Really bad frugal living tips

Driving home from the coffee shop this morning, I heard a review of a frugal tips book currently getting air play and pixels. The worst was "use a beauty school student instead of your regular hair dresser and pay only $20." Well, why not go really cheap and cut it yourself, or let your husband and/or girl friend do it? No thanks. I pay about $90 every 7 weeks, and I'm fine with that. I help the local economy and a small business woman. Melissa (Shear Impressions) owns her own business, attends the same church we do, graduated from Grandview H.S., is about my children's age, and I've known her since she finished her own schooling about 25 years ago and worked for David Keith. We can pick up the chat where we left off in December, she calls if I've forgotten, and I can buy the products I like at her shop. One time I had to have a work-in because I'd scheduled wrong, and was planning to leave town for a class reunion. There was another younger gal renting a chair from Melissa, so she took me. "Your reunion?" she cooed. "Oh, honey, let's jazz it up a bit." For six weeks, I was about as blonde as Marilyn Monroe, whose real name was Norma, remember.


I had my first professional hair cut for another class event--the eighth grade trip to Chicago. (I'm the one in the middle.) Before that, my mother chopped away at it with her sewing shears. I'm sure she read up on it, but. . . She also gave us home permanents. Whew! Did they smell.


Most women I know would give up their church before they'd give up their veterinarian or their hair dresser.

Bare foot walking, pt. 4

Remember last summer when I was walking barefoot in the grass in an effort to ease some foot problems? My theory, as I recall, was that the grass would stimulate the nerves in my feet which had started to hurt after wearing a certain pair of sandals. And in the course of my very brief research, I learned that barefoot we walk and run differently than when we wear shoes. Keep in mind, however, in many countries parasites enter the body through bare feet. But here are some bare truths from Nature Magazine which I just received today.

Runners in sports shoes run differently from those who run barefoot and who have never worn shoes. Research published online by Nature this week shows that unshod runners land on their toes, or the foreparts of the sole (fore-foot strike), whereas shod runners tend to land on their heels (rear-foot strike). The first style of running uses the body of the foot to cushion the leg and body from the shock of impact, whereas shod runners might run more risk of impact-related injury.

Watch the video free online on the Nature Video YouTube channel.

And of course, always watch for dog poop. Not fun between the toes.

Itsy bitsy contact lenses

Even in the summer, I rarely wear sunglasses, although I have in recent years purchased big giant ones that cover about 1/3 of my face and just place them over my regular glasses (I wear trifocals). Research done at Ohio State shows we should wear them even in the winter, and if you wear contacts, you can have UV blocking lenses. Little rabbits wore them to test their effectiveness. I don't even want to know how they found out they were or weren't affected. (But if you read the original, it will tell you.) From OSUToday:

"Heather Chandler, PhD, assistant professor, and a group of researchers from The Ohio State University College of Optometry found that UV blocking contact lenses protect the eyes from harmful UV rays.

According to the article (“Prevention of UV-Induced Damage to the Anterior Segment Using Class I UV Absorbing Hydrogel Contact Lenses”), overexposure to UV radiation can lead to harmful changes in the cornea, conjunctiva and lens, including cataracts, the most common cause of visual impairment around the globe. According to the researchers, some estimates say that by the year 2050, there will be 167,000 to 830,000 more cases of cataracts.

“Unfortunately, people are generally unaware of when their eyes are at greatest risk for damage from UV exposure,” said Dr. Chandler. “This research involving UV-absorbing contact lenses can provide another option for protection against the detrimental changes caused by UV.

The study exposed rabbits daily to the equivalent of about 16 hours of exposure to sunlight in humans — enough to induce UV-associated corneal changes. The rabbits who wore UV-absorbing contact lenses (Senofilcon A) were not affected by the UV exposure."

Looks like I should be paying more than five bucks for my sunglasses, too. Yes, and we should be wearing sunblock year around, however, in Ohio, we are so thrilled to see sunshine, we rarely think about blocking it.

Who’s more dangerous, Rana or O’Keefe?

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the Canadian Pakistani who has been living and working in Chicago for 15 years in the immigration business and is accused of helping in the Mumbai, India, terrorist attacks and the terrorist attack on a Danish newspaper, got 2 lines yesterday in the New York Times for pleading not guilty. However, James O’Keefe the journalist famous for his ACORN tax-advice-for-pimps video scoop, got a ton of ink and pixels in the NYT for a possible felony arrest stemming from a trespassing incident in Mary Landrieu’s office--sort of a libertarian Woodward and Bernstein act for the other team. (That one's OK--investigative journalism. . . sniff!) We all knew she took that perfectly legal bribe on behalf of Louisiana--she corrected the amount to a larger figure on national TV. So if he was involved in something dangerous or illegal to get a story, sort of makes you wonder what he was looking for.

From the left wing media angle, exposing ACORN's moral bankruptcy is a far more serious crime than blowing up hotels and killing innocent people. So he'll need some darn good lawyers. You'll have to google up an Indian paper or a Canadian one to get much detail on Rana. Or you could wade through the NYT archives for an AP story.

Update: September 2012: Story on Rana and Headley.

Rousseau

Glenn Beck's been hitting the progressives pretty hard--and much of what those of us my age and younger (that would be most of the nation) know as the good old USA. Needless to say, we're getting a bit defensive. Oh sure, Hitler and Stalin are flip sides of the same coin and need a good smack, but Teddy Roosevelt? This morning in reading a piece by Nancy Pearcy editor at large of The Pearcey Report, I read this:

"Most of the ideologies that bloodied the 20th century were influenced by Rousseau. His writing inspired Robespierre in the French Revolution, as well as Marx, Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler, and Mao. So if you get a grip on Rousseau's thinking, you have a key to understanding much of the modern world."

She goes on to describe how he hypothesized that human relationships "are not ultimately real; instead they are secondary, or derivative, created by individual choice. . . . his most influential work opens with the famous line, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." He did not mean chains of political oppression, as we Americans might think. For Rousseau, the really oppressive relationships were personal ones like marriage, family, church, and workplace." And what will liberate us according to Rousseau, she asks?

"The state. The state would destroy all social ties, releasing the individual from loyalty to anything except itself. Rousseau spelled out his vision with startling clarity: "Each citizen would then be completely independent of all his fellow man, and absolutely dependent on the state." No wonder his philosophy inspired so many totalitarian systems."

Rousseau and his mistress abandoned their five children on the steps of a state-run orphanage, Pearcey writes, even though most died or became beggars. Rousseau thought the state better qualified to raise children than the parents. In his own case, he might have had a point.

Today the government approves and encourages aborting them if they are inconvenient or not perfect; it spends their money before they are born turning them into beggars more dependent on the state.

Quotations from "Rousseau," A Faith and Culture Devotional, Daily readings in art, science and life, by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington, Zondervan, 2009, p. 225-226.

A sad day in Lakeside

The auction of Abigail's Tea Room. Two years ago it sold and we all had high hopes, but it didn't work out. Then last year there was a temporary tenant, and that didn't draw enough customers. Now the two cottages joined at the hip that once were the Abigail will be auctioned with the contents. http://www.auctionzip.com/Listings/785947.html

Here's a photo of a painting I did of the Abigail a number of years ago.


Yes, you can't see much--it was mostly covered with vines in the summer, usually with people waiting to get in. If you already have another job, wouldn't you like to open a restaurant 12 weeks during the summer?

HT Wes

Norma's Mushroom Soup

After my husband brought home some wonderful cream of mushroom soup from Malabar Farms Restaurant on Sunday, I decided I wanted to try making it. I googled, and I asked on FB, but didn't find or hear anything that resembled what I tasted. So I made it up, using what I do with all vegetable soups. Broth, potatoes, onions, a blender, plus half and half or milk or canned milk and whatever is the vegetabe of the day--broccoli or sweet potato or carrot. Here's how it worked out.

1 can (8 oz.) beef broth
2 medium size potatoes, peeled, cut in small chunks
1 medium onion

Cook together until soft, then removed the solids and run through the blender. Return to the broth.

Add 8 oz. half and half, or whatever you have. If you want fewer calories, use milk.

Meanwhile saute 8 oz or so of sliced or chopped fresh mushrooms (mine were organic from Canada) in a little olive oil. While cooking (shrinks), sprinkle with a little flour, pepper and thyme. Stir frequently. When the mushrooms have browned, add to the broth/potato mixture.

