Biden comes around to Palin's view

According to James Taranto [July 7, WSJ], the Israel viewpoint for which Palin was attacked and ridiculed during the recent campaign, is now that of the current administration, via Joe Biden.

"Over the weekend, as we noted yesterday, Vice President Biden said that if Israel decides it needs to take military action against the Iranian nuclear-weapons program, the U.S. will not "dictate" otherwise. A reader points out that Sarah Palin, who ran against Biden in last year's election, said much the same thing in a September interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson:

Gibson: What if Israel decided it felt threatened and needed to take out the Iranian nuclear facilities?
Palin: Well, first, we are friends with Israel and I don't think that we should second-guess the measures that Israel has to take to defend themselves and for their security.
Gibson: So if we wouldn't second-guess it and they decided they needed to do it because Iran was an existential threat, we would cooperative or agree with that.
Palin: I don't think we can second-guess what Israel has to do to secure its nation.
Gibson: So if it felt necessary, if it felt the need to defend itself by taking out Iranian nuclear facilities, that would be all right.
Palin: We cannot second-guess the steps that Israel has to take to defend itself.
Palin reiterated the point in a later interview with CBS's Katie Couric."

Reviewing Charlie's interview I wonder if he would have been so intent on tripping up a male ethnic Democrat running for president, or if race trumps gender in the diversity wars. The male dominated, owned and controlled media were certainly intent on assuring that no woman occupy the White House except as First Lady. Taranto goes on to point out that for this steady hand and unwillingness to cave, she was called stupid, robotic, repeating pro-Israel buzz words, and a puppet of the pro-Jewish Cabal. But those same critics, supporters of the Obama-Biden dog and pony apology tour, are saying Biden's response is subtle--most Americans aren't smart enough to even understand--or that he doesn't reflect Obama's thinking, or they just don't say anything in the range of stupid or robotic. Ah, freedom of the press. We folks enjoying democracy are certainly lucky we don't have a media that parrot the party in power.

Our trip to Mulberry Creek Herb Farm

The Lakeside Herb class had a delightful trip to Mulberry Creek Herb Farm in Huron, Ohio owned by Karen and Mark Langan. Not only was the weather perfect--70s and sunny--but the hosts were great fun and very educational, with a lunch for our group that was delicious as well as healthful and nutritious.

Karen has degrees in Agricultural Research and Greenhouse Production from Ohio State University's Agricultural Technical Institute and over 20 years experience working in horticulture. Mark has a degree in ornamental horticulture from Washington State University and has been working in the horticulture field since he was a teenager. Karen and Mark also teach classes at their herb farm on a variety of herbal topics, including organic gardening, aromatherapy, herbal crafts and herbal cooking. Karen and Mark are business members of The Herb Society of America. They also have a successful mail order business, but have decided that after 11 years they will discontinue that. Too bad--the catalog is delightful--great explanations, color photos, and tasty recipes. Karen says they are too large for pencil and paper orders, and too small to computerize. She likes to have a personal relationship with her customers and not get too big.

The annual herb festival draws nearly 2,000 herb enthusiasts. In 2008 the theme was Tuscany and this year (June 27-28) it was Ireland. There were workshops on Irish soda bread, Celtic traditions and Faery Lore, traditional Irish cooking, the Irish potato, with a menu by their caterer to match.

Mark first introduced us to his miniature plants used for railroad gardens--a feature that is very popular with men, and apparently America's newest hot hobby. There is even a magazine, Garden Railways. They have more than 300 varieties. Then Karen took over and explained the care and uses of many varieties, including companion planting which puts plants together that work well together. I'll never be a gardener, but this visit might encourage me to get a bit more adventurous in using herbs in cooking.

The railroad with the miniature plants. The train is barely visible behind the fence but was moving right along.

Mark explained that mint needs to be planted in 5 gal. buckets with 3" of exposed rim above ground or it will spread and take over your yard--or a small town.

Karen explains how to do companion planting and has our full attention.

This little Irish shed had succulents planted on the roof.

A celtic cross, I'm not sure if it is always here, or is for this year's theme.




We had such a good thyme!

For a very special treat

drop by Sherry's blog, Semicolon, and view her 100 favorite hymns project. She invited different bloggers to submit their own favorites, then she researched and wrote about them. I think I sent her a list. She has video, recollections of her own, the lyrics, the melody, well, the works. What a wonderful contribution to the blogosphere.

I used to have an entire link section on book reviewers and that's where Sherry resided on this page, but apparently on my last template upgrade, it fell off. Oh my. I hate it when that happens, don't you?

Why would the White House need a blog?

They've got ABC, NCB, CBS, CNN, WaPo, NYT and WSJ pulling out all the stops and spreading the news about how great the admin is! Talk about overkill!

I love this photo of the two biggest economic screwups side by side in modern history. Ben and Barry I Scream.

Facebook vs. Google

I'm a big Google fan. The story of its founders is the American dream. I remember exactly where I was (at my desk at work) when the TN vet-ag librarian told me about it. I use it constantly. Facebook. Oh, not so much. Yes, I'm aware of it, but can't think of any reason to join. Sounds too much like junior high school--friends, constantly gossiping, not going out side the group, etc. Not for this gal. Although I have used it from time to time to track down people--like the teenage piano teacher I had when I was 6 years old.

Wired is in my first issues collection (my hobby), and I still subscribe because 1) it's incredibly cheap, and 2) I can read it in the car or coffee shop much easier than reading it online. The Facebook article in the July 2009 issue is something you all should read, whether you're in an online community that uses real identities and data, or you are a fan of Google for going outside your comfort zone for information.

Facebook has a 4 step plan to dominate the internet, 1) Build critical mass (200 million members who contribute 4 billion pieces of information every month; 2) Redefine search (members will turn to friends); 3) Colonize the Web (10,000 partner sites); 4) Sell targeted ads everywhere (from the data you've contributed which will target you for ads). And then when the government takes over like it did GM and Chrysler? Shazaam.

The Library on Mulberry Street

McGraw Hill’s Construction video library for Architectural Record has some fascinating projects (some really ugly, but most not so much)--over 100--I really enjoyed this one about a library on Mulberry Street where Rogers Marvel Architects inserted a grand stair into an old loft floor, allowing light to penetrate into two subterranean levels.

Dinner at the White House--a Parable

is zipping around the internet, and if you're on anyone's list, you either have or will receive it. I got a copy from Murray, and looked it up. It was written by Richard Gleaves on June 26 at Rebirth of Reason, and by now has probably been read by millions. I glanced through several versions, and some resenders are modifying it slightly, so it's best to go to the source.

