cancer; Gee later remarried and divorced.

E. Gordon Gee's son-in-law suffered what authorities said were life-threatening injuries Saturday night while riding a motor scooter in suburban Philadelphia with Gee's daughter, Rebekah.

Dr. Allan Moore, 31, was operating the couple's 2001 Vespa when it collided with a sport-utility vehicle. He was in critical condition last night in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with abdominal and head injuries.

His wife and passenger, Dr. Rebekah Gee, 32, was in fair condition in the same hospital with a broken leg and other injuries.

Rebekah Gee, the Ohio State University president's only child, was seated behind her husband as they traveled on a neighborhood street in Bryn Mawr, Pa., shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday.

According to the article, the police didn't say whether they were wearing helmets. Two doctors. Service in ER during training. One would hope so.

According to Wikipedia, President Gee has held more university presidencies than any other American. Prior to his resumption of the presidency of Ohio State on October 1, 2007, Gee was chancellor of Vanderbilt University from 2000 to 2007 and president of Brown University from 1997 to 2000, of the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1985 to 1990, and of West Virginia University from 1981 to 1985. I remember him best as an advocate of good library services and his bow ties.

Update: Allan Moore died on July 24. OSU account.

Lakeside 2008, Microblogging

The term microblogging is one with which I'm not familiar, but recently learned it means blogging about the minutiae of life even more than regular web logs (diaries)do--like "I just walked down the hall at work," or "I put $1.00 in the snack machine." Apparently, there are people who read microblogs. Story in Newsweek Although, I think you are limited to 140 characters. I'd not do well if that's a requirement.

So here's some minutiae instead of the heavy stuff of politics, retirement, left wing librarians, mortgage markets and travel. After all, I want to keep up with the trends even if I don't have Twitter.

Last night's dinner on our deck was baked pork chops, fresh beets, potato salad and my very own raspberry pie. With Cool Whip. All purchased either at the locally owned market, or the farmers' market in Lakeside.

After dinner we went dancing with strangers; great fun. There was sort of a hoe-down in front of the auditorium where everyone big and small, couples and singles, old and young danced easy square dance tunes you could do in a huge circle. Non-dancers could sit in folding chairs and watch. For one dance I was paired with a guy about 6'11" and we had a little toddler with us about 3 years old. Refreshments were giant cookies, watermelon and lemon-aid.

From there we went to the hotel lawn, moved a park bench and watched the sunset.

At home we watched Canadian public TV which is almost always a British series.

Today I wrote a letter and printed some of my Italian trip stuff for my aunt, however, it took 4 trips to the business district to get an envelope the right size and the right stamps (2 blocks).

While I was at the store that didn't have the right size envelope, I found the cutest blogging note books, so I went back and bought them after I mailed the envelope. Spiral bound, 100 sheets. Perfect.

My neighbor's son rented a scooter over on the islands and lost a flip flop. Then the scooter skidded and he put his bare foot down. Ouch. Skin gone on the bottom of his foot. This will need lots of healing, and no swimming in the lake.

I went to art class today. Sort of discouraging. Everyone always improves but me. I kid you not. I was a pretty good little artist even by age 12, so on Monday I'm usually the best in the class. By mid-week, I'm still 12, and everyone else has moved on. I really worked hard (she tells me I need to slow down and see negative spaces) on drawing my left hand. Problem was, when I finished, I realized I'd drawn 6 fingers--but I sure had great negative spaces.

My husband's gone sailing twice today, maybe three times.

Even geeks can be evil

Or he just has a lot of dirt on someone.

“Officials have arrested a city of San Francisco IT network administrator for locking up a multimillion-dollar city computer system, according to several reports stemming from a press conference with San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris. The employee, Terry Childs, 43, is accused of improperly tampering with computer systems and causing a denial of service, effectively locking out other top city administrators from the critical network.

Police believe Childs, as an employee of the city's Department of Technology, set up his own secret password that grants him exclusive access to the city's new FiberWAN (wide area network), and according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Childs gave police fake pass codes and refused to give up his own -- even while in jail. He is reportedly being held on a US$5 million bail.” See story at Technology News

And he has a criminal record for aggravated robbery and burglary--which city officials knew about. Isn’t California groovy?

Even the media people need to keep their jobs

An interesting story appeared on three national news programs Monday and Tuesday: amid all the bad news they were reporting, they actually brought on experts who were sensible, calming, experienced, and who said we have been through much worse times in the past 30 years (particularly in bank failures) and we will make it through this. Wow. It’s as though the advertisers, producers, writers and reporters suddenly realized they were contributing to the malaise and panic, and just possibly their OWN JOBS might be on the chopping block if they join the “sky is falling” crowd. Of course, it didn’t last long and they soon returned to their hysteria. It’s hard for a leopard to change his spots amidst the zebras. They all look like lunch. For people on fixed income and pensions, as we are, this is not a fun time to open the monthly statement. But from 2003-2007 it was a joy to meet with our investment adviser. It was like having a third person living with us who turned over his salary, but didn’t eat or use utilities or ask for the credit card to go shopping. What goes up must come down; all bubbles burst; nobody ever got rich (except federal and state bureaucrats and lobbyists) by asking the government for help.