I checked some on-line recipes that used a little sherry, but I didn't have any so I sprinkled in a little Merlot, maybe a TBsp. Tastes great.

I decided to use beef broth instead of chicken, which I usually use. It just sounded better with mushrooms. The potatoes, in any vegetable soup, provides the thickening. Plus, I think it makes the soup much more hearty than making a white sauce.

If you have a better one or a favorite--let me know. I'd invite you over for lunch but you probably live in Florida, Georgia or California.

This in the blog so I don't lose it.

The Scott heard 'round the world

Is there any explanation we haven't heard? The silliest was that the voters are angry that health reform hasn't happened. Wow. Is that a misintrepretation. The second silliest was that Obama didn't get his message out. However, he's just one man, and not really all that conservative on other issues, but winning that seat is historic. Neo-neocon after watching Greta's piece on him (Fox) writes

"It struck me that, less than a week after the Brown election, we’ve already heard more good things from friends of the previously-unknown Brown than we’ve heard about Obama from his friends in the more than two years he’s been in the spotlight. In fact, if it weren’t for Obama’s shady friends—the ones he suddenly wasn’t all that friendly with, or whose dirty deeds he hadn’t really known that much about after all, such as Ayers, Rezko, and Wright—we’d think him nearly friendless."

She's always worth reading--on any topic. And it would seem that some lefties are getting nasty. Now they are throwing Obama, hope and change under the bus--getting crowded down there. That's how you can tell they weren't real Democrats. Those guys stick with their man through thick and thin, scandal and mayhem.

Haggis, neeps and tatties

Today is Robert Burns birthday (b. Jan 25, 1759) the traditional time for Burns Suppers in Scotland and serving haggis, neeps and tatties. We're going to a Burns dinner this week-end and it's traditional for the guests to perform and the hosts to serve the food. Not sure what they'll serve or we'll do. But we missed several Christmas and New Year's events due to my husband's cold, so we're a bit starved for some good food and conversation. Yup. This is how old people party.

Here's a note from last year's blog about this event. "My husband and I both have surnames that travelled with invaders to Britain during the Norman invasion in 1066, which means our origins were French, then again into Scotland, but with so much mixing and matching over the centuries, especially in the British Isles, who knows really? We are both 8th or 9th generation Americans, with families that originally settled in Pennsylvania after getting off the boat before the Revolution, then traveling further west and south in the next generations and intermarrying with boatloads of Germans, some of whom kept their language for almost 100 years. Lots of Presbyterians in our family trees. . . his more recently than mine."

What is haggis? "Haggis is a meat dish which is made by stuffing a sheep or cow stomach with offal, oatmeal, and an assortment of spices, and then boiling the dish until it is thoroughly cooked."

What is neeps? Peeled and chopped turnips. I actually like this dish and used to serve it to the family on mystery vegetable night. Lots of Scots descendants in Appalachia and grandpa loved his turnips.

What is tatties? Mashed potatoes.

Stalking the evil French fry again!

Noticed this at OSU Today: "Ohio State researchers are looking for healthy MEN ONLY, ages 35-65, who are overweight (body mass index 25-40). You may be reimbursed up to $415 for your time and participation in research on how psychological stress boosts the unhealthy effects of fast foods in ways that could promote obesity and heart disease."

Fat men rejoice. No one cares if you eat home made cookies and pie, lasagna and spaghetti, steak and potatoes, when you're under stress. And if you've already participated in the Yoga and breast cancer study, then don't sign up for this.

Ritalin for the elderly

Today I was going to blog about the use of Ritalin (methylphenidate) for children who are ADHD or ADD. It is one of the most frequently prescribed medications since it gained FDA approval in the 1980s, working as a stimulant to improve the symptoms of poor concentration, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. I'm agin it, as you might suspect. However, as I was reading its affects on the body, I wondered if it had been used with older people. And yes, says one of my favorite science writers, Tara Parker Pope, at the Well Blog of the NYT. There are small studies that show it improves balance and walking in the elderly, and possibly cognitive ability. Also has been used in depression studies.

"Fundamental change"

That is getting to be a really ugly phrase from government officials. And it isn't just our president; it was building long before he set his cap for becoming the most powerful man on the plant. I saw it today in a JAMA editorial, "Extra calories cause weight gain--but how much?" The up side is, no one knows. The down side is, the government will take action anyway.

There's a lot of interesting detail in this editorial. For instance, in the 1970s women age 20-29 had a mean body mass of 23; 30 years later the same group had a BMI of 29, representing a weight gain of 35 lbs (16 kg). I've been to a lot of class reunions over the years, and I'd say that's shy 10 lbs or so.

Also, did you know that in theory if you ate just one more chocolate chip cookie each day, you'd gain hundreds of pounds in your life time? But you don't. Why? Because after you reach a certain weight, it takes a lot of those cookie calories just to maintain your weight gain. The same principle applies to weight loss through calories restriction and increased exercise. That same body will attempt to conserve energy, and after you reach your goal and go back to eating normally, you gain weight rapidly.

[Pause here to wipe off my fingers--I'm eating chips.]

So the conclusion after weighing all the evidence is,

"An effective public health approach to obesity prevention will require fundamental changes in the food supply and the social infrastructure. Changes of this nature depend on more stringent regulation of the food industry, agricultural policy informed by public health, and investments by government in the social environment to promote physical activity."

Last night for dinner I had one skinless chicken thigh, baked, beans and rice, fresh strawberries -- and two donut holes. I'd had my other fruits and veggies earlier in the day. Just let the government come knocking at my door for those donut holes.

Missing Mom

January 24, 2000

A blog about prisons

I've been in a number of prisons, not as a prisoner, but as a visitor primarily following the same guy through the system until after seven years or so he was "shock parolled" after his 5th wife was murdered by her boyfriend leaving a baby to raise. I guess the parole board thought he was the guy to do it. The reason he had a baby was that he had escaped in the prison garbage truck and they left town together.

Yesterday the Conestoga group met at the Ohio Historical Society (now open only on Saturdays due to budget cuts by the state) to hear David Meyers talk about the local music scene. Wonderful presentation with great photos. David has over 4,000 pages of manuscript on this topic and a huge rare record collection--that's sort of what a fascination with local history can do. But he has also written about Ohio's prisons, and his latest book is out. While checking that web page I came across his blog, Central Ohio's Historic Prisons. Because of Dave's encyclopedic interests in music, records, film, prisons, local history (he also worked on Columbus Unforgettables series now out of print), screen writing, religion and family, he somehow manages to merge all of them in his blog--with photos. See the record labels about the great Ohio Penitentiary fire, April 21, 1930! And did you know the Professor of psychology at OSU who coined the term "moron" was once the coach of the USC Trojans? It's all on Dave's blog. Ah, a blogger after my own heart.

He's also on Facebook, and a member of UALC for you locals.

Should you forward a chain letter?

I don't. But you have to decide. Some I check out and if they prove to be true, and I think the message is reasonable, factual and important for people who stop by here, I will post excerpts or direct to it. A recent one was "Luteran Airlines" which I posted (after checking) on my faith blog. It was hysterical. One of the reasons I fact check is that although there may be parts of it that are true, someone along the links in the chain has modified, twisted or glamorized it. I didn't see most of the hate-Bush chains because people I know either didn't believe them or didn't receive them, but I've certainly come across them on the internet. Obama's "I will fundamentally change the country" theme and his blatant narcissism making him the butt of so many jokes have certainly caused an increase in these letters. People are angry, hurt and outraged, and I don't blame them. But there's no need to lie or twist the truth--his lack of transparency, his lies and his colleagues are sufficient. Please, stop with the chain letters.

Here's a web site useful for Christians who either do or don't forward chain letters. Very interesting. Christians who break all chain letters But you decide. Read the right hand column.

"But it's real, I checked." "It isn't animation or photoshop." "It's a real person in that video."

That doesn't matter. It's still a chain letter because it's viral and it's circulating like wild fire. If you got it once, you'll probably get it again from someone else.

"But I don't really believe all the chain curse stuff, I just liked the joke/poem/sayings etc."

That is what's called the 'hook' and it is the big manipulation. Give you a tasty carrot so you'll pass it along with the stick as well. It's still a chain letter, it's still viral, and you won't be the first or last person who was impressed enough by the joke or poem or whatever to pass it along, with the curse crap still attached. Whether you believe the curse stuff or not, passing it along, posting it without thoroughly trashing it makes you appear to believe it, and you don't want to look like a gullible schmuck, so just don't promote/spread it.