"Once upon a time, I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with the President. I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics. There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a free country. There's nothing that the government can do to me if I've broken no laws. My wealth was earned honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor." Read the rest

I also looked through some of the comments on sites where it has been reposted; Obama supporters hate it of course, his detractors say it doesn't go far enough. One even said it doesn't fit the definition of a parable because it is true--it is happening.

100 Best Blogs for School Librarians

Never pass up a list--and this one is really a good one, although why I'm on the list, I have no idea. I do occasionally blog memories about libraries, odd reference questions (how to bake blackbirds in a pie, how to get the flesh off road kill for a science project, etc.), or criticism of crazy things going on these days (16 copies of an anti-Bush book in the UAPL), but I'm totally out of the loop on the technology end of things, being somewhat a print on paper person myself. But it's still an interesting list, useful and well thought out. Librarians love lists. Actually, bloggers do too.

Health Maintenance class at Lakeside

Although I don't think I heard anything new about the importance of a colonoscopy, screening for osteoporosis or the value of exercise, Dr. John Weigand's talk was informative and entertaining. He noted that by 2025 over 62,000,000 persons in the U.S. will be over 65. The risk of osteoporosis is high, particularly for white women, so screening should start around age 60. Dr. Weigand recommends 1000-1500 mg/day of calcium--not sure I get that much, and also Vitamin D, perhaps 1000-2000 units a day. He also said 10-15 minutes a day in the sun would help without being a skin cancer danger (without sun screen, which blocks vitamin D). A t-score of a negative 2.5 is osteoporosis. He suggested we go to FRAX to get a 10 year risk of a hip fracture or major osteoporotic event. The good news about exercise is that even the oldest of the old benefit from a supervised program of high-intensity resistance training and weights; that aeroblic exercise helps brain synapses and possibly promotes the development of new neurons from adult stem cells.

And in the Sonnets class earlier in the day we looked at Shakespeare's Sonnet 73, which certainly seems to fit:

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Retiring my Palin-Jindal pin

If she can't stand the heat and won't complete the term she was elected to, I don't want her for President of the U.S. She may have good reasons--and family and harassment from the press would certainly be enough--but that won't go away for an even tougher office and scrutiny. She is now the gal the press, both liberal and conservative, love to hate. Best would have been to get back to the job of being governor.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday that she was resigning her office later this month, a stunning decision that could free her to run for president more easily but also raises questions about her political standing at home.

Palin disclosed the surprise news Friday afternoon from her home in Wasilla with her husband, Todd, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who the governor said would take over the state on Saturday, July 25. http://www.politico.com/

I doubt that she will even be useful stumping for other candidates and issues. She was even roundly criticized by the press for supporting an autism fund raising effort. They can make 'em, like Obama, or break 'em.

Tonight's pot luck--onion pie?

Looking through my new yard sale cookbook and the cupboards and the calendar, I see that Onion Pie might be a possibility for tonight's potluck at Juliann's house for this week's Rhein Center instructors.

The usual pie crust instructions for a one crust pie (I'll use my own). Bake 10 minutes and remember to prick the crust before baking.

"For the filling, fry 4 strips of finely diced bacon until done. Drain, and in the bacon fat cook, until they are transparent 2 large onions that have been diced very fine. Drain off fat, and mix bacon and onions with 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, previously beaten, a scant 1/2 cup sour cream, salt and pepper, some chopped chives and a sprinkling of caraway seeds. Pour into crust and bake at 350 until the filling is firm, about 20 or 25 minutes. This should be eaten warm, cut into narrow wedges that can be taken up with the hand." p. 137 "The wonderful world of cooking," (1956).

For another version with some cheese and advice try Taste and Tell.

Treating the Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. It's now in Ohio and most of the midwest and lower Canada. It's not a pretty picture. We have some here in Lakeside. I was watching the tree trimmers work on a tree that was damaged in the storm late in June--and either they are leaving a 50 ft. tall stump, or they are hoping there will be new growth.

I attended a program on Lakeside's trees about two weeks ago, and heard there is a treatment for this pest. It reminds me of Obama's stimulus plan. It costs way more than anyone can afford, lasts only a short time, and then you are left with a sick, damaged, but alive tree, which is why most states and municipalities are choosing not to treat, but to start over with another type of tree.

The idiocy of hate crime legislation

The death of Steve McNair and his 20 year old girl friend show the bizarre possibilities of hate crimes legislation. Were they killed because someone hated them for their race and ethnicity or what they were doing? Could be! Was it murder-suicide? Possibly. Crime of passion? Obviously. He was an older married man, rich and famous; she was a powerless waitress. Maybe she found out, like many star struck girls do, that the "divorce" story was a lie. Spurned 3rd party? Could be--Law and Order plot. Maybe she had more than one boyfriend. Maybe she wasn't even a girl! OMG! This is a case for the Closer--I saw an episode like that. Was it race or gender or just old fashioned sin? Both were minorities. Hate crime investigators, go for it. The current legislation is about "perception" not fact. The idiocy of all hate crime legislation is that all the crimes are covered by other laws, and only certain Americans are protected/covered by this one. And the liberals are stumped when black on black crime, or gay on gay crime (by far the majority), just have to be plain old insult, murder or mayhem.

Week three at Lakeside is Health and Wellness Week

At the last minute I signed up for English sonnets at the Rhein Center, which will pretty much wipe out the mornings, Monday through Thursday, but I'm still free to attend Integrative Medicine with Laura Kunze of OSU on Monday afternoon 1:30; health maintenance 102 with John Weigand on Tuesday at 1:30; an update on health policy with Weigand on Wednesday at 1:30; exercise as medicine with Kitty Consolo of OU at Zanesville at 1:30 on Thursday; and supplements from A-Z on Friday morning at 10:30. There's a fatigue seminar at 3:30 on Wednesday, but by then I think I'll be too tired to go. I'll miss the Wednesday sonnets class due to the herb farm excusion. Busy. Busy.

Morning walks

Everyday the sun is different. Now, we know that "sunrise" and "sunset" are not accurate terms, because we are the ones moving. But so far, no one has changed the language. I'm watching each day as the sunrise is later and later on my walks.


The lake was like glass and the sun was all but hidden in the haze.


Every day I see photographers who have left their sleeping cottages to go out and photograph as the sun pops up over the horizon. This guy was waiting for the 6 a.m. ferry to arrive in the sun's reflection.


And I thought that was a grand idea, so I took one too. This one travels between Marblehead and Kelley's Island. If we were to drive to Sandusky, I think we could get a ferry to Pelee Island, which is in Canada. But we'd need our passports.