The CBS Early show today actually showed how taking your lunch to work can equate to 500 gallons of gas in a year, a trip to Hawaii or contribute to a house down payment. The beautiful female lawyer who was interviewed was spending about $100 a week on just eating lunch at work--and she wasn’t even going to any great places. It’s amazing to think this woman went to college! And law school! I’m sure if interviewed about the state of the economy she’d be a whiner.

Here’s what I’d tell my son and anyone else worried about the economy: stop smoking (or some other expensive habit like daily lattes, lunch out or weekly manicures), put that money into your IRA, take a deep breath, and let the market do what it always does--correct and advance.

Freddie, Fannie and FEMA

Remind me again why we want the government to take over health insurance.

This little piggy went to market with Salmonella

Pigs raised without antibiotics are more likely to carry bacteria and parasites, according to a new study done at Ohio State University's Vet school.

While consumers are increasing demand for pork produced without antibiotics, more of the pigs raised in such conditions carry bacteria and parasites associated with food-borne illnesses, according to a new study.

A comparison of swine raised in antibiotic-free and conventional pork production settings revealed that pigs raised outdoors without antibiotics had higher rates of three food-borne pathogens than did pigs on conventional farms, which remain indoors and receive preventive doses of antimicrobial drugs.

More than half of the pigs on antibiotic-free farms tested positive for Salmonella, compared to 39 percent of conventionally raised pigs infected with the bacterial pathogen. The presence of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite was detected in 6.8 percent of antibiotic-free pigs, compared to 1.1 percent of conventionally raised pigs. And two naturally raised pigs of the total 616 sampled tested positive for Trichinella spiralis, a parasite considered virtually eradicated from conventional U.S. pork operations. http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/porkfarms.htm

Let's not forget the Silent Spring fall out. More Africans have died from malaria since environmentalists took DDT off the market for mosquito control than ever died in the trans-atlantic slave trade. Lots of "natural" things can kill you. Mold, for instance. Nothing more resilient and natural than a bacteria strain or raging virus.

There's a lot of green in going green

It's deja vu all over again. I was working in the Agriculture Library in the late 1970s-early 1980s and have seen all the green economy, save-the-environment stuff before. In its newer, pantheistic version, it's a phenomenal building boon for state legislators, contractors, architects, and engineers. A huge green snow-ball, if you will. My husband's architectural and construction magazines are so deep into green it's crazy. It has created huge new investment and employment opportunities, much of it for the same corporations and industries that gave us the pollution! The proposed e-regs mostly benefit the largest companies which is why you see the heavy investment in Democratic candidates. Here's an item from Ohio State University's "News and Information"

The Ohio State University Medical Center has made a commitment to incorporate sustainable technologies, including energy conservation, into a $1 billion master plan for campus expansion. The EPA’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory has provided funding to enable the medical center to track non-financial benefits such as greenhouse gas reduction, research productivity and community well being.

This will create a whole new cottage industry on campus and Washington measuring, reporting and publishing "non-financial benefits" of going green. A real feel-good opportunity for the folks in the social sciences who have probably been feeling under-fulfilled and unsatisfied on the Al Gorgasmic scale of experiences.

Bad taste? You bet!

The recent New Yorker cover is supposed to be satire. The Obama people are offended, as well they should be, and conservatives should be too, because it purports to be a satire of how conservatives see the presumptive first couple--he in Muslim garb and she as Angela Davis. Either way, it's bad taste and offensive and inaccurate. Do your part and don't buy it, complain to the advertisers, or cancel your subscription (I cancelled mine during the 2004 campaign, I think--the smears against conservatives were relentless and boring).

Italy, Friday Day 3, Positano

You don't know the meaning of "narrow, winding route" until you've shut your eyes tight on the Amalfi Coast. We started Day 3 leaving Sorrento for Positano and Amalfi. I've seen accounts that the locals are aggressive drivers, but faced with our bus, they were very well behaved. The scenery really is gorgeous if you're not sitting by the window ("don't look up, don't look down" were the first 2 rules I saw in a guidebook). The history of this area is a bit murky, with the first recorded information starting in the 9-10th centuries. But there are lots of wars, a fuedal system, maritime adventures and church squabbles to look into here.



Checking out the shops



and street signage
and lovely flowers of Positano
The parish church of Santa Maria Assunta in the Piazza Flavio Gioia.

