Today's new word is PELLUCID

It's a synonym for transparent, another word I thought I knew. But English is such a fluid language, full of hope and change. Transparent comes from the Latin word trans meaning through, and parere, to appear, so it has the sense of "appear through." It means sheer, clear, limpid or diaphanous. There is something there, but you can see beyond. Those of you my age may remember that in the 1950s, completely transparent, sheer nylon dresses and blouses were in fashion. Yes, if your grandmother or mother complains about today's revealing short skirts or skimpy, dipping sweater tops showing cleavage created by padded, push-up bras, pull out that old photo album and take a look at what we were wearing in 1953. The idea was to wear lacy, sexy slips or camisoles underneath. Some girls didn't get the message, so instead you might see a rather dirty bra or unshaven armpits under the sheer yellow, pink or white outfit. Not a pretty sight.

And that's what Obama's transparency is--not a pretty sight. Pellucid when used figuratively, means clear to the understanding. And I think it is clear what is happening. He has promised transparency in government. In the vetting of his appointees, it was learned that his choice for Treasury was a tax cheat. He'd been caught once already, paid a fine and back taxes, and then continued with the same behavior. Seems he didn't understand the concept of filing quarterly on estimated income, something we learned how to do as soon as my husband became a sole practitioner. He'd also "misstepped" on paying a domestic servant whose visa had expired. Now transparently contrite, he still thinks he is the man to help the rest of us with our money. So does our President. That's transparency--know ahead of time you've appointed a guy with loosey-goosey ethics so you're not caught off-guard later.

Then there's Mrs. Senator Clinton. Everyone knows the problems with her husband, a type-A bored loose canon, how he still wants to be president, and how he's accepted money from some pretty shady people for his post-presidential years. But to deny her the Secretary of State position, her prize for being decent and not making a fuss, the cost of bringing the PUMAs into the party tent again, would just be silly. But it is transparent.

According to "English Vocabulary Builder" (1937), 7% of grammar school students thought "transparent" meant to conceal, just the opposite of its meaning. Obviously, they were ahead of their time and that misunderstanding caught on. 18% of adults at that time had no idea what "pellucid" meant (and I certainly have never used it), which comes from the same root as Lucifer, lucere.

Pray for the President

During George Bush's time in office, I received e-mails from a group that prayed for him. I don't know if Obama will have a similar arrangement, but I will certainly be praying for him. St. Paul tells Christians to do this, and if you remember the years immediately after the crucifixion, those were not easy times either for Jews or their off-shoot "cults." In some ways, praying for Obama will be easier; for me it's his views on the sanctity of life. If I know nothing else about what's going on in Washington or which head of state he is meeting with, or what terrorists are planning for him, this I know--he needs to respect the unborn who are the future of our country. There are times when knowing how or what to pray for are difficult, so people just don't pray. As if they should know the mind of God! I know two things for sure--all this is in God's hands, and he already knows the outcome. But we are also told to pray for our leaders. I also know from scripture, specifically Psalm 139, that God cares deeply about each little one in the womb, whether he's the product of a tryst between a rebellious 17 year old involved with a married man, or she's missing a chromosome or has a serious physical problem, or even if the parents sincerely believe they can't handle the economic impact of a third or fourth child. Killing the child is never the best choice. So that will be my prayer for President Obama--that he will become an advocate for the weakest and most helpless in our society, that he will liberate women by encouraging their mothers to give birth to them, that he will find the solutions to society's problems by raising up a generation from pre-birth to old age who will find them.

Clown or an elder past his prime?

James Taranto wasn't too upset by Joseph Lowry's imitation of a once respected pastor and civil rights leader. I thought it quite disrespectful of the occasion we were being told was beyond fabulous and historic and insulting of all races. Taranto compared him to the "All in the Family" TV show of the 70s--Lowry is a victim of his era, apparently. Isn't that infantilizing him? Did people laugh because they thought he was funny or because they were embarrassed for him?

"One of the striking things about watching "All in the Family" more than 35 years later is that Archie Bunker turns out to be the most sympathetic character. When he argues with his liberal son-in-law, he's right about half the time and wrong about half the time, but you forgive the latter because he was a product of his times. On the other hand, the earnest self-righteousness of the son-in-law is grating, even when he is right on the merits.

So if Joseph Lowery wants to spend his dotage clowning around in a bigoted way, we can afford to indulge him. There's no reason to be meatheads about it.

Yes, definitely infantilizing. "Oh, just pay no attention to him . . . he's old. . . used to be SOMEBODY though. Time to change his diaper."

Taranto also noticed world opinion hasn't changed much. . . "Bloomberg sends a team of reporters to places ruled by anti-American regimes--Gaza, Iran, Venezuela--and also to Pakistan, to get reaction to President Obama's inauguration. Surprise, surprise, the quotes it collects are still anti-American." I noticed also that there were riots in Seoul, a military build up in China against Tibet, an Irish tycoon committed suicide, the Japanese have downgraded their economy, someone died of bird flu, the UN is still totally ineffective no matter where it tries to intervene, and housing industry new builds are still tanking. Good Golly Miss Molly nuttin' changed.

Hope for a change in the heart of the President

WASHINGTON, January 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "As the country marks the 36th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that imposed abortion on the United States, as well as the inauguration of the most outspokenly pro-abortion president in American history, pro-life advocates in some 118 cities across 41 states - plus four Canadian provinces and even Australia - have great hope," said Shawn Carney, spring campaign director for 40 Days for Life. "They're all preparing to participate in simultaneous 40 Days for Life campaigns from February 25 through April 5."

40 Days for Life consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, 40days of constant, peaceful vigil outside abortion centers and Planned Parenthood offices and 40 days of active pro-life community outreach. The list of cities is posted online at: http://www.40daysforlife.com/location.html

According to the CDC, since 1973, the year of the Supreme Court Decision Roe vs. Wade, 13 million (13,000,000) African American lives have been lost to abortion. The CDC reports that of the approximately 4000 abortions that are performed daily in the United States, 1452 of them are performed on African American women and their pre-born children. This means that although African Americans represent only 12% of the population of the United States, they account for 35% of the abortions performed in this country. National Black Catholic Congress

President Obama, when he was an Illinois Senator, made it clear he found no problem with this late term abortion method, although many pro-choice Democrats draw the line here. This is why Christians must pray every day for this man who is turning a blind eye to the deaths of millions of American babies of all races, but especially black babies. If he'd been conceived in the 70s instead of the 60s, to be killed before birth would have also been his fate.

Dilation and extraction (also known as D&X or partial-birth abortion): Used well into the third trimester (as late as 32 weeks old).

The abortionist reaches into the mother's womb, grabs the baby's feet with a forceps and pulls the baby out of the mother, except for the head. The abortionist then jams a pair of scissors into the back of the baby's head and spreads the scissors apart to make a hole in the baby's skull. The abortionist removes the scissors and sticks a suction tube into the skull to suck the baby's brain out. The baby's head is crushed and the abortionist pulls the baby's body out the rest of the way.

When you voted for pro-choice candidates at any level, but especially at the powerful executive level where he is not only a world leader but an example and mentor to young people, this is what you are voted for.

Three Word Wednesday

Today's words are Cadence, Humble, Resolve.

He was full of resolve
To be ever so humble;
then facing the truth
his cadence did stumble.