The D Word

Carlos Alcala who writes for McClatchy had an article in today's Dispatch about the reluctance to use the D (death, dying) word. My goodness, I wrote about that thirteen years ago. I even wrote a poem about it because I like to write about words, fudge phrases, jargon, new words, vocabulary and euphemisms. My concern is not the euphemisms, but that now more and more people don't even get a verb!

Today in the obituaries

Dying for a Verb
By Norma Bruce
September 28, 1997

Emmy Lou departed this world;
Frank entered his eternal rest;
Polly is at home with the Lord.

Ray’s gone to his home in glory;
Ted is asleep with the angels;
Ann Louise simply crossed over.

And I am left to wonder why
They sent him off without a verb--
“Ralph David, May 15, at home.”

When my earth's book is overdue,
Please open heaven’s library;
Let me live in God’s promises.

When finally I fold this tent,
Lease me a heavenly mansion
Renewable eternally.

When I slip out of the saddle,
Boost me up high to ride bareback
On a steed into the stronghold.

When the last crumbs have been swept up,
Seat me at the banquet table
To listen with the disciples.

When the final ticket’s been bought,
Give me the best seat in the house
To hear the angels’ choir sing.

When I’ve gathered up the harvest,
Fill my buckets, silos and bins
To overflowing with God’s love.

When the bow breaks in the treetops,
Bear me up on wings of eagles
Never faint, tired or weary.

Pine box, urn, or fancy casket,
Paragraph, note or just a line;
Don’t send me off without a verb!

Buppie, Who me?

This morning there was an e-market mail for me, "Buppies who are looking for love, romance or just friendship now have a unique resource that can help them discover their future soul mate." That gave me a chuckle--I'm a WURL--White Urban Retired Librarian not a Black Urban Professional. This appeal was only slightly less on target than "You have a mega-fortune waiting from a long lost relative (in Nigeria, Uganda, UK) if you just send me some cash."

But I did go on-line and found out there is a BET web series called Buppies that has had all sorts of problems getting off the ground, but apparently is now up and running starring (and partially financed by) Tatiana Ali of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fame (which I only saw on reruns). She plays the role of Quinci. Just glancing through the plot lines, it sounds a bit like Sex and the City meets Friends, but I never watched either one, so that's a wild guess.

After losing her father and being dumped by her fiancé, Quinci, the socialite daughter of a Hollywood celebrity, realizes that her friends are her only real family left. This provocative and ironic series chronicles the relationship dramas of Quinci's dysfunctional but virtually inseparable friends as they navigate the perks and pratfalls faced by LA's young black power elite.

From there I wandered into Steve Harvey and an award show. Didn't know he had a clothing line. Looks like hats are indeed coming back.

Eating out--we're creatures of habit

It's price. It's taste and freshness (i.e., the menu). It's relationships. It's wait time. So we usually go to the Rusty Bucket on Friday night, about 5 p.m. and meet Joyce and Bill or Wes and Sue or Jack and Sue (a different Sue, of course) or Joan and Jerry or the Visual Arts Ministry from UALC. It's a sports bar and neighborhood hang out--not far from Ohio State with a bazillion TVs and a noisy bar area (we don't sit on that side so we can talk). I also usually stop at Panera's in the morning. I used to visit 3 different coffee spots, but then they made a slight change in their coffee, and it became worth going back on a regular basis, plus there is a fire place, good music, and again, the relationships you build over time. The morning staff. The exterminator. The retiree who's taking care of his invalid wife. The high school students. The Christian author. The friend you met in a Bible study in 1973. The chef/publisher you meet quite by accident who now owns your former home of 34 years.

Panera's is a lovely place for lunch or breakfast meetings, but somehow, a Friday night date? Hmmm. Not so much. Just not the right ambiance. But I did do a little price comparison this morning, since I'm big on price. Panera's has a yummy new sandwich--"Mediterranean salmon salad" with chilled salmon, field greens and romaine, Kalamata olives, red onions, feta cheese, mandarin oranges and sliced almonds for $8.95. Laying down a few pieces of chicken or fish on a bed of lettuce with a little fruit and nuts seems to be all the rage today, and Rusty Bucket has something similar--"Blackened salmon salad" with baby spinach, iceberg and romaine lettuce, fresh strawberries, candied pecans, red onion slices, and blue cheese crumbles for $9.95. Very little difference in price, although you'd need to tip at the Bucket for them serving you at the table. At 5 p.m. there's no wait at the Bucket, but at 6 you might wait 20-30 minutes. At Panera's you might wait to order, and then wait for your name to be called as they prepare it. So for a dollar or two, I think we'll stick with our regular date night spot for 5 p.m. on Friday, and continue paying ridiculous prices to drink coffee away from home at 6 a.m.

Either one of these salads probably has 480-550 calories, depending on what you do with dressing, but last night I had the Philly Cheese sandwich with fries and sour cream dip, which is probably about 2,000 calories and a week's worth of sodium.

It only took me a month

There have been many assessments of Obama's first year--the left claiming his victories, and the right claiming his failures, or even victories if like me they thought the downward spiral was intentional. But at the end of February 2009, I provided a first month evaluation. If he'd been like other state and federal employees, he wouldn't have made it beyond the probation period. I was 100% on target.

I think the federal government--whether Bush with the Democratic Congress or Obama with the Democratic congress--needed to back off in 2008 and 2009 and let those companies in debt, banks and insurance companies included, struggle and die or merge and be bought out. President Bush failed his party and became President Hoover overnight--but he really stopped governing in October and turned everything over to Treasury and the incoming Obama administration. Hoover had 3 years of throwing money at the problem 1929-1932, Bush didn't. Then FDR continued socializing industries and the courts for another 12 years, until WWII pulled us out of it. Hoover is blamed and Roosevelt acclaimed. Baffles me. Allowing the economy to come back on its own is what happened in 1999-2000 during the last bear market. Jump starting it with tax cuts for tax payers, not tax takers, is what got it going again after 9/11.

Obama and the banks

When the clutch/herd/murder/band/covey/swarm of advisers around Obama saw the stock market rally Monday at even the hint that Scott Brown might win, they squashed it on Wednesday with Obama's announcement of more bank regulation. I never had an economics course, but I was listening to Michele Bachmann, the lone voice of sanity in Minnesota (and the next legislator I'll support), yesterday who says Pelosi has painted a bulls eye on her forehead. Let me paraphrase until I can look her up. "Just get out of the way--no more new regulations or taxes and reduce what we already have. The economy will start to turn around in a quarter." Obama's move was a real smack down for any even considering saving the economy, a pay back for Tuesday's vote. I think he was responding to Brown's clear message, "Brown ran on a very specific, very clear agenda. Stop health care. Don't Mirandize terrorists. Don't raise taxes; cut them. And no more secret backroom deals with special interests." Krauthammer link.

But how was this portrayed by WaPo, which continues to carry his water even after all the disastrous moves (I won't call them mistakes, because I think they were intentional) with the economy, national security, and the environment of his first year. Here's what showed up in my e-mail--"The populist brushfire that has burned through Democratic fortunes this week threatened Friday to claim Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, imperiling his nomination for a second term and sending an unsettled stock market tumbling for the third straight day." Not a peep that the stock market tumble was as a direct result of Obama's announcement. Nope--just those stupid independent voters, those misinformed racist chicken littles out there running around like their heads were cut off. Why did this hurt the economy when unemployment is over 10%--and much higher here in Ohio?

"Daniel Ariens, whose company manufactures and markets snowblowers and lawnmowers, works closely with two regional banks in Chicago. If you want to stimulate the economy, he says, you can't keep "beating down on people who finance the infrastructure of this economy."

Todd Teske, CEO of Briggs & Stratton Corp., is concerned about who will pay for more regulation. "I've heard this has the potential for driving up costs for the banks," he said. "To the extent those costs are passed on to their customer base, that becomes problematic."

"Uncertainty over financial regulatory authority and what it means to the largest financial providers to the economy is not good," Keith Sherin, chief financial officer of General Electric Co., said Friday. GE is challenging some proposals in Washington that could change how its bruised finance arm, GE Capital, is structured, regulated or taxed. A recently proposed Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee could cost GE Capital $500 million, after taxes, for a full year." WSJ Link

Could the problem be that no one in the Obama administration has ever worked for any sector other than the government which only sees higher taxes and more regulations as the way to recovery and/or growth? Think about it. Gov. Granholm of Michigan is one of his economic advisers.

