While we were filling our coffee cups, the man on disability told me that he had applied 7 months ago for a special mortgage refinancing program that was part of the stimulus. He has submitted mountains of documentation, he has good credit, his bank is behind him--it's the federal government that has poured sugar in the gas tank of an already sluggish bureaucracy. He laughed--"This is more time than it took for me to qualify for diability!" (and that was a number of months).
Also, at Ohio State there is a back log in providing military veterans their payments for tuition, books and living expenses under the post 9-11 GI Bill. That log jam apparently started to build up around May of 2009. This has affected tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans nationwide scrambling to cobble together enough money until the government payments come through.
There's only a few million veterans, and probably even fewer mortgages going through refinancing paper work. Aren't you just amazed at a president so ignorant of the red tape he's creating who wants to take over the entire health financing system instead of fixing what doesn't work--like the waste and fraud that are already in the government health programs?
Saturday, September 26, 2009
A tax increase on the vain and poor alike
In Ohio, vanity tags will go from $15 to $50, and 30 day tags from $8 to $18.50. Pity the poor working man--first the federal government decreases the supply of lesser value, inexpensive used cars by promoting a "cash for clunkers" program in which they are destroyed, thus raising the prices on used cars still in the market pipeline, then the state raises the price on everything concerning tags and licenses. I just renewed my driver's license two days ago, and noticed I was charged $1.00 for a "vision" test--that consisted of reading one line of numbers and waving my hand if I saw a flashing light. That 10 second test will now go up to $2.75, and the only reason it didn't go up in July with the other fees is they couldn't get the computers reprogrammed fast enough. Before he was elected, our Governor Strickland, a former Methodist pastor, insisted that raised fees were hidden taxes, and that he was against state sponsored gambling. Well, those morals went out the window. These d.l. and tag fees are supposed to raise an additional $55 million dollars. This is not supposed to overburden the BMV "customers," but will make up the funding gap in safety services.
A conversation about white guilt
and the damage done to African Americans by liberals. This interview with Shelby Steele by Charlie Rose was done in 1998, and the topic is perhaps even more important today. It’s also classic Charlie, where he tries to get the guest off track (starts out talking about Clinton’s morality and affairs) if he doesn’t agree with him/her, thus eating into their time. I was vilified by liberals by even suggesting that Obama’s “blaccent” wasn’t authentic even to my ear, but Steele said it first and better as did trained linguists. Unfortunately for Steele, his book on Obama had a very unfortunate subtitle: “and why he can’t win.”
First have something to say
Roy Tennant doesn’t know me, doesn’t read my blog, but I can identify, except I still think people need to have something to say before they e-mail, twitter or blog. I think from this post below, he’s decided everyone has something to say. I talk to a lot of people face to face, I read a lot, I’m on a bunch of lists; and sorry Roy, many have nothing to say at all about anything, but they never shut up. Some are college professors, some are on medication for brain disorders. Others can verbally express themselves, but their writing looks like my tennis or swimming (awful). Recently (in e-mail) my childhood friend Carol asked how could I find the time to read and write as much as I do. Everyone finds time to do what they enjoy--whether it’s attending board (bored) meetings, trying new recipes, walking 5 miles a day, training dogs, or collecting Annaco ceramic cats. It’s not about time, it’s not even about discipline. Here‘s Roy--a very good prolific writer and one with whom I frequently disagree:
- "I write a lot. Some might say too much. I write Twitter updates, e-mails, electronic discussion messages, blog posts, journal articles, books, and this "glacial blog" where I post maybe twice a year. I think about writing a lot. Some might say too much. And I have something to say about it.
A colleague I greatly respect has said of writing "First, have something to say." At first this seems like complete wisdom, and for years it made total sense to me. But as I have thought more about it, I have become very uncomfortable with it. So I want to take this one post of my twice-a-year-blog to refute this statement since I think it potentially undermines potential writers at their most vulnerable point.” See if you agree with him no specific link but page says May 21, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Cathy's Clown
He's probably a great grandfather by now--that poor dejected guy that Cathy dumped back in 1960, she was "treating him so bad," that his heart felt cry went to the top of the charts for the Everly Brothers. I was thinking about him this morning because we were moving to this in exercise class. Our instructor is probably around 40, has a toddler she brings to class, and wouldn't have even been born yet when the Everly Brothers were heart throbs. Gosh, they were cute (now 70 and 72).
When you see me shed a tear,
And you know that it's sincere,
Doncha think it's kinda sad
That you're treatin' me so bad,
Or don't you even care?
Don't want your lo-o-o-o-ove anymore.
Don't want your ki-i-i-i-isses, that's for sure.
I die each time
I hear this sound:
"Here he co-o-o-o-omes. That's Cathy's clown.
That's Cathy's clown.
That's Cathy's clown."
And you know that it's sincere,
Doncha think it's kinda sad
That you're treatin' me so bad,
Or don't you even care?
Don't want your lo-o-o-o-ove anymore.
Don't want your ki-i-i-i-isses, that's for sure.
I die each time
I hear this sound:
"Here he co-o-o-o-omes. That's Cathy's clown.
That's Cathy's clown.
That's Cathy's clown."
No one laughs at ACORN today
Last September was the first many of us had heard of “community organizer,” as an actual career. All we knew about ACORN was some voter fraud that rolled around each election. After the term was ridiculed by Rudy and Sarah, the pros at ACORN lit up like a dry torched Christmas tree. Matthew Vadum of Capital Research Center set us straight.
- “But what exactly is community organizing? And is it “very valuable”?
There might be some form of community organizing somewhere in the nation that is “very valuable,” but in the highly specific sense that Obama –a lawyer who enjoys carefully crafting his sentences– uses the term, it’s not about church bake sales, picking up litter, little leagues, or parent-teacher associations.
Obama-style community organizing is pure leftist, anti-capitalist agitation. It’s about that nebulous Marxist concept of ’social justice.’ It’s about making people angry so they push for change. The kind of change they seek is rarely good. It often artificially creates pressure for government spending on whatever project is fashionable in leftist circles that day. Filled with robust self-esteem, community organizers are typically professional revolutionaries who believe that something is terribly wrong with America and that they are the ones anointed to fix it.
The father of community organizing was ultra-leftist Saul Alinsky (1909-1972), a Chicagoan who elevated local-level political agitation to an art form. Alinsky, a significant influence on Obama, believed in “rubbing raw the sores of discontent.” In his classic book Rules for Radicals, Alinsky prescribed the tactics and defined the goals of community organizing. Among his “rules“: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up” and “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”
Alinsky taught his disciples to disguise their radical ideology. “Camouflage is key to Alinsky-style organizing. In organizing coalitions of black churches in Chicago, Obama caught flak for not attending church himself. He became an instant churchgoer,” notes Richard Lawrence Poe. According to Alinsky, an effective radical activist “discards the rhetoric that always says ‘pig’ ” when describing police officers, and uses other linguistic tricks in order, “to radicalize parts of the middle class.” Winning over the middle class is key, Alinsky argued, because “the power and the people are in the big middle-class majority.”
Obama’s would-be castrator Jesse Jackson is a master community organizer himself who now focuses his efforts on Wall Street. His Rainbow/PUSH Coalition has shaken corporations down for millions of dollars. As Shelby Steele writes, Jackson and his brethren in the civil rights establishment have “pursued equality through the manipulation of white guilt.” Those leaders “ushered in an extortionist era of civil rights, in which they said to American institutions: Your shame must now become our advantage,” Steele writes.” Read the rest here.
Gullible travels
In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, 25% of 18 – 35 year olds got their news from John Stewart’s “The Daily Show” and “Saturday Night Live” according to the Public News Service. Based on the outcome, I’m guessing it was much higher in 2008, and from the way Stewart, Letterman and SNL go hyper and disgusting over Sarah (and her children), Rush and Glenn, they aren’t letting up now that their man won. They are so in the tank for the left--whether Kerry, Gore or Obama--it’s no wonder they have a meltdown and have to call in Soros based lackeys to write their jokes.
But I do wish Rush and Glenn would just stop talking so much about how misinformed these No-lie-left-behind hosts are about their shows and their talk. Their audiences are totally left, so who cares? That group will probably not become listeners of Ann Coulter or Tammy Bruce or Sean Hannity, and if it is only parsed through Media Matters and Letterman, why get your shorts in a knot if people get their news that way? It’s no wonder Democrats are so poorly informed. Also, I think I don't care much for Glenn's new radio side-kick, Pat. He does impressions of Glenn, but not as good, and sometimes talks over him. Since I didn't listen in the summer (parked the car), I don't know when he started. Stu is a much better second banana.
Glenn’s boiled frog of Wednesday is an example. He wasted a lot of time on that last night. The bloggers were all a-twitter over him tossing a frog in boiling water to see if it would jump out according to the old saw. Of course, it was a fake frog, filmed ahead of time, they fell for it, and even cut the YouTube version that went on the internet in which he explained it was fake along with most Democrats and Republicans.
They are really gunning for Glenn now, because no one in the rest of the media does any research, fact checking, or old fashioned muck raking. So not only are they mad at the dirt he's digging up, but that he constantly scoops them (although that's not too hard). That ACORN advisory board story was revealing. Although not exactly his scoop. I guess we don't need to expect much of an investigation with that crew on board! Now ABC or NBC could have done that story. How hard is it to find out that Van Jones became a communist in prison? Or that Obama promised SEIU and ACORN a piece of the action in return for votes? It's all out there on the internet. You don't even have to take anything out of context. Does Katie Couric know about Google?
But I do wish Rush and Glenn would just stop talking so much about how misinformed these No-lie-left-behind hosts are about their shows and their talk. Their audiences are totally left, so who cares? That group will probably not become listeners of Ann Coulter or Tammy Bruce or Sean Hannity, and if it is only parsed through Media Matters and Letterman, why get your shorts in a knot if people get their news that way? It’s no wonder Democrats are so poorly informed. Also, I think I don't care much for Glenn's new radio side-kick, Pat. He does impressions of Glenn, but not as good, and sometimes talks over him. Since I didn't listen in the summer (parked the car), I don't know when he started. Stu is a much better second banana.
Glenn’s boiled frog of Wednesday is an example. He wasted a lot of time on that last night. The bloggers were all a-twitter over him tossing a frog in boiling water to see if it would jump out according to the old saw. Of course, it was a fake frog, filmed ahead of time, they fell for it, and even cut the YouTube version that went on the internet in which he explained it was fake along with most Democrats and Republicans.