The Wonderful World of Cooking and two mothers $12.00

Katherine Cornell said this book is enchanting. Maybe so, but for one dollar (Lakeside yard sale) it has some great recipes ala the 1950s when it was damn the cream, butter and cholesterol. Still it has enough herbs to make the 21st century cook smile. The Cream of Wild Asparaus uses fresh tarragon, a pinch of coriander, and a sprinkle of mace, served with crusty rolls and fresh berries for dessert.

Edward Harris Heth was a minor writer of the 1940s and 1950s who lived an openly gay life style in the midwest when that was somewhat unusual. At least one young man (then) thought so who met him in a writing class where he was an instructor. This book is autographed, and was given as a gift by the floral shop (Tom Jacks, Milwaukee) to a new bride in 1961. The bill for the flowers, still inside the book, is worth the $1.00: Brides bouquet, $12.50; 3 bridemaids $18.00; 2 altar bouquets, $10.00; Belssed Virgin (sic), $5.00; aisle runner, $10.00; pew bows and streamers $10.00; centerpiece, $15.00; 2 Mothers, $12.00; bouts 9, $4.50. Total for all the flowers for bride, attendants, mothers, groomsmen, tables, etc. was $97.00. So Jean Winzenburg and Steve Treacy of Wauwatosa, WI had quite a wedding.

There are some amusing stories in this cookbook, with Aunt Dell (a large woman who always seems to be in his kitchen), as well as great recipes for Onion Pie, Blueberry Pickle (uses molasses), fried green tomatoes, leaf lettuce and cream (a favorite at my Mother's table), string beans in drippings, Pregnant Soup, Salt pork with creamed new peas and potatoes. Now, aren't you hungry?

So what's a hundred million dead?

In last week's seminars at Lakeside we were fortunate to hear Kerry Dumbaugh and see some interesting film on the current social and economic challenges in China in 2009--much of it starting in 2008 just as ours did. 60,000 factories closing, 14 million migrants returning home, owners of factories fleeing without paying the workers, lack of health benefits, no retirement, and a "stimulus package" that is 18% of GDP. China's economic growth, she said, is shrinking--7.2% in 2009, which would be wonderful in the U.S., but China needs a minimum of 8%. Their migrant workers (traveling outside the region where you were born in China makes you an illegal migrant) work 11 hour days, 6 days a week at the lowest level jobs, regardless of their training and education. 23,000,000 have become unemployed since November 2008, and they have no unemployment benefits. In 2009, 6.1 million graduated from college and 3/4 have no jobs. Now this is all on top of all the older problems like no contract law, no health and safety regulations, forced abortions resulting in the former safety net of family being destroyed, and property seizures.

And so as we watched with heavy hearts this dismal collapse, there were hints that the rise of capitalism replacing communism and reverence for Mao might be at the root of the demise of the "workers paradise." More than one member of the class pondered whether democracy works everywhere, and wouldn't the Chinese be better off to go back to the socialist model where the government controlled every aspect of their lives from conception to death?

Sure. As long as you don't consider the lives of the millions and millions who died under this totalitarian form of government. Selective memory, these old folks (this is not pejorative--most were my age or older). Especially those peace advocates who believe war is the only way huge segments of civilians are killed. Communist/marxist/national socialist governments kill their own people. Democracies, with all their faults that come with the failed idealism of the voting booth which often gives us corrupt or spineless officials, don't slaughter their own populace. At least not in my life time.

Go read China's Bloody Century by R. J. Rummel for some sobering facts and stats.

"Such democide [death by government] has been far more prevalent than people have believed, even several times greater than the number killed in all of this [20th] century's wars. Just consider that alone 61,911,000 people were murdered by the Soviet Union, 38,702,000 by the Chinese communists, 10,214,000 by the Chinese Nationalists, 17,000,000 by the German Nazis, and 5,890,000 by the Japanese militarists during World War II. This does not even exhaust the list of this century's mega-murderers, which also would include the past governments of Turkey, Cambodia, Pakistan, Yugoslavia; nor does it include the lesser killers responsible for hundreds of thousands of corpses each, such as past governments of Uganda, Indonesia, Albania, Burundi, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Hungary, Romania, Spain, and Vietnam. Then there are the numerous third-class murders who have "only" killed in the tens of thousands. In sum well over 100,000,000 people have been murdered by their governments since 1900, several times greater than the 35,654,000 battle-dead from all the foreign and domestic wars fought in these years, including World Wars I and II.

Yes, it's pleasant to sit in a comfortable, air conditioned seminar at the lake and speculate 60 years after the Communists killed nearly 40 million of their own people, that wouldn't the Chinese people be better off with a smidgen more totalitarianism or maybe a reeducation camp or two. I mean, why should they have what we have?

And for the life of me, I don't understand why liberals want what they have struggled so desperately to leave to the point of voting one into the presidency!

Is anyone else having this problem?

When I "Save Now" or "Publish Post" I get this message "Bad Request, Your client has issued a malformed or illegal request." However, if I go to "view blog," the piece is there. I have no idea what this means, but if you're getting it too, let me know and I won't blame my recent virus attack (Thursday). If you are getting this message, ignore it, or at least check your finished work. It just might be there.

He meant Gore, Kerry and Bush

But when I read his article on the disadvantages of an elite education, I immediately thought of President and Mrs. Obama who seem hopelessly out of touch with the common man.

The first disadvantage of an elite education, as I learned in my kitchen that day [attempting to small talk with a plumber], is that it makes you incapable of talking to people who aren’t like you. Elite schools pride themselves on their diversity, but that diversity is almost entirely a matter of ethnicity and race. With respect to class, these schools are largely—indeed increasingly—homogeneous. Visit any elite campus in our great nation and you can thrill to the heartwarming spectacle of the children of white businesspeople and professionals studying and playing alongside the children of black, Asian, and Latino businesspeople and professionals. At the same time, because these schools tend to cultivate liberal attitudes, they leave their students in the paradoxical position of wanting to advocate on behalf of the working class while being unable to hold a simple conversation with anyone in it. Witness the last two Democratic presidential nominees, Al Gore and John Kerry: one each from Harvard and Yale, both earnest, decent, intelligent men, both utterly incapable of communicating with the larger electorate. William Deresiewicz

Adams and Jefferson died on July 4

Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration in committee with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.

Big parade for small town Lakeside

There were almost as many mommies and daddies and grandparents in the kids' parade as children! But everyone had a great time; lots of candy was thrown.






And the antique cars are now from my high school days.

Friday Family Photo--Happy July 4

Visiting for the week-end.

Down for the count!