Friday family photo--Kirby

I was tracking back through some visitors to my blog that had stopped at my story about my cousin Kirby Johnson and his time with The Lincolns, a group of friends from the University of Illinois which later changed their name to the Wellingtons, and found this photo (p. 75 of Mouse Tracks in case this shows differently on your page).

Living cheap in New York

This one surprised me. Not that a 22 year old could live on less than $30,000 in NYC, but that she could also save $5,000, contribute to a retirement fund, and travel to Europe. Read about cheapskate's daughter at "Down but not out in Brooklyn." The keys?

Shared a nice apartment ($3,100 a month) and took the smallest room.

Used a subway card.

Ate inexpensive but healthy meals--beans and rice, whole grains, fresh vegetables, lentils, joined a food co-op. Ate at cheap restaurants.

Had no college debt to pay off.

Enjoyed the many free things to do in New York.

Faith Lutheran Church, Forreston, Illinois

Our family members were "visitors" here for five years--we participated in everything. Bible school, junior and senior choirs, Sunday School, confirmation classes, lots of church dinners, special dramatic events--we did it all. In the past 50 or so years I've been back several times. Still a warm, loving, welcoming congregation. This video is in honor of their 150th anniversary last fall.

Please eat and drink in the staff lounge

Yesterday I closed out an IRA at a local bank and moved it to a stock account. It's like trying to round up a bunch of cats, and once you start drawing these down, you really are better off to have them in one place.

It's a handsome, beautifully appointed bank. The woman invited me to her desk in the open lobby when I explained what I wanted. She brought with her a large, Styrofoam coffee cup with the rim completely covered with lipstick. I looked. There was none on her mouth--it was all on the cup. Also on the desk was a pint jar of flavored tea, and a smaller bottle of coke. Really now, it's a bank. It's a place of business. Must you eat and drink in front of the customers?

About two years ago we went to a different local bank to begin the process of selling a house to our son. The loan officer was talking to us through her sandwich--rustling bag, drippy napkin, picking her teeth, etc., so she turned us over to the new guy. He knew nothing about mortgages, so we moved on, but at least he wasn't eating.

I've been in clinics awaiting a colonoscopy where the staff not 10 feet from the gurneys are eating and drinking and discussing the week-end events.

No wonder we have an obesity problem in this country! People are in a state of panic thinking they might be be out of sight of food for an hour so they bring it into the work area. Someone needs to swab and culture their keyboards and use it in a health class.

When Hitler found out about Scott Brown

HT husband's high school buddy

I had to shink this a little to get the subtitles to read, so you can go here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4aQCiRjvZY

Thirty seven years ago

"Today is the day, 37 years ago, that changed our world.

37 years ago today, nine male justices on the United States Supreme Court decided that abortion should be legal in all fifty states, for any reason, at any time during pregnancy.

50,000,000 unborn children have lost their lives since then.

Today, one child is aborted every 23 seconds in the United States.

One child. 23 seconds.

By now, we all know someone who has been touched by this demon. Someone in your church, a friend of a son or daughter, someone in your neighborhood, a relative . . ."

Tim Welsh, Executive Director
Pregnancy Decision Health Centers
614.888.8774, Extension 6116

All of us were "fearfully and wonderfully made" according to the Bible--Psalm 139: 13-14 "For you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

Donate and save a child's life or help a mother raise her child or assist her with an adoption plan. Someone out there feels desperate, like there's no solution. Offer your hand and help her.

Fifty million. That's a holocaust and no one lifted a gun or built a gas oven.

Massachusetts Independent

Robert Allan Schwartz, an MA-I, had a passionate letter in today's WSJ:

I do not need, want or expect a town, city, state or federal government to take care of me."

Oh really? That sounds great at tea party rallies, but how does that actually work out?

My home in Upper Arlington, Ohio was built in 1977 with codes that probably wouldn't pass muster today but which were much improved over our home of 34 years built in 1939 in the same community. In our former home, we found a tangle of wiring and plumbing (previous owner's improvements) every time we remodeled. The furnace took up an entire room and all the windows leaked. Trees, that are no longer allowed for landscaping, sent roots through the waste pipes and had thorns 3-4" long that could go right through a shoe. Dogs had no leash laws back then--and a friend of my son was knocked down in the city, tax supported park by a friendly, non-biting mutt, and broke both legs.

The residents of UA had taxed themselves plenty to live here and enjoy snow removal, garbage pick up, strict zoning, and outstanding schools. But there were plenty to vote against these amenities that kept our home values high. Sidewalks and streetlights, something I always had where I grew up, were illusive, and some neighborhoods 40-50 years old are just now getting them after many local battles at the polls. And a community center for the youth which I enjoyed in tiny Mt. Morris? It's been voted down for over 40 years.

We had a luxury 1969 Oldsmobile 40 years ago with an 8-track sound system, that couldn't hold a candle to the 2010 Town and Country I bought 2 months ago in cost, safety, comfort, gas mileage and gadgets. If conservatives and libertarians or the auto companies had led that fight, where would we be today? Would competition with Japan or Germany really have accomplished that?

Our first vacation week in Lakeside in 1974 the lake was like a mud bath. You wouldn't dream of eating a fish you caught and I didn't want the kids to swim in it. By the time we bought in 1988, you could see the bottom. The streets in June are now crunchy with the may flies--they had all but disappeared in the 1970s. The lake was too dirty. Industry didn't do that clean up for good PR. No. It took some strict environmental laws.

Everything about schooling and education seems up for grabs. Those folks seem to think the educational system is one big petri dish. It's hard to say if what my children got in 13 years in UA in the 1970s and 1980s was better or worse than today, but I think it was better than what I got in the 1940s and 1950s, except for history and geography. I think they both know WWI came before WWII and that Florida is south of Ohio and north of Brazil, but all other bets are off. And I did an awful lot of threatening and cajoling to make sure homework was accomplished because in those days "learning responsibility" was way more important than wisdom or knowledge and if a child couldn't or wouldn't plan ahead, well, that was just too bad. And God forbid you suggested memorizing or phonics!

I think some of the resulting laws of the women's movement that developed steam around 1970 have been a disaster for women and families alike. In some areas, the trade offs and "settling" make us oldsters weep. Soaring divorce rates, huge credit card debt for 2 income families, so many kids born out of wedlock to face a life of poverty with lots of "uncles" while mom gets her college degree, even odd diseases and allergies unknown when I was a child. But I really don't want to go back to the 2 or 3 tier system, where I was flat out told in a job interview I couldn't have it because my child was 9 months old and it was a policy at that school that the teachers' children couldn't be younger than 2 years. And I had walked 2 miles to the interview because we couldn't afford a car. No, those were not the "good old days" for women and children.

So I don't get too caught up in Glenn Beck complaining about "progressivism" of the 20th century from Wilson to McCain to Obama, because I know I benefitted from many changes--and after all, he's talking about the only USA I know. I'm not so naive that I didn't learn about federal money for canals and railroads that then built the country and huge fortunes, that I can't see that some green investment has the same goals. On the other hand, I know that what the government gives it can take away, like killing Ohio's energy industry through cap and trade and lining the pockets of the green investors.

So think twice or three times before you decide that everything local, state and federal government did for you in your lifetime was a waste.

More rules for banks--how's that working out?

Obama loves a straw man, doesn't he? If it's not fat cat CEOs, it's banks, it's lobbyists, or Americans who haven't heard enough of his speeches on healthcare. Anyone but him. On Thursday he proposed more rules that would impede the growth of large banks. In Wednesday's WSJ there was an article about HAMP, Home Affordable Modification Program--the $75 billion mortgage modification program which is suffocating the banks with its accounting rules. I think it's part of ARRA and so far has a 1% success rate. Has there ever been a boondoggle like ARRA with so many billions and so little to show for it? It requires banks to declare a loss when they haven't had one. Now how would you like to step into that cess pool and have the IRS or some regulator 5 years from now send you to jail? And you can bet your old passbook that strategic defaulters will learn how to muck it up and make it work and the plumber or university professor who foolishly bought at the top of the real estate run up won't be able to make it through the red tape, or will just walk away from their mortgage. (Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I don't think any of these programs are designed to work.)

