The story of Susanna in Daniel 13

The Old Testament reading this morning was one of the longest, and most riveting I've ever heard, and the woman lector did a wonderful job. It was about Susanna (Shoshana), a chaste and devout Jewess, wife of Joakim in Babylon. Two old men, both judges, plot to rape her and she resisted. They lied and she was about to be executed and cried out to God for help. Then Daniel came to her defense and interrogated the men separately, destroying their story. "According to the law of Moses, they inflected on them the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor; they put them to death. Thus was innocent blood spared that day." (Daniel 13)

I thought I'd heard all the interesting Bible stories, but this one is not in the Protestant Bibles, only the Catholic and Orthodox. It was part of the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures used in the time of Jesus). I can't find that Luther or Calvin ever made a list for the canon, but apparently the Anglicans did, so we didn't get that one. So I checked for movies, because it would be a great one, and didn't find it, but it does appear in paintings and some poems and music.

 

Updating the poverty articles

I'm not seeing the "failure of poverty programs" articles that I saw 2-3 years ago--the figure used to be federal and state programs combined amounted to over $22,000 per poor person to feed, house, medicate, educate and lift people. But our poverty rate was 14% when Johnson launched the War on Poverty in 1964, and now it's 16%. I'm still getting an awful lot of appeals to alleviate "desperate poverty" from church groups and non-profits. Maybe it's the Bernie fall out? Really folks, if $80,000+ doesn't lift a family of 4 out of poverty, how much more will? No sensible person thinks a family in the inner city or an Indian reservation actually sees that money; it goes to people in the suburbs working for non-profits, universities and government agencies. Poverty is good business; why solve it?

Kay's business is struggling to find health insurance for its employees

I suggest we all pay close attention to employers like Kay. She actually owns a business and has to sort through the mess Obama has left us.  Too many of us have worked in academe, or for state government, or large corporations.

 "Annually our business shops the market for health insurance and this year we are looking at 18% (and more!) increases in just premiums. (We have been looking at these kinds of annual increases ever since Obamacare was passed.) Not only do we see higher premiums, the annual out of pocket amounts have gone up. The insurance companies are tweaking their plans wherever they can...this year the proposal from our current health insurance company will take away access to many providers. (In our business, our insurance carrier must have access to providers like Mayo Clinic or Iowa City or hospitals as close Rockford, IL. These and others were taken out. To many of you,  please understand that a person can go most anywhere, but at a premium cost as insurance reimburses at a considerably less amount.)" (personal correspondence)

Yes, the goal of Obamacare is single payer, Democrats like Pelosi admit it, but it won't be like Medicare, it will be Medicaid lite and the cost will be horrific. Remember, Obama destroyed a system that was serving about 85% of the population well, and another 5% probably were self insuring and didn't use insurance or were young and healthy and didn’t want to do the co-pay at work. I never thought employment based health insurance was good (started after WWII as a way to attract employees), but with all the brilliant minds in business and government, nothing between that and jail or fines was available? We already had federal and state insurance for the poor, Medicaid, plus VA for veterans, Medicare for seniors, and S-CHIP for children to age 23, but that wasn't enough for him. The end goal is government control of everything. Some people had better insurance with more benefits than others—Oh, the horror! 

Obama, or his successor if a Democrat, wants the billions of tax write offs that businesses get for providing insurance, and the additional billions in taxes that the rest of us don't pay because it's a non-taxable feature of employment. In Obama’s eyes and his party of socialist/progressives, all those taxes belong in Washington to be redistributed after bureaucrats and lobbyists get their share. 

Not for a minute was this about the poor, dear friends, relatives and trolls, or that could have easily been fixed with a plan for the 10% who didn't qualify for other programs (usually young men without families to support and either couldn't or wouldn't work). 

My blood pressure rises just thinking of the Americans he completely fooled with that lie.

But Donald Trump loves this country and hates political correctness!