They are really gunning for Glenn now, because no one in the rest of the media does any research, fact checking, or old fashioned muck raking. So not only are they mad at the dirt he's digging up, but that he constantly scoops them (although that's not too hard). That ACORN advisory board story was revealing. Although not exactly his scoop. I guess we don't need to expect much of an investigation with that crew on board! Now ABC or NBC could have done that story. How hard is it to find out that Van Jones became a communist in prison? Or that Obama promised SEIU and ACORN a piece of the action in return for votes? It's all out there on the internet. You don't even have to take anything out of context. Does Katie Couric know about Google?
How do you cut costs?
That's a big topic in the media today--but it was four years ago too when unemployment was 4.5%, and in the 1990s, and the 1980s during the last big recession. I asked it June 28, 2005, then answered my own question (I do that a lot). I don't. I reread it today, and don't see any changes. Everyone seems to "cut costs" in different ways. Here's my list of non-cuts, and at my age, I'll probably not change what is working (hmmm--could be a motto).
- Economically, it makes absolutely no sense for me to leave the house every morning at 6 a.m. and drive to a coffee shop. If you don't do this, you could exclaim, "But that costs you nearly $600 a year, when making it at home is about five cents a cup." Very true. But I read 2 or 3 newspapers, and see 4 or 5 people I know, chat with various folk, so as a social informational event, it's pretty cheap. Compare that $600 to a golf hobby, and you can see it is really pretty cheap.
We eat out about once a week--it's called our Friday night date. When my husband started his own business in 1994, this is one thing we cut for awhile, until we could see how our finances would be, but reinstated it quickly. Sure, I can fix the same thing at home for about $3.00 that costs us $30.00 at the pub, but again, it isn't food, it is R&R and time to focus on each other. It is also a line in the sand dividing the work week from the week-end, and when your office is in your home, you definitely need to keep this ritual (he also dressed for work each day, including a tie). About $1500 a year just to eat one meal. Ridiculous!
I could save about $400 a year if I stopped coloring my hair. That will come, but for now, I prefer to fool Mother Nature and the clerks who ask for ID when I request a senior discount. Brown hair turning gray is not pretty like a brunette turning gray (but prettier than a blonde or red head going gray--just a tip).
We usually get a glass of the house wine (red for the cardiovascular system) with Friday night dinner. I suggested to my husband that we just drink a glass of wine at home afterwards--saving Oh, maybe $500 a year (cheap wine), but he didn't go for that. Frugal, but not romantic.
We really don't need two cars now that my husband is retired. I suggested we get rid of his Explorer and keep my van, but since both cars are paid for (and he really likes his better than mine but his hurts my back). That would be a one time boost to the income, of say $6,000 (resale is the pits even on nice, well kept autos) plus a savings of maybe $300 a year in insurance and $200 in maintenance.
Pets are expensive. Kitty litter, cat food, vet bills, etc. I've not looked at the figures recently, but I think it is something like $6,000 over the life time of a cat, and more for a dog. If your daughter or neighbor won't stop by and look after the sweetie-pie when you're gone, you've got to add in huge boarding bills. But I'm not even going to think about that savings. Pets are good for all sorts of health benefits.
So you see, I could be saving and investing this to leave to our Alma Mater, The University of Illinois, but they didn't graduate any dummies, so we're spending wildly while we've got the chance.
FDA, ReGen and Democrats
I heard this on the radio while returning from coffee.
“The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that four New Jersey congressmen and its own former commissioner unduly influenced the process that led to its decision last year to approve a patch for injured knees, an approval it is now revisiting.” (NYT)
Since the party wasn’t mentioned, and if they are Republicans, that is always noted, I came home and looked it up. Yup. Democrats. Although I suppose that is a given if the story is New Jersey, or corruption, you are to assume Democrats.
“The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that four New Jersey congressmen and its own former commissioner unduly influenced the process that led to its decision last year to approve a patch for injured knees, an approval it is now revisiting.” (NYT)
Since the party wasn’t mentioned, and if they are Republicans, that is always noted, I came home and looked it up. Yup. Democrats. Although I suppose that is a given if the story is New Jersey, or corruption, you are to assume Democrats.
- "All four members of Congress denied that ReGen’s political contributions had played any role in their efforts on its behalf with the F.D.A. and said they were merely doing their jobs by trying to help a constituent company."(NYT)
Climate of violence
Where is enhanced Nancy when you need a tearful appeal to end the climate of violence? Oh, that was just for peaceful tea party demonstrators like Murray who traveled 950 miles and back in 3 days to carry a sign asking where was the MSM and to sing and march with other patriots? She seems to be afraid to address the left wing kooks at the G-20, or the wealthy Iranians protesting the outrageous Ahmadinejad at the UN. Obama too deplores the peaceful protestors of Obamacare, calling them out as proxies for "broader issues" during his recent game show hosting last Sunday, issues he either refuses to address, or that are a veiled reference to you-know-what.
I think the conservatives, independents and libertarians should also be protesting the global agency which has no representation from the people of any country, just a bunch of government officials, dictators, jihadists and communist mini-men babbling on about sustainable growth, cap and trade, peer review and bank regulations. Really, will health care make any difference when we no longer even have a government of our own?
I think the conservatives, independents and libertarians should also be protesting the global agency which has no representation from the people of any country, just a bunch of government officials, dictators, jihadists and communist mini-men babbling on about sustainable growth, cap and trade, peer review and bank regulations. Really, will health care make any difference when we no longer even have a government of our own?
Shovel ready?
"The federal government on not spending a nickel on any shovel ready projects over 800 miles of I-75." Noted Gordon Gekko after a long drive back to Ohio from Florida.
There are sidewalks being installed along Kenny Rd. across from the OSU golf course. I'm hoping that those of you in Indiana and Illinois and Florida didn't have to contribute. Cities should be able to scrape up money for sidewalks without holding out their hands and kissing rings in Washington. No matter who's paying, they will still be way too close to a busy street to do us oldsters or school children much good.
There are sidewalks being installed along Kenny Rd. across from the OSU golf course. I'm hoping that those of you in Indiana and Illinois and Florida didn't have to contribute. Cities should be able to scrape up money for sidewalks without holding out their hands and kissing rings in Washington. No matter who's paying, they will still be way too close to a busy street to do us oldsters or school children much good.
Is your state driving away business?
Ohio is. It is ranked 47th for business climate, according to a new study by the Tax Foundation. Take a look at that map! Illinois is 30th, Indiana 12th, and Michigan 17th. And here sits Ohio at the bottom of the heap looking to big gambling interests (issue 3, slots at race tracks, lottery, etc.) instead of real tax reform to pull us out of this mess, created by both parties. The market is now global, but the Department of Labor reports most mass job relocations are from one U.S. state to another rather than to an overseas location. For instance, from Mt. Morris, Illinois to Florida, and 30+ years ago to another southern state. Sure, workers can move, but that doesn't help the schools or the local businesses that support the town. All ten of the states with the worst business tax climates voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, and five of the ten states with the best business tax climates voted for John McCain according to the Tax Professor. Ohioans plan to further destroy our economy in the Appalachian states by going along with the green global goals of the current administration in Washington.
HT to Patrick Poole of Soballiance who pointed to these sources.
HT to Patrick Poole of Soballiance who pointed to these sources.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The buried history of the slave trade
The slave trade never ended, of course. There's more slavery going on today than in the 18th century, particularly among women and children. And especially for sex. More Africans have died from environmentalists allowing malaria to resurge than ever died in the Atlantic slave trade. Still, this piece by Black Informant is interesting commentary on the way the Africans and Europeans worked together to establish the 17th and 18th century slave trade. Our schooling in the 50s was less brainwashing and not as full of PC as today, so I knew some of this, but not Nigeria's role or what that nation teaches today.
Apparently our history began on January 20
At least the good stuff.
- "The United States elected 43 presidents before the current occupant graced the office with his presence. We fought, and won, two world wars, liberated millions of people worldwide from tyranny, and worked cooperatively with other sovereign nations to rebuild entire continents. Some might even say the character of our nation is well established considering we have been a democracy for just over 230 years now.
Not President Barack Obama, who told the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, “For those who question the character and cause of my nation, I ask you to look at the concrete actions we [I] have taken in just nine months.” 230 years versus just nine months. No wonder, the New York Times reports, were UN delegates not only applauding Obama, but snapping photos of their hero like tourists. Read full piece."
Obama just wants the world
"If there were ever a question about Barack Obama’s dedication to the concept of global governance, it has now been answered fully. His track record to date points toward his commitment to global governance; his speech to the United Nations removes all doubt." Canada Free Press To be fair, a world government that was NOT representative of any peoples or voters, but propped up by rules and regulations thought up by government officials, was not Obama's idea--it was our own President Woodrow Wilson and then embraced and tweaked by FDR.
Fall Art Show at the Church at Mill Run
One of the campuses of UALC, the Church at Mill Run, has the best hanging space for art in Columbus. The halls are the width of a high way, there is natural light, and the hanging system is Arakawa. The UALC members are having an art show this fall. The building is closed on Friday and Saturday to cut utility costs, but if you like to attend art shows Sunday through Thursday, this might be doable. And I'm in it. I don't enter many art shows. First, mine are always NFS, and some shows have rules that something has to be for sale. Second, I'm not competitive. If I like it, fine. I don't care what someone else thinks. I'm the same way with sports, link exchanges to up my stats, committee appointments and board games. Winning is not for me. But I stopped and looked at it last Thursday, and I think it is a very strong show. One of our pastors, Dave Drumel, has put some of his work in, Bev has entered some nice things (forgotten what that's called), my neighbor Joan has a lovely display of her photography of their most recent trip to Italy, and there's a variety of media.
The two on the end are my husbands, three in the middle mine. All are of Lakeside or Marblehead.
Our missionary to Haiti and pastor's wife, Pam Mann, is a very talented artist. These are some of her t-shirts, especially designed for our programming.
The two on the end are my husbands, three in the middle mine. All are of Lakeside or Marblehead.
Our missionary to Haiti and pastor's wife, Pam Mann, is a very talented artist. These are some of her t-shirts, especially designed for our programming.