Read Arkadi Kuhlmann's article "Why mortgage modification isn't working."

A Buckeye In Beltland

The election of Scott Brown has energized many independents and Republicans. Not so fast, says Daniel Williamson, Buckeye Rino. Is Capitol Hill really listening? He made 5 visits to Ohio legislators and had a few disappointments when he attended the 9/12 event last fall--especially with Voinovich, a Republican. He waited til now for his tell-all tale:

"And let’s recount the ways in which I’ve supported George Voinovich: I’ve voted for him every single time his name appeared on my ballot. I volunteered as an intern in his office on the 29th floor of the Riffe Tower when he was Governor helping file the “Governor’s Clips” gleaned from print media for ready reference at his fingertips. I’ve listened, in person, to his campaign speeches at venue after venue, including the swanky digs at Landerhaven for a very formal fundraiser where I had to make a large campaign donation to even gain entry. I’ve distributed his campaign literature door-to-door, even as I was doing my own campaigning for state rep in 2004. I’ve manned phone banks to help drum up commitments for donations, yard signs, and GOTV efforts. I’ve defended him against his adversaries in letters to newspapers and postings on internet bulletin boards. On my own blog and on the blogs of others, both on the left and on the right, I have vouched for Voinovich as a principled man, and have highlighted his strengths while others were bemoaning his deficiencies. I even went so far as to reprint one of his press releases in its entirety on my blog which I prefaced with my compliments to the Senator.

I thought we were on the same team. I was mistaken. I was rebuffed and repudiated."

It's probably not on the level that John Edwards' campaign workers are feeling, but it is disappointing. Probably why I do little other than stuff the occasional envelope, write a few checks, attend a rally if it's close to home, and gripe. And he goes on to visit Brown, Murray, Cantwell, and Smith. For fun this guy must slam his fingers in swinging doors. He concludes:

"I certainly have hopes that Scott Brown will adhere to his pledge to be the people’s Senator. But I’ve seen how the Beltway mentality seduces members of Congress over time. They don’t emerge from DC the same way that they arrived. I know this, though: the fresher they are in office, the less they are removed from the voters that sent them, and, conversely, the more veteran they become, the less they resemble anybody back home. They become creatures of the Beltway."

Excellent piece. Read the entire article.

Thursday Thirteen--the magazine clutter

Before I cleaned off the living room table I decided to count the magazines. Actually, there were more than 13, but two of the titles weren't really ours by subscription, residency or membership. In no particular order:

1. Timeline--this is the publication of the Ohio Historical Society, and we are members of Conestoga, and by virtue of that membership, we get the magazine and a newsletter, plus on-line notices. The on-line site of Timeline has a photo of a Lustron. I haven't seen that issue. My grandparents had one of those built in 1949.
   
   
2. American Artist--we could stock a small library with our back issues which we don't seem to be able to throw away.
   
   
3. Thrivent Magazine--this used to be called Lutheran Brotherhood and we have an IRA through this organization which made up a new word when it merged with something else.
   
   
4. Inland Seas--This was a Christmas present from our son and comes with a membership in the Great Lakes Hisotrical Society. Includes a newsletter. We have a home on Lake Erie.
   
   
5. Watercolor Artist--the newest issue is in my husband's office.
   
   
6. Columbus City Scene--local what to do.
   
   
7. Capital Style--a recent Columbus magazine. So far I haven't subscribed but it keeps finding its way to my door. Published by the Columbus Dispatch.
   
   
8. Lake Erie Living--really nice for anyone of the states or provinces bordering Lake Erie. I also have the premiere issue in my collection.
   
   
9. JAMA--although this journal of the American Medical Association is often over my head, I enjoy the poetry, essays, CDC reports, and editorial discussions. I have a donor for this one. When I accumulate a stack of 10 or so, I give them to a Columbus vo-tech teacher who passes them along.
   
   
10. Bird Watcher's Digest--another Christmas present. Published in Ohio--really interesting material even for a novice bird watcher like me.
    
    
11. UA Magazine--PR and advertising stuff about the community in which we live, published by Columbus City Scene.
    
    
12. Art Speaks--We're members of the Columbus Museum of Art, and this comes with the membership. We love to go down on Sunday after church and see the new show and eat lunch--my husband designed the cafe in the museum.
    
    
13. Garage Slab--my latest find, which I'm passing out at the coffee shop, published in Bexley (suburb). I'm not a "guest mechanic."

------------
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

My Watkins Wish

Remember me whining about not being able to find Watkins Shea Butter lemon cream in a jar? Even my daughter tried, and finally bought it for me in a tube (it's not the same, trust me). I even wrote to the company, J.R. Watkins in Minnesota, and inquired if there might be some stashed away someplace. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Then I googled "discontinued Watkins" and found a list of those items 'to be discontinued' in 2010 and there was my product! So I chopped the url a bit to find where it had come from, and found the very helpful Lynne, a Watkins salesperson. You can check her out here with links to a Watkins catalog. Anyway, Lynne has promised me THREE jars. Woot. I'm so excited I'm plugging her great service even before I get it.

Also I've had an offer on the Teco pottery, (photo is of a reproduction) but I'm holding off a bit checking with a source that Mike B., an old friend from home and an antique dealer, has suggested. The lady who wanted to buy my lighted make-up mirror must have gotten cold feet, because I haven't heard from her lately. Oh yes, and the Garage Slab (magazine) guys came by yesterday and gave me a stack to distribute at the coffee shop. Really nice guys--an architect and an interiors contractor dabbling in publishing. And they gave me a vol. 1, no. 1, which I collect. I chatted up a lot of folks at the coffee shop today about the magazine. Talked to 3 guys were were light fixture repairmen--they didn't look like readers, but they really did pour over that magazine I gave them. So did the Columbus school teacher who only has a car port.

Revisiting federal aid to religious organizations

I'll revisit the topic--no one else is. I just don't want to contribute to Christian organizations that are accepting government grants to do their Christian good works. Period. End of discussion.

There are two mandates in the book of Matthew. One is to evangelize--Go and tell people about Jesus--in a nutshell. The other is to offer a cup of cold water, or food, or comfort to a prisoner, or clothing to the naked--NOT to change a system, NOT to use up tax money, NOT even to change an individual life. No promises are made here, except one. No, the reason given is that this provides the giver, the donor, the one doing the good deed, the opportunity to meet Jesus in the needy one. It's that simple. Don't believe me? Read the story of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25. I find it a bit of a stretch that we'll receive the inheritance prepared for us from the beginning of the world because we got a government grant and distributed it to the needy. That might be a worthy career if you are a federal employee, but it's not for the Christian layperson or staff.

Jesus never suggested that any follower take money from one person and give it to another; he never asked the disciples to go to the Romans for donations to spread the good news; he never said rich people were evil or that poor people were good--he always considered the individual.

Therefore, I was really unhappy to read this in an article about World Vision, whose President Richard Stearns is now on Obama's advisory board of faith based and neighborhood partnerships (I think that is a name change from the Bush years)

"Last year, World Vision received just over $280 million in federal grants — both cash and food — amounting to about 25 percent of what we received from U.S. sources. Little, if any, of this resulted from former President Bush's faith-based initiative. Those grants have met a wide range of needs including helping address AIDS in several nations, providing food for victims of famines, conducting gang-prevention activities in several U.S. cities including Seattle, and delivering aid and emergency services in responding to natural disasters." Link.

Once you accept money from the federal government, you must play by their rules, and they may let you give that cup of water, but smack you down on the telling about Jesus part. This is really unfortunate. As Americans, through no choice of our own, we already give generously to many projects through government agencies to help the poor, the disaster victim, the diseased, and the misguided. On our own by choice and sacrifice, we give vast amounts through charities and churches. I do not expect those agencies and groups to then use my gift to turn around and become the government's handmaiden to do the cleanup through federal grants.

TSA choice out--blames his critics, not self

"President Obama's nominee to lead the Transportation Security Administration withdrew from consideration Wednesday, saying his appointment had "become a lightning rod for those who have chosen to push a political agenda at the risk of the safety and security of the American people." "

Like there isn't anyone out there better qualified who hasn't misused his office?