When Obama releases the terrorists and jihadists along with the innocent

Where will they go? They've become accustomed to all the free food, outstanding medical care, free legal assistance, all the sports, TV and entertainment they want, clean rooms and laundry, access to education. So where will they go? Already we know they can be put in the front lines to become martyrs back home or "volunteer" to be suicide bombers. Scary stuff--for them, and for us. And also for all those liberal/marxist lawyers who rushed down there to warmer climes to do that difficult pro-bono work for them instead of our own poor and disadvantaged who may have been falsely accused of a crime. What if they don't want to be liberated? Will Obama force them to go home, or offer them sanctuary in the United States where they can turn against him? And us.

Did you ever think on September 12, 2001, that we'd get to 2009 without another terrorist attack within our borders? (I mean one from the outside.)

Thanks, but no thanks

I'm not joining Facebook, Smackaroony dot org or Huggme dot inc or any other social networking group. (Two of those I made up.) I'm all techno'd out. I've forgotten more passwords than I remember. I just got an invite from Helen who has more friends than any one person I know. She can walk through a strange city, in a country where she doesn't speak the language, and the next summer, people she met in a restaurant or bookstore are flying to the USA for a 2 week visit! The woman is amazing. She's never met a stranger. And now she invites me to be her Facebook friend! Well, I'm her friend in "for-real life," when I can get an appointment to see her, and even then there will be 4 or 5 others waiting in line, sitting on the porch or calling. I just checked her account and she's already signed on 20+ and just started! And I think Sally (England) has started up on Facebook, too. It reminds me of junior high cliques; been there done that, no thanks. My experience on the net and in real life is that if people don't agree with your politics or religion, they get hurt, then nasty and soon they de-link you.

In real life friendships we will soon be going to a Robert Burns 250th birthday party. How cool is that? I'm trying to learn that poem about the louse in a lady's hair. "O wad some Power the giftie gie us / To see oursels as others see us!" And our Holy Land cruise group is going to have a pot luck (I'm taking a main dish because that's how the alphabet crumbles). If our friend recovers from his bronchitis, we'll be going out for dinner on Friday. I think he's been sick since New Year's. There's some 168 Film Project festivities this week-end we should take in. I'm planning a little luncheon for retirees in February--soup and salad. And then there's the usual activities like exercise class, watercolor class, serving lunch at the senior center, gathering with church friends for Bible study, praying for Obama every day, sending notes to shut-ins, new parents, and grieving families. But Facebook can be useful. I found my first grade piano teacher that way. Of course, what I'll do with her, I don't know.

Today my husband hooked up the digital converter box to the 1988 TV at our summer cottage (he watched our daughter do it here). He says we can now get 14 stations. And no pipes were frozen, which is good news. It's much colder on Lake Erie than here.

Universal pre-school

is one of Obama's plans. In today's WSJ opinion piece lauding such efforts, the writer finally got to the point.

The only lasting effect of average programs documented so far for all kids is a modest increase in behavior problems."

Pre-school, no matter how good, can't overcome the effects of poor parenting, a teen-age mom who didn't finish her education and a fatherless home. It might give them a six month or 12 month head start over the poor kid who didn't have preschool, but it will all be lost. More billions to be wasted.

The number one positive thing the Obamas can do for children, they have done by being a married couple seen in close, familial activities with their children. For so many women, marrying the father or fathers of her children isn't even on the radar. Even having his mother-in-law with them is an excellent decision, because although it doesn't take a village or the government to raise a child, an extra set of eyes and the wisdom of an older generation sure helps. Who knows where Obama would be today if it hadn't been for his grandparents.

The Obamas were terrific

according to the consensus and chatter I heard at the coffee shop from the early-early crowd this morning. The girls were adorable; the speech wasn't too long. Pushed the right buttons. However, others in the crowd and on the platform left some pretty negative impressions on suburban citizens.

Aretha's song styling and hat were real turn offs.

What designer would put a classy woman like Michelle in a pea-green dress? She's got a great sense of style, but that? Oh dear! Aged her 10 years. Someone else said the press reported it as gold--but on TV it didn't look gold. I thought it looked like Queen Elizabeth's designer. Fortunately, I think these dresses immediately go to a museum.

The black preacher's prayer was racist.

Booing the president and vice-president (the crowd) showed we have poor winners, not poor losers. After 8 years of smearing and ridiculing Bush, I guess it's a tough habit to break.

The poem . . . boring and awful. Did anyone know what she was talking about? I must have gone to the restroom--don't remember hearing it.

When did Stevie Wonder get so heavy? Didn't see him.

Will the press investigate the cost of Michelle's clothing?

And not a word about policy. Aren't we a shallow bunch! Oh well, maybe tomorrow everything will change.

Kitty makes a suggestion

It's time to clean the office shelves! Several months ago I did "before" and "after" photos of my husband cleaning his office. When I uploaded them, I couldn't tell the difference. I don't think that will be the case here; assuming I ever get around to it. When it comes to cleaning, I have drawersful of round tuits.

Today’s new word is BART

Actually it's an acronym. It used to be BART meant "Bay Area Rapid Transit" at least to me. Here in Columbus it means "Bias Assessment Response Team," and if the same nonsense weren't cropping up on most college campuses, I’d suggest you send your hard earned tuition dollars to another school.

No crime committed, no state law violated, nor university policy or code of conduct, but. . .it can still be reported if someone suspects the perp’s “motivation” and feels offended. A teaching career or a school record can all go up in smoke from an anonymous report. And what recourse does the “reported” one have? Who is the judge and jury? Imagine the twit or bureaucrat getting on this board, committee, task force. Oh the rush of power!

This is one of the most alarming things I’ve ever read on an Ohio State web site--but your school probably has one too. We are followers here in mid-Ohio, not instigators. This was definitely imported either from the northeast or California, probably after some counselor attended a mid-winter conference in a warm climate, because normally Midwesterners are a bit tougher than this mollycoddling would indicate.

“Bias Incidents: Acts or behavior motivated by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, veteran status, ethnic/national origin groups or sexual-orientation group. While these acts do not necessarily rise to the level of a crime, a violation of state law, University policy, or the student code of conduct; a bias act may contribute to creating an unsafe, negative, or unwelcome environment for the victim, anyone who shares the same social identity as the victim, and/or community members of the University.”

Looking through the list of “protected elites,” on the web site, I’d say the only target of this harassment could be white, male, heterosexual Christian students, staff and faculty.

I looked through the summary and documentation of the reports--and considering it’s a campus of 50,000+ people primarily under 25 studying and discovering life within a few square miles, many of whom do the usual stupid mind altering activities college kids are known for--it’s not too shocking that most of the reports deal with language. Nothing illegal, mind you, except this poor little college kid whose parents are spending $20,000 to buy her education so she can compete in the real world is offended. Boohoo. Or, maybe it’s just a girlfriend/boyfriend thing; or a jealous rejected gay lover thing; or a crush on a faculty member that isn’t returned; or it’s a stalker who wants attention; or it's someone who doesn't think Obama can walk on water and is therefore a racist pig; or someone was reported to be "culturally insensitive." But once that report has been filed, I’m guessing it takes on a life of it’s own. And good luck getting the student/faculty record cleaned up. I wonder if any guys ever file reports on female students with potty mouths and say they find them sexually threatening and offensive. I know they sure think it.

See the case of the IUPUI janitor charged with harassment for reading a book about the KKK on his own time--and it was an anti-Klan book!

A great speech

George W. Bush speaking at his welcome home rally. Wow. Heart warming, funny, empowering, encouraging, uplifting, principled, unifying, not divisive; and a message I fear we'll never hear again. I hope someone is making a video so I can post it.

Update: At least 4 minutes or so of the speech.

