Bacon is good for you?

I’m having a big salad for lunch—red leaf lettuce, some shredded cabbage, sliced mushrooms, cooked beet stalks, cherry tomatoes and

bacon!

Bacon is an excellent source of high protein, low carbohydrate energy that helps to reset the metabolism, making weight loss much easier and is helpful in building muscle tissues that are lean and strong. Not only is bacon a good source of amino acids, but it does not contain any mercury – which is typically found in most seafood today. Moreover, the balance of protein to fat in bacon is a very healthy ratio of four to one; it is among the highest protein to fat balance ratios found in any source of meat, poultry or fish.

A major reason to enjoy bacon is that it contains choline, an important water-soluble vitamin in the B family; that helps boost memory and healthy brain function. Choline in our diet helps in preventing mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Rather than taking vitamins and minerals in a pill every day, eating bacon is a much more delicious way of providing the body with a range of essential vitamins and minerals to help the body organs function at peak efficiency. These include vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B12 (cobalamin), vitamin B6 (pyridoxal phosphate), zinc, iron and magnesium.

Bacon is a potent source of oleic acid and saturated fats. Both substances help reduce the levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), lower’s triglycerides, and raises HDL – commonly referred to as the good form of cholesterol. Strangely enough, most foodies don’t realize that bacon is also composed of monounsaturated fats – the kind that contains lots of healthy fat soluble vitamins and minerals.

http://thesilverclouddiet.com/2013/01/consider-the-many-health-benefits-of-bacon/

http://draxe.com/what-is-choline/

http://www.simplehealthacupuncture.com/index.php/acupuncture-blog/54-7-guiltless-reasons-to-eat-your-bacon

Letting liberals do the devil’s work

As in Protestantism, the liberals are trying to destroy the Catholic church. And as in Protestantism, it is the smaller, less powerful, Africans and East Europeans who we hope will save the day. "All the old errors of the 60s seem to have come back to haunt us. By gently chiding them rather than stamping them out and disciplining or ousting their proponents, we now have seven new evil spirits along with the first infesting the Church. There are surely harder times coming with even greater confusion in the Church." When the secular media promote anything in the Christian faith, you know to look for the devil.

 https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/popes-encouragement-of-airing-formal-heresy-is-severing-the-church

http://blogs.new.spectator.co.uk/2015/10/crisis-for-pope-francis-as-top-level-cardinals-tell-him-your-synod-could-lead-to-the-collapse-of-the-church/

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=1176

Investing in Whirlpool

In going through my e-mail this morning I noticed we had purchased 35 shares of Whirlpool (investment advisor) for $5,124.89 at $146.4254 a share (I may own more, but don’t have that information at hand). Whirlpool is the number one major appliance manufacturer in the world, with approximately $20 billion in annual sales, 100,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centers throughout the world in 2014.  So I took a look at what had been going on and see that Whirlpool had slumped to its 52-week low Friday after it reported weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue, but beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, thanks to cost cuts and acquisitions that drove European and Asian sales. So I guess to professionals, that’s the time to buy—don’t buy high?

I like the idea of investing in something I know, use, can see, and touch, even though I’m not the one who placed the order. The headquarters are in the mid-west—Benton Harbor, Michigan.  In the past year we remodeled our kitchen and replaced the appliances.  I now have a Whirlpool microwave and refrigerator/freezer, a GE double oven and a Kitchen Aid dishwasher.  I suppose it would be better to have all the same company to get a color match, but in all cases since these were replacements, we had to go with what would fit. The double oven replacement was a nightmare—don’t ever spec one unless you absolutely need it. I wasn’t happy that the new microwave sticks out so much further than the old one which was flush with the cabinets, but after looking at other models, magazine ads, and other homes (my daughter’s), I see they are all that way.

Also, Kitchen Aid is owned by Whirlpool which owns 13 brands, including: Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht, and Gladiator. With the housing market rebounding,  sales to new housing installers should rebound in the coming years after a slow down in 2008. If the construction trucks in our condo complex are any indication, remodeling is booming also.

http://investors.whirlpoolcorp.com/

http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Whirlpool_%28WHR%29

Wicked Columbus, Ohio

We went out with David and Beverly Meyers tonight to do a little belated celebrating for our birthdays/anniversary and came home with a copy of his new book, "Wicked Columbus, Ohio" co-authored with daughter Elise Meyers Walker. This would certainly make a fine Christmas present if you have a local history buff on your list. Royalties go to support a young woman paralyzed in a gun battle between 2 gangs.

A rich vocabulary protects against dementia

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141021085524.htm

'Cognitive reserve' is the name given to the brain's capacity to compensate for the loss of its functions. This reserve cannot be measured directly; rather, it is calculated through indicators believed to increase this capacity.

A research project at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) has studied how having a wide vocabulary influences cognitive reserve in the elderly.

As Cristina Lojo Seoane, from the USC, co-author of the study published in the journal Anales de Psicología (Annals of Psychology), explains: "We focused on level of vocabulary as it is considered an indicator of crystallised intelligence (the use of previously acquired intellectual skills). We aimed to deepen our understanding of its relation to cognitive reserve."

The research team chose a sample of 326 subjects over the age of 50 -- 222 healthy individuals and 104 with mild cognitive impairment. They then measured their levels of vocabulary, along with other measures such as their years of schooling, the complexity of their jobs and their reading habits.

They also analysed the scores they obtained in various tests, such as the vocabulary subtest of the 'Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale' (WAIS) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test.

"With a regression analysis we calculated the probability of impairment to the vocabulary levels of the participants," Lojo Seoane continues.

The results revealed a greater prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in participants who achieved a lower vocabulary level score.

"This led us to the conclusion that a higher level of vocabulary, as a measure of cognitive reserve, can protect against cognitive impairment," the researcher concludes.”