Michelle and Valerie lobby for Chicago Olympics
They've even got matching Olympian outfits. Oh that's so cute. So BFF. But guess what? Brazil says it will help their poor if it is chosen for the 2016 Olympics. What to do! Go with rich, spoiled Chicagoans, or consider Brazil's plea? Choose the Obama machine (do presidents usually get involved with this--has it ever been in Texas or Arkansas?) because he could be the coming Messiah? I read this in the WSJ, Matthew Futterman, 9-23, but here's another one.
Isn't this what the diversity czar recommends?
B. Joseph White, University of Illinois president, resigned amid reports the school admitted politically connected applicants over more qualified at the Urbana campus (my alma mater). Sounds like today's news stories about Mark Lloyd. And what a throw back to the 50s. When I went to school, there was a terrific dating ratio created by the school's policy on women. We were a rather select minority because standards were higher for women applicants--I think you had to be in the upper 10% of your graduating class, but for men it was probably upper third. Maybe that's an urban legend, but that's what I was told when I asked why it was 4:1, men to women. Really, if you couldn't get a date for Friday night. . . I'm just saying.
Anyway, back to my point. We now have within the Obama administration a "diversity czar," Mark Lloyd, who believes in order to move minorities (apparently don't have to be poor or disadvantaged--just have to have the right skin color) to positions of power, some in the majority group (i.e., people of European roots who haven't co-mingled their genes) will have to voluntarily (or not) step down. Nothing about qualifications, skills, merit, intelligence. Just ethnicity. Just color. Hmmm. Call me crazy but I think America went that route and decided it wasn't right. This should make some of Obama's closest associates a little nervous, like Buffy and Toes and Dr. Death. I'm not sure being a Jew gets you any points with Mr. Lloyd, or even being a white, female union activist. Unless Buffy is a lesbian, then she's safe. Being a well connected to radicals and communists, wealthy black Chicagoan will "move you on up to the East side."
I'm really not familiar with White or the allegations, but when Blago and Rezko's names come up, the crumbs always seems to lead to Obama, so I'm sure it's best for all if he just fades to gray.
Anyway, back to my point. We now have within the Obama administration a "diversity czar," Mark Lloyd, who believes in order to move minorities (apparently don't have to be poor or disadvantaged--just have to have the right skin color) to positions of power, some in the majority group (i.e., people of European roots who haven't co-mingled their genes) will have to voluntarily (or not) step down. Nothing about qualifications, skills, merit, intelligence. Just ethnicity. Just color. Hmmm. Call me crazy but I think America went that route and decided it wasn't right. This should make some of Obama's closest associates a little nervous, like Buffy and Toes and Dr. Death. I'm not sure being a Jew gets you any points with Mr. Lloyd, or even being a white, female union activist. Unless Buffy is a lesbian, then she's safe. Being a well connected to radicals and communists, wealthy black Chicagoan will "move you on up to the East side."
I'm really not familiar with White or the allegations, but when Blago and Rezko's names come up, the crumbs always seems to lead to Obama, so I'm sure it's best for all if he just fades to gray.
Sarah Palin is called "an act" by WSJ
Jonathan Cheng and John McKinnon couldn't hide their dislike in reporting on Palin's speech at a conference sponsored by investment firm CLSA Asia Pacific Markets--must have mentioned money 4 or 5 times. Smart women are really a threat to the MSM. They said foreign policy was her weak spot. Surely they haven't been listening to the Obama-Biden dog and pony show where three of our allies have been tossed overboard in the past week. Also, they listed possible contributors to her speech. Do they do that for Obama's speeches or Bill Clinton's speeches (and don't you wish Biden would stay on script)? Look what she's been able to accomplish without a full cheerleading team in the media!
Demonstrators and Protestors by the thousands
Iranian Americans of all stripes, political views and agendas rallied against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad near the UN yesterday. Remarkably, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi and Jimmy Carter have not called them racists and Nazis for using free speech and assembly.
But then, they weren't protesting taxes, health care and cap and trade, either.
But then, they weren't protesting taxes, health care and cap and trade, either.
Lutherans leaving ELCA
Alternative church fellowship for Lutherans to be formed as 1,200 gather in Indianapolis, Sept. 25-26 for Lutheran CORE convocation. http://lutherancore.org/ The turn out and interest has been so great, the registration is closed and they've moved it to a larger church.
My first impression at this web site is that I hope they can soon hire a professional web designer. But the information is good.
My church, UALC in Columbus (3 campuses, 9 services),
My first impression at this web site is that I hope they can soon hire a professional web designer. But the information is good.
My church, UALC in Columbus (3 campuses, 9 services),
- "Our future is not in the ELCA. Moving toward wherever our future will be is a fairly lengthy but a critically important process, and one that will be given all the time it needs. . . No funds whatsoever have been given to the ELCA since July. . . We will spend our effort and our energy where they matter most, on people, for Jesus' sake." Senior Pastor Paul Ulring, report to the Congregation, Cornerstone, Sept. 20-26, 2009
- Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (this probably isn't an option for UALC since 7 of the 9 services are informal/contemporary or too loud for me to attend (drums, electric guitars, etc.) If you've heard any good music from Lutherans, it's probably from this synod.
- The Lighthouse Covenant (Ulring is one of the founding members)
- LCMC Word Alone (UALC is a member)
- ARC Alliance of Renewal Churches
- AFLC and AALCAssociation of Free Lutheran Congregations and American Association of Lutheran Churches
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The most anti-Israel speech ever by an American President
That's what former ambassador John Bolton said. And how can you go into negotiations if Obama has already determined the outcome?
Citizens of the world, you need to be very, very worried about this man's grab for global power. Bolton said Obama is naive. I don't think so.
Citizens of the world, you need to be very, very worried about this man's grab for global power. Bolton said Obama is naive. I don't think so.
Reasons to home school
Children singing "Barack Hussein Obama" clap, snap, rock, and telling him he's number one. Don't recall seeing this paean of praise and adoration during the Bush, Clinton, Reagan or Carter years. Dress them in crisp white shirts with a red scarf and they could be Young Pioneers. What ever happened to separation of church and state during school hours?
Would you want him in your back yard?
ABC News reports: "Shunned Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi slept in the Libyan diplomatic mission last night as officials in the suburban town of Bedford, N.Y., issued a stop work order on his palatial tent being erected on property owned by Donald Trump.
Gaddafi arrived in the United States Tuesday evening, the first time he has entered this country or addressed the U.N. since he took power 40 years ago.
His reception in the United States has been as chilly as a desert night and his aides have wandered around the metro region trying to find a place to pitch their leader's tent.
After being rejected by New York City's Central Park and by the town of Englewood, N.J., the Libyans posed as Dutch diplomats to rent a Manhattan town house that had a large roof that could have accommodated a tent."
Anyone not a foreign dictator would know you don't just waltz into an American town and put up a giant tent without clearing it first with the local zoning board and licensing office. Where was his advance team?
Gaddafi arrived in the United States Tuesday evening, the first time he has entered this country or addressed the U.N. since he took power 40 years ago.
His reception in the United States has been as chilly as a desert night and his aides have wandered around the metro region trying to find a place to pitch their leader's tent.
After being rejected by New York City's Central Park and by the town of Englewood, N.J., the Libyans posed as Dutch diplomats to rent a Manhattan town house that had a large roof that could have accommodated a tent."
Anyone not a foreign dictator would know you don't just waltz into an American town and put up a giant tent without clearing it first with the local zoning board and licensing office. Where was his advance team?
Obama bundler to go under the bus with Grandma, Wright, Jones, ACORN, etc.
". . . Hassan Nemazee pleaded not guilty to an indictment accusing him of carrying out a $292 million Ponzi scheme.
Nemazee’s brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Manhattan was his first since he was indicted this week on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors say Nemazee cheated three banks out of the money to live an affluent life and pose as an influential fundraiser.
The 59-year-old Manhattan resident was the national finance chairman for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. He later raised money for President Barack Obama.
He is under house arrest on $25 million bail and is wearing an electronic bracelet.
From Breaking news
If he'd been a fund raiser for a Republican, it would have been the end of that politician's career.
Nemazee’s brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Manhattan was his first since he was indicted this week on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors say Nemazee cheated three banks out of the money to live an affluent life and pose as an influential fundraiser.
The 59-year-old Manhattan resident was the national finance chairman for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. He later raised money for President Barack Obama.
He is under house arrest on $25 million bail and is wearing an electronic bracelet.
From Breaking news
If he'd been a fund raiser for a Republican, it would have been the end of that politician's career.
Add a year for cost increases
"The U.S. Navy has changed the terms of its ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program. Graduates now must serve five years on active duty, instead of four. The main reason for this increase is money. ROTC cadets have all their tuition costs covered by the navy, plus money for some living expenses and books. Some 150 universities have navy ROTC programs, which produces 1,100 ensigns (the lowest ranking naval officer) each year. The Naval Academy has always required five years of active duty from its graduates. The army and air force still only require four years active service from their ROTC graduates." Strategy Page
McChrystal’s recommendations
Remember the good old days, just a few months ago, when the leftists proclaimed this one the “good war” just so they could bad mouth Bush?
It seems we're "underresourced." And we have a president who has declared he doesn't believe in "victory." The anti-american, pro-islamist club/clutch within the White House must be rubbing their hands with glee.
Update: Who's behind Islam on Capitol Hill?
Update 2: Summary of news links on this story.
It seems we're "underresourced." And we have a president who has declared he doesn't believe in "victory." The anti-american, pro-islamist club/clutch within the White House must be rubbing their hands with glee.
- “Lukewarm public support for the Afghan conflict could stop Obama from implementing McChrystal’s recommendations—and lose us the war in the process.” More at National Interest Online
Update: Who's behind Islam on Capitol Hill?
Update 2: Summary of news links on this story.
Obama takes us backward 60 years
The U.S. is an unreliable ally under Obama. Who could possibly trust us now?
- “Russia's unchanging goal since the end of World War II has been to weaken or sever the Atlantic Alliance; to separate the United States from NATO. After 1991, the liberated countries attached themselves to the West. They would be "Central Europe," their historic designation next to "Western Europe," and would no longer be regarded as "Eastern Europe." They joined NATO. They went to Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States inside the NATO alliance was supposed to be the guarantor of "Europe whole and free." While the Russians were trying at a minimum to restore themselves as a superpower with a sphere of influence in Europe.
It took the Russians 20 years, but they're back. Russian President Medvedev said, "Naturally, we will have to conduct substantial, expert consultation... we will work together to develop effective measures...that take into account the interests and concerns of all sides and ensure equal security for all countries in European territory." He said President Obama had a "responsible attitude."