"Errol Southers's nomination had been stalled due to a hold placed by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who said he had concerns about whether Southers would implement collective bargaining for TSA employees. Southers was also dogged by concerns about an episode in which he, as an FBI agent, used law enforcement resources to run a background check on his estranged wife's boyfriend."

Link at Politico 44.

Did we learn nothing from Katrina?

Bush was vilified for waiting for the chain of command to kick in from the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans in 2005 to let them call the shots on rescue and relief (although the coast guard responded immediately). That was actually the law. Our law. It's called the federal government not stepping on the state. But what about Haiti? Why would Obama first send USAID to do an assessment, when the people were desperate for what the military could bring them? Another dawdle incident indicating he really doesn't like the military much. I know some conservatives don't think the military should be "meals on wheels" for every disaster, but when Russia, Cuba and Brazil can get there in a timely fashion, why couldn't the U.S.? Read the sorry story here. How many lives and limbs were lost due to his incompetency?

The one year anniversary assessment

A year in review. A total success, I'd say. Obama's plan to take over every aspect of our personal lives and to destroy our economy has been wildly successful, beyond what anyone in 2008 could have imagined with just the platitudes of "hope and change." Sure, he's had a few minor set backs, but those were from within his own party--Republicans have offered no road blocks at all. The falling poll numbers can all be blamed on Bush. All backward steps in the forward, goose stepping march to utopia can be blamed on someone else.

1. The only job growth has been in the government sector
   
2. his signature program, health care, is about to be realized even though 83% of Americans had health insurance and only 94% will under his plan to raise taxes, destroy small business, and ration care.
   
3. he redefined terrorism, which allowed him to be very concerned about the death of an abortion doctor, but keep a lengthy silence on the deaths at Ft. Hood
   
4. under his plan, he will try Gitmo terrorists in NYC, giving them all rights as well as the best in pro-bono, anti-American lawyers
   
5. and he will move the rest to Illinois where he has no plan at all, except to create another Gitmo in the midwest
   
6. he has further divided the country along racial lines after decades of improving race relations
   
7. he has staffed his administration with Communists, AKA progressives, socialists, New Party, marxists, Alinskyites, etc.
   
8. his closest advisers and wannabee appointments have violated numerous federal laws
   
9. Jennifer Granholm, Michigan's governor, the state with the highest unemployment and "let's tax the rich" to get them to leave the state, is one of his economic advisers
   
10. he brought the worst of Chicago mob politics to Washington
    
11. he dawdled for 90 days on a plan for the war he said was the good one during his campaign
    
12. he has selectively targeted news sources and industries to personally attack
    
13. he continues to lie to the nation about transparency and ethics in his government
    
14. he accepts a prize that made the country the butt of jokes
    
15. despite the clear warning signs from both the weather and numerous scientists he will pursue the Cap and Trade scheme to further increase taxes and destroy businesses
    
16. he began his plan to remove religion from the public square and influence at Georgetown
    
17. he has two mouths when it comes to money talk--one speaks only in trillions for the government, the other cautions us about fat cat CEOs

and other accomplishments almost too many and too small to record

When the state makes adults children

So much in this excellent article, "The audacity of the state," about the nanny state, or the paternal state, or the savior state, both in Canada and the U.S., that I can't find just one or two excerpts, but here's a good one:

"Replaced by a kaleidoscope of transient sexual and psychological configurations, which serve chiefly to make children of adults and adults of children, the declining family is ceding enormous tracts of social and legal territory to the state. At law, parent-child relationships are losing their a priori status and privilege. Crafty fools ask foolish fools, “What harm does same-sex marriage do to your marriage, or to your family?” The truthful answer is: Same-sex marriage makes us all chattels of the state, because the state, in presuming to define the substance rather than the accidents of marriage, has made marriage itself a state artifact."

Crafty fools asking foolish fools. . . that's good. The author compares his province's (Québec) interference in the family to that in the U.S.

" . . in the land of Obama and [Rev.] Wright, though its history and habits are different. To be sure, there is a much stronger tradition there of resistance to the overweening state, but the forces of the state are also far greater. In America, Christians will require the courage of Dorothy Cotton’s hero, Martin Luther King, Jr., if they are to repair the pillars of freedom that have sustained such damage, and to roll back the impressive gains that have lately been made by the savior state. In America, too, the churches will need to renew their pedagogical mission and to fight for freedom of education. The natural family will need somehow to reclaim, if it can, the rights it is losing."

Yesterday at Panera's I noticed a banner that should hang in every church: Refresh
Restart
Renew

The high cost of aid

No country has received more U.S. foreign aid and U.S. charity from NGOs and churches than Haiti. There's a very high cost. Not to us, but to the recipients.

"The real problem of aid to Haiti . . . has less to do with Haiti than it does with the effects of aid itself. "The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape," James Shikwati, a Kenyan economist, told Der Spiegel in 2005. "For God's sake, please just stop."

Take something as seemingly straightforward as food aid. "At some point," Mr. Shikwati explains, "this corn ends up in the harbor of Mombasa. A portion of the corn often goes directly into the hands of unscrupulous politicians who then pass it on to their own tribe to boost their next election campaign. Another portion of the shipment ends up on the black market where the corn is dumped at extremely low prices. Local farmers may as well put down their hoes right away; no one can compete with the U.N.'s World Food Program." See the full story at Wall Street Journal, by Bret Stephens To Help Haiti, end foreign aid.

Do you suppose it's the butter?

What a good idea, I thought. Mini bags of microwave popcorn. Only 2 servings in a bag, 4 bags to a box. For some reason, I can't discipline myself to NOT eat the entire bag (4 servings) when I pop microwave popcorn. That I even buy the stuff is a bit of embarrassment, but I weakened when my neighbor came to the door last spring with her grandson "selling" it for his Boy Scout fund raiser. At the lake house I keep a small jar of unbrand popcorn and just pop about 1/4 C in a little oil when I get a snack attack. So I have a pack of 15 from the boy scout--or did have--only 3 are left. But the labels don't lie. The only "flavor" of the minis on the shelf at Meijer's this morning was "Movie theater butter," which we all remember from our movie watching youth (as a teen I saw at least one movie a week because my boyfriend ran the concession stand), isn't really butter but some sort of tinted oil. Corn, palm oil and salt. Yum. The Boy Scout fund raiser pop corn, Trail's End, has canola oil, corn oil and cottonseed oil, but has half the calories of the mini bag popcorn. What to do, what to do. Fortunately, today I'm not hungry after a sensible lunch of rice, asparagus, carrots and peas. And 2 cookies.

Besides, cottonseed oil isn't good for you. Next time I'll buy plain and add butter.

What crisis at home? ACORN?

I realize journalists don't write the headlines for their stories that appear in the paper or our WaPo e-mail alerts, but exactly what "crisis at home" is Patrick Gaspard dealing with that would come anywhere close to what's happening in Haiti? One news talking head referred to the Massachusetts race as a "crisis at home." Really? And as I recall the Hurricane of 2008 response was quite large. If he could do little then, as reported, was it because he wasn't on staff, didn't have enough money, didn't volunteer, or because Bush was in office and WaPo can never think of a thing good or decent to say about him?

Here's the lead-in headline this morning to a personal story about Patrick Gaspard of the Obama administration, who is not a native Haitian, but grew up there. "A White House portrait of grace under pressure; Adviser balances crises in Haiti and at home (By Jason Horowitz and Anne Kornblut, The Washington Post)

Just how big is Gaspard in the Obama administration? Huge, says the same journalist at another publication.

"Earlier this year, Mr. Gaspard, a Brooklyn-based, 41-year-old Democratic operative, succeeded Karl Rove as the White House director of the office of political affairs. Unlike Mr. Rove, Mr. Gaspard is at his most comfortable making his presence felt without actually being seen.

“He’s become a real player in the White House, the president himself told me,” said Representative Gregory Meeks. “He’s a low key, behind-the-scenes, no-fingerprints kind of guy. I need something, I call Patrick. And if he calls, it’s a big deal. He’s close to the president.”

Mr. Gaspard’s official responsibility is to provide the president with an accurate assessment of the political dynamics affecting the work of his administration, and to remain in close contact with powerbrokers around the country to help push the president’s agenda."

So perhaps Obama's falling numbers and crashing support for health care is a "crisis," for this very far left adviser. And if Karl Rove was "seen" in the Bush WH, it was because the media decided he was the other half of Cheney's brain and Bush was just a puppet.