So instead of tweets and texting, perhaps you should blog?

"There is strong indication that a particular set of life activities are associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia and with a slower rate of memory decline in normal ageing. These include having a higher education, mentally stimulating occupations, strong social networks and having a variety of leisure interests. The amount of cognitive reserve appears to be plastic and influenced by aspects of experience in every stage of life."
Cognitive reserve--can we increase it?

3 word Wednesday on Friday—Lotza and her treats

The owner of this site provides 3 words each Wednesday as a prompt/inspiration for writers.  Entries can be an essay, poem, a blog or thought. Helps when you have a brain freeze and it encourages spontaneity. The words this Wednesday are:

Jab, verb: poke (someone or something) roughly or quickly, especially with something sharp or pointed; poke someone or something roughly or quickly with (a sharp or pointed object or a part of the body); noun: a quick, sharp blow, especially with the fist, a sharp painful sensation or feeling.

Labored, adjective: done with great effort and difficulty, (especially of humor or a performance) not spontaneous or fluent.

Makeshift, adjective: serving as a temporary substitute; sufficient for the time being; noun: a temporary substitute or device.

She’s deaf now, my little calico.
And sometimes I worry about her eyesight
If she misses it.
Sweet kitty, she’ll jab at the treat
I toss across the tile floor
Slipping and sliding,
A makeshift exercise therapy
After she labored so long at napping.

Homeschool art project

My husband works with children who are homeschooled by their mother for their art requirement.  Today they worked in watercolor; he demonstrates and then they follow what he does. Because they spend their summers at Lakeside also, today’s project was a sail boat. They have also been his models for some of his winning paintings, a current one in the Ohio Watercolor Society Traveling Show.

The younger girl won best of show this summer in the Lakeside Children’s Art show. The older girl takes ballet lessons and last winter was in the Nutcracker production here in Columbus which we went to see.  The boy likes to dress like a cowboy and at lunch today he said the Roy Rogers prayer.

“Lord, I reckon I'm not much just by myself,
I fail to do a lot of things I ought to do.
But Lord, when trails are steep and passes high,
Help me ride it straight the whole way through.

And when in the falling dusk I get that final call,
I do not care how many flowers they send,
Above all else, the happiest trail would be,
For You to say to me, "Let's ride, My Friend." “
Amen

Turmeric, pt. 3, Will it help Parkinson’s?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22211691

Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(1):91-9.

Curcumin: a potential neuroprotective agent in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-associated neurodegenerative disease clinically characterized as a movement disorder. The motor symptoms in PD arise due to selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the ventral midbrain thereby depleting the dopamine levels in the striatum. Most of the current pharmacotherapeutic approaches in PD are aimed at replenishing the striatal dopamine. Although these drugs provide symptomatic relief during early PD, many patients develop motor complications with long-term treatment. Further, PD medications do not effectively tackle tremor, postural instability and cognitive deficits. Most importantly, most of these drugs do not exhibit neuroprotective effects in patients. Consequently, novel therapies involving natural antioxidants and plant products/molecules with neuroprotective properties are being exploited for adjunctive therapy. Curcumin is a polyphenol and an active component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a dietary spice used in Indian cuisine and medicine. Curcumin exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, crosses the blood-brain barrier and is neuroprotective in neurological disorders. Several studies in different experimental models of PD strongly support the clinical application of curcumin in PD. The current review explores the therapeutic potential of curcumin in PD.

Interesting blog with a compilation of research. http://parkinsonsand5htp.blogspot.com/2012/04/turmericcurcumin-great-promise-for.html

Black lives matter group has legitimate issues?

The President gives comfort to rioters and criminals by saying Black Lives Matter protests bring out legitimate issues.  Where do they point out that blacks are victimized by crime 6x more than whites, by other blacks?  Do those lives matter? The violent crime rate for offenders is 8x higher  for blacks than whites (don’t confuse rate with population). He will have trouble convincing me that the claims are legitimate when he’s never defended Chicago’s blacks this way. He also can’t convince me that he has done anything in 7 years to address these concerns.

http://www.progressivestoday.com/obama-defends-blacklivesmatter-and-says-they-must-be-taken-seriously-video/#!

Important information about aging

The Hillary Benghazi hearings

I've watched some of the hearings.  It seems to me the only questions should be why lies were told after the event about a video (Ambassador Rice and President Obama need to answer for that) and what's in the e-mails. If it was a tragic mistake as Clinton claims I can understand that.  But why did the government need to lie on the eve of the election? Was his position that fragile?  Plus some poor YouTube film maker went to jail. However, since the e-mail crimes were uncovered late and were outside the committee, don't know if that can be a part of it.

The blindness of Clinton/Obama supporters and even RINOs to their crimes tells me that the U.S. is at the same level as 3rd world dictators covering up their misdeeds, but maybe not as clever. And the solution for some Republicans the other side--elect a TV reality star/real estate mogul--also sounds like we've all gone 'round the bend.

Can Paul Ryan be Speaker of the House?

Glenn Beck is beside himself and full of “righteous anger” (his words) at the freedom caucus for supporting Ryan.  I’m not sure why he thinks Ryan is so bad, but he feels that he (Beck) was lied to when he was asked to get his listeners to support Webster.  Also, why can Ryan be so feisty about family time when he had agreed in 2007 to be the Vice Presidential nominee?  Didn’t he know that was a heart beat from President?

These 13 points are from the Daily Signal. (Heritage Foundation) All are expanded at this link.

1) Abortion: Ryan has supported pro-life legislation and efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. (And that’s basic for my vote.)

2) Budget: Ryan has spearheaded several budget proposals during his time at the House Budget Committee.

3) Education: Ryan voted for No Child Left Behind in 2001 before supporting the A-PLUS Act to give more control over funding to local communities.