Lakeside 2008, Week 4 week-end

Wonderful things just kept coming. Beautiful weather (except for sailors on Sunday), the wooden boat show, the Plein Air paint out, The Golden Dragon Chinese Acrobats (27 centuries of tradition) and on Sunday, with perfect weather in the park, the Cleveland Deutscher Musik Verien German Band oom-pa'd away for a happy crowd at the bandstand. The woman on the bench next to me whispered, "This must be what heaven is like." Saturday I took in a lecture on the history of Plein Air painting by Rick Dziak; Sunday we enjoyed Rev. Jennings at the lakefront pavilion church service (he told about getting ill and going to the ER after a flight home from Europe--very timely for me); ate breakfast at the Patio Restaurant (my husband has an art display there and has sold 3 paintings); I took some walks and bike rides, and signed up for an afternoon class at the Rhein Center on "Draw Better," this coming week.

Golden Dragon Acrobat show at the Auditorium (publicity photo)
Just a few of the beautifully restored wooden boats


This young man really captured his subject with the freshness of painting on site
Jeff and Sue; he's a member of our church's Visual Arts Ministry and owns a gallery in Columbus
Enjoying the German band

Italy, going to the dogs, cats and cows

We saw scooters every where--women zipping around in high heels and mini-skirts, children, groups, and dogs. What we didn't see were traffic lights.

Positano pup at the gas station
Isle of Capri cow
Orvieto kitty day 8
Orvieto kitty day 11
Orvieto cats
Orvieto dogs

The cheapest car to drive

is the one you own (paid for). My 2002 Dodge minivan will do just fine, thank you. Even if I were to sell it, they go for about $6,000 now, and a new crossover or hybrid would probably cost about $35,000 and only get 4-5 more miles to the gallon. I'd have to be driving 10x more than I do now to ever make that pay. In 2006 I think Consumer Reports estimated 5-6 years before the additional costs of a hybrid could be made up in fuel savings. And yes, they factored in rising gasoline costs. Whether they factored in the loss on what else that money could be doing, I don't know. This is my third Chrysler van--I love them. The seats are a perfect fit for mine. Ford and GM have discontinued their minivans. I hope Chrysler doesn't.

My beloved van enjoying the summer at the lakehouse.

Italy, Day 7 through 11, Umbria and Orvieto, Cathedral

There are probably hundreds of wonderful medium size towns where you could rent a flat for a few months and enjoy the riches of Italian culture, but for me, I'd choose Orvieto. You can turn down a street and be in medieval times, or ride down the mountain on a cable car and be in modern times. It has good access to the autostrada and enjoys public transportation. You could take the train to other towns for alternate cultures and experiences. At our wonderful 19th c. hotel, there was a group of art students from SMU finishing up a month's study. In addition to a wonderful farmers' market, there are small deli's and groceries with modern products. And the art and restaurants! Oh, my. Fabulous.







The Cathedral of Orvieto was built beginning in 1290 on the foundation of an older cathedral which was built on an Etruscan temple. It developed over a period of centuries, so although it was begun as Romanesque, it became Gothic and numerous architects, sculptors and artists worked on it over the years in marble, stone, glass, mosaic, and bronze. The window is attributed to Orcagna (Andrea de Cione). The four piers around the doors depict Biblical stories, beginning with the creation, moving to Messianic prophecy, then Christ's life, then finally the last judgment and Hell. Quite vivid, I might add. Glass panels have been added to protect the art from vandalism.

Hospitals--don't go there

My recent two day stay in a modern, metropolitan hospital, covered by my excellent insurance (although it will still cost me a bundle), has convinced me again there is never a good or safe time to be there if what you have isn't life threatening (although how do you know?). I didn't go to the ER because I was an elderly, poor person with no insurance and no regular doctor; no, the doctor on call for my doctor said to go there when I told her I had severe diarrhea, a temperature over 102, was recently returned from Europe and was napping on the floor of the bathroom and having some A-fib. Silly me. I didn't think to take a pillow and blanket with me. I got to the ER about 7:30 p.m. and was finally in a hospital bed about 5:30 a.m. Thank goodness for Depends, because in ER, if you're not bleeding or throwing up on the staff, you wait. As it was, I just threw some of my clothes away.

Hospitals these days (my first stay since 2002) are high tech, high touch. We had to go through a security check to even enter the ER waiting room. My medical data was entered into rolling computers three difference times, and only the first one knew who my secondary emergency contact was--the other two times I had to provide the information. So even within the hospital, I didn't seem to be connected. But bar codes and RFID (radio frequency identification), and wi-fi were everywhere. No where in these computers was the information that I am right handed, so if an IV is strung up (with all the electronic, data rich, error prone tags), in the crook of my right arm, I will constantly be setting off an alarm that will beep its little heart out until someone arrives to see if I'm dying, scratching my nose, or trapped in the rest room.