Oh, please! Mike Huckabee loves the country; Rick Santorum loves the country; Bobby Jindal loves the country; Rick Perry loves the country. Donald Trump loves The Donald, he loves the game, making a deal, making shocking remarks, and appealing to the lowest common denominator and the cheapest laughs. I still can't see a single Carson supporter--I mean someone who donated money that could have gone to someone else, or who campaigned for him, or wrote supportive messages on Facebook or blogs or other social media--going for this gas bag, values deficit, blow hard clown.

Shouldn't churches be taxed, she asked?

Emanuel Lutheran Church, founded by Swedish Evangelical Lutherans, Hartford, CT

 It wasn't really a question.  I know what she thinks.  But that's what she said. So that's what I'll answer.

Churches are mostly 501c3 and donations are tax exempt for the donor—there are millions of these and in order to change that you’d have to go after the huge violators that are fronts for political action like the Clinton Foundation or George Soros’ spidery web of groups. Until Lyndon Johnson's run for Senate, churches weren’t muzzled (it's called the Johnson Amendment to the tax code, 1954)--and probably isn't even legal, but its never gone to the Supreme Court. Just the threat of a law suit keeps pastors quiet.  If churches have a business, (selling books, running restaurants, etc.) those profits are taxable, but in the normal sense of the word, they don’t have profits. 

These days, everything is political, even marriage and gender. Do you really want churches not concerned about dirty air or lead in the water in Flint?  Should being tax exempt prevent a pastor from preaching about prison reform, or the condition of the local schools, or the merger of a local hospital or chaos on the school board, corruption on city council or child pornography, or trafficking in persons or marriage or abortion? Some local, state or federal politician or political party has a stake in it for personal gain, I guarantee. 

I vote at a Catholic church; our Lutheran church is also a polling place. In our old neighborhood it was at an Episcopal Church. Can you imagine the scramble for spaces if all churches didn’t donate space for voting, or food pantries? They also sponsor Scouting and Boys and Girls clubs and AA, blood drives, and art and music events (non-religious) as well as literacy classes. Our church has a huge Muslim and Hispanic population for ESL. Want to stop that? (Actually, proselytizing is forbidden due to government rules because some Vista volunteers are employed.) 

The tradition of not taxing churches predates our country's establishment because religion isn’t just what happens in the building or your personal prayer closet, but what believers take into the community. In the Middle Ages, Kings and monarchs didn’t take care of the poor, or educate them, or run the hospitals, the churches did that (still do). However, our country was settled by people fleeing a state controlled church, so our first amendment is written to prevent the state from interfering with churches, although some are confused about that.

When you hear the phrase, “I’m spiritual, but not religious,” think of the misunderstanding it represents (usually heard from lapsed Christians). That was not Jesus’ command. He established communion, baptism, a hierarchy for service, honored his mother, performed his first miracle at a wedding, preached to large gatherings, observed many Jewish laws and traditions and sent missionaries, etc. That’s being religious. 
 

Black churches particularly are very active politically. And as far as I know, no government entity has removed any politician campaigning from their pulpits. Barack Obama created his political career speaking in black churches in the Chicago area—learned his speaking style there (he didn’t become a Christian until after college), because he grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia and wasn't familiar with the cadence or how to sound "black."

I personally believe (and it’s not a popular belief) churches should “donate” the real estate tax value of their land because in many small communities that have mega churches, it removes huge swaths from the tax rolls. Also, some churches have bought up old, decaying sections of malls, which cleans up the area and reduces crime, but also removes property from tax rolls. And from the obvious wealth of some TV preachers’ lifestyle (Creflo Dollar and Joyce Meyer for instance), I believe someone needs to keep a closer eye on the books, not for tax purposes, but for their own souls and credibility.