4) Energy: Ryan opposed President Barack Obama’s cap-and-trade initiative.

5) Financial Bailout: In 2008, Ryan voted for the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program.

6) Gun Rights: Ryan has been a strong proponent of gun rights, voting numerous times against background checks and in favor of pro-gun legislation. A bow-hunter, Ryan is also member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus.

7) Health Care: Ryan has opposed Obamacare since its passage and recently helped spearhead partial repeal by means of the budgetary tool known as reconciliation.

8) International: Ryan wanted to lift the Cuban embargo before supporting it.

9) Immigration: Ryan has supported immigration reform bills that included amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants in the past.

10) Labor Unions: Ryan remains unwavering in his support of federally mandated, prevailing wages.

11) Marriage: Ryan voted in 2006 in favor of the Marriage Protection Act, a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.

12) National Security: Ryan voted to go to war in both Afghanistan and Iraq, later opposing an early military withdrawal.

13) School Choice: Ryan has supported increasing school choice options for families.

Old, Tired Ideas and Candidates on the Left

Old, tired, socialist ideas from the all white, old tired,up in years Democrat candidates, pushing for more of the old, tired, expensive 1960s programs which they whine have failed us. Complaining about the very rich who are funding their campaigns.

Lots of fighting, squabbling and fresh ideas outside the political box from the Republican candidates. Seems to be a battle from the pages of history--the generations not seeing eye to eye. And yet there are "progressives" and even some “libertarians” who are leaning toward Hillary (she's not their first choice, but they know it's inevitable). "The devil you know is better than the one you don't" or something like that.

Where is the bridge for this gap? I don’t see it.

“No wonder political parties spend so much time talking about social issues. Shared religious and cultural values represent one way to bridge the country’s economic and demographic divides.

Single moms may crave security, but if they’re revolted at the killing of unborn children, or if they don’t want to see their public-school children barred from praying on campus, they’ll vote Republican.

Married moms in Massachusetts may pour countless thousands into a broken and wasteful combination of local, state, and federal welfare programs, but if they want to keep abortion legal and celebrate the upcoming nuptials of their lesbian neighbors, they’ll crawl over broken glass to vote Democrat.”

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/425897/american-family-failure-economic-cultural-divides

Biden’s Rose Garden announcement

Joe Biden was all over the rose garden with his announcement of not running for President in 2016 which sounded a lot like a campaign speech. Like all Democrats, 

• he decried big money in political campaigns even when Hillary is the big money draw--$118 million in the first 3 quarters, plus the scam she calls the Clinton foundation;
• he said it was a shame to stop at 14 years of education, and we should go for 16, which is odd when 1 out of 5 don't finish the compulsory 12--why not finish that goal first--why not let poor black kids go to charter schools instead of blocking them;
• he moaned about divisiveness in Congress when he is the President of the Senate as Vice President of the country;
• he says our income gap is not sustainable--which in Democrat lingo means don't move up middle class, move down upper income.
• Pumping up the Obama legacy—that may be the real purpose of his non-campaign.

There seemed to be subtle digs at Hillary Clinton.  Maybe he’s leaving the door open to run, just in case Obama hasn’t killed the FBI investigation and she isn’t exposed as a crook, criminal and traitor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/10/21/full-text-bidens-announcement-that-he-wont-run-for-president/

Sounds like my mom

My mother (1912-2000) had this attitude about all housekeeping skills, and particularly was careful to look nice when Dad came home from work. When I think back to some of the complex outfits she made for her four children, I think this must have been part of the routine. Her mother had used a dressmaker or shopped in Chicago, so Mom didn’t learn sewing as a child, but it was necessary when the children came along during the Depression.  We even had little dresses made from feed sack fabric. I never had a holiday or prom dress bought from a store—Mom made them all, a pale green organdy, the pink crystalline below (from my sister’s wedding) and a two piece with green linen top and white flocked skirt with pink flowers.  She made my blue silk going away dress for my wedding (I had started it, but didn’t use the advice from Singer, and she had to finish it).

1955 bridesmaid dress, also prom 1956; my sister Carol had the same dress in yellow, and Mom made the wedding dress (which I then wore in 1960)

Dolls from the 1940s which I still have.

My brother Stan in cover-alls made from my father’s military clothes

Pattern of one of my favorite aprons I wore for 40 years made by Mom

My high school graduation dress which included a jacket

The problem with socialism—someone has to work

"Europe expects the Muslim world to bail out its shrinking birth rate by working and paying into the system so that its aging population can retire. The Muslim migrants however expect Europe to subsidize their large families with its welfare state while they deal some drugs and chop off some heads on the side. Once again, European values are in conflict with European survival.

Why should 23-year-old Mohammed work for four decades so that Hans or Fritz across the way can retire at 61 and lie on a beach in Mallorca? The idea that Mohammed would ever want to do such a thing out of love for Europe was a silly fantasy that European governments fed their worried citizens."

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/260511/death-europe-daniel-greenfield

The U.S. also has a birthrate below replacement, so our politicians look for brown people from south of the border with higher birthrates and some religious values to bail us out. We’ve aborted our future. However, the birthrate of immigrants is falling faster than native population, indicating financially they are doing well.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/30/us-population-level-drops-due-low-birth-rates-immi/?

Cleaning out my old paintings

About 40 years ago I took some painting lessons using acrylics. Most I’m going to pitch because they were unfinished or not worth keeping.  These I will give away if I can find a happy home. At the top with the blue skies are farms near Franklin Grove. I think I see some from along the Olentangy River. The pots and baskets were mine that I used for paintings. Only one has a frame. Some are on boards; other are stretched canvas.

How my children did it

I had a 50’ cord on the kitchen phone so I could keep an eye on the children and walk into the living room to see what was going on.

Bobby Jindal—it’s not that complicated

These shootings are a symptom of deep and serious cultural decay in our society.