New Zeal probably has the best run down on Gaspard's communist ties, via New Party, Working Families Party, ACORN, SEIU, etc.

A trifecta blog incident

People say how can you have so many blogs? How do you have the time? Bob C. asked me that yesterday (we went to high school together) and he has the same 24 hour days I do, just different hobbies. Anyway, today I have an item for 3 of my 12 blogs--Coffee Spills, about people I meet in coffee shops, In the beginning, about my first issue hobby, and this one, Collecting my thoughts--and maybe 4 if I can rework it for my retirement blog, Growth Industry, or food and health blog, Hugging and Chalking.

I'm in a book group that meets at Panera's and a very sweet school teacher was in our spot by the fireplace (no school because of MLK day). I watched and as he got up to leave I saw a handsome young woman come through the door, and I thought I saw her glance at the coveted seat. I grabbed my books and slammed them down on that table faster than you can say "crazy old lady."

After I'd settled in with my coat, purse, books, etc., I peeked around and saw she was sitting within 4 inches of me where I had been sitting. And then I saw it. "Edible Columbus." "Is that a new magazine?" I asked. "Yes, but it isn't out yet; I'm the publisher." I thought I'd swoon. I'm a first issue collector and here I was about to see a birthing! [No website yet, try this for Edible Brooklyn.]

So we chatted a bit--she's a former New York chef who discovered a "series" of Edible. . [insert name of city or region] magazines and she bought the rights for Columbus. She explained the concept--it will focus on locally grown, sustainable sources with seasonable eatables, great traditions, recipes, related items like gadgets and ingredients, day trips, and events. Some of these events will be held in her mother's newly opened tea room which has room for classes! Right here in Upper Arlington. Swoon twice--a new place to go for coffee or lunch. This will start as a "free-circ" and I suggested she get it in the local public libraries as part of the serial collection to be sure it gets cataloged.

As my group started to arrive and her friend sat down, she asked me my name. When I told her, she said, "We live in your former house!" Small, small world. I don't like what the previous owner (from whom she bought it) did to the kitchen, but it will be great for a chef.

Massachusetts and Scott Brown

President Nixon’s meeting with Elvis

C-span 3 had a very interesting interview with Presley’s friend Jerry Schilling and Nixon’s aide, Bud Krogh who were there when Elvis decided he wanted a badge and got in to see the President. See the whole show here, hosted by Timothy Naftali of the Nixon Library. Quite charming, showing the very human side of both the President and the King. I think it aired about 2 weeks ago.

Also watched Book-TV with Michael Medved, the Five Big Lies about American Business. He appeared at a forum of Heritage Foundation on Dec. 9.

Lutheran seminarian killed in earthquake

Ben Larson, a cousin of our senior pastor, was killed in the earthquake in Haiti, where he was on a short term mission with his wife and other relatives. Story here. The other members of the team survived and have returned to the states.

We also learned that the emergency bus and truck load of food, water and medical supplies from Ouanaminthe to Port au Prince made it and returned safely with about 100 people from Ouanaminthe, including the four nursing students from the school in Leogane west of Port au Prince with 80% of the buildings destroyed. Of their four other students, 2 haven't been located, one had a foot amputated to get her out of the rubble, and another is safe. Those four had gone into PP. Our UALC pastor, Dave Mann, who lives and works in Ouanaminthe says of the return trip,

"The pick-up was stuffed inside and out. The bus was full both inside and on the roof. Many other vehicles were headed north with similar overloading.

Mèt Arne, our high school assistant principal, discovered that his wife is okay, but his 15-year old daughter along with many other students in her school died.

Dr. Riccardo, former employee of UMC [this might refer to their clinic, not sure], and his mother died in the quake.

The government’s Northeast Department director of education died. Several senators, other top governmental officials, heads of police stations, and many U.N. personnel died – and untold tens of thousands more. I don’t know if we ever will have an accurate count of the dead. Estimates range from 50,000 to 500,000. Some bodies have already been covered in mass graves and many are uncounted under the rubble. But still many, many corpses are lying exposed, bloated, and stinking."

Garage Slab--Winter issue is now out

You may recall my enthusiasm for garages--I did a little photo essay on Lakeside's garages this past summer because garage architectural history is a few years younger than the automobile, which at first shared space with the horses in the stable. Lakeside cottage owners constantly remodel, but some have let the ivy grow over the garage listing in the back yard, so it's fun to investigate their styles. I didn't finish that theme and still have some photos on my laptop waiting for my brilliant critique. But in the meantime, I found Garage Slab, a new publication for garage lovers published right here in Columbus, or rather, Bexley. The winter issue is out, and I'm going to have a few copies to distribute. As I said in November (and I think it is still true),

"Attractive design; clever theme; humor; great photography; good quality paper; nice graphics and layout; an abundance of advertisers; published and printed in Columbus by Greasy Shirt Publishing, but available in 11 other states."

It's a long, long line

A catchy tune, great lyrics. The long, long line.

Do you need an MRI?
Get in the long, long line.
Do you feel like you're gonna die?
Get in the long, long line.
'Cuz health care from the state
Will cause an endless wait.
I hope it's not too late.
Get in the long, long line.

Brother and sister team, Steve Jones wrote the lyrics, and the music and singing is by Kathleen Stewart. Here's an article about them in the Midland Daily News (MI). Kathleen has a CD, "Take Back America." You can download "It ain't your money to spend."

"You started a spending orgy and then,
You made me long for Georgie again."

Sorry, Senator Sherrod Brown

You're toast. You're history. You and yours need to go down in a pit of shame for passing this ridiculous piece of legislation which will increase taxes on everyone and raise costs for everyone while rationing care for the elderly. If I've ever seen a piece of legislation misnamed, it would be "Patient Protection and Accordable Care."

Dear Norma,

Last month the Senate voted to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the most meaningful improvement to our health care system since enactment of Medicare and Medicaid four and a half decades ago.

The Senate and House of Representatives are now merging their respective bills and expect to deliver a final piece of legislation to President Obama in the coming weeks. While the negotiations continue, I wanted to provide an update on how health reform would help Ohioans. . ." and more lies too numerous to catalog here.

Let's hope that Scott Brown of Massachusetts wins against Martha Coakley and helps bring a little santiy to Washington.

For sale--TECO pottery--for Haiti earthquake relief

TECO Pottery was modern before it's time. I do not collect TECO (the little green one between 2 pieces of Hull), but I have one piece, Pogoda style, small, green matte finish. This is not a reproduction.

TECO (an abbreviation of TErra COtta) art pottery was originally produced from 1899 through 1920 by the American Terra Cotta and Ceramics Company, located in Terra Cotta, Illinois by that other Bill Gates, William D. Gates. If you're into Prairie style, arts and crafts, you just must own a piece of TECO.

When produced in the early 20th century they were inexpensive. Even Frank Lloyd Wright got in the act as a designer. Now quite dear. Make an offer. Help yourself and others.

William Gates came up with the Teco name from the “Te” in Terra and the “co” in Cotta. Soon thereafter Gates and his chemists developed the highly sought after “Teco matte green” for which the company is famous. After mastering the matte green color, Gates continued to experiment with new arts and crafts shapes for his vases.

It was always Gates' desire with Teco to produce pottery with appeal from shape and color rather than elaborate decoration. The expanding arts and crafts movement and the Prairie School provided Gates an approach to architectural ceramic design and a customer base for Teco pottery. Teco, possibly more so than any other arts and crafts pottery from its time, seems particularly at home in arts and crafts bungalows and houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and other Prairie style architects. Art Pottery Blog

Why we should care about Haiti

Let's not forget this tragedy when the news cameras leave for the next big story. This was my site meter record for the last 30 days--people care about Haiti. The peak day was the 13th. When I posted a USGS map of the earthquake area of January 12, I got 36 hits on that entry the first hour--and most people stopped to read and click through to the source.