Downsizing for seniors

Everyone I know has this problem.  Stuff.  Except maybe my cousin.  She moves too often to accumulate much. Today I stopped at Half-Price Books and bought. . . are you ready for this. . . .Bill and Hillary paper dolls.  At $2.00 it was such a bargain.  I also bought yet another How to draw book.  We must have at least 5.  If books could tell you how to draw or paint, I'd be a famous artist.

We actually thought we were downsizing when we bought this condo in 2001.  And we were, sort of. The problem is it actually has an attic over the garage and storage space in the basement, two storage areas we didn't have in our home on Abington.

Here's advice from AARP on what to get rid of.

Know anyone who collects paper dolls?

A new era for apple pie at our house?

Right now I have a frozen Marie Callender Lattice crust apple pie in the oven.  I've got to admit it sure smells yummy.  I've been famous for my pies for years, but no longer bake.  As far as I'm concerned, it's all in the crust.  No crust, no pie.  So we'll see how Marie can do.

Here's what one reviewer wrote.  She's so ecstatic, I suspect a put up.

This Pie, called The Lattice Apple Pie is upon first steaming spoonful; your ticket to paradise lost. Where memories began. Your first smells. My Mom makes a mean Apple Pie! But when Marie Callendar's came around. Even she knew that there was a New Chef in Town! Back to the Pie. The apples used are sweet Fuji apples, with mind you, imported cinnamon and Sugar! My kind of Pie!, But the Pies de Resistance, is: The Crust. They could have just covered it, but they really went all out and LATTICED It! And it takes extra time and effort to do that. Just like Mom and Grandma and Great Grandma all did it! Which to me, hearkens back to an simpler time, listening to the radio tell stories. And the smell wafting up from the freshly baked pie is pure heaven like waking up to Christmas and your first snow and everything cozy and good and wholesome, all wrapped up in Marie Callendar's Wonderful, Lattice Apple Pie. And To Everyone whom is recommended this Pie, Friendship ensues! Love this Pie!

Shirley in San Antonio, TX

At a frozen pie evaluation site, which admitted they didn't care much for frozen pies, I found this:

 Marie, you know how to make a pie. Actually, you know how to make about forty of them, but we only tried the Marie Callenders Lattice Apple Pie ($6.79). Sure, it still had a bit of that jelly-goo apple thing happening, but c'mon, it's a frozen pie. Well-spiced with a nicely browned, crumbly crust, this was everyone's favorite of the six. And those cinnamon specks on the box's photo? Those were no joke. If you hate cinnamon (do people hate cinnamon?) then stay away, but otherwise, this was a plenty satisfying pie. 

It won't be out of the oven for another 30 minutes, then it's supposed to cool for 2 hours, so I'll have to update this after supper.

Todays new words--pericopes and icipits

I knew what the Lectionary is, sections of scripture read in church or privately in a systematic or topical way so that all the Bible is covered in 3 years.  One of the 3 synoptic gospels is featured, and John is interspersed. It is an ecumenical effort, at least for Protestants. It's not unusual for our church, UALC to wander off the path and have a sermon series unrelated to the Lectionary.  However, I was unfamiliar with how the Lectionary is in turn divided.

"Individual readings in the Lectionary are called pericopes, from a Greek word meaning a "section" or "cutting." Because the Mass readings are only portions of a book or chapter, introductory phrases, called incipits, are often added to begin the Lectionary reading, for example, "In those days," "Jesus said to his disciples," etc."  USCCB

Today's New Word--Apostle

We--at least I--think we know what an apostle is, at least in the Christian meaning.  But do we really?  It's not the same as a disciple--one of the 12, otherwise Paul couldn't be an apostle.

"By combining material from various texts, scholars conclude that an apostle was one who had seen the risen Jesus and who had a personal commission from Jesus to proclaim the gospel.  The number who could claim the title is not determined, but that the title was important is clear from Paul's insistence on his right to be called an apostle.  If there are any officers of the Church in the New Testament, they are apostles. . .