Let that sink in for a minute.

These acts of evil are a direct result of cultural rot, and it is cultural rot that we have brought upon ourselves, and then we act like we are confounded and perplexed by what is happening here.

Consider the following brew of decay, and you will realize exactly what is happening here:

• We glorify sick and senseless acts of violence in virtually every element of our pop culture, and we have been doing that for at least a generation.
• Our movies and TV shows feature a continuous stream of grotesque killing of every kind imaginable. And this is true of virtually every genre, from horror to drama to comedy.
• We celebrate and document every kind of deviant behavior and we give out awards to producers who can push the envelope as far as possible. Rape, torture, murder, mass murder, all are cinematic achievements.
• Our music does the same thing, we promote evil, we promote the degradation of women, we flaunt the laws of God and common decency and we promote it all and we flood our young people with it.
• We have generations of young boys who were raised on video games where they compete with other young boys around the country and the world to see who can kill the most humans. We make it so fun, so realistic, so sensational.
• We devalue human life, we have no regard for the sanctity of human life in any regard, from the unborn, to the old, and to every single person in between, we devalue it and act as if we have almost no regard for humanity.
• Our families are a complete mess, and we have raised tens of millions of young boys who will never become real men because they have no values whatsoever, they have no truth in their lives, and they have no regard for common decency.
• Oh, we make sure that we stop them from bullying at school, but we are completely fine with them watching people get murdered and raped on the internet after school, and we are willing to let them go to the basement and join a fantasy world where they pretend they are killing people for 2 hours after school.
• And who is it that generally commits these evil acts of mass murder that are becoming routine? It’s almost always young men who have either no father figure in their lives, or a broken relationship with their father. Is this just a coincidence? Of course not.
• Now, let’s get really politically incorrect here and talk specifically about this horror in Oregon. This killer’s father is now lecturing us on the need for gun control and he says he has no idea how or where his son got the guns.
• Of course he doesn’t know. You know why he doesn’t know? Because he is not, and has never been in his son’s life. He’s a complete failure as a father, he should be embarrassed to even show his face in public. He’s the problem here.
• He brags that he has never held a gun in his life and that he had no idea that his son had any guns. Why didn’t he know? Because he failed to raise his son. He should be ashamed of himself, and he owes us all an apology.
• When he was asked what his relationship was with his son, he said he hadn’t seen him in a while because he lived with his mother. Case Closed.

This mess is not nearly as complicated as we pretend.

It’s the old computer axiom – garbage in, garbage out. We fill our culture with garbage, and we reap the result.

https://www.bobbyjindal.com/jindal-we-fill-our-culture-with-garbage/

Clean out time.

Going, going, gone. About 5 years ago we did a massive, huge, gigantic sort, clean and pitch effort. Now it's all come back--things we saved were like rabbits and multiplied without permission or purpose. I had stored some old paintings (most unfinished acrylic) in my bedroom closet. I looked through them this week-end and it's time to say good-bye. There are one or two (completed) I might offer to  my son, but that's about it. If he doesn't want them, it's the trash man's delight.

I have been encouraged in this effort hearing about an acquaintance who has been a hoarder all her life, and is now in the early stages of dementia. A professional agency has been called in, but after 3 months, little progress has been made.  In a recent stay in a nursing home (she has returned home), she even managed to save things in her room.  I'm not a hoarder, but have some odd and unusual piles of junk.

Turmeric, pt. 2

“Turmeric is the spice commonly found in curry — and, according to new research published in Stem Cell Research and Therapy, it may boost your brain proliferation or its power to repair itself.”

I looked through my blogs to see what I’ve written about turmeric—not much, and usually I wrote that I don’t use it.  But since writing about it last week after watching a review of Brain Fog, I’ve been trying it in apple cider.  That sort of covers up the taste and color.  A few sprinkles on food or salad dressing probably isn’t enough, so I’m trying about 1/2 teaspoon in cider until I get used to it.  So far, no stomach upset, and it’s not awful.

“Outside of this study [on neurodegenerative diseases], turmeric is considered the “spice for life.” Another one of its active ingredients is curcumin, and curcumin is considered an anti-inflammatory. This ingredient has also been associated with the ability to prevent diabetes, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s. But as is the case with the rat research, the potential of turmeric acting as modern medicine is uncertain, though adding turmeric powder to food or tea is believed to supplement a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. Doing so sets you ahead of the game if turmeric is found to be capable of repairing the human brain.”

http://www.medicaldaily.com/turmeric-helps-your-brain-heal-itself-spice-your-brain-power-curry-305242

Source: Hucklenbroich J, Klein R, Neumaier B, Graf R, Fink G, et al. Aromatic-turmerone induces neural stem cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Stem Cell Research & Therapy. 2014.

How true.

What computers used to cost, Dec. 2007

Today I was cleaning out a drawer (something I need to do more often) and came across the receipt from Staples for the computer I’m using as I write.  A Dell Inspiron 530S loaded with VISTA. The total bill came to $895.50 with various price over rides amounting to $39, a flash drive of 4 GB (I still have it in the package and not sure I ever used it), something that looks like a 2 year warranty, taxes $53.59, a holiday cd for $6.  Can’t be sure from the codes but it looks like I also bought a monitor and paid for data transfer from the old computer (which I think is still in the basement storeroom, and occasionally has been called into service when this one failed). Photo below.

The new Inspiron seems to be about the same price ($50 less), but with Windows 10, wireless, 1TB hard drive, 8GB system memory (compared to 250 GB and 2 GB)

My 530S is clunky and slow, it’s been repaired twice, and really resisted when I updated to Windows 10 (had to use Firefox).

Mammograms—do they help, hurt or save?

You may wish to download this booklet on screening for breast cancer.