Russia and the United States, together "ensuring" security for the "European territory." How secure do the Poles feel today, or the Czechs? How do the Romanians or the Hungarians feel about Russia assuming the role of their "security guarantor"? Do the Georgians and Ukrainians think President Obama is being "responsible" with their future? Did the President of the United States think it would be easier to deal with one dictatorial country rather than more than two-dozen free countries in various messy states of political evolution?” More at JINSA Report Sept. 18, 2009
International affairs and radicalism links
David Durant, Heretical Librarian, turned in his blogger keys and left the building a little over a year ago. In a profession that is 223:1 liberal to conservative, he is missed. But here's a refresher list on some of the links he followed. With the O-Admin moving quickly to silence critics through increased regulation who are very slowly waking up to the wasp nest of marxists surrounding this President, this will be a handy list to browse. Not all are working, but I'll try to weed out those that have given up, changed direction, or lost their domain name.
The War on Terror and International Affairs
Across the Bay
American Enterprise Institute
American Footprints
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Committee on the Present Danger
Council on Foreign Relations
The Counterterrorism Blog
Defend America
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
The Jamestown Foundation
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA)
Long War Journal
Michael Yon
The National Interest
9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America
Small Wars Journal
StrategyPage
Threats Watch
Victor Davis Hanson's Private Papers
Winds of Change
Radical Islamism, The Middle East and Reforming Islam
Ali Eteraz
Apostasy and Islam
Arab Media & Society
Asharq Alawsat
Big Pharaoh
Center for Liberty in the Middle East
Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World
Daily Star (Lebanon)
Daniel Pipes
Faith Freedom International
Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism
Hammorabi
Healing Iraq
Initiative for an Open Arab Internet
Interfaith Strength
Iraq Blog Count
Iraq the Model
Iraq Updates
Irshad Manji
Islamist Watch
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Jihad Watch
Martin Kramer on the Middle East
The Mesopotamian
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
Middle East Transparent [click on English]
Secular Islam
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Watch
Featuring today: MEMRI, where you can stop by and read or hear Osama bin Laden's September message to the American people, which sounds extremely close to our own leftists; he even recommends reading Jimmy Carter.-- "The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian,Turkish, Urdu-Pashtu media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.
Founded in February 1998 to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, MEMRI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501 (c)3 organization. MEMRI's headquarters is located in Washington, DC with branch offices in London, Tokyo, Rome, Baghdad, Shanghai, and Jerusalem. MEMRI research is translated to English, German, Hebrew, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese."
The War on Terror and International Affairs
Across the Bay
American Enterprise Institute
American Footprints
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Committee on the Present Danger
Council on Foreign Relations
The Counterterrorism Blog
Defend America
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
The Jamestown Foundation
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA)
Long War Journal
Michael Yon
The National Interest
9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America
Small Wars Journal
StrategyPage
Threats Watch
Victor Davis Hanson's Private Papers
Winds of Change
Radical Islamism, The Middle East and Reforming Islam
Ali Eteraz
Apostasy and Islam
Arab Media & Society
Asharq Alawsat
Big Pharaoh
Center for Liberty in the Middle East
Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World
Daily Star (Lebanon)
Daniel Pipes
Faith Freedom International
Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism
Hammorabi
Healing Iraq
Initiative for an Open Arab Internet
Interfaith Strength
Iraq Blog Count
Iraq the Model
Iraq Updates
Irshad Manji
Islamist Watch
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Jihad Watch
Martin Kramer on the Middle East
The Mesopotamian
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
Middle East Transparent [click on English]
Secular Islam
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Watch
Featuring today: MEMRI, where you can stop by and read or hear Osama bin Laden's September message to the American people, which sounds extremely close to our own leftists; he even recommends reading Jimmy Carter.-- "The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian,Turkish, Urdu-Pashtu media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.
Founded in February 1998 to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, MEMRI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501 (c)3 organization. MEMRI's headquarters is located in Washington, DC with branch offices in London, Tokyo, Rome, Baghdad, Shanghai, and Jerusalem. MEMRI research is translated to English, German, Hebrew, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese."
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Health care Ground Hog day
"Before a tense and packed House, the President told Congress:
"Millions of Americans are just a pink slip away from losing their health insurance, and one serious illness away from losing all their savings... And in spite of all this, our medical bills are growing at over twice the rate of inflation..."
That's President Clinton, sixteen years ago almost to the day, in a speech about a complex health-care plan built on government expansion, with billions in hidden costs. Last night, [Sept. 9] a President—who was only 32 then—is now in the White House, out to prove that nothing has changed in the minds of the Democratic leadership since the Clinton debacle. . .
Since President Clinton spoke of health inflation in 1993, health costs continued to rise faster than wages, but President Obama refuses to acknowledge years later that the U.S. health inflation rate is almost identical to rates in government-run systems. Rising costs must be attacked, yes, but if rationed health management can't stop health inflation in Britain or Ireland, will a rush to President Obama's version of HillaryCare do any better? "
The unhealthy politics of déjà vu
"Millions of Americans are just a pink slip away from losing their health insurance, and one serious illness away from losing all their savings... And in spite of all this, our medical bills are growing at over twice the rate of inflation..."
That's President Clinton, sixteen years ago almost to the day, in a speech about a complex health-care plan built on government expansion, with billions in hidden costs. Last night, [Sept. 9] a President—who was only 32 then—is now in the White House, out to prove that nothing has changed in the minds of the Democratic leadership since the Clinton debacle. . .
Since President Clinton spoke of health inflation in 1993, health costs continued to rise faster than wages, but President Obama refuses to acknowledge years later that the U.S. health inflation rate is almost identical to rates in government-run systems. Rising costs must be attacked, yes, but if rationed health management can't stop health inflation in Britain or Ireland, will a rush to President Obama's version of HillaryCare do any better? "
The unhealthy politics of déjà vu
Want to volunteer?
Serve dot gov will direct you to ACORN. Isn't that a sweet connection--and with our tax money too.
Read it here.
Read it here.
Time to defund the National Endowment for the Arts
It has become just another mouthpiece with our tax dollars for Obama. It’s not that hard to make a living in the arts without government money if you paint, or write, or sing, or perform something decent, intelligent and not demeaning to women. Starving artists probably deserve to be so. My husband sold 11 paintings this summer and he’s a hobbyist. They are lobbyists.
Go here to check the links. I’ve looked at them. It’s disgusting. I'm sure they'll be pulled. In this case, the NEA is getting directions straight from the White House Office of Public Engagement (Valerie Jarrett). The Office's Deputy Director is Buffy (the Wal-Mart slayer) Wicks who made the conference call soliciting NEA artists to promote Obamacare with their art. According to Frugal Cafe, "her job is to silence conservatives, to spearhead boycotts (paid for by American taxpayers, including conservatives, by the way) against any businesses or talk show hosts who aren’t “on board” with ObamaCare or anything else the government wants to shove down American citizens’ throats. To support and possibly fund partisan agenda, AGAIN with taxpayers’ money." According to Canada Free Press
Video/audio/text of the conference call here.
Go here to check the links. I’ve looked at them. It’s disgusting. I'm sure they'll be pulled. In this case, the NEA is getting directions straight from the White House Office of Public Engagement (Valerie Jarrett). The Office's Deputy Director is Buffy (the Wal-Mart slayer) Wicks who made the conference call soliciting NEA artists to promote Obamacare with their art. According to Frugal Cafe, "her job is to silence conservatives, to spearhead boycotts (paid for by American taxpayers, including conservatives, by the way) against any businesses or talk show hosts who aren’t “on board” with ObamaCare or anything else the government wants to shove down American citizens’ throats. To support and possibly fund partisan agenda, AGAIN with taxpayers’ money." According to Canada Free Press
- "My sources in the progressive movement say Wicks handled the Obama campaign in Missouri last year. Obama lost in Missouri and activists in that state and people within the Obama campaign placed the blame for the defeat squarely on her shoulders.
After failing to win Missouri for Obama, Wicks had a very hard time finding a job but somehow she landed a job in the Obama White House. It’s unclear how she did that.
Wicks used to work for Wake Up Wal-Mart (wakeupwalmart.com), which is not a formal affiliate of ACORN but is an ACORN-sponsored spinoff group. The group works very closely with ACORN and is modeled after ACORN’s own anti-Wal-Mart affiliate W*A*R*N* (Wal-Mart Alliance for Reform Now)."
Video/audio/text of the conference call here.
I heard it on the NPR
It was stunning--so much so, I've forgotten the topic, but it was NPR and the two speakers seemed to be catching on to his tricks. Can't remember if it was stabbing Poland and Czechoslovakia in the back the way FDR did in 1939 and 1945 or if it was his convoluted definition of a tax increase. Oh well. What was exciting was to hear real journalists on NPR awake and smelling the coffee!
Charles Krauthammer: "Obama doesn’t lie. He implies, he misdirects, he misleads — so fluidly and incessantly that he risks transmuting eloquence into mere slickness.
Slickness wasn’t fatal to “Slick Willie” Clinton because he possessed a winning, near irresistible charm. Obama’s persona is more cool, distant, imperial. The charming scoundrel can get away with endless deception; the righteous redeemer cannot."
As much as I like Krauthammer, he's wrong about lies. Misleading and misdirecting is lying. I think he has to maintain a semblance of "fairness." I don't. Truth and words matter to me. Intent and character matter. Obama lies outright if you listen, he appoints crooks if you notice, he has clutches of friends and advisers who are Marxists and revolutionaries if you back track through their resumes and memberships, he flip flops on Afghanistan if you read his words; and you'd have to be deaf and dumb to believe him on anything whether it's his relationship with ACORN, Planned Parenthood, or Bill Ayers.
Charles Krauthammer: "Obama doesn’t lie. He implies, he misdirects, he misleads — so fluidly and incessantly that he risks transmuting eloquence into mere slickness.
Slickness wasn’t fatal to “Slick Willie” Clinton because he possessed a winning, near irresistible charm. Obama’s persona is more cool, distant, imperial. The charming scoundrel can get away with endless deception; the righteous redeemer cannot."