The Greek word, apostolos, from which our English word "apostle" comes, means in classical Greek literature a naval expedition and, in later literature, a delegate or a messenger. There is no parallel in Greek to the religious use of the word; but in Judaism the corresponding Aramaic word was a title given to men sent from Jerusalem to Jewish communities abroad.  This may have influenced the Christian use of the word."   John L. McKenzie, Authority in the church, Sheed and Ward, 1966.                          

Head of an apostle by Jean-Michel Moreau, public domain

How first century Christians faced pagan Roman sexual practices

The Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, written in A.D. 80, begins with a frank assessment of the culture and the Christian Faith. “There are two ways, one of life and one of death: and great is the difference between the two ways.” The text then discusses the way of life which combines the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ. An important part of the way of life is morality, and the particulars of moral living involve marriage and the conjugal act:
“You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not seduce boys.
You shall not commit fornication.
You shall not steal.
You shall not practice magic.
You shall not use potions.
You shall not procure abortion, nor destroy a newborn child.”
The Didache urged Christians to avoid these practices and choose the way of life in imitation of Christ the Lord.
(Steve Weidenkopf, Of Human Life course material, Ch. 1)

I thought he'd have a better excuse

After Obama's Scalia no show, I'm not surprised, but this guy really has no class.

She did it! Took iPads away from her kids, by guest blogger Sarah

In case you were curious how #operationipadelimination was going...

Well, I'm pleased to say we are well over a month iPad free and loving it! The girls are more creative than ever before and getting along better too! Hmm. My house may look like a homes chool but I'm just fine with that. The girls tape EVERYTHING they make to my walls!  I'm noticing they are also watching much less tv (maybe 30 minutes a day) and Wii use is down to just the weekends. I thought they'd want more of other stuff but they don't. And I'm not having to entertain them all day either, moms!  Our quality time together is much richer too. I'm actually starting to like my daughters. LOL!  (If you know me, you'll laugh at that) So if you're like me and on the fence, with a nagging feeling that electronics are taking over your home and the brains of your developing children, give it a try and see how your kids do for a month. Maybe two. Maybe six. I'm not sure I ever want to bring them back out. I sort of like these kids sans technology!! In fact I like them a whole lot better!! ❤ And I kinda feel like I'm a better mom too. Who knew?!

By guest blogger Sarah (I've known her since she was 14--now has 4 kids, from teen to toddler)

For my trolls and Obama supporters

I often hear that Republicans are racists because they don't like Obama. Or Republicans hate the poor.

Well, let's take them at their word if that is their gauge of morality.

• Is racism worse than killing millions of black babies with the blessings of the Democrat party? More in 4 days of abortion than 80 years of lynching, which was also a Democratic party scheme. 
• Is racism worse than letting black children flounder in failing public schools because the Democrats in the local and state government are afraid of the teachers union?
•  Is racism worse than letting many millions of black and brown third world children die of malaria because you caved to environmentalists on DDT? Would you want your children under bed nets?
•  Is racism worse than the blacks who will be robbed or murdered when you undo the 1993 crime bill and start going soft on black crime because you think the poverty pimps can turn out the vote for you?

And the poor?

• How ethical and moral is it for you to pretend you care about illegal immigrants, when they are taking jobs from low income Americans? Or overstaying their visas and taking jobs from college graduates in the tech fields? 
• Or that you say IRCA failed, when you never enforced it either for business or illegals crossing the boarder and now we have 30-40 million counting their children born here.
•  How ethical is it for you to prop up the all white Mexican government which depends on those ethnic workers to send cash home for the 2nd highest source of income in a very resource rich country? 
•  And the way you fight good jobs in the fuel industry and take them from coal miners so you can feed on fear about climate should really make you feel morally superior. 

There are worse things than what you've called Republicans.

Sending chills--horn arrangements for hymns

James K. Taylor, a retired band director and composer in Texas. He is arranging public domain hymn tunes for four horns. You can find these for listening on YouTube by searching for the name, James K. Taylor.