"When we first published this leaflet in 2008, the Summary was:

"It may be reasonable to attend for breast cancer screening with mammography, but it may also be reasonable not to attend, as screening has both benefits and harms.

If 2000 women are screened regularly for 10 years, one will benefit from the screening, as she will avoid dying from breast cancer.

At the same time, 10 healthy women will, as a consequence, become cancer patients and will be treated unnecessarily. These women will have either a part of their breast or the whole breast removed, and they will often receive radiotherapy, and sometimes chemotherapy.

Furthermore, about 200 healthy women will experience a false alarm. The psychological strain until one knows whether or not it was cancer, and even afterwards, can be severe."

These numbers were derived from the randomised trials of mammography screening. However, since the trials were performed, treatment of breast cancer has improved considerably. More recent studies suggest that mammography screening may no longer be effective in reducing the risk of dying from breast cancer."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/insider/aggressive-treatment-for-early-breast-cancer-reporters-notebook.html?_r=0

If you read the NYT article, be sure to read the comments.

In God we Trust

Food and fellowship

Do you sometimes feel like this? Too much food?

• Saturday we ate out to celebrate our daughter/SIL's 22nd anniversary at the Rusty Bucket;
• Monday we ordered pizza in from Iacono’s on Kenny Rd.;
• Wednesday we were on a road trip to Canton and the meal was catered (baked chicken);
• Thursday a church group gathered for dinner at the Crane’s lovely home on a lake (wonderful smoked ribs)
• also attended a memorial service at Friendship Village for Mary Dunbar which included a reception with food;
• Friday we attended the wedding of Tracy and Andy at the  Amelita Mirolo Barn which included dinner (lots of choices);
• Sunday we're having friends Howard and Betty here for lunch (soup and salad) before we head out for an art show in Middletown, Ohio Watercolor Society.

But I seem to be going to the store all the time.

When we point a finger, three are pointing back at us

"The family is under attack from internal forces, such as divorce, cohabitation, decline in marriage, promiscuity, abuse and violence, addictions, pornography – and the list goes on and on. The family is also under attack from outside forces, such as cultural coarsening, anti-family entertainment and rhetoric, sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, and extremists who want to shut down religious freedom and redefine marriage and family." Janice Shaw Crouse

Last Sunday our class was looking at the first three chapters of Romans.  Her quote taken from an interview reminds me of Paul's letter to the Romans. He was writing to a Christian congregation in Rome made up of pagans and Jews--all saved by grace. Pagans accepted pedophilia, abortion and homosexuality, Jews didn't. Paul calls those practices degrading, unnatural, indecent, exchanging the truth of God for a lie, and perversion, and it needed to stop. But Jews had the advantage of the law and the prophets which addressed many other sins and which were also being violated. Paul had harsh words for them for being stubborn, self-righteous, self-seeking and blind to the light. Adultery, stealing, blaspheming, gossip, arrogance, etc. The family is under attack, but we Christians weakened it to the point of collapse and now point fingers at those who violate natural law.

God doesn’t grade on a curve.

Federal Debt Held by Public Has More Than Doubled Under Obama

$57,431.65 for each of 117,343,000 households.

"Debt held by the public represents federal debt issued by Treasury and held by investors outside of the federal government, including individuals, corporations, state or local governments, the Federal Reserve, and foreign governments,”  explains the Government Accountability Office. “The majority of debt held by the public consists of marketable Treasury securities, such as bills, notes, bonds, floating rate notes, and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities that are sold through auctions and can be resold by whoever owns them. Treasury also issues a smaller amount of nonmarketable securities, such as savings securities and State and Local Government Series securities."

"Intragovernmental debt holdings represent federal debt owed by Treasury to federal government accounts—primarily federal trust funds such as Social Security and Medicare—that typically have an obligation to invest in federal securities their excess annual receipts (including interest earnings) over disbursements,” says GAO.

“Unlike debt held by the public,” says GAO, “intragovernmental debt holdings are not shown as balances on the federal government’s consolidated financial statements because they represent loans from one part of the federal government to another."

As of the close of business on Tuesday, the total debt of the federal government was $18,150,481,620,363.39. Of this, $13,046,512,400,965.87 was debt held by the public, and $5,103,969,219,397.52 was intragovernmental debt.

The $13,046,512,400,965.87 in debt held by the public was an increase of $6,739,201,661,284.21—or 106.8 percent--from the $6,307,310,739,681.66 in debt held by the public on the day Obama was inaugurated. (CNS News)

http://useconomy.about.com/od/usdebtanddeficit/p/US-Debt-by-President.htm

Fall color in Ohio

You don't need to go to Vermont to be a leaf peeper. The fall color this year is marvelous. This is Rose Lake in the Hocking Hills State Park. It's a 17 acre fishing lake, but isn't it glorious?

http://trekohio.com/2012/04/08/rose-lake/

http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/hockinghills

Think about the civility and good manners of despots

I watched a report of viewer satisfaction with Tuesday's debate, and one thing that impressed them most about the Democrats was civility. Well, I hope so. Look at their ages--they should have good manners. However, not negotiating with Iran or Cuba for imprisoned Americans, grabbing the rights that belong to the states (10th amendment), funding an abortion organization that killed close to 400,000 unborn Americans in one year according to its own report, attacking free speech, freedom of religion and the 2nd amendment, and by default letting Russia back into the middle east power structure isn't my idea of civilized. Nor is pandering to the lowest common denominator to avoid these issues with socialist programs.

Conestoga trip to Canton, Ohio, October 14, 2015

We had a wonderful time visiting Canton, OH to see the National Memorial for President William McKinley, the Stark County Historical museum, and the National First Ladies education and resource center.