Markets drop to welcome Obama

Ker-flop. Drop below 8000. They're not hot on planned economies either.



Just look at what happened on November 5 and January 20! Amazing. Obama has a number of bazillionaire backers. Easier to put the little guy out of business with a Democrat in office. It's called over-regulation and government nannyism.

Maybe a theme--Ron looking for Mindy

I used Mindy's husband again for my painting (see last Wednesday). May have to darken the ice on the lake for a little more contrast with his hat. I found some buckle over the shoe boots for him, and will probably need to add a few more footprints in the snow, otherwise there's no way for him to get seated. And I should have left some snow on the park bench, but maybe it melted before Ron got there? Mindy is off teaching art classes, and Ron is wandering around Ohio looking for her. She made some good suggestions on last week's so I grayed the sky and put in some more shadows and rescanned it.

No place to hide today

It's all Obama, all the time. The Obamathon. The WSJ has an editorial, "The Opacity of Hope," which really, really tries to put the best spin on this presidency. I'm just looking for a place where the TV and slavish-slurpy admirers won't be out in force--I have to be out of the house most of the day, so there's no place to hide. I'm surprised that Soros and Moveon haven't constructed flatscreen TV billboards throughout the cities and countryside so people can watch while they drive. Phrases from the WSJ with my comments:

his heritage: Little is said about his European roots and middle class life--raised by his white grandmother who was a bank vice president--a plus for all the grandparents, black and white, who step up to do what needs to be done when parents have failed; a teen mother, absentee, polygamous father--yes, this too can be overcome if the government gets out of the way.

his rhetorical skills: This one really baffles me. Do whites never listen to black preachers on Sunday morning? He can't even come close to the power, rhythm, KJV language and parables of hope--probably because it doesn't come naturally--he had to learn it as an adult, and the ear for imitation is never as good at that age. Do most rhetoricians stammer when off teleprompter?

first class temperament: Has no one at WSJ seen his flashes of anger when cornered by a lie, even by a plumber? His hatchet men were immediately sent out to destroy the little guy who dared to question him. I see he also has no patience in press conference when there is the audacity to step outside the MSM carefully drawn guidelines of obsequiousness and lackeydom.

self-confidence: Self delusion comes to mind. I'm guessing he's quite surprised to be where he is, considering he'd set his sights on being Mayor of Chicago. Others on the far left saw more in him for their purposes than he did--when they saw the effect of his 2004 speech at the Democratic convention, how the crowd was moved to tears, after he'd said those same phrases many times to black audiences in Illinois, with little impact--they began to rub their hands with glee--"here's how we'll do this."

smooth transition: Yes, because Bush continues that precedent of being gracious and helpful, something that all our out-going presidents have done. Also, it doesn't hurt that he's surrounded himself with Clintonites who've had 8 years experience and never left the plantation.

first black president: first Hawaiian president, first offspring of an African, first president born in the 60s, first president with such shallow experience. All presidents come with "firsts." JFK was the first Roman Catholic, and we haven't had any since. There are lots of firsts, but the hoop-la about being black is the one that mystifies me the most. I never once doubted that we'd have a black president in my life-time, although as the civil rights industry grew and expanded in the 80s and 90s, I was feeling less confident as black people were being held back by the very people encouraging them to eat only slops at the victimhood trough.

historical symbol, walking affirmation of opportunity: Obama has defied the entire civil rights movement, the whole black power bleat--beat them at their own political game and sought help from whitey, the Chicago machine and terrorists moved maintstream. WSJ editors need to read some presidential biographies, not his two autobiographies written before he'd accomplished a thing. He's not a Lincoln who grew up without education; or FDR who over came a physical disability to rise to the heights of power; or the son of a rich and powerful bootlegger turned respectable; or a dirt poor, crude Texan who learned the political ropes with powerful mentors and a refined, classy wife; or a peanut farmer with a naval education and ambition, or a handsome radio announcer turned movie star from tiny Dixon, Illinois. There's nothing remarkable about Obama except the hysteria--particularly from whites clawing and grasping for release from a prison of a sordid history they had no part in making. I'm not the least bit surprised at the pride and love the African-Americans are showing him--they've longed for this recognition on the world stage and at home that they are indeed "somebody." Having Jesse Jackson shout it was nice, but for them, this is the real thing. For white liberals, I say, step back and take a deep breath. This is your creation. Tomorrow it's business as usual.

Today's new word (phrase) is CONSTITUTIONAL LEVEL OF CARE

This phrase appeared in a JAMA want ad for a “medical executive” (physician? Bureaucrat? Bean counter?) to work in the California prison system. Here’s what the job offered:

Mandate to provide a CONSTITUTIONAL LEVEL OF CARE
Significant challenges
Sacrifices
Rewards
Choose job location from San Quentin, Mule Creek, Folsom or California State
Exceptional pay
Salary based on qualifications
No FICA
Great CA benefits and retirement package
Changing health care from the inside out

So I looked up “constitutional level of care” in google and found several articles, all related to prisons. Seems some prisons will do sex change operations and acne treatment for thugs, rapists and murderers, others won’t.

But here’s an interesting item in the Sacramento Bee that seems to say there is no “constitutional level of care”

The unsigned Oct. 11 report [on the $2.3 billion dollar plan] obtained by The Bee called the $230,000 per-inmate cost "staggering." It is nearly five times the average $46,104 needed to house a run-of-the-mill California prisoner.

"While the development of a comfortable, decorated living space with outdoor courtyards, private rooms, and overnight visitation, may indeed promote healing, it appears to be an extraordinary step by the federal government to impose a 'Class A, State-of-the-Art' facility design on what has been characterized to date publicly as an effort to achieve only 'a minimum standard of care,' deemed necessary to prevent unnecessary deaths," the report said.

"It is also unclear what the reaction of the public will be to providing this extensive 'enhanced universal health care' model to convicted felons when (law abiding citizens) are not afforded this same service, especially ... in ... fiscally uncertain times."

Details in the report drew a sharp response Friday from Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, who led the opposition that derailed [J. Clark] Kelso's efforts to fund his construction plan through the Legislature.

"He has never defined what is constitutional health care," Spitzer said. "Now I know. It's obviously having barbers and beauticians for prisoners. He'll probably want them to do hair weaving next."

It's really not surprising that liberals are so concerned about the rights of imprisoned terrorists--their level of care just isn't up to our own home grown and alien prisoners in California. They must be getting that $46,000 care instead of the $230,000, and that's just not fair. But I think you can see what government officials envision for healthcare when the sky's the limit and pigs can fly.

Blogging raters

A few days ago I got an e-mail congratulating me on my "personal blog" with a score of 7.2. I think that's about a C+ in the real world. In other words, if I were doing this for pay, I certainly wouldn't get a raise this year. So who's on first? Well, get a load of this fascinating blogger who scores in the high 90s--like an A-

"Nowadays, more and more people are suffering from health problems such as chronic fatigue, chronic constipation and lack of energy. That kind of health problem can be related to a dirty bowel, caused partly or largely by eating and drinking foods and drinks which are not what nature intended we eat and drink". . . And it gets worse from there.

--who knew the blog world was filled with such fascinating topics?

Students benefit from charter schools

"A string of high quality studies is finding that students benefit academically from attending a charter school rather than a traditional public school."

And then he lists the studies. Very impressive. Don’t expect a change, however. It’s really not about the children.

Today's new word is TRAJECTORY

At least it is new to me the way it is used in Archives of General Psychiatry 2008;65(10) 1185-1192. My sense of the word was that it had something to do with a bullet or something flying through space in some sort of predictable line and going splat. Not so in the social sciences, apparently.