I've picked up a virus and have no computer until I either reload the software or get it fixed. So I'm at a friendly neighbor's alerting all 5 of my readers that there will be no e-mail or blogging until this is resolved.
DON'T send photos of the reunion until you hear from me!

Jackson death is rescuing the news media

The nonstop coverage of the death of Michael Jackson is probably a shot in the arm for the TV coffers, and the reporters who are bored with the constant, blind folded building up of Team-O. There is important, critical stuff going on in Washington that will affect our lives for years, but instead of analysis or criticism or even reading the bills (God forbid the Czar of czars and the Congressional clowns should have no clothes) the coverage 24/7 is Jackson's death, his contribution to music and dance, his home, his last rehearsals, his health, his debts, his white children, his ex-wives, his lawyers, his medical team, his will, his estranged family (who suddenly miss him) and so on. I don't think anyone has interviewed his gay lovers for broadcast TV, but bloggers are talking if you care to go there. Well, there's something else dying, and that's our independent press and media. Oh, how I miss the days of scrutinizing every move and thought of George W. Bush. These folks have their jobs on the line too, and so they are grasping at anything that will increase viewship. Ghoul$.

What really caused the mortgage meltdown?

Zero money down, not subprime loans, led to the mortgage meltdown says Stan Liebowitz in today's WSJ. "The evidence from a huge national database containing millions of individual loans strongly suggests that the single most important factor is whether the homeowner has negative equity in a house -- that is, the balance of the mortgage is greater than the value of the house. This means that most government policies being discussed to remedy woes in the housing market are misdirected." Take a look at the "do you qualify" page at The Obama administration's "Making Homes Affordable" plan, and you'll see the government throwing more money after bad at homeowners with negative equity. The government is leading the way to a deeper recession with its higher taxes and poor policies.

And we thought the media couldn't go lower

Access for a price. WaPo is now WaHo according to some sources. Not only did the Washington Post admit (after the inauguration) that it had completely caved, folded and sold its soul for Obama, but now they were selling events to meet with the movers and shakers (lobbyists and administration officials). Oops. Someone messed up.

Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth said today she was cancelling plans for an exclusive "salon" at her home where for as much as $250,00 The Post offered lobbyists and association executives off-the-record access to "those powerful few" - Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and even the paper’s own reporters and editors.

The astonishing offer was detailed in a flier circulated Wednesday to a health care lobbyist, who provided it to a reporter because the lobbyist said he felt it was a conflict for the paper to charge for access to, as the flier says, its “health care reporting and editorial staff." Read more

Well, I guess in "this economy" you gotta do what you gotta do. The government claims it has made a profit on TARP, but the business class is still going coach.

Why you shouldn't keep quiet even when people leave nasty comments

There is a movement to repeal the 22nd amendment--the limit of a president to two terms. There are still those confused souls out there--we call them history-challenged--who think FDR led us OUT of the Great Depression instead of extending it a decade, so they are anticipating that we will need BHO for longer than 2 terms, since he'll probably do the same. This is the worst thinking ever. Ever. Ever. I'm sure he intends to be messiah for life. After he gets rid of that pesky 2nd amendment.

Was there an April baby?

Pregnancy Decision Health Center sends me a list of people to pray for. I've learned not to click, read, file. Best to pray right then while they (mother and babe) are on the screen. Last August I wrote this about my concerns:

"Often the request on the pregnancy list is about someone who is going to have an ultrasound. This often influences decisions. This month included situations like 4 children, single mom wants abortion; doesn't know who the father is; and victim of domestic violence. Occasionally, the woman is ill or has been raped or is actually a child herself, but that's rare. Decisions were made that resulted in a baby and now there's a problem. This is the one that really puzzles me, and shows some confusion about values.

college couple (not married); 5 wks; both come from Christian homes; want abortion because they don't want their families to know they have been sexually active; refused ultrasound

It's like the guy who has an affair but doesn't use a condom because it's against his religion. Duh! If you think your parents don't want you having pre-marital sex, what will they say when they find out you aborted their grandchild?

In the 10 Commandments we are told to love God and our neighbor, but then instructed to HONOR our parents. That goes beyond love, and is a requirement even if we got parents who don't deserve any honor, who are mean, or stingy, or who will stop paying tuition. This is such an important commandment that it is the only one with a promise attached.

So this young couple are the ones I'll pray for on this list."

This is a parody--I hope

You just never know--the faux wackos are being out-wacko’d by the real wackos. I don’t know about you but drippy meat blood in a canvas bag has little appeal to me. And I'd hate to start buying bags for the kitty litter, book returns, garbage, shoes in the suitcase, etc.--do you think this is all a battle between the name brands and the unbrands? I prefer paper bags, but 25 years ago we were told to save the trees. Now what are we saving? China’s canvas bag crop?

Smells yummy

Many years ago we went out for dinner with Sam and Molly, Tom and Pat. New Year's Eve, I think. Molly and I went to the ladies' room. She told me something I've never forgotten. She was an RN and was told during her training that the soap dish was the germiest place in the hospital/home/office. I doubt that hospitals use soap dishes any more, but we do have them in our homes, and it does make sense--dirt, plus moisture, plus air. Here at the lake I have a cute little row boat shaped soap dish. However, I enjoy using a commerical pump soap container, too. I suspect the ones you fill from a container are probably also contaminated. My hairdresser, the fabulous Melissa, told me once not to add water to shampoo because bacteria would grow. Gosh, the world is full of germs, isn't.

Anyway, I love the fragrance of Softsoap Black raspberry and vanilla. Yes, this is an endorsement, although not paid. Bloggers need to watch out for that. Not sure which czar is coming after you, but you're going to be one of the non-rich who will be taxed or punished for product placement on your site if you don't tell your readers (Mommy bloggers, beware). Generally, I don't use anti-bacterial soap--just the suds and water and scrubbing.

Interesting article on hand sniffing monitor in hospitals to reduce nosocomial infections.

Today's new word--GONGO

It's been awhile since I found a new word interesting enough to write about. I'm currently reading The Professor and the Madman which is about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, so words are more interesting again. Anyway, in Kerry Dumbaugh's very interesting lecture and films this week about the social and economic problems facing China, she mentioned GONGO. She briefly noted the role of non-governmental organizations in China, and then told us about the GONGO, "Chinese government organized nongovernmental organizations" which have been viewed by most China scholars and international agencies simply as extended organs of the government. And I immediately thought of ACORN, the association of community organizers for reform NOW which through the election of Barack Obama, have become an arm of the President, as he railroads through his reforms NOW with no one reading the legislation EVER or having any thought of unintended consequences. They continue to screw up the housing market with government grants and organizational pressure, and I'm sure that won't end.