One new feature, although I don't know if the info ever got back to my own doctor, was I had two different "hospitalists" from my own doctor's practice. So at least, they knew of him. Every staff member of the hospital, from RNs down to housekeeping, seemed to have been through a "make the patient feel loved" workshop. I never saw so many smiles or had such quick response to the alarm light (after leaving ER).

Each year there are 44,000-98,000 preventable deaths in hospitals, according to one report I read on an FDA site, and 5% of the patients in hospitals acquire an infection. Here's where technology fails. I saw a housekeeping person once in my room--not that they couldn't have slipped someone in while I was napping or at night when I was asleep. But that's what I saw. She smiled and ran a dust mop on the floor of the room. Didn't empty the trash, take the soiled laundry, or clean the bathroom. I used the wash cloths to clean the bathroom floor and commode myself--then threw them away. What came up on the cloth was just plain old dirt, not evidence of my illness. If that floor had seen any hot water and disinfectant, it must have been months ago. No one offered to bag my soiled street clothes so they were just thrown in a closet, where if I'd been contagious, the bacteria or virus awaited the next patient. I finally asked someone to remove the bathroom trash which was getting quite ripe. God knows when the last time the telephone mouthpiece and keypad or TV remote had been cleaned. When Pastor John visited, he pulled down the window screens to cut the glare--no one else noticed. But then, he sees dozens of hospital rooms a week.

A food service person (smiling and friendly) brought me a tray and menu for the day. With my left hand (very low tech stubby pencil and paper) I circled jello and hot tea, figuring that would be safe. (Why do they have patients decide this?) For dinner I received half a baked chicken, broccoli, salad, coffee and cake. All the hot food was contained in something plastic scuffed, scratched and faded that seemed to be shedding its heat absorbing materials. I'm not phobic about heating food in chemically ladened containers, but really, this equipment looked unsafe at any speed. A little stainless steel dish sitting on hot water might be preferable and easier to keep sanitized.

Even if you don't plan to stay (and I didn't), take your own medications to the ER. You might be admitted, and they'll never get it right. I had such a headache from dehydration I asked for an aspirin. After an hour, I asked again, and was brought 2 Tylenol and a baby aspirin (which is on my daily med list) in a paper cup and it was entered on the rolling computer screen, after checking my barcoded wrist and asking me my birthdate. I don't like Tylenol, but took it anyway, and just had 2 baby aspirin that day. One day they couldn't get my one prescription drug, so it had to be ordered--I'm sure the cost will be out of sight when I get the bill. And why do hospitals give adults chewable 81 mg aspirin when they are much more expensive than the low dose adult kind? I was potassium depleted, and the pills could have choked a horse, but it took me awhile to figure out they were easy to break in half even as weak as I was--no one else suggested it.

One alert, smiling RN, after resetting my IV data monitor numerous times (I left the hospital 10 lbs heavier than I went in), decided to move the IV to my left arm. The smiling young med tech who looked at least 15 was apparently not yet finished with his training, and this took several stabs attempts under her supervision and coaching, but she smiled throughout the whole ordeal and was sympathetic. (It really does help the patient's attitude.) When I could read the BP data, it looked like I was dead--something like 105 over 55; and the high tech thermometer never registered over 97 despite the fact I felt like I had a sunburn.

Hospitals. Don't go there unless you have to.

Roving with Obama

If there's anyone Dems hate more than George Bush, it's Karl Rove. But he's a good analyst. And to hear Dems tell it, he's the brains, heart and guts of George W. Bush, who's just an empty cowboy hat who has managed to fool all of them, so maybe they ought to give him a listen.

“Instead of consistency, Mr. Obama has followed Richard Nixon's advice, to cater to his party's extreme in the primaries and then move aggressively to the middle for the fall.

In the primary, Mr. Obama supported pulling out of Iraq within 16 months, called the D.C. gun ban constitutional, backed the subjection of telecom companies to expensive lawsuits for cooperating in the terror surveillance program, opposed welfare reform, pledged to renegotiate Nafta, disavowed free trade and was strongly against the death penalty in all cases. But in the past few weeks, Mr. Obama has reversed course on all of these, discarding fringe liberal views for relentlessly centrist positions. He also flip-flopped on accepting public financing and condemning negative ads from third party groups, like unions.

By taking Nixon's advice, Mr. Obama is assuming such dramatic reversals will somehow avoid voter scrutiny. But people are watching closely, and by setting a world indoor record for jettisoning past positions, Mr. Obama may be risking his reputation for truthfulness. A candidate's credibility, once lost, is very hard to restore, regardless of how fine an organization he has built.”

Barack's Brilliant Ground Game Obama's been moving so quickly to the center, it's difficult for conservative bloggers to keep up, even if we know he'll change course once in office.