Before he became President, William McKinley had served 14 years in the House, where he became the leading Republican tariff expert, giving his name to the measure enacted in 1890. The next year he was elected Governor of Ohio, serving two terms. McKinley was assassinated in 1901 at the beginning of his 2nd Presidential term by Leon Czolgosz who said his actions were inspired by violent anarchist Emma Goldman’s claim that “all rulers should be exterminated.” Yes, she's called an anarchist, not a communist or socialist, but if you read her writings, she was left of the Bolsheviks with whom she shared a mission and had squabbles. To this day, the leftists in the U.S. apologize for her. But put that aside for the moment since everyone's forgotten them. Capitalism has brought wealth and comfort to the very people they tried to inflame.

I'll say I was very impressed by Stark county's hard work on history and maintaining these sites without federal or state money. 25,000 school children each year visit this memorial, and the education director did a wonderful monologue for us about McKinley's life.

On the bus with Jerry passing out snacks.  We watched two terrific DVDs on architecture—Louis Sullivan and Gothic Cathedrals—on the 2.5 hour trips.

McKinley National Memorial, final resting place of the 25th president of the U.S. and his wife Ida, and their two young daughters .  There are 108 steps, and we saw people running up the steps for exercise (Rocky only had to do 72).  He died in September 1901 and by June 1903, $500,000 had been contributed for his memorial and designs were submitted.  The one chosen is laid out like a cross, in the shape of a sword. Construction began in June 1905 and it was finished by September 1907; the dedication ceremony was September 30, 1907. Ida his widow was there but died later in the year.

The Director of Education at the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, Christopher Kenney, provided a wonderful reenactment of the President in the museum and accompanied our group to the memorial providing interesting insights about the construction and dedication. 

Entrance to the museum built in 1963; it has a Planetarium, a McKinley Gallery, a research library, and a street of shops reflecting the history of Stark County.

A room in the museum is set up with period pieces to reflect the McKinley home.

Then it was back on the bus to travel to Ida Saxton McKinley House and the First Ladies Education and Research Center on Market Avenue, South.

This was originally the home of Ida McKinley’s parents, but she and her husband also lived there for awhile.  It had fallen into disrepair in the 20th century having been used as retail space and was slated to be demolished when a relative of Ida’s stepped in to save it.  It has been completely restored and has an active group of volunteers.

The research center dedicated to the first ladies is in a former bank down the street from the house within easy walking distance. We saw a number of personal items and gowns of the First Ladies.

It’s hard to be a Kardashian male

“Lamar Odom took cocaine and as many as 10 sexual-performance supplement pills leading up to his hospitalization in Las Vegas, according to a dramatic 911 call released Wednesday by the Nye County Sheriff’s Department.

Odom, the former NBA player and husband of reality television star Khloe Kardashian, was rushed to a medical facility after being found unresponsive by staff at a brothel known as the Love Ranch in Crystal, Nev., around 70 miles northwest of Las Vegas.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2015/10/14/lamar-odom-cocaine-sexual-performance-supplements-brothel-hospitalization-khloe-kardashian/73960622/

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84708783/

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84707571/

Walking vs. stationary bike

"Exercise expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper ranks walking and stationary bicycling as two of the six best exercises. He writes that walking is particularly good for previously sedentary people and older people. He recommends stationary bicycling because it simultaneously strengthens bicyclists’ arms and legs and causes far fewer injuries than jogging and outdoors bicycling. The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook’s “Choosing the Right Exercise” report lists 10 exercises, including stat...ionary bicycling and walking. Walking is praised for being “relatively easy” on joints throughout the body and being better than stationary bicycling for people with knee problems. Stationary bicycling improves strength more than walking and lets people change the intensity of their workouts by changing the bicycle’s resistance." Walking is almost out of the question for me except for brief errands. That's why I just love my stationary bike, a power spin 210. http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/stationary-bicycle-vs-walking-exercise-9889.html

". . .the latest research reveals that the magic number for maintaining cognitive fitness with age and preventing Alzheimer’s is to work up to a level of 150 minutes per week of a combination of cardio exercise and strength training. Great ways to get in your aerobic exercise include brisk walking, jogging, dancing, swimming, and playing tennis, or going to the gym and utilizing an elliptical, treadmill or stationary bike." http://www.alzheimersprevention.org/.../exercise-and...

Walking in Spain with a cane and strong friend.

Turmeric and Alzheimer’s research

http://alzheimer.neurology.ucla.edu/Curcumin.html

I was watching someone plug his book “Brain Fog” today and in addition to the usual walk a mile a day, drink coffee and wine and eat blueberries, he mentioned turmeric and black pepper.  So I looked that up.  Seems to be a lot of pre-prepared items you can buy.

Curcumin (Turmeric), an ancient Indian herb used in curry powder, has been extensively studied in modern medicine and Indian systems of medicine for the treatment of various medical conditions, including cystic fibrosis, haemorrhoids, gastric ulcer, colon cancer, breast cancer, atherosclerosis, liver diseases and arthritis. It has been used in various types of treatments for dementia and traumatic brain injury. Curcumin also has a potential role in the prevention and treatment of AD. Curcumin as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and lipophilic action improves the cognitive functions in patients with AD. A growing body of evidence indicates that oxidative stress, free radicals, beta amyloid, cerebral deregulation caused by bio-metal toxicity and abnormal inflammatory reactions contribute to the key event in Alzheimer's disease pathology. Due to various effects of curcumin, such as decreased Beta-amyloid plaques, delayed degradation of neurons, metal-chelation, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and decreased microglia formation, the overall memory in patients with AD has improved. . .

Worldwide, there are over 1000 published animal and human studies, both in vivo and in vitro in which the effects of curcumin on various diseases have been examined. Studies include epidemiological, basic and clinical research on AD. . . .

Epidemiological studies have shown that prevalence of AD is 4.4 lower amongst Indian Asians as compared to people of western origin. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2008 Jan-Mar; 11(1): 13–19.