So much for tea bags

On March 23 I wrote my representative, Mary Jo Kilroy, and sent her a tea bag (used):

"The behavior last week of Congress, particularly your Democratic colleagues, was outrageous. I was never so embarrassed to be a voting American. That Congress would propose a special tax to punish people with whom they signed a contract is beyond belief and beyond the Constitution. I suggest you all start reading all documents that affect our future and our economy. There is going to be a voter revolt."

Hmm. She's so scared of the voters, she completely spinned it and promptly replied on July 1 (probably too busy reading that 1200 page cap and trade bill) that she appreciated me reaching out to her and that she shares my "outrage over irresponsible compensation practices for executives. . ." Huh? Did I say that?

She then started her own spin on executive pay--but I wasn‘t outraged about that, I was outraged about Congress' behavior in whipping up a frenzy over executive compensation. . . .

the gap between what an executive earns versus his or her employees is out of control. . . Lavish executive pay reinforces the notion that executives and their boards of directors often act self-servingly and not in the interests of their workers and shareholders. Reforms are needed to encourage sound risk management, long-term growth and value creation - not only at individual firms, but for our financial system and the economy as a whole.

This summer, Congress will begin efforts to reform executive compensation. As a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, I will work to bring compensation practices more tightly in line with the interests of shareholders and reinforce the stability of firms and the financial system.

Gee, it's no wonder that Obama has turned everything over to the Czars instead of our elected representatives. They can probably read!

Glenn Beck on our incompetent government

I won't imbed them all, but he is addressing California's budget, the cap and trade, ACORN, Al Franken the comedian is now a senator, etc. A number of clips at the RBO blog (tracks Obama's stupid stuff). We don't get Glenn up here. His new book on common sense is selling like hot cakes. See a bunch of them here, including the suppressed EPA report. An additional $3,000 per household per year? No, he's only going to tax the rich. Yeah.

Common Sense, by Glenn Beck

Saving Freedom, by Jim DeMint

Leading the way to. . . ?

President Obama’s EPA yesterday allowed California to impose the toughest emission standards on vehicles in the nation, which will form the basis of new nationwide rules.

In a major reversal of Bush administration policy, the Environmental Protection Agency's ruling was hailed by California politicians and national environmental groups as a breakthrough in curbing carbon dioxide - a leading contributor to global warming.

Tuesday's waiver highlights the state's decades-long tradition of environmental leadership, said Roland Hwang, transportation program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. SFGate via Heritage.org

Oh goody. More wonderful economic news. We get to be like California. Let's see. Is it 30 days before it's bankrupt, or has that already happened?

EPA's approved transportation--a Bamabike

New colors on our street

Not much could be done about the ugly 80s wood panel siding that had enveloped this late 19th century cottage. So the new owners gave her a new, pretty pinafore. I think this is the happiest red house paint I've ever seen. And the new landlord is lucky too--he found a renter for the entire summer, and having been there, let me tell you, that sure saves wear and tear on your newly decorated home! It's a little hard to tell after multiple remodelings, but at some time this home probably had an open porch on both levels. But before that, it might have been a "wooden tent," with walls and roof erected over what began as a platform for a summer tent. Oak is in the "old" part of town, or the original camp ground. Many cottage owners filled the porches in years ago to use as bedrooms or living space. In the 19th c. the lake air was the only air conditioning around here. But storms make it tough to maintain, and this cottage is just half a block from the lake.



Next door is a "camp cottage" and these owners have spruced up the lower porch with purple and lavender and some brightly painted adirondock chairs. The rest of the cottage is gray. The lower porch still has screens and the sleeping porch above it is now enclosed.

Further down the street on the lakefront, our neighbors have donated hours of time, labor and bulbs to give all of us a beautiful flower garden. Their payment must be the pleasure of others. These are Asian lilies, I think, but are tastefully arranged with many other types and sizes of blooms.

Nothing worse than kiss and tell

Governor Sanford needs to apply some duct tape to his mouth and stop embarrassing his wife and children.

"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford said. "A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."

Oh. Gag.

Bird Walk at Lakeside

Can you believe it? I left my binoculars at the cottage! Oh well, it was still a great event. Our leader: "Bill Thompson III is the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest by day. He's also a keen birder, the author of many books, a dad, a field trip leader, an ecotourism consultant, a guitar player, the host of the "This Birding Life" podcast, a regular speaker/performer on the birding festival circuit, a gentleman farmer, and a fungi to be around. His North American life list is somewhere between 667 and 669. His favorite bird is the red-headed woodpecker. His "spark bird" was a snowy owl. He has watched birds in 25 countries and 44 states. But his favorite place to watch birds is on the 80-acre farm he shares with his wife, artist/writer Julie Zickefoose. Some kind person once called Bill "The Pied Piper of Birding" and he has been trying to live up to that moniker ever since."

What I knew about birds could be written on my little fingernail, so I'm a whole lot smarter than I was at 7:30 a.m. We saw sea gulls, of course, which Bill told us are misnamed--they live mainly on lakes, and he told us the many names; a Caspian Tern, which lives all over the world but is named for the Caspian Sea; a male House Finch, a descendant of the 40 some that were illegally let loose in NYC and are now everywhere in the US and southern Canada; a Cormorant; Great Blue Heron; a Grackle and Starling; some Bank Swallows lined up on a wire; and finally, we gathered around our 5 Purple Martin houses, one of which had been invaded by a sparrow family. Bill told us funny stories about Purple Martin "landlords" which are a special class of bird watchers.

Now this is the way to see a bird!
She's been on lots of bird events
The Midwest Birding Symposium will be at Lakeside, September 17-20 with wonderful programs and performances by leading bird watchers, vendors, a boat cruise and other fun stuff. There will even be events for beginners like me, like a "bird sit." Based on the vast knowledge I picked up today, I think that's a Caspian Tern on the poster.

Lakeside Lovers

Along the lakefront, lovers have walked for over 130 years. Some stop to record it. A century ago they might have carved on trees; then on the flat rocks now covered up. More recently, chalk on asphalt. We hope David and Michelle will do as well as Shirley and Frank.

Week two at Lakeside

This morning we're supposed to have a bird walk, but it's very cloudy and cool. This is one of five purple martin houses on the lakefront. Usually I see many flying around. I only saw the sun briefly during my 6 a.m. walk along the lake. If you're unfamiliar with the area, that's Kelley's Island in the distance. Lakeside has a private dock that extends into Lake Erie, but no beach except that created by the association for children.





Today is also the farmers market. Last week's raspberries looked fabulous--I might look for those today. I sat next to a woman in a lecture who was eating hers out of the box. Although the sweet cherries looked great, too.