Peer-victimization trajectories
pre-school trajectories
developmental trajectories

I scoured the internet dictionaries trying to nail down a definition, but I guess you have to sit in a classroom and hear it to grasp the meaning. It sounds a lot more hopeless and set in stone than "direction," or "path." First, in case you weren't sure, "peer-victimization" is bullying. I was pretty sure it was, but had to go to the article and look for keywords or tags. Usually, finding a summary of a medical article in layman's language is helpful. This article in Medical News Today manages to summarize the original and only use the word “trajectory” once--maybe they were confused too. Their title was “How And Why Certain Children Receive Chronic Peer Abuse” instead of "Predictive Validity and Early Predictors of Peer-Victimization Trajectories in Preschool." You get paid more if you've got a fancy title.

What I got out of the article, other than a vision of seeing little kids hurtling through the air from pre-school into a gang of bullies in high school, is that the parents’ behavior and the child’s behavior cause something in the dynamics that invites bullying by other children. I’ve read it through several times and don’t see any other conclusion. The children are aggressive or hyperactive from a very early age, and the parents have poor skills and react harshly. When these children are around other kids, they are doing something that causes the other children to react mean or negative. Also, the same predictors for poverty (teen mother, single parent, low education) seem to be in the bullying scenario.

Conclusion: Early childhood preventive interventions should target parenting skills and child behaviors, particularly within families with insufficient income.

Short of taking the children away from the parents, I don’t know where this research is going, because a few public service announcements on public television (I've seen them about 6 a.m. and wonder who is watching) or a one hour parenting class at the Y probably isn’t going to change much, but the concept sure is fodder for the grant money. What do you think (if you’ve read the article.)

The science of music

There's an interesting display on the science of music at the Science and Engineering Library at the Ohio State University. Also links to some books (including e-books) you might enjoy. I had no idea. . . I'm practically next door and I probably won't make the trip over, but you can see a lot from the web site.

There's a link to History of the 8-track. I think I saw a box of these in the basement yesterday when I was looking for the box of Christmas dishes. We used to have a HUGE collection because my father-in-law (the Indiana one) worked for RCA. I can still remember him saying that the cassette would never have the good sound quality of the 8-track. When it comes to technology, never say never. Our first 8-track player was in our 1968 (?) Olds Delta, 4-door, dark forest green. We had two baby seats in the back and still could have had room for the grandparents, all 6 of them.

Porta-potties and prostitutes

Some of the $160 million inauguration obamafest money could have gone for more toilets--I heard this morning that 5,000 have been put in place. That won't even begin to accomodate the women's line--women take about 5 minutes longer than men, and imagine the struggle with all the winter layers! Then there's the homeless. I understand they are shipping them to shelters outside the view. That's liberals. Ask for their vote, but do a street sweep. Obama could have put each homeless person up for a few nights in a nice hotel and 3 hots for only a few million, and he never would have missed it. And they are telling the prostitutes to get lost too.

The fire in Grandview Heights

Yesterday a terrible fire raged through the business district of Grandview Heights, Ohio, for several hours as firefighters from several cities battled the freezing temperatures and aging buildings with nooks, crannies and shared attic and hallways where the flames could hide. One of the artists we've featured several times in our Visual Arts Ministry at UALC is local photographer Joe Wagenhals. Take a look at his slides of the fire.

Story in the Columbus Dispatch.

Good news for coffee drinkers

Not only are we happier, but we're less likely to develop dementia.

"Midlife Coffee and Tea Drinking and the Risk of Late-Life Dementia: A Population-based CAIDE Study." Marjo H. Eskelinen, Tiia Ngandu, Jaakko Tuomilehto, Hilkka Soininen, Miia Kivipelto. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Vol 16, No 1, January 2009 (in press). Link.

Abstract: Caffeine stimulates central nervous system on a short term. However, the long-term impact of caffeine on cognition remains unclear. We aimed to study the association between coffee and/or tea consumption at midlife and dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in late-life. Participants of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study were randomly selected from the survivors of a population-based cohorts previously surveyed within the North Karelia Project and the FINMONICA study in 1972, 1977, 1982 or 1987 (midlife visit). After an average follow-up of 21 years, 1409 individuals (71%) aged 65 to 79 completed the re-examination in 1998. A total of 61 cases were identified as demented (48 with AD). Coffee drinkers at midlife had lower risk of dementia and AD later in life compared with those drinking no or only little coffee adjusted for demographic, lifestyle and vascular factors, apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and depressive symptoms. The lowest risk (65% decreased) was found in people who drank 3-5 cups per day. Tea drinking was relatively uncommon and was not associated with dementia/AD. Coffee drinking at midlife is associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD later in life. This finding might open possibilities for prevention of dementia/AD.

But an even better reason to drink coffee is that it is good for the environment! "It is projected that 340 million gallons of biodiesel can be produced from the waste coffee grounds around the world. The coffee grounds after oil extraction are ideal materials for garden fertilizer, feedstock for ethanol, and as fuel pellets." Link. That clinches it--will probably become law now that you must drink coffee.

Today's new word is LIGNIN

Yes, another one I should have remembered, but didn't. Lignin is an organic bonding material found in the wood fiber of untreated papers. The acidic properties of lignin have a deteriorative effect on paper and photographs. When buying a scrapbook or photo album makes sure they are lignin free.

At How Stuff Works: "Lignin makes wood stiff and trees stand upright. You could say it acts as a glue to bind the cellulose fibers together. It is a polymer, a substance that is formed by the joining of simpler molecules into giant molecules that act differently than the smaller molecules did. Dr. Hou-Min Chang, a professor of wood and paper science at N.C. State University in Raleigh, N.C., compares lignin to the concrete used in buildings, with cellulose as the steel frame. Without lignin, Chang says, a tree could only grow to be about 6 feet tall. Lignin also helps protect the wood from pests and other damage. Newsprint, which must be produced as economically as possible, has more lignin in it than finer papers. At the mill, the wood that will be turned into newsprint is ground up, lignin and all." That's why old newspapers turn yellow very quickly.

About 30 years ago I moved these photos of my 12 year old classmates from a scrapbook that was crumbling to a cheap photo album, and now it's starting to go. Fortunately, black and white photos are a lot more permanent than color.

Click to enlarge

The 70s called--they want your hair back

Ambush makeover web site from the Today Show is a lot of fun to browse. I wonder if these women wear their grandmother's kerchiefs or roll out of bed without combing or make-up in order to get picked. I've never seen so many frumps--well, actually I have.

This woman wants to look good for her 11th wedding anniversary--says her husband has never seen her dressed up!

An interview

These questions came from Pauline at
Writing down the words.




1. If you had $1,000,000, what would you do with it?

Because of the economy, I think I’d go for venture capital and invest in a bright, young, hard working entrepreneur or two. This is the future of our country--small businesses create a lot of jobs. I’ve been quite discouraged over the years seeing what happens to endowments to churches and colleges. After the donor or family die off, the recipients start using it for whatever, no matter how careful the instructions. And that may not be all bad--you can’t control your good works from the grave!

2. What have you learned from your children? What do you think they've learned from you?

I learned children pop out of the womb fully made and ready to go with intelligence, personality, abilities, appearance, voice, body language, gifts and foibles already in place. B. C. (before children) I was a big believer that environment matters most. No longer. We are what we are. I’m awfully thankful to God for their presence in my life, and that they live right here in Columbus. They will often say something like, "My parents taught me. . ." or "I get that from Mom. . ." and occasionally they'll mention a grandparent as an influence, but frankly, I don't see a lot of resemblance. But how nice that they think so. My daughter is better about writing thank you notes than I am--she seems to remember when I held them hostage until the note to grandma was written. "Meanest mother in town," then.