Page Views Dec. 16-Jan. 16

Total ...................... 456,967 (5+ years of blogging)
Average per Day ................ 438
Average per Visit .............. 1.4
This Week .................... 3,068

People care for the humanitarian reasons and terrible tragedies of families torn apart; hits came from all over the world. Also, we have a very large Haitian American population in the United States. They are restaurant owners, house painters, hospital staff, college students, academics, athletes, artists, musicians, etc. They are ambitious, driven-to-succeed people, and I'm guessing few are on welfare. We even have a community here in Columbus. There may be over 10,000 church and non-profit organizations with missions and aid societies in that tiny half-an-island nation, no bigger than Maryland. My guess (and that's all it is) is the combined resources of those groups and the Haitian immigrant communities sending money home exceed the federal government's aid--and the U.S. has poured more aid into Haiti's corrupt dictatorships and governments over the years than any other third world country. Each person who is on staff there or who has served on a mission team, like my husband, has talked about it and made other people care about Haiti. In two days, we personally got at least 10 inquiries from friends and relatives--first wanting to know if my husband was there, and second wanting to know if Ouanaminthe was hit. We had calls from Florida, Illinois, Texas, Ohio and one from a friend we hadn't heard from in 5 years.

However, we need to pay very close attention to the Haiti that existed before the earthquake and why there are so many pockets of aid. Haiti has no infrastructure--and that responsibility belongs to federal and local governments, whether elected, appointed or placed by outside forces. No road system, no public utilities for electric, water and sanitation, no army, no police force, no building codes, no zoning, no food inspection system, no banks and credit unions for the people, no public health system to vaccinate, floridate, or compensate, no middle class, no forests, no commercial farms, a public school system with an average of 100 students per class, no public library system, and no hope and change regardless of generations of black leaders. Top all that off with a powerful belief system in Voodoo which undergirds even the Christians. Think on that one as you holier than thou liberals tsk-tsk over what Pat Robertson said about a pact with the devil.

Conservatives and libertarians need to pay close attention, because right now they are the ones most critical of our government. (From 2001-2008 it was the liberals and progressives who were most critical--but nothing much has changed.) What part of this mess do you want to claim so that we can go back to lead in house paint, tainted meat, no vaccines, dirty water, rivers that catch on fire, dead zones in our lakes and rivers from chemical dumping, no programs for mentally ill and retarded children in the public schools, choking on cigarette smoke everywhere you went, cars that crumbled like paper at a 5 mph crash and no seat belts, no minorities or women in any position of authority, lack of career tracks for your daughters and sisters above secretary and school teacher, no protection for pensions, no Social Security, no unemployment benefits, no workers' compensation, no federal aid for disasters, no freedom to organize workers, no right to work without unions, no standards for your neighbor keeping up his property so yours doesn't deteriorate, etc.

And you liberals and progressives (no point addressing Marxists and Anarchists--you have a different agenda). Take a good look at what happens when you have an entire country where entreprenuership and free markets are completely discouraged through vicious tax laws that punish the poor and rich alike, but especially drive out the best and brightest. Take a look at a country where the ambitious and educated have to go elsewhere to even have a chance to support their families and enjoy a few of the benefits you take for granted. Take a look at a system built on who you know and who your family is. The ultimate of cronyism--and our Chicago crowd in DC is far worse now than the Texas cronyism during the Bush years in only 1/8 of the time. Look at a society where everyone has their hand out because that's the only way you can survive. Look at a country where nothing gets done without handsome bribes--not even unloading a container of desperately needed supplies for your medical mission--and then look at the Christmas Eve vote pushed through by Harry Reid and Barack Obama. It was impossible to pass that extremely unpopular health care bill without bribing a U.S. Senator! And we'll see the same thing with cap and trade over an equally phony AGW. Lies and Bribes. Do we want that? Look at style over substance the next time you are giddy over [using the words of Biden and Reid] a "light skinned, clean Negro" reading from a teleprompter. Have you ever browsed a photo gallery of Haiti's former leaders? My Goodness, a really smart stylish group of losers in big hats and fancy uniforms. Spoke pretty too--in four languages. Gave great parties. It means nothing. Wake up liberals, before you turn us into a third rate country with a glorious past.

Yes, we all have a lot to learn from Haiti, and yes, this tragedy will be politicized. The media who placed Obama in the White House are already trying to compare this aid to Katrina--another natural disaster made worse by ineffective government services at the city, state and federal levels. Let's wake up and get smart before it's too late.

ObamaCare Shocker

by Jay Printz at American Daughter, used with permission. See original for all hot links.

Recently decided tenth amendment cases support constitutional challenges to ObamaCare. Here is evidence that my battle in Printz v. United States was not in vain, as so many liberals would have you believe!


From FOXNews -- An Obamacare Shocker:

....there's another key provision in Obamacare that probably violates the Tenth Amendment: the state exchanges.

The Tenth Amendment went for so many years without being used to strike down any law that it came to be regarded as what is called a dead letter in the Constitution, meaning a provision that says some sort of obvious statement, but that isn't actually used by the courts for anything.

Then, in the 1990s, the Supreme Court shocked the legal world by striking down two laws for violating the Tenth Amendment. The first was New York v. United States in 1992, where the Court struck down a federal law requiring states to pass state laws for the disposal of radioactive waste, and to issue regulations for implementing those laws. Then in Printz v. United States in 1997, the Court struck down a provision of the Brady Act--a federal gun-control law--that required state and local law enforcement to run background checks on handgun purchasers.

From these two cases emerged the anti-commandeering principle, holding that the Tenth Amendment forbids the federal government from commandeering--or ordering--any branch of state government to do anything. The states are sovereign and answer only to their voters, not to Washington, D.C.

Therein lies the problem for the Senate's Obamacare bill. It requires each state to pass laws setting up a statewide non-profit insurance exchanges. It then requires the states to pass regulations for implementing those laws. And it further requires the states to dedicate staff and spend state money to administer those programs.

In most respects, this is a straight-out repeat of those 1992 and 1997 cases. The main difference is that Obamacare violates the anti-commandeering principle in a far more severe and egregious way than those previous laws ever did.

This is really stunning. If New York and Printz had been decided as far back as 1910, then maybe you could imagine Congress deciding to roll the dice with a completely new Supreme Court a century later. But these are recent cases with conservative outcomes, and the only difference is that the Court has become a bit more conservative then it was in the 1990s when it decided those two cases....

The only way the Dems can get around this is to drag out the constitutional challenges until Obama, in a second term as president, may have a chance to replace two conservative Supreme Court justices with liberals.

The American public must deny Obama a second term, and the certain destruction of states' rights.

[Jay Printz retired in 1999 after 26 years as a Montana Sheriff; he is a U.S. Marine and Vietnam combat veteran. He served in 2004-2005 as an advisor to Iraqi national security forces. He brought a successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge against the "Brady Law" in the landmark case, Printz v. United States. Printz is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association.]

Friday Family Photo--The Weybrights

This is a very clever way to display as many people in a family tree as possible. Line the photos up on the cover. The woman who compiled this list, Elizabeth Miller Lane, wasn't even related--she just enjoyed doing genealogy and must have found all her own family! The fellow in the upper right hand corner, Jesse P. Weybright, is the one who got me interested in genealogy. He wrote a small book, "Genealogy of Martin Weybrecht; Weybright Waybright also Martin Waybright Highland County, Virginia 1800" in the mid-1930s and I inherited a copy from my grandmother, who had purchased a copy for each of her children. I was never able to figure out the numbering system of the generations, but fortunately, grandma made a few notes around 1938 before I was born--because her family was left out and she wrote them in. (I suspect grandpa got the inquiry from his cousin Jesse and he just tossed it--as 2nd cousin once removed James says, it's usually the women who keep track of these things.) If we were there, we'd be on p. 48, Vol. 2 Book II. Chapter 7, v. 7, sect. 8.

Do you hear it?

Today at Coffee Spills I blogged about a young man I thought must be watching Mad Men on TV. I don't watch the show, but it's making an impact on men's fashion.

Mad Men theme and Autumn Leaves.

How are your kidneys?

"House and Senate Democrat leaders, and President Obama, argue that they can "pay for" health insurance "reform" by cutting $500 billion from Medicare spending over the next decade—largely through arbitrary reimbursement cuts,— without reducing the quality of care delivered to beneficiaries.

Yet, in January, 2011, Medicare will implement a new payment system for patients receiving dialysis for end stage kidney disease that will severely ration care to this vulnerable (and largely minority) population based on equally arbitrary payment reductions. These patients will be the unfortunate canary in the Medicare coal mine: "reform" legislation will expose millions of Medicare patients to rationing and reduced quality of care." Read the whole story at Medical Progress Today.

But bring out the violins for illegal aliens who need dialysis back in Mexico! NYT story. If you read far enough, you'll see Mexico's present (lower costs, but private pay) is our future.