Twenty eight billboards saving lives in Columbus, Ohio

Pregnancy Decision Health Centers are using bright pink billboards to save babies. They have already documented stories of calls to their hotline from this message being on billboards, business cards, yard signs and bumper magnets that will result in babies being saved at PDHC. The billboards originally put up in April and May are staying up for much longer than anticipated because the space has not been taken by another organization.

Part of my stimulus check went to PDHC for the unborn children, and part to the food pantry for the children already here. I am most saddened by Christians who support pro-abortion laws and causes--usually because they sincerely think the child will grow up in poverty or an abusive situation and therefore will be better off dead. That's a really odd death sentence, don't you think? Not even Bernie Madoff got the death penalty, and think of the lives he destroyed.

Bush and the Axis of Evil

With North Korea threatening to wipe the U.S. off the globe, do you still think Bush was hasty in lumping together Iran, Iraq and North Korea both for what they do to their own citizens and how they threaten other nations? "I wonder what the 2002 critics of President Bush’s phrase think when they watch the YouTube footage of bloodied women in the streets of Tehran or when they read about China and Russia taking the lead in sanctioning North Korea? Read more of Anthony Bradley’s “Yes, friends, axis of evil

We're safe, of course; President Obama plans to use strong words against the missiles and bombs--or will just continue to call them silly threats to make them go away.

"North Korea has been busy, busy, busy since the election of our weak President. This week, they have sharply increased their war rhetoric. On Wednesday they issued this threat: "If the U.S. imperialists start another war, the army and people of Korea will ... wipe out the aggressors on the globe once and for all." And on Thursday they promised a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" if the U.S. attacked them. The media is pretending that it isn't happening, whistling in the dark, but how can anyone avoid noticing that since Obama's failed policies have been introduced, the evil forces of the world have been unleashed?" Pamela Geller North Korea’s March to War

The Gangster Government

We're used to cronyism in government and the workplace. But this is much worse. Now we've got 20 czars who report only to Obama running the government instead of elected officials. Czar is the Russian word for Caesar, and the former General Motors, The Government Motors, is now Gangster Motors. Folks, Obama is a marxist; until recently I thought he was too smart to go the Russian route, but this all looks awfully familiar if you've ever studied the Soviet Union.



HT Murray.

New trees for the campus

My high school friend and favorite Democrat, Lynne, tells me that four new trees have been planted on the former campus of Mt. Morris College (where my parents and grandparents attended and which closed in 1932 after a fire in 1931). There was a terrible storm in August 2008, and a large number of magnificent trees were lost--many were diseased and frail, but still beautiful and providing wonderful shade and respite. However, trees are not “natural” to this little mound in northern Illinois. According to the Mt. Morris Past and Present of 1900

"The present site of Mount Morris, as stated before, was an open prairie, with not a tree or a shrub to be found. What is now the college campus was then the crest of a hill of considerable size, the country sloping from it in all directions. The early settlers say that before the view was obstructed by buildings and trees, the altitude of the hill was very perceptible. The prairie grass was very rank. In fact, in some places it grew so luxuriantly that it was almost impassable. Most of the ravines and hollows were in a wet, boggy state; and the streams and ponds retained the water from rains much longer than now, because of the absence of tiling in the lowlands. There abounded hundreds of springs, which have long since ceased to flow, owing to the rapid drainage now effected by the work of tiling and the development of the soil."

So, I don't know what the soil in mid-town Mt. Morris is like now, but I'm guessing it's well drained. (The local cemetery where most of my family--parents, great grandparents, sister, cousins, aunts and uncles, etc.--awaits the resurrection used to be called "burial at sea" just to give you an idea of how boggy it was.) However, last week I attended a program on the trees here at Lakeside, a totally different type of soil--very rocky, as this is called the Marblehead Penninsula on Lake Erie (a body of water that has changed shape and size many times since the glaciers passed through here). Our speaker said that for every inch of trunk, the newly planted tree needs 5 gallons of water a week, plus 5 gallons. So if the tree is 2 inches, it needs 15 gallons of water a week to get a good start. There is no way those new trees can get that much naturally. But he told about a wonderful contraption called a tree gator--looks like an ugly green bag attached to the trunk. It holds 5 gallons, and you move it from tree to tree each day, and start over the next week. It's drip irrigation and won't drown the tree the way an impatient employee or volunteer might.

Newly planted trees are under severe water stress right after transplanting. And they will remain under water stress for the first several years after planting. Maintaining soil moisture is especially important during the first three years following transplanting. So how do you prevent transplant shock and avoid water stress on new trees? The answer is simple, Treegator® slow release watering system for trees. Treegator delivers a high volume of water directly to the root system of a newly planted tree.

Maybe this could be a project for the reunion committee.

TV pitch man Billy Mays dies

Every time he came on I’d turn to my husband and say, “Why does he always shout?” But he was the best known TV pitch man, and after a head bump on a rough landing, he later died. He was 50. We don’t know yet what happened, but those type of head injuries can be dangerous.

Ohio HB 176--protection for pedophiles?

Yesterday I received an email alerting me to Ohio HB 176, which makes a number of changes in the Ohio Revised Code specific to sexual orientation or gender identity. One definition that caught his attention was that pedophilia was listed with homosexuality, or bisexuality, transvestism, etc. If you take into account that pedophilia is listed with gender orientation, which is added to the sections in the revised code, it seems like the Democrats have opened the door to public schools for the pedophiles.

What’s your take on the wording? In the current Code, the wording is "physical or mental impairment” includes any of the following" . . . and homosexuality, etc. is listed. In the new wording the specific phrase included under definitions in 16(a) on what doesn't constitute an impairment:

(b) "Physical or mental impairment" does not include any of the following:
(i) Homosexuality and bisexuality;
(ii) Transvestism, transsexualism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, voyeurism, gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments, or other sexual behavior disorders;
(iii) Compulsive gambling, kleptomania, or pyromania;
(iv) Psychoactive substance use disorders resulting from the current illegal use of a controlled substance or the current use of alcoholic beverages.

The wording is nothing if not strange and confusing since this part of the code involves housing and employment. If you support GLBT rights, then read it: "Physical or mental impairment does not include pyromania." Or. "Physical or mental impairment does not include illegal use of a controlled substance."

This HB 176 is presented to the people by its sponsors and advocates as necessary protection for the GLBT group, a group that conservatives say don’t meet the Supreme Court criteria for a protected class (economically disadvantaged, immutable characteristics, politically powerless). There are church officials, companies covering all their bases (or remove the b and add an a--the advocates are anything but politically powerless), state offices and community organizations supporting this bill who are probably out of touch with the people in the pew and on the street where you live and work: Cardinal Health, the Cleveland Clinic, Bishop Ough of the West Ohio Methodist Conference, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the Mayor of the city of Springfield. My church and mayor never say boo about this sort of thing on either side, so without people who actually read the bills (which wouldn’t be the legislators) and pay attention to loopholes large enough through which to drive a Hummer-dinger, I wouldn’t usually know about these laws.