As much as I like Krauthammer, he's wrong about lies. Misleading and misdirecting is lying. I think he has to maintain a semblance of "fairness." I don't. Truth and words matter to me. Intent and character matter. Obama lies outright if you listen, he appoints crooks if you notice, he has clutches of friends and advisers who are Marxists and revolutionaries if you back track through their resumes and memberships, he flip flops on Afghanistan if you read his words; and you'd have to be deaf and dumb to believe him on anything whether it's his relationship with ACORN, Planned Parenthood, or Bill Ayers.
Democrats preach; Republicans praise
“At the dawn of this New Year, let us rededicate ourselves to that work. Let us reject the impulse to harden ourselves to others' suffering, and instead make a habit of empathy—of recognizing ourselves in each other and extending our compassion to those in need.” President Barack Obama
"The prophets taught the Jewish people never to falter in the world-wide search for the betterment and peace of mankind and never to leave the conflict against the forces of discrimination and poverty.
“These are precepts which were inherited by our forefathers from those who received them at Sinai. They are beliefs which have been given new and forceful expression in the State of Israel, where they were first proclaimed and where Rosh Hashana prayers were first uttered.” President Lyndon Johnson
"We all can learn from the Jewish people’s strong dedication to civil rights and tolerance, and we all must redouble our efforts to combat the forces of intolerance that still linger in our society.
“As we celebrate Rosh Hashana, I urge all Americans to join the Jewish community and to come together as a nation to speak out against hate crimes and to appreciate our common humanity.” President William Clinton
"Our moral code, the ideals that animate us, the faith in God that strengthens us — all these were most clearly and most inspiringly proclaimed many centuries ago by men of Jewish blood.
“Their descendants, in race and in faith, have contributed greatly to the knowledge and the skills and the culture of America.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower
“The liturgy of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur emphasizes both the moral obligations men have to their Maker and the ethical responsibilities we owe to our fellows. Fundamentally, America stands for the same principles. Indeed, these values... have been derived in large part from the Jewish tradition which is thereby inextricably linked to our American spiritual heritage. President Ronald Reagan
“Rosh Hashana celebrates Judaism’s remarkable heritage, and it is a reaffirmation of God’s mercy, glory, and love. As you look ahead to the coming year, I join with other Americans of diverse backgrounds and beliefs in receiving inspiration from your faith, your holy acts of repentance, and your loving kindness. May this year’s celebration bless all who participate as we heal from the wounds inflicted by the recent terrorist attacks.” President George W. Bush, Sept. 17, 2001
HT Atlas Shrugs
"The prophets taught the Jewish people never to falter in the world-wide search for the betterment and peace of mankind and never to leave the conflict against the forces of discrimination and poverty.
“These are precepts which were inherited by our forefathers from those who received them at Sinai. They are beliefs which have been given new and forceful expression in the State of Israel, where they were first proclaimed and where Rosh Hashana prayers were first uttered.” President Lyndon Johnson
"We all can learn from the Jewish people’s strong dedication to civil rights and tolerance, and we all must redouble our efforts to combat the forces of intolerance that still linger in our society.
“As we celebrate Rosh Hashana, I urge all Americans to join the Jewish community and to come together as a nation to speak out against hate crimes and to appreciate our common humanity.” President William Clinton
"Our moral code, the ideals that animate us, the faith in God that strengthens us — all these were most clearly and most inspiringly proclaimed many centuries ago by men of Jewish blood.
“Their descendants, in race and in faith, have contributed greatly to the knowledge and the skills and the culture of America.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower
“The liturgy of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur emphasizes both the moral obligations men have to their Maker and the ethical responsibilities we owe to our fellows. Fundamentally, America stands for the same principles. Indeed, these values... have been derived in large part from the Jewish tradition which is thereby inextricably linked to our American spiritual heritage. President Ronald Reagan
“Rosh Hashana celebrates Judaism’s remarkable heritage, and it is a reaffirmation of God’s mercy, glory, and love. As you look ahead to the coming year, I join with other Americans of diverse backgrounds and beliefs in receiving inspiration from your faith, your holy acts of repentance, and your loving kindness. May this year’s celebration bless all who participate as we heal from the wounds inflicted by the recent terrorist attacks.” President George W. Bush, Sept. 17, 2001
HT Atlas Shrugs
We were certainly well fed
While I was at the Midwest Birding Symposium eating almost every meal out, my husband was at the Cum Cristo center downtown where wonderful volunteers were preparing delicious, love-filled meals for the men. Mary and I ate two meals at the Coffee and Cream shop, which provided a buffet breakfast and lunch (maybe supper, but we had other plans). On Friday we had a fabulous salad with tomato bisque soup, dessert and drink for $6.95, and on Saturday an even more fabulous salad with baked potato soup, croissant, dessert and drink.
Then as I was going through the vendors' booths on Saturday, I just couldn't resist "Mealtime Magic from Magee Marsh," a cookbook put together by the Friends of Magee Marsh (Oak Harbor, Ottawa County) located on the shore of Lake Erie with 2,000 acres of wetlands and a migratory bird center. It's a real birding hotspot, but I've never been there. Next year I'll put it on my to-do list. The Friends apparently get together for some good eatin pot lucks, and decided to do a cookbook in 2008.
So today I made a sausage zucchini casserole from p. 70. I made one small revision that I hope won't matter--I used some dried bread for the crust instead of a can of crescent rolls. It uses, besides sausage and grated zucchini, onion, eggs, cheddar cheese and lots and lots of herbs (that's the quantity it specifies, "lots"). It's in the frig and I'll put it in the oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes about 5:30 p.m.
Then as I was going through the vendors' booths on Saturday, I just couldn't resist "Mealtime Magic from Magee Marsh," a cookbook put together by the Friends of Magee Marsh (Oak Harbor, Ottawa County) located on the shore of Lake Erie with 2,000 acres of wetlands and a migratory bird center. It's a real birding hotspot, but I've never been there. Next year I'll put it on my to-do list. The Friends apparently get together for some good eatin pot lucks, and decided to do a cookbook in 2008.
So today I made a sausage zucchini casserole from p. 70. I made one small revision that I hope won't matter--I used some dried bread for the crust instead of a can of crescent rolls. It uses, besides sausage and grated zucchini, onion, eggs, cheddar cheese and lots and lots of herbs (that's the quantity it specifies, "lots"). It's in the frig and I'll put it in the oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes about 5:30 p.m.
Checking Obama's facts on the fact checkers
Maggie Thurber has an excellent response to the Toledo Blade interview with Barack Obama, who complains that the blogosphere has no fact checkers like newspapers. (You watch--this is going to be the basis for his regulators coming down hard on bloggers and anyone who isn't with the Obamedia.) Ha! says Maggie--we ARE the fact checkers:
- "It was the blogosphere that fact-checked and exposed the faked memos about George W. Bush's National Guard service which was reported by Dan Rather and later became known as Rathergate.
It's been bloggers and Glenn Beck who've exposed the extreme positions of the various czars appointed by Obama. And there are terrific websites that focus on investigative reporting. One of them, Texas Watchdog, not only 'watches' government, but helps train bloggers and reporters so they can learn how to "uncover waste, fraud and corruption in state and local governments."
One reason many newspapers are seeing a decline in circulation and many television news networks see their numbers falling is because of this very 'fact.' They've stopped 'reporting' and started spending too much time 'putting stories in context' for us - telling us what we should think about events rather than reporting the facts so we can decide on our own. As a result, people have turned to other outlets, like blogs, for additional information so they can make an informed decision and not rely upon some talking head reading from a teleprompter." Stop by and read her whole article
Does this sound like blackmail?
"The swine flu pandemic could kill millions and cause anarchy in the world's poorest nations unless £900m can be raised from rich countries to pay for vaccines and antiviral medicines, says a UN report leaked to the Observer."
Last week-end while volunteering at the Midwest Bird Symposium I was chatting with a school principal, also a volunteer. With nothing much to talk about except our duties and how difficult it was to wear the latex gloves, I asked how her school was preparing for the H1N1 virus. She began to rant and rave--thought it was all a plot to cover the disastrous health care take over. And the plan, which I won't divulge, did sound a bit invasive. Too bad they don't let school principals and teachers do the sensible thing about head lice.
But back to blackmail. The aid that has gone to "poorest" countries by governments, churches and NGOs could long ago have floated them out of poverty, but why should those countries build roads, provide fresh water, drain swamps, improve their economies and elect honest leaders, if France, England or the US continue to bail them out? Even President Obama's father's home village is waiting for a bailout, and his own family still lives in poverty.
Last week-end while volunteering at the Midwest Bird Symposium I was chatting with a school principal, also a volunteer. With nothing much to talk about except our duties and how difficult it was to wear the latex gloves, I asked how her school was preparing for the H1N1 virus. She began to rant and rave--thought it was all a plot to cover the disastrous health care take over. And the plan, which I won't divulge, did sound a bit invasive. Too bad they don't let school principals and teachers do the sensible thing about head lice.
But back to blackmail. The aid that has gone to "poorest" countries by governments, churches and NGOs could long ago have floated them out of poverty, but why should those countries build roads, provide fresh water, drain swamps, improve their economies and elect honest leaders, if France, England or the US continue to bail them out? Even President Obama's father's home village is waiting for a bailout, and his own family still lives in poverty.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Now it's an I-TOP
I'd seen several references to a Canadian study about the increased risk to future pregnancies for women who'd had an abortion. I finally tracked down the journal, the BJOG.
Guess what? It's an I-TOP, an induced termination of pregnancy! "Induced termination of pregnancy and low birthweight and preterm birth: a systematic review and meta-analyses," PS Shah, J Zao on behalf of Knowledge Synthesis Group of Determinants of preterm/LBW births, BJOB, Sept. 16, 2009
Main results Thirty-seven studies of low–moderate risk of bias were included. A history of one I-TOP was associated with increased unadjusted odds of LBW (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.20–1.52) and PT (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.24–1.50), but not SGA (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.69–1.09). A history of more than one I-TOP was associated with LBW (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.45–2.04) and PT (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.28–2.71). Meta-analyses of adjusted risk estimates confirmed these findings.
Conclusions A previous I-TOP is associated with a significantly increased risk of LBW and PT but not SGA. The risk increased as the number of I-TOP increased.
And although I don't know why, breast cancer rate is higher among women who've had an I-TOP as is the risk of death. Studies done in Finland and California showed much higher post abortion death rate when compared to either women who carried to term or who were never pregnant.