These arrangements can also be accessed at http://www.diary.cadenza.org/james-taylor/ along with other types of hymn arrangements and experimental sound files. Permission is granted for the use of audio recordings. Sheet music for these arrangements may be purchased for $20 from sheetmusicplus.com

I listened to a few of these.  Wonderful. Thrill your congregation now!

Photo not related to story--this is Quadre,

Neither Democrats nor Republicans can make promises about Detroit

Comments by Mike Smith

"Neither China nor Mexico "killed Detroit." Detroit committed suicide. The Democrat led city government loaded the gun and the labor unions pulled the trigger. When wages and taxes got to a point that the cost of doing business made companies noncompetitive, they had two choices - cut costs or go out of business. Since capital flows to wherever it is most efficiently used to generate profit and companies follow capital, the work went to locations where cost could be reduced. It is as simple as that. Detroit wasn't left behind because China and Mexico had some sort of secret plan to kill it, Detroit died because it gave jobs away, jobs that Mexico and China were happy to accept.

Progressive economic policies are the equivalent of salting the earth. Without changes in those policies, there can be no fertile ground in which companies can plant seeds of job growth."

Spending patterns of older Americans

 

 

  By 2050, when our children are 80+ there will twice as many seniors as today. So the purpose of this study (BLS) is to figure out how do people over 65 spend money (we’re consumer units). If businesses and investor are going to plan, they need to know where the opportunities are.

 

The first thing you notice is how income, which peaks in the 50s, drops in the 70s (retirement pensions, savings, investments—which is why we need to elect capitalists). I think the food category is high, but that’s because it probably includes eating out—and we sort of tuck that into entertainment (we don't do much for entertainment). Everyone eats out much more than they need to—food is pretty reasonable, but if you’re paying someone to prepare and serve it, not so much. In 2013, Americans spent 5.6 percent of their disposable personal incomes on food at home and 4.3 percent on food away from home. 

  

I was surprised that housing costs (as percent of income) were as high as the study shows.

Contributions got lumped into “other” so that’s a pretty sloppy category. I know there are all sorts of categories we could reduce, but really don’t have the will. Clothing costs are down for older Americans.  I just love shopping for clothes at resale stores and getting brand name jeans for $1.00. I didn’t discover them til after I retired. For nice stuff, I just let my daughter do that for Christmas and birthdays. But that trend isn't good for some malls and retail stores with such a shift in demographics.

http://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-5/spending-patterns-of-older-americans.htm

Today's new word--verisimilitude and book club selection

Definition:  In a literary work, verisimilitude is likeness to the truth i.e. resemblance of a fictitious work to a real event even if it is a far-fetched one.

I heard this word used in a Ted Talk I was watching by Laura Bates, author of Shakespeare saved my life; ten years in solitary with the bard, the book our Book Club will be discussing today.  However, she showed a brief video of Larry Newton, featured in her book, speaking about Shakespeare's impact on his life, and he used the word, verisimilitude.  I thought that if a guy whose last full day in school was somewhere around mid-elementary, and he could use the word, perhaps I should use it, or at least know how.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lahX4dq8OAE

 http://www.npr.org/2013/04/22/178411754/teaching-shakespeare-in-a-maximum-security-prison

                                                       

 "A literary agent contacted Bates after seeing an MSNBC broadcast on the Shakespeare program. She told Bates, "There's a book here. You need to write this book." Bates turned to her hundreds of recorded hours with Newton and to her memories and notes from teaching the inmates and began to write.

 Reviews by Booklist and Kirkus have praised the book. The reviewer at Booklist called it, "A powerful testament to how Shakespeare continues to speak to contemporary readers in all sorts of circumstances." The Kirkus review described it as "An eye-opening study reiterating the perennial power of books, self discipline and the Bard of Avon."