Look what’s in the bag of tricks. More scary treats.

As of 2010, 68.8% of Federal individual tax receipts including payroll taxes, were paid by the top 20% of taxpayers. And these candidates will do their best to keep anyone else from getting rich.

49% of all 2014 spending paid for Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid; 20% went for income security (SNAP, TANF, housing, etc.).  Obamacare’s new spending will cost more than $1.8 trillion over the next decade. Now add in all these freebies.

The state vs. the people

Hillary Clinton has proven herself—to be just as low and crooked as a male politician

Take this science quiz

Whites and Hispanics score better than blacks on general science information, 8.4, 7.1 and 5.9. But why? This is information most of us had by 10th grade in general science class. It's not college level science.  I scored 11 out of 12 and have been away from science classes for over 50 years, but I recognized a lot of the questions from freshman high school general science. The debate will continue, but it would certainly affect STEM graduation and future jobs.  Asians are not included because there wasn’t a big enough pool for the researchers, but since they outscore whites in every area, I think we know what that would be. There is no breakdown by gender or age in the summary, although there is in the questions.  I’m assuming males score higher than females and older higher than younger.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/15/the-race-gap-in-science-knowledge/

Will he ever run out of left wing causes?

About 8 years ago I met the sweetest 11 year old boy.  He was just adorable.  We were taking a class together at Lakeside. He was really too young, but was so talented and precocious the teacher just overlooked the age requirement. Over the years I’d see him at his cottage and we’d wave and speak.  His parents got a divorce, but the cottage stayed with one of him, so my friend continued to enjoy the lake.  He didn’t seem to change much physically—always seemed to look like he was a fresh face kid, even though I figured he must at least be a junior or senior in high school.  I came across him on Facebook and friended him a few years ago. He had a few interests he posted occasionally—nothing unusual for a teen age boy.

He’s now in college.  Long stringy hair, no longer blond. He comments on every far left cause imaginable.  Pro-Palestine.  Anti-Columbus Day. Protesting against rape culture on his college campus. Demanding changes for climate change.  White privilege. Empty the racist prisons.

Gee, I hope he grows up soon.  This is almost like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

I don’t drink

nor do I intend to watch the “debate.”  It’s quite predictable. Old, tired, socialist . . . issues.

Humans of New York

“I hate pot. I hate it even more than hard drugs. I’ve taught high school for 25 years and I hate what marijuana does to my students. It goes beyond missing homework assignments. My students become less curious when they start smoking pot. I’ve seen it time and time again. People say pot makes you more creative, but from what I’ve seen, it narrows my students' minds until they only reference the world in relation to the drug. They’ll say things like: “I went to the beach and got so high,” or “I went to a concert and got so high.” They start choosing their friends based on the drug. I hate when people say that it’s just experimenting. Because from what I’ve seen, it’s when my students stop experimenting.”

From Humans of New York on Facebook

And you should see the commenters defending their “friends” who use it all the time.

Americans are being told a pack of lies about marijuana; and worse, their addled, weakened brains can't even figure that out. I knew this is where the pleas for medical marijuana would lead. You should see the ads we’re getting in Ohio.

Chocolate, wine, coffee and butter?

The more the government studies our nutritional needs, the heavier Americans get. I've gone back to butter and whole milk. If the experts can't figure out fats, carbs, and supplements, and now find good stuff in chocolate, coffee and wine, why follow the guidelines? Eat less, move more. The rest is footnotes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/upshot/are-fats-unhealthy-the-battle-over-dietary-guidelines.html?_r=0

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/02/12/275376259/the-full-fat-paradox-whole-milk-may-keep-us-lean

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/03/19/174739752/whole-milk-or-skim-study-links-fattier-milk-to-slimmer-kids

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/03/19/174739752/whole-milk-or-skim-study-links-fattier-milk-to-slimmer-kids

My own theory is, the more fat and real sugar you remove from food, the hungrier people get, so they just eat more.

How to report violent crime

Academics still blame the higher rate for violent crime on poverty and discrimination.  Not so.

“The formula for escaping poverty as an adult also has nothing to do with race: Graduate from high school, wait until you are married to have children, and work full-time. Whites who eschew those bourgeois behaviors are as likely to be poor as blacks who eschew them. Only 2 percent of individuals who follow those rules are in poverty, according to Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution; 72 percent of those who follow them earn at least $55,000 a year. The American poverty rate would be cut by 70 percent if the same percentage of Americans engaged in those responsible behaviors as did in 1970, regardless of race.”
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/420565/charleston-shooting-obama-race-crime

Monday Memories—saying “I used to. . .”

"Lately I'm saying 'I used to’ a lot," my friend said while we were having coffee to catch up after our trip to Spain.  I'd heard her say it before, but I think it is profound. It made me think.  Yes, I say that frequently. At my age, there are many.

Here are some of my “used to” thoughts in no particular order.

I used to run. I think about that often now—didn’t occur to me before age 40 that someday I wouldn’t.  Oh yes, I knew I wouldn’t run when I was 80, but the need or desire just went away.  As a child I ran all the time, even when I didn’t need to.

I used to skip or take two at a time on the stairs. Sometimes I would run up stairs on all fours.  I know I was an adult because I was doing it on Abington Road where we lived for 34 years. And until December 2013, I would even walk up and down stairs for exercise at our Mill Run church.  Perhaps that’s why I have bursitis now. Even one stair is painful.

I used to go out every morning to a coffee shop. That habit started when I was a teen and ended in early 2014.  I knew I couldn’t have caffeine anymore, and drinking Panera’s decaf was like hot water, so I gave it up and learned to make decaf at home.  I began putting $2/day into the piggy bank for our trip to Spain.  I didn’t always remember to do it, but had about $600 when September 2015 rolled around. Favorite haunts in addition to Panera’s the last decade were Chef-O-Nette, Paul’s Pantry, McDonald’s on Rt. 33, Bob Evans on Sunday, and at Lakeside Coffee ‘n Cream. The regulars at the Chef used to have parties together, attend weddings and funerals. I could hardly start the day without them.