Guess what? It's an I-TOP, an induced termination of pregnancy! "Induced termination of pregnancy and low birthweight and preterm birth: a systematic review and meta-analyses," PS Shah, J Zao on behalf of Knowledge Synthesis Group of Determinants of preterm/LBW births, BJOB, Sept. 16, 2009
Main results Thirty-seven studies of low–moderate risk of bias were included. A history of one I-TOP was associated with increased unadjusted odds of LBW (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.20–1.52) and PT (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.24–1.50), but not SGA (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.69–1.09). A history of more than one I-TOP was associated with LBW (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.45–2.04) and PT (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.28–2.71). Meta-analyses of adjusted risk estimates confirmed these findings.
Conclusions A previous I-TOP is associated with a significantly increased risk of LBW and PT but not SGA. The risk increased as the number of I-TOP increased.
And although I don't know why, breast cancer rate is higher among women who've had an I-TOP as is the risk of death. Studies done in Finland and California showed much higher post abortion death rate when compared to either women who carried to term or who were never pregnant.
If you loved your wife
While I was volunteering at the Midwest Birding Symposium and learning from Jim McCormac about how a drop of water in Lake Superior makes it to the Atlantic Ocean, my husband was the assistant rector at a Cum Cristo (Cursillo) week-end. He's been on so many Cursillo, Cum Cristo, Renewal, and Emmaus Walk week-ends, I've lost count. Maybe I'm crazy but I think he usually says, "This one was the best." But he did tell me about one guy we've known about 35 years who used to be a member of our church. His wife died of cancer some years ago and he has remarried, and I think things are fine, although we were never close, so I really don't know.
Anyway, he was periodically stepping outside for a smoke. Before they all went home, my husband said to him, "You don't love your wife." Obviously shocked, the man asked what he meant. "If you loved your wife, you wouldn't want her to be left alone and grieving after you die of cancer. You've been through this--how can you want this for her?" Then he sympathized and told him about my dad--who quit smoking when he was 39 and said it was 20 years before he stopped wanting a cigarette (he lived to be 89). He says the guy said he'd think about it.
That's pretty bold for a guy as quiet as my husband, but then he told me he'd done that before, and the guy actually did quit cold turkey.
Cursillo isn't about saving anyone for Jesus, because usually they are already Christians; but it couldn't hurt to save a physical life too, and save a wife and children from grieving an early loss.
Anyway, he was periodically stepping outside for a smoke. Before they all went home, my husband said to him, "You don't love your wife." Obviously shocked, the man asked what he meant. "If you loved your wife, you wouldn't want her to be left alone and grieving after you die of cancer. You've been through this--how can you want this for her?" Then he sympathized and told him about my dad--who quit smoking when he was 39 and said it was 20 years before he stopped wanting a cigarette (he lived to be 89). He says the guy said he'd think about it.
That's pretty bold for a guy as quiet as my husband, but then he told me he'd done that before, and the guy actually did quit cold turkey.
Cursillo isn't about saving anyone for Jesus, because usually they are already Christians; but it couldn't hurt to save a physical life too, and save a wife and children from grieving an early loss.
Reform won't work without support of the American people
When Rep. Patrick McHenry held his townhall meetings this year, almost 5,000 people attended compared to fewer than 300 last year.
“There was consensus on a few of the major issues.
This, not racism, Mr. Carter, is the cause of Obama's dropping poll numbers and the building distrust.
“There was consensus on a few of the major issues.
- The stimulus has been an expensive failure. It was a missed opportunity to create much-needed jobs.
- The bailouts were an enormous injustice to taxpayers by forcing them to reward the self-inflicted failures of Wall Street.
- If cap-and-trade passes the Senate, the middle class will pay a huge price in lost jobs and higher energy costs. . .
- By far, the hottest topic was health care.”
This, not racism, Mr. Carter, is the cause of Obama's dropping poll numbers and the building distrust.
Visiting the Lincoln Theater in Columbus
On September 10 we had the opportunity to tour the newly renovated and reopened (May 2009) Lincoln Theater on Long Street with the Conestoga group from the Ohio Historical Society. It is very impressive and the new jazz academy is really stunning with private studios, special classes with guest artists, and the high tech equipment. The ballroom is one of the prettiest I've seen and I'm sure will be a coveted site for wedding receptions and gala events. It is hoped that the Lincoln will help restore the economy of the once thriving African American cultural community on the east side.
This was the original entrance with the restored marque, but the new entrance/lobby/ticket area has been moved to a newly constructed addition because the lobby was too small. But behind the doors is a board room, and the renovated movie projector, pieces of which were found in the basement.
This plaque is in the new lobby.
The original decor was an Egyptian motif, and that has been beautifully recreated.
Two musicians performing across the street.
If you have time, pause to enjoy this video introduced by our mayor with a little history of the area and how the renovation came to be. It's about 9 minutes.
This was the original entrance with the restored marque, but the new entrance/lobby/ticket area has been moved to a newly constructed addition because the lobby was too small. But behind the doors is a board room, and the renovated movie projector, pieces of which were found in the basement.
This plaque is in the new lobby.
The original decor was an Egyptian motif, and that has been beautifully recreated.
Two musicians performing across the street.
If you have time, pause to enjoy this video introduced by our mayor with a little history of the area and how the renovation came to be. It's about 9 minutes.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Naming birds
When your wealth of bird knowledge is being able to tell a robin from a blue jay from a cardinal, there is lots to learn at a birding conference like the Midwest Birding Symposium held at Lakeside September 17-20. I'll begin with a snippet of trivia that I picked up by attending some of the programs when I wasn't volunteering (I was the early a.m. shift at the gate, and the dinner crew on Friday).
Scott Weidensaul gave a fascinating short history of birding on Friday night with wonderful photos. I never even saw him look at his notes and he must have included hundreds of details covering about that many years. One interesting thing he told us was that generally, birds that were named early in our country's history have common, descriptive names--red wing blackbirds, black throated blue warblers, barn swallow, etc. Ordinary people named them based on their observations. But as the population moved west and explorers and scientists named them, the birds began to get names of people--family, friends, mentors, and politicians.
Lucy was the name of John James Audubon's wife, but he never named a bird for her. However, Lucy's Warbler is named for Lucy Baird, who was herself named for Lucy Audubon. So, indirectly, Lucy Audubon got her bird.
I also learned that a "big sit" is when people gather in a particular spot and count species they see. This "big sit" at Lakeside I believe counted 27. Also, I'd assumed "shore birds" meant what we have in and around Ottawa County, birds that like the shore, but that's not what they are. Shore birds are sandpipers and plovers, but not gulls and ducks.
I really enjoyed the vendors' displays in South Auditorium and the Rhein Center and I got a lot of freebies. I had no idea that bird watching was so high tech. Nor did I know the Amish sold binoculars! Apparently birding is quite popular with the Amish. The prices were out of this world. Also at this event, people donated their old binoculars (I think there were hundreds) and then these are redistributed to birding groups in poor countries.
Oh yes, and because the Caspian Tern was our poster bird and the logo on our caps, I can now tell a tern from a gull. They are hard to miss up on Lake Erie--really big, with bright red bills that point downward and they float around and then dive bomb into the water and come up with a fish. They breed on 5 continents and in 70 countries, so they really span the globe.
Jane Alexander was one of the Saturday evening speakers, and I think she said there were 80-90 million birders in the U.S. but that seems a bit high--wouldn't that be almost a third of the population? However many, it's a lot--and as near as I could tell from the advertising, you could be attending a symposium, conference or festival every day, and still not see it all. There's even a guy in the Ohio Army National Guard who is helping Iraqis with their bird books and equipment.
The Symposium will be back at Lakeside in two years, so if you're a Lakesider, or enjoy that area, keep an eye open for this event. We had a great time.
Scott Weidensaul gave a fascinating short history of birding on Friday night with wonderful photos. I never even saw him look at his notes and he must have included hundreds of details covering about that many years. One interesting thing he told us was that generally, birds that were named early in our country's history have common, descriptive names--red wing blackbirds, black throated blue warblers, barn swallow, etc. Ordinary people named them based on their observations. But as the population moved west and explorers and scientists named them, the birds began to get names of people--family, friends, mentors, and politicians.
Lucy was the name of John James Audubon's wife, but he never named a bird for her. However, Lucy's Warbler is named for Lucy Baird, who was herself named for Lucy Audubon. So, indirectly, Lucy Audubon got her bird.I also learned that a "big sit" is when people gather in a particular spot and count species they see. This "big sit" at Lakeside I believe counted 27. Also, I'd assumed "shore birds" meant what we have in and around Ottawa County, birds that like the shore, but that's not what they are. Shore birds are sandpipers and plovers, but not gulls and ducks.
I really enjoyed the vendors' displays in South Auditorium and the Rhein Center and I got a lot of freebies. I had no idea that bird watching was so high tech. Nor did I know the Amish sold binoculars! Apparently birding is quite popular with the Amish. The prices were out of this world. Also at this event, people donated their old binoculars (I think there were hundreds) and then these are redistributed to birding groups in poor countries.
Oh yes, and because the Caspian Tern was our poster bird and the logo on our caps, I can now tell a tern from a gull. They are hard to miss up on Lake Erie--really big, with bright red bills that point downward and they float around and then dive bomb into the water and come up with a fish. They breed on 5 continents and in 70 countries, so they really span the globe.
Jane Alexander was one of the Saturday evening speakers, and I think she said there were 80-90 million birders in the U.S. but that seems a bit high--wouldn't that be almost a third of the population? However many, it's a lot--and as near as I could tell from the advertising, you could be attending a symposium, conference or festival every day, and still not see it all. There's even a guy in the Ohio Army National Guard who is helping Iraqis with their bird books and equipment.
The Symposium will be back at Lakeside in two years, so if you're a Lakesider, or enjoy that area, keep an eye open for this event. We had a great time.
The blitz
"Republicans maintained today that the president should reconsider his plans and start the health-care debate anew.
"Winning is stopping, starting again and getting it right,'' Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnelll, (R-Ky.) said today on CNN.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele suggested that the president's round of network interviews today hadn't amounted to much.
"I thought the president said a lot without saying anything,'' Steele said on CBS' Face the Nation. "There was nothing that moved the needle on this debate... This is not very helpful to the president right now.... It may have been nice to do the interviews, but I don't think it advanced the debate on health care that much.''"