Bates worked with about 200 prisoners in segregation at Wabash Valley during the program. She examined the records of 20 who spent the most time studying Shakespeare. Before Shakespeare, the men had more than 600 write ups, with most of those falling into the Class A felony and violent felony categories. After studying Shakespeare, Bates examined the inmates' records for a similar number of years and found only two violations for cell phone possession."
 https://www2.indstate.edu/news/news.php?newsid=3505

Today's new word--SACERDOTAL

I came across sacerdotal  in one of the letters of the church fathers, I think it was Irenaeus. This is another word I've seen many times, was sort of confused about the meaning and had no idea how to pronounce because in English, the C has no sound of its own--it is either an S sound or a K sound.  So yes, it is the S--as in sassy.  So just picture this as Saserdotal, and you've got it.  And the root is in so many words.  

From the Merriam Webster web site: "Sacerdotal is one of a host of English words derived from the Latin adjective sacer, meaning "sacred." Other words derived from "sacer" include "desecrate," "sacrifice," "sacrilege," "consecrate," "sacrament," and even "execrable" (developed from the Latin word exsecrari, meaning "to put under a curse"). One unlikely "sacer" descendant is "sacrum," referring to the series of five vertebrae in the lower back connected to the pelvis. In Latin this bone was called the "os sacrum," or "holy bone," a translation of the Greek hieron osteon."

The Reformation and the response of the Council of Trent

The Council of Trent addressed the two biggest issues of the Protestant Reformation--justification and original sin.  Father Robert Barron--always an outstanding, kind and thorough, yet poetic, lecturer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZK92T8k28 

Christendom is gearing up for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation--1517-2017.  Be prepared!

Friday family photo 2--Phil's new car

This is called a survivor car.  It's a 1968 Chevy, 2 door "hard top" and I would call this "teal," but not sure what the official color is.  The owner died in 1969, and it was stored for many years, then after the widow's death it was in an estate, then sold. 19,000 miles, and he took an auto restorer with him to look at it and he said "Buy it."  He's one happy guy.

Friday family photo--a dusting of snow

It looked like a Christmas card outside today (I still have my wreath at the door) with a dusting of snow that clung to everything.  This is the view out our living room window, although taken from our neighbor's deck.  The small bushes at the lower right are ours; the deck rail is hers.

Vaginal seeding raises a question

I wasn't familiar with vaginal seeding, although the concept sounds reasonable.  What I thought was odd was the author of the article referred to the mother of his child as his "partner."  He cared enough to swab his baby with her vaginal microbes, but not enough to marry the child's mother?  At least the drawing of a pregnant woman with the article calls her a "mother."

 http://www.the-scientist.com//?articles.view/articleNo/45505/title/Opinion--A-Mother-s-Microbes/

So I e-mailed him and asked.

Definition:  The term vaginal seeding, also called microbirthing, describes wiping babies with vaginal fluid after they have been born by Cesarean. The belief is that this boosts poorly-defined beneficial gut microbes that keep our immune systems healthy and so may reduce the risk of developing conditions such as asthma, food allergies, and hay fever in later life. (Science 2.0)

March 3 Republican debate

He nailed it. "Cruz's most devastating line was probably this summation: I understand the folks who are supporting Donald right now. You're angry. You're angry at Washington, and he uses angry rhetoric. But for 40 years, Donald has been part of the corruption in Washington that you're angry about. And you're not going to stop the corruption in Washington by supporting someone who has supported liberal Democrats for four decades, from Jimmy Carter to John Kerry to Hillary Clinton. You're not going to stop the corruption and the cronyism by supporting someone who has used government power for private gain."(Weekly Standard)

Question: Why do the parties allow the media to control the debates? Yes, they get ratings, they make money, and indirectly they select our president. But what do we the people get? I wouldn't send a nickle to the GOP.  Why has it allowed this?