“On Tuesday, May 12, 2009, House Bill 176, also known as the Equal Housing and Employment Act was introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives. When passed and enacted, the legislation will add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of reasons for which a person may not be discriminated against in Ohio in employment, housing and public accommodations. Governor Ted Strickland has pledged his support to the bill and has promised to sign it into law when it reaches his desk. When enacted, this will be the first statewide law protecting or recognizing Ohioans based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” from Do what‘s right Ohio

Ice cream, you scream. . .

"In honor of the 44th President of the United States, Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has introduced a new flavor: “Barocky Road.”

Barocky Road is a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate, and surrounded by nuts and flakes. The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient. The nuts and flakes are all very bitter and hard to swallow.

The cost is $100.00 per scoop. When purchased it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but then the ice cream is taken away and given to the person in line behind you. You are left with an empty wallet and no change, holding an empty cone with no hope of getting any ice cream.

Are you stimulated?"
Seen at Common Folk

The Honeymoon of 2009

Although I don't agree that Obama is Bush-redux, I do think the honeymoon is over.

"Mark it on your calendars. It was in June 2009 that Barack Obama's honeymoon officially ended. And to be more specific, it was this past week. Through some mysterious alchemy, this was the week that Bush's economy became Obama's, Bush's wars became Obama's, and the ups and downs of a real workaday relationship with the press also introduced Obama to a more accurate sense of what life was like for Bush and for all his other modern predecessors." A run through of the links

Obama is NOT politics as usual, and the press hasn't even come close to putting his feet to the fire.

What's going on in New Jersey?

With Obama attempting to bring down the government with so much poorly thought out legislation that neither Congress nor the voters can read them [can and trade bill was 1200 pages] or keep up, it's hard to follow the money trail. Here's a poster of the 8 RINOs that voted for the Crap and Trade-it bill.

HT Stop the Liberals Now

Newsmax: "Friday's vote was 219-212. The legislation was supported by 211 Democrats and eight aisle-crossing GOP members: Reps. Mary Bono (Calif.), Michael Castle (Del.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Leonard Lance (N.J.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), John McHugh (N.Y.), David Reichert (Wash.) and Christopher Smith (N.J.). Forty-four Democrats voted against the bill, making the eight GOP votes all the more crucial.


“This is the biggest job-killing bill that’s ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives. Right here, this bill,” House Minority Leader John Boehner said after the vote. “And I don’t think that’s what the American people want.”

Also, we have a creek (Turkey Run) in our back yard; on Abington we had one too (called Evans Ditch by the old timers, but don't know if that's official). We also have a pot hole near one of the condo drains. Now all the water, standing or flowing, will belong to the Federal government if S. 787 passes, I guess because it takes such good care of everything.



HT Some Have Hats

Week two at Lakeside has some great seminars

Week One was terrific; and week two promises a lot. Monday through Wednesday mornings at 10:30 is Kerry Dumbaugh, a specialist in Asian Affairs with the Congressional Research Service since 1984, speaking on "China's Future," and at 1:30 on Monday there is a documentary, "China Rises; getting rich--the economic boom." Then in the afternoons Tuesday through Friday there is an astronomy series in recognition of Galileo's 400th anniversary of the development of the telescope. It begins with a film "Galileo's Battle for the Heavens" at 1:30 on Tuesday and is based on Dava Sobel's book Galileo's Daughter, which my book club read a few years ago. The Wed-Fri astronomy lectures at 1:30 are by Dr. Thomas Statler, Prof. of Physics and Astronomy at OU and who writes for the Columbus Dispatch, and Dr. Mangala Sharma, adjunct professor of Physics and Astronomy at OU. There will also be presentations at 10:30 on Thurs. and Fri. but I'll be in the China class.

If my brain is still able to function, at 3:30 I could attend Managing your Nest Egg Monday on "The Psychology of Money," with Carol Craigie, Wellness Tuesday for optimal food choices for seniors with Wendy Stuhldreher; Meet the Author Wednesday with Jason Barger Step back from the baggage claim, and Environmental Thursday on Lake Erie algae. And of course, I'll want to try Jan Hilty's gerb garden class on herbal teas at 8:30 Wednesday. She's going to distributerecipes for herbal teas.

On Monday evening, instead of a movie, we'll have Karen Vuranch, a storyteller from Fayetteville, VA presenting a program on Pearl Buck in Orchestra Hall (the movie theater). This is a tie in to the morning China series. Buck, you may recall, was raised in China and wrote many novels about it. The Good Earth won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932. Thirty plus years after she was denied a Visa to return to China and was vilified by that government, she is now honored as portraying Chinese life and customs accurately and with compassion. Link.

New shoes for walking

I bought a pair of Danskin athletic shoes at Wal-Mart yesterday called Lindsey (also the name of the granddaughter we lost in the divorce). I doubt that having the closers (shoe laces?) of elastic and Velcro is a good idea. Too much stretch and not enough support. But we'll see. I broke them in yesterday with a two mile walk along the lake front. Because I have a narrow foot, buying any shoe these days is tricky. The obesity problem seems to have spread to the foot, so the manufacturers design and sell for the consumer with a wider foot. Occasionally I can find a New Balance in a narrow, but not often. These are $22 at Wal-Mart and $17 on e-Bay with a shipping charge. I would never buy shoes I couldn' try on first because every manufacturer seems to use a different template for toes, arch and heel. I love the Nikes I bought right before our Middle East cruise in March, but I can't wear them every day, or even for every walk. Now that we're at Lakeside, I'm getting 5-6 miles a day in, 4 planned, and 1-2 just walking to lectures and programs. At home I like to do bare foot walking on the condo grounds, but here, there are just too many dogs and too few careful dog walkers with baggies.

Yes and Yes

Why do they need to waste more money on an investigation? His salary comes from the taxes of the people of South Carolina, so he used taxpayer money because it was on their time. If the lieutenant governor knew where he was, then he lied, and he should go too. Any money Sanford uses to "pay it back" also belongs to his wife, who helped get him where he is today--the governor's mansion. If I were her I'd clamp that bank account, safe deposit box, automobile, real estate, stock ownership and house shut like yesterday. She and the children should not have to pay for his catting around and it's expensive to raise children through college when you've just lost your job. She should learn from Mrs. Edwards' example.