The Swamp
Can you believe he's still blaming other people for his failings, for his extremism, for his planned deficits, for his mismatched appointments, his creepy associations--and especially the news coverage which is almost 99% pro-Obama 24/7?
"Winning is stopping, starting again and getting it right,'' Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnelll, (R-Ky.) said today on CNN.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele suggested that the president's round of network interviews today hadn't amounted to much.
"I thought the president said a lot without saying anything,'' Steele said on CBS' Face the Nation. "There was nothing that moved the needle on this debate... This is not very helpful to the president right now.... It may have been nice to do the interviews, but I don't think it advanced the debate on health care that much.''"
The Swamp
Can you believe he's still blaming other people for his failings, for his extremism, for his planned deficits, for his mismatched appointments, his creepy associations--and especially the news coverage which is almost 99% pro-Obama 24/7?
- "Unfortunately, we've got... a 24-hour news cycle where what gets you on the news is controversy,'' he told NBC's David Gregory. "What gets you on the news is the extreme statement. The easiest way to get 15 minutes on the news, or your 15 minutes of fame, is to be rude.''
Loyalty cards--invasive and expensive
A friend and I had a "discussion" about loyalty cards today. Actually, it was pretty darn close to an argument. I don't use loyalty cards or coupons at the grocery store; I don't play games with my food. And that's what it is--a game to convince the consumer she's getting something for nothing, that retailers are just in business to please you and give their products away. Whether it's the wooden nickle, the green stamp, the sweepstakes game, the paper coupons in the size of a dollar, or the plastic loyalty card that looks like a credit card, the intent is to get you to buy. What I find so insidious about the loyalty card is not just that they can find out what you buy--they could do that without your personal information. It's that your personal information is sold, and that's more lucrative than knowing 1500 boxes of Betty Crocker 14 oz. mashed potato flakes sold on Nov. 20 in the Main St. store (except to Mrs. Bruce who bought 5 lbs of real potatoes for the same price) or 700 cans of Stokley's green beans without salt. Kroger is part owner of a data mining company. I don't even like it when the register at Meijer's (which doesn't use a loyalty card) spits out coupons for competing products based on what I just bought. I pass them to the person behind me. If you think you are being "rewarded" for loyalty or for purchsing brand x, you need to go back to home economics class or psych class and read up on behavior modification. All that nonsense about it being just like the personal service you used to get 40 years ago at the corner grocery is just that--nonsense. Loyalty plans are a huge industry with its own press releases, and that's most of the sources you'll find on the internet, or in newspapers, which are quite dependent on the advertising revenue from the stores using the loyalty plans. I am not in any way saying this is a bad business--but it is a business and their bottom line, not your feeling warm and fuzzy, is what matters.
Obviously, my friend who will travel around to various stores to take advantage of the coupons sent to her based her buying habits or specials and loss leaders, didn't see it my way. We just changed the subject. Here's a recent item from another blog.
Obviously, my friend who will travel around to various stores to take advantage of the coupons sent to her based her buying habits or specials and loss leaders, didn't see it my way. We just changed the subject. Here's a recent item from another blog.
- "Today’s loyalty card programs are not designed to reward the faithful — they are designed to help retailers gather incredible amounts of data about their customers. They use the data for supply chain management, for marketing and to figure out ways to change customer behavior. A loyalty card program is expensive to run. It requires a lot of storage for all that data and sophisticated data mining tools to pour through the raw data and turn it into useful information." IT Knowledge
Midwest Birding Symposium
What an eventful week-end. We left Thursday for Lakeside and returned on Sunday. We had a great time volunteering and were thrilled to attend some of the lectures by top birding experts. I know a whole lot more than I knew before, and will be blogging about it--after I catch up on groceries, sleep and unpacking.
As we were leaving the grounds this morning Mary said, "What's that?" And we said in unison, "A buzzard!" Now that was unexpected!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Valerie Jarrett, Obama's BFF
Both the left and right acknowledge her role. But this story lays it out and connects all the dots. She's affluent, well connected, far left and a slum lord. Her parents were friends with Bill Ayers' parents and her family tree is very--way out. Her mentor and buddy is Marilyn Katz, part of the 1968 SDS group and what they evolved to. No one gets to Obama without going through Valerie.
Don't miss Scott Baker and Liz Stephans interview with the author which will peel off the layers of Obama's tight circle of Communist friends, pampered radicals, racist and elistist advisers.
HT G & B
Don't miss Scott Baker and Liz Stephans interview with the author which will peel off the layers of Obama's tight circle of Communist friends, pampered radicals, racist and elistist advisers.
HT G & B
Performing a Mitzvah
There were some interesting letters to the WSJ in response to the opinion piece (Norman Podhoretz) on 9-11 which urged liberal Jews to "break free of the liberalism to which they have remained in thrall long past the point where it has served either their interests or their ideals." The writers responded about God's command for good works or mitzvah. Liberal Christians as well as Jews need to listen up here, because oddly enough, some Christians seem to think Jesus invented "good works" as the sum total of his ministry when in fact, nothing he said about how you treat your fellow man was new--he was reciting his religion--Judaism. As Podhoretz points out in his article
- "Most American Jews sincerely believe that their liberalism, together with their commitment to the Democratic Party as its main political vehicle, stems from the teachings of Judaism and reflects the heritage of "Jewish values." But if this theory were valid, the Orthodox would be the most liberal sector of the Jewish community. After all, it is they who are most familiar with the Jewish religious tradition and who shape their lives around its commandments.
Yet the Orthodox enclaves are the only Jewish neighborhoods where Republican candidates get any votes to speak of. Even more telling is that on every single cultural issue, the Orthodox oppose the politically correct liberal positions taken by most other American Jews precisely because these positions conflict with Jewish law. To cite just a few examples: Jewish law permits abortion only to protect the life of the mother; it forbids sex between men; and it prohibits suicide (except when the only alternatives are forced conversion or incest)."
- "One cannot perform a mitzvah by having the government take one person's property and give it to another."
"There is no argument in the Torah that requires all people to be materially equal."
"The Torah demands personal responsibility from all Jews at whatever station they hold in life."
"The highest form of charity is giving a person independence (work) so that he or she will not have to depend on charity."
"Over the past 150 years classical liberalism and free-market capitalism revolutionized economies and did more to improve the conditions of the poor than any other competing system."
"No where does the Bible instruct us to tax others and rely on government to feed the hungry and clothe the naked."
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Murray reports on 9/12, pt. 3
Observations on visiting Washington D.C.--trash and restrooms
1. The city of Washington provided very little aid to accommodate the marchers. For instance, there were no trash cans anywhere all the way up Pennsylvania Ave. I didn't see any until we got to the park area at the National Mall. In spite of this, it was reported that the Marchers, to their credit, left the city pretty much the way they found it. By comparison, at Obama's inauguration, the city was pretty well trashed. From what I could tell the only thing the city provided was police attention. Of course they could always explain it away with budget problems. LOL
2. There were no signs or indication of restrooms not even in the Metro terminals. Now I know that the sponsors of the March should have had a plan for this but still I would think the city has encountered this type of activity enough times to in being prepared. There were reports of 30 port-a-potties stationed at the National Mall area but I didn't see them. It's part of the reason this old man left when he did! If you ever take the Metro in Washington DC, prepare yourself as there are no restrooms at the terminals.
1. The city of Washington provided very little aid to accommodate the marchers. For instance, there were no trash cans anywhere all the way up Pennsylvania Ave. I didn't see any until we got to the park area at the National Mall. In spite of this, it was reported that the Marchers, to their credit, left the city pretty much the way they found it. By comparison, at Obama's inauguration, the city was pretty well trashed. From what I could tell the only thing the city provided was police attention. Of course they could always explain it away with budget problems. LOL
2. There were no signs or indication of restrooms not even in the Metro terminals. Now I know that the sponsors of the March should have had a plan for this but still I would think the city has encountered this type of activity enough times to in being prepared. There were reports of 30 port-a-potties stationed at the National Mall area but I didn't see them. It's part of the reason this old man left when he did! If you ever take the Metro in Washington DC, prepare yourself as there are no restrooms at the terminals.
Mary Travers dies
Two years ago I said I hoped the remark Mary Travers of Peter Paul and Mary had made about a Republican bone marrow donor was an urban legend. But according to the USAToday, it wasn't. Let's assume it was her disease speaking; or a very wry sense of humor intended to please her faithful fans.
My, hasn't it been a tough year for entertainers?
My, hasn't it been a tough year for entertainers?
Who's lying?
"Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says there is evidence the government is not truthful about publicly funded healthcare for illegal immigrants.
Read the document
Since Joe Wilson's outburst, they've been scrambling to get this clarified and downplayed. I don't trust them. Hispanic groups of US citizens (and some not citizens) want them included. Let them create a foundation and provide aid.
Read the document
Since Joe Wilson's outburst, they've been scrambling to get this clarified and downplayed. I don't trust them. Hispanic groups of US citizens (and some not citizens) want them included. Let them create a foundation and provide aid.
Democrats don't want an apology. They want a side show
A message from Michael Steele:
"In another stunning example of hypocrisy, congressional Democrats wasted taxpayers' time and resources on a legislative measure to censure Congressman Joe Wilson so they don't have to talk about their exceedingly unpopular health care plan.
If we are going to march Members down to the well of the House to apologize, Joe Wilson is going to have to get in line behind Nancy Pelosi, who attacked the intelligence community who protects us, Charlie Rangel who cheated on his taxes, Jack Murtha - a walking scandal, and we all know how the Democratic leadership tried to protect convicted felon William Jefferson.
"In another stunning example of hypocrisy, congressional Democrats wasted taxpayers' time and resources on a legislative measure to censure Congressman Joe Wilson so they don't have to talk about their exceedingly unpopular health care plan.
If we are going to march Members down to the well of the House to apologize, Joe Wilson is going to have to get in line behind Nancy Pelosi, who attacked the intelligence community who protects us, Charlie Rangel who cheated on his taxes, Jack Murtha - a walking scandal, and we all know how the Democratic leadership tried to protect convicted felon William Jefferson.
- First, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) accuses the CIA of lying though an intelligence report indicates that she was briefed on the use of harsh interrogation tactics in 2002; contradicting her previous statements.
- Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) is under investigation for misusing rent controlled properties, avoiding taxes, and using U.S. government letterhead to raise money.
- Reps. John Murtha (D-PA) and Peter Visclosky (D-IN) have been linked to lobbying firm PMA, which has been raided twice by FBI agents.
- Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) has refused to subpoena Countrywide Mortgage documents to investigate possible sweetheart loans; Towns received two loans from Countrywide.
- Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) forced aides to perform personal tasks against ethics rules and had them work on "several local and state campaigns including his wife's failed bid for a seat in the state senate."
- Heard any apologies from these people? Where are the outcries of the Democrat leadership?"
China in 1925
This summer at Lakeside I heard an excellent sports and religion lecture on the life of Eric Liddell (Chariots of Fire), who was born in China, educated in Scotland where he achieved Olympic fame, and who died in China in 1945 in a Japanese prison camp during WWII. This week I've been reading "Eric Liddell; something greater than gold" by Janet and Geoff Benge, part of a very well written series for middle school. I thought their brief summary of the China he returned to in 1925 was one of the better ones I've read. And since China now owns us (our debt) and their national memory may be better than ours, maybe we need a refresher.
- "Eric's father had written that there were basically three groups involved in the struggle. There were the local warlords, the Nationalists, or the Kuomintang, as they called themselves, and a new group, the Communists, who patterned themselves after the Bolsheviks, who had seized power in Russia and transformed that country into the Soviet Union. The Kuomintang was the largest and most powerful group and found most of its support in the cities. It was also recognized as the rightful government of China, though it by no means controlled the country. The Communists were a small but growing group, and most of their support came from the rural areas in the south of China.
As these different factions fought for control in various regions, it was not uncommon for some villages to change hands between a warlord, the Communists, and the Nationalists five or six times a year. Each time an army passed through a village, the village's occupants had their homes robbed and their food supplies stolen. When an army marched through the countryside, it would steal crops from the field and trample those not ready to harvest so that the other groups couldn't get their hands on them. This in turn had led to famine.
Apart from the fighting itself, China's other enemy was foreign influence. The people of China had been humiliated by the British during the First Opium War of 1839-42. China had many goods that Great Britain wanted to trade for, but the Chinese wanted nothing except silver from the British in return. When the British tried to force opium on the Chinese instead of silver as payment for the goods they wanted, the emperor had refused. He ordered all opium destroyed. This in turn angered the British, who began a war with China. The British easily won, and China was forced to sign a treaty to end the war. Not only did the treaty allow the British to import opium into China, but it also opened up a number of coastal cities where foreigners could live and trade. The treaty left the Chinese people feeling weak, powerless, and very angry.
Once China had been weakened, its neighbor, Japan, saw a great opportunity to expand. In the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, China had lost control of Taiwan completely as well as most of its influence over the Korean Peninsula.
In 1914, three years after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, WWI began in Europe. China eventually sided with the Allies (Great Britain, France and Russia) against Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In joining with the Allies, China had hoped to be taken seriously as a nation and gain some respect as a country when the war was over. However, things did not work out that way.
At the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended WWI, the Allies completely ignored China's demand that in return for fighting in the war, foreign powers should pull out of the country and leave China to govern herself.
The people of China were furious at this result. They felt they had been betrayed by the Allies. This in turn, led to even more bitterness towards foreigners than had existed before the war. To the Chinese, foreigners along with their ways of doing things were symbols of China's humiliation.
It was to this China that Eric Liddell, now 23, would be returning. . . "
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Kos Kids turning on Obama
Call in Jimmy Carter to wag his finger (index) at them! The far left wing of blogdom has turned on the President of the United States! Read their comments.
Entertainers behaving badly
Kanye West at the MTV VMA awards insulted and flustered teenager Taylor Swift who'd just received an award--stealing her moment of glory. How she kept her composure and went on to perform live, shows she has a lot more class and talent than he has. After she appeared on The View, he apologized.
"More winners were revealed at the September 13 ceremony of the 26th Annual MTV Video Music Awards. This time, P. Diddy went onto the stage, announcing who was lucky to receive Best Male Video.
T.I. got the honor, thanks to his "Live Your Live" music video which guest stars Rihanna. There was no acceptance speech because the rapper is currently serving a 366-day prison sentence for felony weapons charges." (Aceshowbiz)
Then P. Diddy (Sean Combs, also a fashion designer and occasional actor), expecting everyone, including the NYPD to know who he is, or care that he is very rich and famous, forgot about his former arrests.
All bets are off on who was the racist in these incidents. But Jimmy Carter will probably be called in to decide.
"More winners were revealed at the September 13 ceremony of the 26th Annual MTV Video Music Awards. This time, P. Diddy went onto the stage, announcing who was lucky to receive Best Male Video.
T.I. got the honor, thanks to his "Live Your Live" music video which guest stars Rihanna. There was no acceptance speech because the rapper is currently serving a 366-day prison sentence for felony weapons charges." (Aceshowbiz)
Then P. Diddy (Sean Combs, also a fashion designer and occasional actor), expecting everyone, including the NYPD to know who he is, or care that he is very rich and famous, forgot about his former arrests.
- "Hip Hop mogul Diddy managed to avoid arrest after facing off with New York's "Hip Hop Police" recently.
Though all the details aren't immediately available, in a recent video posted by TMZ.com, Diddy is seen going back and forth with an NYPD officer after being asked to move.
"Lower your fucking voice when you're talking to me, I'm a man just like you" Diddy quipped at the aggressive officer.
"I gotta get everyone outta here [...] I don't give a fuck who you are," the unidentified officer screams at the rapper.
"I don't give a fuck who you are either motherfucker!" Diddy quickly retorted as he walked away.
Things quickly escalated when Diddy turn around to face off with the officer. Luckily for the rapper, his entourage held him back." Defsounds
All bets are off on who was the racist in these incidents. But Jimmy Carter will probably be called in to decide.
Maytag apologies for my corroded dishwasher racks
"Dear Ms Bruce:
Thank you for visiting the Maytag web site. We appreciate hearing from you.
We understand that you are interested in replacing the dishwasher racks.
The part numbers for the dishwasher racks are upper (W10269678) retails for $100.49 and lower part number (W10280784) retails for $143.25.
You may order by contacting Consumer Sales at 1800 442 9991, M-F, 8:00AM to 8:00PM EST.
The warranty for the racks covered Dura Guard nylon racks and the racks for this unit are vinyl.
Thank you for allowing us to assist you today.
You are a valued Maytag customer and we apologize for any inconvenience this concern may have caused."
--------------------------
So 3 months past the "platinum warranty" that cost $89, which apparently covered a different rack and wouldn't have been covered anyway, and all I get is this apology for a product they've known for years was corroding. DO NOT BUY MAYTAG!
Thank you for visiting the Maytag web site. We appreciate hearing from you.
We understand that you are interested in replacing the dishwasher racks.
The part numbers for the dishwasher racks are upper (W10269678) retails for $100.49 and lower part number (W10280784) retails for $143.25.
You may order by contacting Consumer Sales at 1800 442 9991, M-F, 8:00AM to 8:00PM EST.
The warranty for the racks covered Dura Guard nylon racks and the racks for this unit are vinyl.
Thank you for allowing us to assist you today.
You are a valued Maytag customer and we apologize for any inconvenience this concern may have caused."
--------------------------
So 3 months past the "platinum warranty" that cost $89, which apparently covered a different rack and wouldn't have been covered anyway, and all I get is this apology for a product they've known for years was corroding. DO NOT BUY MAYTAG!
Believing Ben
Justin Fox writes: "Yesterday afternoon, TIME.com's business editor, John Curran, recommended that I take a look at Ben Bernanke's speech at the Brookings Institution. I glanced at the text, saw that it was an exact repeat of the speech he'd given at Jackson Hole in August, and thought, naaaaah. A couple hours later I read online that in the Q&A after the speech Bernanke had said the recession was "very likely" over. Which is what everybody and his brother—including, I thought, Bernanke—has been saying for weeks. No news there, either, I figured.
So I when I picked up my NYT this morning I was a little surprised to see Bernanke's words highlighted on the front page (although at least the actual story was relegated to the front of the business section). Then I'm walking Curious Capitalist Jr. to school and I see the FT at a newsstand. The lead story: "Recession likely over in US, says Bernanke." When I got to work I checked the WaPo and WSJ. Front page of the WaPo: "Recovery Underway, Bernanke Suggests." Top of the "What's News" box in the WSJ (with the actual story at the top of A2): "Bernanke: Recession 'Likely Over.'"
Why on earth would all these newspapers, struggling to survive in straitened times, devote valuable space and reporting time to this non-news? It certainly can't be because of Ben "the impact ... of the problems in the subprime market seems likely to be contained" Bernanke's brilliant record as an economic forecaster. Bernanke's words also didn't mark any sort of major change in his outlook. If Peter Schiff announced that he thought happy days were here again, now that would be news. Bernanke's Fed, meanwhile, has been giving pretty clear signals over the past couple of months that it thinks the recession is ending but the recovery will be weak. Which is exactly what Bernanke said yesterday. So again, why all the coverage? I can think of three main reasons." See what they are at Curious Capitalist
So I when I picked up my NYT this morning I was a little surprised to see Bernanke's words highlighted on the front page (although at least the actual story was relegated to the front of the business section). Then I'm walking Curious Capitalist Jr. to school and I see the FT at a newsstand. The lead story: "Recession likely over in US, says Bernanke." When I got to work I checked the WaPo and WSJ. Front page of the WaPo: "Recovery Underway, Bernanke Suggests." Top of the "What's News" box in the WSJ (with the actual story at the top of A2): "Bernanke: Recession 'Likely Over.'"
Why on earth would all these newspapers, struggling to survive in straitened times, devote valuable space and reporting time to this non-news? It certainly can't be because of Ben "the impact ... of the problems in the subprime market seems likely to be contained" Bernanke's brilliant record as an economic forecaster. Bernanke's words also didn't mark any sort of major change in his outlook. If Peter Schiff announced that he thought happy days were here again, now that would be news. Bernanke's Fed, meanwhile, has been giving pretty clear signals over the past couple of months that it thinks the recession is ending but the recovery will be weak. Which is exactly what Bernanke said yesterday. So again, why all the coverage? I can think of three main reasons." See what they are at Curious Capitalist
Finally
He's a little slow when it's not his team, but better late than never. Seen at Catholic Exchange.
- "President Obama issued a brief statement Sunday calling the Friday murder of Michigan pro-life veteran Jim Pouillon “deplorable.”
“Whichever side of a public debate you’re on, violence is never the right answer,” the president added."
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