Although I didn't hear him say it, I heard a rebroadcast of Trump's boast last night that he would kill the family members of terrorists. That's in violation of the Geneva Convention.  He's said this before, and it didn't faze his followers. Then last night he said the military would follow his orders even though the demand was illegal.

 Too many people seem to want something called a Republican in the White House without considering the cost.  "I believe no American, conservative or liberal, should support Trump. He doesn’t simply violate conservative principles. He violates American principles. Donald Trump is a danger to self-government, civil liberties, the culture of democracy, and the ideals of a free and open society."  (Paul David Miller, The Federalist)

Social dancing is good protection against Alzheimer's Disease

"The theory proposed by Dr. Verghese and his fellow researchers is that social dance is an activity that activates and takes advantage of our brains' neuroplasticity. That is, according to Dr. Joseph Coyle, a commentator on the study, "The cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which are critical to these activities [greater cognitive reserve and increased complexity of neuronal synapses], are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use."

When the aging process causes our brain cells to begin to die off, our memory of nouns (like the names of people we know and love) often go first, because there is only one neural pathway connected to that bit of stored information. If that neural connection is lost, so is access to the piece of information it pointed to. It's like taking the same well-worn path through a forest, and one day not being able to find the entrance to that path. In patients suffering from dementia, even if they can physically see their destination, they sometimes can't figure out how to get there, because they've forgotten how to find the path they were accustomed to take.

The key to avoiding this, in the researchers' opinion, is to continually forge new neural pathways. And the way to do this is to constantly challenge the mind and force it to make split-second, rapid-fire decisions. Each of these decisions has the effect of creating greater cognitive reserve and a more complex network of neuronal synapses. In short, the more pathways your brain has to the information stored in it, the more accessible that information becomes, and the less likely you are to forget it.

But again, why dancing?
Dance, especially ballroom dance and other forms that involve cooperation between two partners – one leading and the other following, or both following not just preset steps but having the ability to improvise – causes the very rapid-fire decision-making that forges new neural pathways. The researchers emphasize that not all forms of dancing will accomplish this; for example, types of dance that rely on retracing the same memorized steps will form no new connections in the brain. Improvements to cognitive function occur when we learn something new, something we haven't done before. The dancers in the recent study who showed the most resistance to dementia practiced what is referred to as freestyle social dancing – foxtrot, waltz, swing, tango, and Latin dance.

In the 21-year study, seniors who danced regularly showed more resistance to dementia than those who only danced occasionally; just as with doing crossword puzzles, more is better. Those who "changed partners" more often benefitted more than those who stuck with the same dance partner, possibly because they had to adjust to the new partner and make more split-second decisions to adapt to their different style.
Interestingly enough, women may benefit slightly more than men from social dancing, because they follow their male partner's lead, and thus are constantly having to make rapid-fire decisions. But this piece of information can help the men, too. By becoming more attentive to your partner's style and constantly adjusting your own to insure their comfort and continuity of motion, you can become not only a better dancer, but improve your brain's cognitive abilities as well.   Juliette Siegfried

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/16525/1/The-Best-Means-of-Avoiding-Alzheimers-Is-Dance.html

Based on New England Journal of Medicine journal, June 19, 2003 

"Brainwashing of my Dad" (film)

I’ve heard of this film and was only mildly interested, but given the chatter on left/right, conservative/liberal and the conversation about not being civil in tongue, I’d like to propose this advertising blurb as an example of brainwashing about brainwashing. It came in my e-mail—I get a lot of unsolicited advertising since I have blogs and review books.

“Right-wing cable news and "conservative" talk radio attract older Americans like graying moths to an angry flame. But why would someone who was either apolitical or a Democrat in younger days become addicted to conservative talk shows in their twilight years? Filmmaker Jen Senko wondered how her WWII veteran and Kennedy Democrat father had been transformed into a Fox News Fanatic, suddenly and inexplicably railing against minorities, homosexuals, poor people, and Democrats. Using her dad as an entertaining example, Senko pulls back the curtain to expose the tools and tricks of the wizards behind the right-wing media revolution. And in discovering what happened to him, Senko reveals the all-too-chilling bigger picture of what’s happening behind-the-scenes to influence our national discourse.”