3. What living famous person would you most like to have as a dinner guest, and why? What would you serve?

I would love to have Laura Bush at my dinner table--she could bring George if he’s free from speaking engagements. She’s a former librarian who never wanted the spot light (like many of us in that field) but learned the ropes in order to follow her husband. George is a recovering alcoholic and so that takes a special person to live with that--not too wimpy or controlling--because don’t we always think we know best--especially those of us who got the librarian genes? I'd serve warmed over politics with roast journalists on the side.

4. If you could re-do one thing in your life, what would it be?

Do-overs are hard to imagine because you might mess up something down the road, however, I don’t think this idea would. I took chemistry in college, and this past summer I took a class in geology, and found it really interesting, so I think for a non-scientist science requirement, that might have been interesting. Of course, then I wouldn’t have dated the chemistry lab assistant, but that didn’t go anywhere any way, so I doubt that would have messed up my future. Of course, I might have flirted with someone in geology class. . . and not transferred to the University of Illinois where I met my husband.

5. What are you most looking forward to when you are able to retire?

I’ve been retired since October 2000. I was quite concerned about it, so I looked ahead and did some planning. I even wrote a story about (My lost suitcase) and distributed it. I loved my job, it offered me great opportunities to publish, travel, and working with fascinating topics and people (and animals). But I haven’t missed it at all. I’ve done most of the things on my list to try except in-line skating and bird watching (although I sit on my deck and watch them). Blogging I didn’t know about (started in October 2003), but writing was on my list, so that worked out nicely.

* * *
Now, if you’d like to answer interview questions of my own devising:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick what they will be or I‘ll send this one.)
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Seen at . . .

Vital Signs Blog Between the Rollover Republicans (I'll scratch your back, you rub my tummy) and the sycophant, slobbering journalists, this is a lovefest the likes of which we'll never see again.

Looking for the artists

The first piece I bought 50 years ago at Manchester College from an artist named Alison Adams. The odd discoloring was caused by sticking it in the corner of a mirror for about 40 years. The second piece is a ceramic bowl by an artist named Wilks and I'm guessing from the colors it is about 30 years old and was probably purchased in Columbus, possibly at an art fair. Anyone have information?

Just give him a chance!

Why? He's already gone back on most of his campaign promises and hired all the old Clinton retreads--not even the left can trust him, let alone the right. (OK, so it's a bit of hyperbole--he hasn't broken ALL 510 campaign promises.) And spend? Oh my goodness! His $150 million inaugural makes Bush and Clinton look like pikers! Where, oh where, are all those progressive / liberal / marxist pundits and bloggers of 2004-2005 who moaned and groaned about Bush's extravagance? And tax us? Whew! Out the wazoo! And the arrogance. Strutting around and giving orders like he was the president the last two months. Didn't grandma teach him manners? Don't they have guidebooks for guys on a steep learning curve? Now he's stroking and snuggling up to a tax crook who doesn't know how to file quarterly the way the rest of us with self-employment income are required to do? And he's the guy who supposedly knows how to turn the economy around!! Perhaps we follow suit and see if President Obama gives us a job. Usually presidents wait 100 days before it's obvious they are clueless. So why wait? Why give him a chance when by Jan. 20 he will have already used up 77 days proving his worth?

"Before President Bush took office, the federal government took in $2 trillion in revenue in 2000. As Bush leaves office, the federal government is expected to take in $2.4 trillion in 2009. In other words, after eight years under President Bush, the federal government is taking in $400 billion more a year in revenue. So why did Congressional Budget Office project a $1.4 trillion deficit for the 2009 budget? Massive spending increases. In 2000, the federal government spent just $1.8 trillion. Now the CBO estimates that the feds will spend almost double that, $3.5 trillion, in 2009 . Oh, and by the way, these figures do not include the nearly $1 trillion in new deficit spending that President-elect Barack Obama wants to throw at our struggling economy." Heritage Foundation, Morning Bell, January 16, 2009

". . . if you are one of the people who is sitting back waiting for Obama to ride in and clean up the mess his party has helped to create, quit holding your breath. You might as well exhale...it will be business as usual. You know, throw some money here and throw some money there. Blow some smoke and blame the other party while perpetuating the problem. After all, our legislators created a crisis and want you to think we need them to resolve it. What we need is for them to go home, leave our taxes alone and let us upright the economy. Whoever heard that the wise thing to do when you are in debt is to go further into debt? The more money they blow the longer and more expensive the recovery! Obama has already expressed that this crisis will take years to resolve thus implying that we will probably need him and his party for another term or longer. They can milk the Bush blame game forever." Murray Sez

Friday Fridge Soup

Nothing like a wind chill of minus 25 to make you open the refrigerator door and look for soup fixins.

a pint more or less of chicken broth made last week
two wilted carrots of indeterminant age
one medium size onion, chopped
two tired potatoes, sprouting
a half jar of salsa, medium hot, left from a Sunday football game
one small can of vegetable juice
one lonesome turkey bratwurst, sliced, cooked lightly in microwave, drained
all the celery hearts (forgotten about when I bought a fresh bunch) chopped
salt and pepper to taste
And nothing like the flash of a camera to let you see all the spots on the wallpaper. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything I liked as well as this. Goes with the cabinets and counters. But I then did try a little of that magic eraser, and found it removed a lot.

Faith Hope Love Ministry of Anne and David Wan

Because of the cold, my husband decided it was best to cancel the exercise class today, so we were trying to find phone numbers. There are a few Chinese women who attend, so I was looking at Anne and David's Christmas letter to see if I could find a phone listing, and instead discovered their ministry called Faith Hope Love, which started as a small gathering of Christians in their home and is now a ministry. Check it out here.



Anne and her daughter Priscilla travelled to Europe the summer of 2008 with an evangelism team and visited seven countries--Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, German, Luxembourg and Holland. They saw many miracles of physical and spiritual healing. Anne was a translator and Priscilla was a worship leader. Here's the video which I found on their web site.



I also found this in their photo file of a family trip to Taiwan, and I think is our O-H-I-O Buckeye cheer.

Thursday Thirteen--13 reminders

In the previous entry I reported on supplements C & E not helping much. What to do? Here's my thirteen reminders on healthy living--from years of observation, and several previous blogs.

1. Choose your parents and ancestors wisely.
   
2. Eat all the colors, the darker the better.
   
3. Learn to prepare your own food--it's cheaper and healthier than eating out frequently or buying processed. Lots of wonderful root crops; and frozen will be better than that stuff that sits in the back of the frig for 2 weeks, which may have been old when you bought it. Don't bother with those search and destroy missions; the human race got this far without infomercials and expensive eating programs.
   
4. Avoid high calorie, sugary or salty snacks and desserts. They just make you more hungry; but also, don't deprive yourself completely or you'll binge. Chocolate in moderation is good for you. I hope they don't reverse that research.
   
5. Don't smoke at all; not for any reason, no, no, no, not any weed. Nicotine is never good for you, gives you wrinkles, yellow teeth, bad breath, puts you at risk for all sorts of diseases, and you smell bad. Plus it costs hundreds a year. That third hand smoke danger stuff is an urban legend, however. Based on nothing but personal opinion survey. No studies--zip, nada, zilch. If you get too hyper, you'll just give yourself an ulcer.
   