I used to go to work five days a week. From fall 1986 to fall 2000 I was the Veterinary Medicine Librarian at The Ohio State University.  Loved that job. The students were terrific, and the library was located on the far west side of campus, so I never had to fight the bad traffic. The field was fascinating, and I’ve remained interested in medical topics to this day as you can tell from my blog topics. It included research and publication, which I enjoyed. Blogging allows publishing without the middle man. But I’d had many jobs before that because I accepted temporary contracts before a tenured permanent job came along so I could be home with the children in the summers.  I’d worked in agriculture, Latin American studies, user education, and I’d also worked for a library non-profit (Ohio-net) and the State of Ohio (Ohio Steps) before returning to Ohio State, and in both jobs I did research and publishing.

I used to bake pies.  I used to call myself the 2nd best pie baker East of the Mississippi. Mom got first place, of course. When there would be a family event in Indiana or a church pot luck, someone would always suggest I bring dessert, because they knew it would be a pie.  But something happened, maybe 10 or 15 years ago.  The pie crusts just weren’t turning out.  And as far as I’m concerned, no crust no pie. So I’ve passed the family mantle along to my daughter, who not only makes wonderful pies, they are works of art.

My Sugar free apple pie from 2009

Chocolate Peanut Butter,  chocolate peanut butter cream cheese tart, Strawberry rhubarb, flaky pie crust,  apple sour cream, applesauce pie, raisin (sugarless), cheesecake pumpkin, onion pie, apple dumplings, peach fluff pie,    cheeseburger in paradise pie,

My daughter’s artistic pies.

I used to be a dog person.  Since 1976 we’ve always had a cat (Mystery, We Be Three, Lotza Spotza, who is now about 18). When I was a child we always had a dog around. Lassie. Lassie 2. Pretty. Brownie (or was his name Fluffy?). Zero. Jerry. Lady. Polka dot.  Lady and Polka dot were Dalmatians. Lassie, Pretty and Brownie were part collie.  Zero was a mixed hound who “followed” me home one day (with a lot of encouragement). We left Lassie at my grandmother’s when we went to California in 1944—he died in a tractor accident.

I used to be a horse fan. Now I just enjoy looking at them. I would spend my afternoons at the Ranz’ horse/cattle barn near our home, I would ride the horses of friends, and I was fearless.  The Wiggins children  had a blind pony which I would ride bareback along the hi-way. I would draw pictures of horses and write stories.  My brother and I would build snow horses in the yard.  I saved all my babysitting and paper route money and finally when I was 11 years old I bought a horse.  Got over it.

I used to draw and paint, both as a child and an adult. I probably haven’t painted anything in 4 years. Mainly I did watercolor most recently, but back in the 70s I did a lot of paintings using acrylics. When I was a child my mother would get rolls of discontinued wall paper for me to use, and provided stacks of used white newsprint from the printing plant in Mt. Morris. My grandmother gave me a box of oil paints when I was about 10 and gave me her old supplies.  I still have my wood box. Our schools didn’t have art classes, but one year my mother took a typing class in night school in Freeport, and I went along and took an art class.  I didn’t like it because I was the only child in the class and couldn’t draw horses.

Watercolor paintings from several years ago; I think these are studies done in classes I took.

Paintings from the 1970s when I used my children as subjects.

I used to not appear in public in jeans and athletic shoes. After I retired, I was always well dressed when I went to the coffee shop, then would change when I got home. Until about 2010, I always wore high heels with my slacks.  After exercise class I would go home and change clothes rather than appear in the grocery store in my athletic clothes.  Somewhere after 70 I decided that was probably wasted energy.  Now I can look as much a slob as other retired people.

I used to be a Democrat—for 40 years. I voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and haven’t looked back.  I may have been a Conservative for many years before since I am an evangelical Christian, was pro-business, and I was pro-life even as a Democrat. When my husband started his own business in 1994 I really had my eyes open, but it took awhile for that to translate to politics. That said, it still bothers me that Republicans are like bulls in a china closet, and can’t hang together to accomplish something or use a crisis the way the Democrats do.

I used to hate exercise.  Actually, I still do. But I’ve participated in an exercise class at church most years since I retired. For 2015 I’ve been riding my nice Power Spin Gold’s Gym stationery bike, and by doing just a mile at a time about 6 or 7 times a day, I’ve found something that doesn’t hurt my legs and yet is good cardio and burns calories. I’ve ridden 1500 miles since Christmas and lost 35 pounds in 6 months. I could say “I used to weigh 170 lbs.”

I used to sing.  About 9 years ago I decided to join the church choir. I grew up in a home with music and I missed that. I even sang in a little quartet with my siblings. Only one of us had the talent and determination to become a musician and it wasn't me, but I did take piano lessons and play trombone as well as participate in choirs until I graduated from high school.  At UALC in 2006  I just loved it thinking my soprano range would come back.  The director Mike Martin was wonderful. But the voice didn’t come back.  If you don’t use something for 50 years, there are penalties.  So after a year I gave it up.

A poetry prompt from Tweetspeak this week was on games.  So I chose Hide and Seek and worked in the “I used to” theme. I used to write poetry, but hadn’t done it for several years.

-----------------------------------------

Poetry prompt--games

Hide and seek, 1950 and 2015

I used to run through damp grass at dusk
Hiding behind fat trees--or in the garage,
Excited that the all the kids showed up at our house.

Now I scan the shelves for my car keys
Looking for my purse--it’s not where I put it,
Concerned that the dinner date is in fifteen minutes