"Democratic leaders want an investigation into Sanford's use of state money to help pay for an earlier South America trip. Others are questioning whether the governor broke laws by leaving without giving the lieutenant governor control." AP report

More on media bias

At least "Media Bias" was the title of the following piece. Actually, we knew Obama would do this, because he promised during his campaign, so I don't think the media can take all the credit/blame--unless of course, you see them as a doormat under his feet, which I do.

The Public Broadcasting Service recently announced it will not allow new religious programming on their taxpayer-subsidized airwaves. The handful of stations that have shown a Catholic Mass or Mormon devotions will be allowed to continue, but the other 300-plus stations have been instructed to avoid any kind of evangelism. Welcome to Barack Obama’s new world order. News reports explained that the PBS station services committee insisted on applying a 1985 rule that all PBS shows must be "noncommercial, nonpartisan and nonsectarian." To everyone who’s watched a pledge drive or contemplated a toy store stuffed with "Sesame Street" toys, the idea that PBS is following any "noncommercial" policy is absurd. To everyone who’s watched two minutes of "Bill Moyers Journal," with its panels unanimously screaming for Bush’s impeachment, or more recently, for a single-payer socialist health-care system, the idea of PBS being devoted to a "nonpartisan" stance is several miles removed from ridiculous. But the atheists and secularists who want all traces of sectarian "proselytizing" for Jesus banned from PBS do have something to say about PBS public-affairs programming. Read the rest of the story.

Since you can't keep PBS out of the tax coffers, at least don't make a donation. I've always thought Bill Moyers, the left's biggest shill, was the best reason to turn off those fund drives (notice they play the doo-wop and Irish dancing lasses shows for the drives, not Bill Moyers) and drop an extra $10 or $20 in the collection plate next Sunday.

The Jackson Cover-up

While people lit candles and brought flowers, the Democrats in Congress were rubbing their hands with glee--wow, who could have planned it better? Pelosi vowed to have it passed by July 4--anyone checking out her whereabouts Thursday? Everyone was looking the other way, not paying attention. The ever non-vigilant obamedia were self absorbed and weepy, scurrying around for any story thread or film clip whether it was twitter or Perez. With some Democrats voting against it and a smattering of RINOs for it, the Climate Change bill passed.

“I’m in a tough spot. I really am,” Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.), one of the Democrats who opposed the bill, said before the vote, citing his fears the legislation could raise energy costs and hurt the coal industry in his low-income, rural district. “Either way I’m going to get creamed.” Politico.com

We know just how you feel, Mr. Salazar. We're all screwed. This country runs on energy. It's not about putting Ohio, Indiana, W. Va., Illinois, Kentucky and Pennsylvania coal miners out of work--although they will be. But if you use electricity in any form, or any product made from petroleum, from house paint to wind shield wipers to carpeting, or eat anything that's been prepared or grown in this country, you are about to see your job and life style disappear and your taxes go to the moon. If you've ever been transported from point A to B by plane, train, truck, car, bicycle or boat, you're now a very permanent resident where you are. The cap and trade boys, including Al Gore, will get very rich at your expense. And they'll be as successful at stopping weather change as the SEC was at stopping Bernie Madoff's scam with all their rules, boards and regulations.

We Americans bought the myth that we are "dependent" on foreign energy sources--we are because the government made us that way. It made our own coal, gas and oil so expensive through regulation and taxes, the investors and producers went elsewhere and just shipped it here for business as usual. Well, now that you bought into that big lie, it's a short stretch to part 2, alternative energy sources. Meanwhile, all those American businesses can just go elsewhere, like China and India and Southeast Asia, or Africa or the Phillipines--anywhere but here. If it's one thing we know about a good capitalist, he goes where the money can be made, and it sure won't be here.

The picture of modern American, energy dependent society and economy is not the smoke stack that the LA Times prints with its article. The picture is your house, car, clothing, church, yard, leisure, hobby, your clean water. It's a picture of your freedom. I'm cooking collard greens with onions and bacon this morning, but all of it was grown somewhere else and trucked to Ohio--I don't have a garden and there is no livestock roaming the back 40. It's cooking on an electric stove standing on a linoleum floor in an enameled pan with a plastic trash bin next to the stove while I write on the internet.

Actually, I suppose it is fitting that Jackson's death covered up the final vote--he was about 400,000,000 in debt, broke, and has a bunch of kids from different women that don't look like him. His business life was far more complex than his personal life, and that's pretty bad.

Obama has no intention of either saving the earth or the economy. He is well on his way to destroying the United States, and if you voted for him, you helped.

Anal cancer

Before Michael Jackson's death wiped the topic clean, the media were preparing for another slow news day of not being honest about Obamacare with wall to wall coverage of Farrah Fawcett's death, a woman who had both insurance and personal wealth. From Michael's death we'll hear all about drugs (all speculation since the toxicology reports take a long time); from her death we might find out something we don't hear much about--anal cancer.

So I looked it up. This is a topic even the medical sites treat pretty delicately. I'm not sure, but they seem to be afraid of offending someone or some group. But what I gathered was, don't have anal sex. Gay guys don't have much choice. But women can say NO--there is an alternative.

Anal cancer is one of those cancers no one likes to talk about because it's, well, anal cancer. But we really should discuss it as much as, say, cervical cancer. Both are predominately caused by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus. In fact, a 2004 study of 6,000 anal cancer patients (the majority of whom were women) found that 73 percent of the patients tested positive for the strain HPV-16, one of the strains that the Gardasil vaccine protects against.

What's worrisome is that unlike cervical cancer, which has dropped dramatically since the advent of the Pap smear, anal cancer is on the rise. Incidence rates over the past 30 years have jumped by 78 percent in women and 160 percent in men, probably because more people now have more sexual partners and more people have anal sex (both among heterosexuals and gay men), says Lisa Johnson, a cancer epidemiologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle who led the 2004 study. "What Farrah Fawcett can teach us about anal cancer"

It's not just a convenient way to avoid a pregnancy or some new experience to be talked into; it's just a way to have sex with a guy who'd probably prefer to be with another guy and you're the convenient cover and the repository for a sexually transmitted disease. That's just my opinion, of course. The anus is for waste removal, not sex. It's also rather delicate and tears easily.

The good news is this is treatable.

Treatment for most cases of anal cancer is very effective. There are 3 basic types of treatment used for anal cancer:
surgery – an operation to remove the cancer
radiation therapy – high-dose x-rays to kill cancer cells, and
chemotherapy – giving drugs to kill cancer cells. Link.

James Line at OSU on anal cancer.

Now here's a romantic slide to think on the next time.