6. Don't have more than a few alcoholic drinks a week; red wine may even be good for you--even more so with a little chocolate. But grape juice is good, too. I cooked up a bunch of grapes getting a little old along with some fresh pineapple starting to turn and a tired apple. Ran it all through the blender, and my! that was tasty.
   
7. Get regular exercise. I know, I know. I hate it too. But it's good for you. Especially the bones. It will also help your balance. Falls are dangerous. You don't want to go to the hospital or nursing home for any reason--bad germs there. Plus it sets you up for pneumonia.
   
8. Wash your hands often. Keep a little bottle of the alcohol rub around for emergencies.
   
9. Brush your teeth.
   
10. Floss. Protect your gums. You can really get bad stuff from decay around your gums. I hate to floss. And I had gingivitis in my 30s, so I should know better. But I do have all my teeth--even my wisdom teeth. That helps me write 11 blogs.
    
11. Protect your ears. Oh, I hate to see these kids blasting away their hearing hour by hour with ear buds and i-pods. Hearing is so precious. My grandmother was blind, and you know what she said? Hearing loss is worse than sight loss because it interferes with communication. I can't stand it when I see parents taking their helpless infants and toddlers into the loud, clangy bangy church service (called x-alt at our church) with the drums and rock music. It's child abuse in my opinion. If my ears are too tender for that CCM noise, think what theirs must be!
    
12. Choose solid, stable, supportive shoes. Oh you foolish girls, trying to look like you have 5 more inches of leg by wearing stiletto, expensive pumps with pointy toes. I like a little stacked heel just because it's comfortable, but you're asking for sprained ankles and strained backs. You'll have corns, bunions and arch cramps for sure.
    
13. Forgive. Don't carry around grudges. How long ago did she say that nasty thing? 20 years? Bad thoughts pull down your face and cause you to get less sleep, which give you bags under your eyes.

The Old Thursday Thirteen is gone; here's the new site. http://thursday-13.com/

Vitamins E and C in preventing cancer in men

Of course, the next study could say something different, but the one published in the January 7 issue of JAMA suggests nutritional supplements E and C (8 year study, 14,641 men) do not reduce the risk of prostate or total cancer. The only reassuring thing in the study was they don't do any harm. The multivitamin study hasn't been published yet.

Results: During a mean follow-up of 8.0 years, there were 1008 confirmed incident cases of prostate cancer and 1943 total cancers. Compared with placebo, vitamin E had no effect on the incidence of prostate cancer (active and placebo vitamin E groups, 9.1 and 9.5 events per 1000 person-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-1.09; P = .58) or total cancer (active and placebo vitamin E groups, 17.8 and 17.3 cases per 1000 person-years; HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.95-1.13; P = .41). There was also no significant effect of vitamin C on total cancer (active and placebo vitamin C groups, 17.6 and 17.5 events per 1000 person-years; HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.92-1.10; P = .86) or prostate cancer (active and placebo vitamin C groups, 9.4 and 9.2 cases per 1000 person-years; HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.90-1.15; P = .80). Neither vitamin E nor vitamin C had a significant effect on colorectal, lung, or other site-specific cancers. Adjustment for adherence and exclusion of the first 4 or 6 years of follow-up did not alter the results. Stratification by various cancer risk factors demonstrated no significant modification of the effect of vitamin E on prostate cancer risk or either agent on total cancer risk.

Conclusions: In this large, long-term trial of male physicians, neither vitamin E nor C supplementation reduced the risk of prostate or total cancer. These data provide no support for the use of these supplements for the prevention of cancer in middle-aged and older men.

The only beneficiaries seem to be the companies that produce and market nutritionals. And although there are no published negative affects, think about all those supplements being passed through to the sewage treatment plants--is there anyway to get that stuff out of the water? We get so worried about what the animals are passing through to the ground water, what about us? I looked at a few articles about this, but didn't see anything worth linking to--sort of hard to find the right descriptors or tags.

Robert Eric McFadden, Scum Strickland Staffer

A former member of Governor Strickland’s staff, Robert McFadden, 46, Dublin, Ohio, who headed his Faith Based Initiatives program until October 2007 has been arrested as one of the main organizers of a Columbus area prostitution ring. A local TV station, NBC4 reports: “Police said McFadden was involved in Columbus prostitution for about six years and was also widely known in Democratic politics and Catholic politics as the leader of Central Ohio’s Catholics for Clinton during the last primary election.”

The Columbus Dispatch reports: “The charges include compelling prostitution involving a minor, promoting prostitution and pandering. He is being held in the Franklin County jail pending an appearance in Municipal Court this morning. Police said they have seized a computer and two vehicles. One was his wife's car, which detectives said was the setting for photos of the 17-year-old girl that McFadden then posted online.”

And the Dayton Daily News: "McFadden has been involved in Democratic politics, working for Catholics for Kerry in 2004, Catholic Alliance for the Common Good in 2006, and Sen. Hillary Clinton's primary bid last year. Strickland appointed him to head the Office on Faith-based Initiatives, a post McFadden held from February 2007 to October 2007. Dailey said, "He was not a good fit for the role... It was a mutually agreed to decision that the position wasn't working out for him."

Lots of churches and non-profits in Columbus do this faith based initiative grant stuff at the local and federal level to rehab houses, feed and serve the poor. Personally, I think it’s a bad idea. The government gets cheap labor, and the church folk get screwed. When there’s a change in administrations, the programs suffer plus the church has been taking handouts instead of tithes. It's a pact with the devil--don't preach the gospel and we'll give you money. Wonder how much he’s tainted these programs? Let's hope some observant Christians reported to Strickland--You don't become a crook over night. They leave crumbs to follow. What better place for the fox to hide than inside the hen house? After he left the governor’s staff he worked for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. What a combination! Didn’t anyone catch on to this guy? Don't they need references?

Strickland is having problems vetting the morals of his staff and fellow Democrats. Marc Dann, Ohio’s attorney general, finally resigned after sexual harrassment and misuse of government funds were revealed. As one wag put it, they couldn’t get him on adultery, or they’d lose half the legislature. After the 2004 loss, Democrats looked around at what worked for Republicans and decided it was religion and family values. Governor Strickland, a former Methodist pastor, seemed a good bet, and he ran on a squeaky clean ethics platform because our former governor didn’t report a free golf game.

The Marc Dann stories in Dispatch, right up through this week.

Update: While checking this story later in google for updates, I see a rabid anti-Republican, anti-Bush web site (got BDS bad) in the original title referred to McFadden as a GOPer. After realizing he was a Democrat, the blogger (I think it was a Huff Puff post) changed GOPer to Pol, not Dem. However, the URL remained the same even though the title changed, so when you see it on Google, it looks like McFadden was a Republican. Porno-pimpers come in all colors and parties and I doubt that his party had a significant role in his scumminess. However, I think it's delightful that the blogger looked at his "faith-based" and assumed the worst, then found out he worked for Kerry, Clinton and Strickland, all loyal Democrats.

Today's new word--SPHYGMOMANOMETER

Perhaps you were calling it "that blood pressure thingy." Sphygmo is from the Greek word for pulse; manos for thin; and metron for measure. I like to read medical journals, so I could fill up a blog with the words I don't recognize, but this one was in a JAMA essay called "Drama in Medicine?" and I have to admit, I didn't get his point, but he did refer to the drama of the otoscope and sphygmomanometer. According to my Tabor's, it's an instrument for determining arterial blood pressure indirectly. I have always had low blood pressure; if the assistant is new, she immediately does it over. But drama?

It's nice to know that doctors too need to brush up on their medical terms, not just retired veterinary librarians. This issue (Jan. 7, 2009) had an article "How to use an article about genetic association," where the hypothetical case is presented that a patient consults with his doctor because Alzheimer's Disease afflicted both his father and grandfather, so he wanted to know about genetic tests. So the doctor consults his texts and finds an array of confusing words, plus more than 1000 publications on genetic associations of AD with mention of hundreds of genes. So there is a full page of a basic glossary--about 25 words before launching into the topic--how to read and understand the genetic literature.

This would never happen to you or me

"LA Times: Though he was a prodigy in the world of economics, Timothy F. Geithner underwent an IRS audit in 2006 and ended up paying back taxes for a mistake in two years' worth of filings. That was embarrassing enough.

But just as he was about to be named to head the Treasury Department, a more awkward fact came to light: Geithner had made the same error in two earlier tax years and failed to fix it even after the audit."

Someone at IRS gave Geithner a pass Go, do not go to jail card, because he was too big to fail. It was the Obama team vetting him that found the error. The IRS let him off the hook. Another too big, too brilliant to fail, Washington insider. When will we learn? We are about to have a tax crook as head of Treasury! Wasn't this Madoff's problem? Wasn't this the story with the Indian Enron guy? [B. Ramalinga Raju of Satyam] A different set of rules for our buddies? The little guy is hounded, charged interest, and fined for even a minor infraction of "forgetting" a tax rule. When our son needed to dip into his IRA a few years back to pay his bills, he carefully (he thought) paid the penalty and taxes due. But something was overlooked (don't ever try to figure out those rules without an accountant or lawyer), and shazam, down came the IRS on him 2 or 3 years later with a fine and interest. He had the additional cost of hiring a lawyer. Geithner gets into trouble, and the IRS doesn't even follow through. Dual set of rules. And then there's the domestic staff issue. Why do all these Democrats get caught by this? Why can't they figure out why that domestic is such a bargain? Wasn't that a Clinton staffing problem too.

And all these Democrats and media talking heads excusing him for being "sloppy," or "overlooking" something. Would they be so kind to a Republican appointee, or even my son?

Three word Wednesday

The words this week are Entwine, Forfeit and Tryst. Here's how it works, and anyone can play. Take the words proved, write something with them, then come back to the 3WW site and leave a link, and visit the others and leave a comment.



She's twisted
And
trysted

He's entwined
And
refined.

Time's up
Payment's overdue,
You forfeit.

Photo from Softies Central

New Year's Resolution Nine

Join Mindy's watercolor class on Tuesday afternoon. This is from a photo of Mindy's husband walking in Ennis Woods--it must have been on one of our few sunny days.

Today's new word is THRENODY

from threnos (thray'-nos), from the base of throeo; wailing -- lamentation. A song of lamentation; a dirge; a funeral song; a lament. There is actually a blog called, "Threnody of an ethereal dreamer" written by an 18 year old Malaysian girl! Now why would her life be one long funeral song?

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a poem, Threnody, after the death of his 5 year old son (excerpt)

O child of Paradise!
Boy who made dear his father's home
In whose deep eyes
Men read the welfare of the times to come;
I am too much bereft;
The world dishonored thou hast left;
O truths and natures costly lie;
O trusted, broken prophecy!
O richest fortune sourly crossed;
Born for the future, to the future lost!

William Shakespeare wrote a poem, Threnos.

Threnos.

Beauty, truth, and rarity,
Grace in all simplicity,
Here enclosed in cinders lie.
Death is now the phoenix` nest;
And the turtle`s loyal breast
To eternity doth rest,
Leaving no posterity:
`T was not their infirmity,
It was married chastity.
Truth may seem, but cannot be;
Beauty brag, but `t is not she;
Truth and beauty buried be.
To this urn let those repair
That are either true or fair;
For these dead birds sigh a prayer.

To what are we entitled?

For over 30 years we’ve been hearing we deserve something that has nothing to do with our values, abilities, wealth/poverty or station in life. McDonald’s made a fortune with "You deserve a break today (ad campaign 1971)," and it’s never gone away. There’s apparently a new theme at Wendy’s, “You deserve a download with your burger.” which promotes a download of a free music file from Rhapsody. So now you deserve music with your food. I haven’t been in Wendy‘s for sometime (although I love their junior bacon cheeseburger, hold-the-mayo for $.99) so I‘m taking the word of another blogger.

But this entitlement idea is everywhere. It's the opposite of what the Bible says, and what Americans who founded this country believed. In the OT, the core values were worship of the Creator God, of being grateful, of obeying God’s commands and living to honour Him. In the NT, there is no sense we deserve anything except justice, which would be hell for being disobedient sinners. Grace is UNMERITED.

I checked the internet:

How to get every dollar you deserve . . . by getting the full value for your house”
“Helping you receive the financial aid you deserve”
“You deserve a tax break on your home office costs”
“Get the job you deserve”
“Get the raise you deserve”
“You deserve the best selection”
“Make health your priority - you deserve it”
"You deserve a true marketing partner, not someone who simply takes orders"
"The vacation you deserve"
"The advertising you deserve"
"The attention you deserve"
"Gain the exposure you deserve"

We call government programs "entitlements," and as much as Democrats want to think Republicans are uncaring, heartless boobs, it's really the Republicans who are the big spenders on entitlements. It seems whenever they get a chance, they try to outspend the Democrats. Obama will have to really open the wallet to outspend Bush. Since 2000, Medicaid up 50%, Social Security up 6.3%, Medicare up 6.6%, child nutriiton up 8.9% veterans benefits up 7.3% (this would be higher, except the Iraq War costs are offset by the deaths of WWII veterans), Earned Income Tax Credit up 13.3%, Pell grants (college for low income) up 33.1%, and welfare down 18.2% (this reflects the 1996 welfare reform whereby it is harder to qualify).

So, to how much health care are you entitled? Mole removal? Hair transplant? Gastric by-pass? Liver transplant after a life-time of drinking? Drug rehab? Smoking cessation program? Fees for Weight Watchers or Jennie Craig? Anti-biotics for STDs? For those of you thinking universal healthcare is wonderful, let me tell you I have the "equivalent" through Medicare and my pension plan and it is costing me over 19% of my pension--and that's if I'm well and file no claims. When was the last time "free" translated to that? Is this the "skin" in the game that Mr. Obama talks about? Mine's already there, thank you.

Obama's appointing people to his cabinet who haven't even paid their taxes! Where is the change? Where is the hope? Where is the money?

Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, yesterday told members of the Senate finance committee that mistakes on his tax forms early within the last decade were unintentional, and that he had repaid the more than $42,000 owed, including interest. It was also disclosed yesterday that Geithner employed a housekeeper whose work eligibility had expired during the period in which she worked for him. UK Guardian

Now that's a guy (treasury) who really understands the meaning of "entitlement." Hank Paulson is a mess, but I think he managed to pay his taxes.

From Heritage Foundation: Last week, after the Congressional Budget Office report showed that the pre-stimulus budget deficit would reach $1.2 trillion in FY 2009, President-elect Barack Obama reiterated his campaign promise to make Social Security and Medicare reform a “central part” of his efforts to control skyrocketing federal spending. Democrats on the Hill are already pushing back against any reform that would lower government spending, but Obama is correct. Spending is the problem. In the coming decades, the cost of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will leap from 8.4 percent to 18.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)–an increase of 10.2 percent. Funding all of the prom­ised benefits with income taxes would require rais­ing the 35 percent income tax bracket to at least 77 percent and raising the 25 percent tax bracket to at least 55 percent.

Where did the money go?

The drop in gasoline prices since summer has amounted to about $2,000 per household in spendable income. That's why a "stimulus" check isn't going to dent the recession. Now, we didn't get that much--we have two cars but don't drive a lot, but it did halve what we spent on gasoline. I think our share went to our California relatives (bunches of them--probably more than any other state). According to USAToday here's were it went:

48% for groceries

42% to savings

30% to pay down credit card debt

10% for entertainment

9% for home improvements

I think that shows the American people can make good financial choices when the government gets out of the way. Even though money that goes into savings isn't technically out there circulating by buying "stuff," it is used by banks to offer credit to businesses that do employ people. If you remember, since Congress doesn't, this was the idea behind the huge September scare--TARP. The money was to be used for banks to get the economy going. Instead, it has morphed into PARP POOP PORK. This is why we're getting the return of the Hoover-FDR economic boondoggle of federal fiddling (1929-1943), only this time it will be the Bush-Obama Boondoggle. Let's hope it doesn't last over a decade this time.

UA residents need to stop breathing

We're emitting too much carbon dioxide. But we're ahead of the game--we are the first central Ohio city to get a "carbon footprint." (Upper Arlington Magazine, January/ February 2009, p. 20) Breathing map by tonnes while you watch. Here's a word from the Lord on this topic, that all greenies, tree huggers and Algorends need to heed: We are to take care of the earth--that's one of the earliest contracts with God who made it, but we don't control the climate. That's above our pay grade.

The global warmists have switched to using the term "climate change," especially as we are freezing our buns off here in the midwest and east coast, as if there had never been a cold or hot day in the 1930s or 1950s, nor an earthquake rumbling through central Illinois, or a tsunami that came before TV coverage. If it doesn't warm up a bit by next Tuesday (Obamaday), I'm sure it will be blamed on George Bush. We in the 21st century are so terribly self-centered we think the entire globe must always be as it has been since the 1800s, and never as it was in 1000 or 1500, or 500 B.C. And just in the nick of time, too, because here comes the third world millions wanting our lifestyle--electricity, automobilies, air conditioning, computers! And while lefties in our government play footsie with Kyoto, Europe continues to build coal fired plants--take that Ohio!

If reading God's word bothers your sensibilities, step outside on a clear night and look up--at the billions of stars above, and get a whiff of humility.

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.
He says to the snow, "fall on the earth,"
and to the rain shower, "Be a mighty downpour."
So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labor.
The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.
The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.
The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.
He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.
At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.
He brings the clouds to punish men,
or to water his earth and show his love. . .

You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
can you join him in spreading out the skies,
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?
Job 37: 3-13, 17-18

No moralizing here.

Renzo Piano calls his new building for the California Academy of Sciences in the San Francisco Golden Gate Park a “soft machine.” Apparently, it sounds better in Italian, but in any language it is a green gimmick. The type I love to ridicule. No professions, unless it is the politicians and civil service of both parties, are more vested in green hype than the building trades--architects, interior designers, furniture makers, engineers of all makes and models, all construction trades from plumbers to sub contractors, and venture capitalists. They ripped down classical structures and threw up (literally) buildings that looked like cereal boxes on a kitchen shelf, then covered up that mess with "post-modern" full of peaks and valleys and round windows, and after leaving most cities and their budgets in a shambles, are back with a new idea--going green and reducing the carbon footprint. I can hardly stand to look at some of the architectural student projects for survivors of hurricanes and earthquakes.

“Piano saw the roof as a metaphor for the entire project. “I saw it as topography,” he adds. “The idea was to cut a piece of the park, push it up 35 feet—to the height of the old buildings—and then put whatever was needed underneath.” From the beginning, he envisioned a green roof that would be an extension of the park and serve as a thermal buffer for the spaces below. “Twenty-first-century architecture must be about sustainability,” he asserts. “This isn’t a moralistic stance; it’s simply what architecture must be.” To really appreciate the full scope of every shade of green, read the whole article in Architectural Digest.

I love it especially when they say they aren’t moralizing.

Today's new word--INCUNABULA

This is a word most librarians learn in library school, but I came across it yesterday and realized I'd forgotten--was it an old book, a manuscript or the size of something. Use it or lose it! Incunabula comes from the Latin in cuna "in the cradle," or beginnings, or birthplace of something. In Latin, usually the ending A means it is plural, like "data," so incunabulum is singular, and means a book printed with movable type before 1501. Or, it can be expanded a bit. . .

In a general sense, the term "incunabula" can be used to refer to printed works of a time so early in the history of printing in a given locality that such printing may be said to be in its infancy; thus it is possible to speak of American incunabula, Arizona incunabula, etc. With regard specifically to printing, however, and unless stated otherwise, the term is used to refer to the products of the European press of the 15th century. from Bookbinding and the conservation of books

Good eats for the new year, or any time

Tara Parker Pope, one of my favorite health writers (used to be with the WSJ so I don’t see much of her anymore since she left because I don't like NYT) has an article on the 11 best foods you aren’t eating. But I'm ahead of her--I do eat them--except for turmeric. There was a terrific buy on pomegranate juice, so I bought a few bottles and found out why it was on sale. Tasted awful. I still have a jar, so I may have to try it again if Tara thinks it's good. As I recall it was ghastly sweet. And the pumpkin seeds are just a little bit too snacky--I try to avoid snacks. Especially salty. But if you must--be my guest. You know what the secret of my chocolate peanut butter pie is? I mix in some canned pumpkin--about 1/3 cup. No one will ever know--although now they will because I just told it. I much prefer fresh blueberries to frozen, but they are OK to keep in the freezer and just throw in to something else fruity. They are brain food, and we elders really need that, don’t we. The only thing on this list I haven’t tried is tumeric. Don't have clue what to do with that one. Tara writes:

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
   How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
   [No thanks, I'll cook mine--and I always buy them fresh with the leaves--they are fabulous, too.]
   
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
   How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
   [Again, I chop and lightly saute with some onion and peppers--I think putting cold things in a hungry tummy just doesn't kill the hunger pangs.]
   
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
   How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
   [Yes, I eat this, but actually prefer turnip greens or maybe collard greens. Wash carefully! Cooking liberates the carotenoids, so I always lightly grill with some onion. Huge bowl cooks down to tiny serving.]
   
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
   How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
   [A big maybe--don't count on it. Use it because it tastes good--with a little honey makes a great glaze to keep chicken or fish moist while baking.]
   
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Just drink it.
   [I don't care for it--prefer to get antioxidants in citrus, like orange juice with pulp.]
   
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
   [Just reach in the box or bag!]
   
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
   How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
   [All nuts and seeds are good for you, but I eat walnuts every day--about 1/2 cup. Love walnuts--fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and the highest antioxidant activity. Whatever that does.]
   
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
   How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
   [I'll pass. Too slimy and yucky and don't they have eyes? I'll just buy some canned mackerel--cheaper and it's off the charts for lots of nutrients.]
   
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
   How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
   [Clueless in Columbus.]
   
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
    How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
    [Good for your brain--skip the yogurt and all the extra calories and just mix with some cereal.]
    
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
    How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
    [Put it in peanut butter pie--no one will ever know.]

Speaking of things that are good for you, last night I had a treat that couldn't possibly pass that test. At book club we had "tablet," a Scottish sweet made with condensed milk, sugar, and butter. There were no redeeming qualities except taste. Oh so yummy.