Note the use of hot button inflammatory words and memes (I’ve marked in yellow). Right wing is always a pejorative, and the scare quotes are around the word conservative to warn you that even that isn’t a truthful term. Even the term talk radio is code for fanaticism since there has been no successful talk radio on the left. (The crazies on talk radio are usually the listeners, not the hosts.)  Addicted is always a negative term. Pulling back the curtain is a Wizard of Oz reference—a bumbling shyster who uses tricks. There is no right-wing media revolution except in the sense that the media is no longer the play ground exclusively one party or philosophy, which controlled it even before Walter Cronkite, and there is one channel on cable that is always called right wing, Fox News. The only one, because all broadcast and all other cable are liberal. But note the positive allusions to solid, good old, warm fuzzy Democrat ideas like WWII veteran and Kennedy Democrat, even father. Chilling bigger picture—must be a conspiracy so stay tuned and buy a ticket so she can recover her investment (seems to be an evil capitalist). See how Fox News is linked, without any evidence, to speaking out against minorities, homosexuals and the poor. I’ve watched Fox for years, and have only seen a keen reliance on celebrities, the wealthy, and well spoken Congress members of both parties. Fox has far more minorities and women in front of the camera than the other cable stations. It also carries the usually silly stuff in the morning like recipes and exercise.

This may be one of the most biased blurbs about bias that I've seen in. . . , well, since the last thing the left wrote about how the right wing news treats Hillary.  The author/writer/director never considers that the left may have brainwashed her! All the people she interviews about language and media are academics--all from the left.

Trailer for film

Six minutes, one mile, twenty four calories, and thirty years

My exercycle is next to my bookshelf, so for my third mile of the day I pulled a book off the shelf I'm not sure I ever read, The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom (1987). So it's been 30 years (he wrote the preface in May 1986).

"There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative."  Introduction, p. 25

That was then.  Now every student is convinced that his or her own truth is absolute--could be Bernie's socialism, or Hillary's right to be our president because she's a woman and it's our turn, or Donald Trump is crazy and will destroy the GOP, or all policemen are out to kill black people, or all Muslims are moles for ISIS, or the U.S. is the most evil, greedy, racist country in the world, or that the end times are nigh and you only need to read your Bible. Just about everyone is an absolutist these days.  Unlike the students of 30 years ago which Bloom said could not defend their opinions, today's student has reality TV or Oscar monologues or Huffington Post opinion pieces or Right Wing Watch to gird their loins and minds. Today's student keeps up with only those views that support his own with Twitter, Instagram, Drudge, Yahoo or Facebook, and any number of news feeds brought by his app to his phone.

The student of 30 years ago, opined Bloom, had rejected natural rights and the historical origins of our civilization.  Today's student never even got a chance to reject them--never heard of them.

Bloom's mind at 25

I hope they fit

I've ordered a new pair of shoes.  Last year was my first try at ordering shoes on line.  Worked as well as buying them at the store and finding out later they didn't feel that great.

Theology of pronouns

If you care about babies (and grammar) you might enjoy this piece by a missionary in Zambia. The Singletons were formerly with the Mt. Morris, IL Evan Free church and are now missionaries in Zambia.

"I had noticed that Zambians have difficulty with pronouns~they will sometimes refer to males as “shes” and females as “hes.” And, I’d observed that babies and children are referred to as “its” and called a “he” or “she” when the child is older. My short answer? A child is never an “it.” This important grammar question also afforded me an opportunity to mount my soap box and share a lengthier viewpoint."

If you've done much genealogy, you see a hint of this not too far back in our history--many babies didn't survive, so it might be some time before they were named.  Also, younger children were often given the same name as one who died.  And in our modern age, a baby is a fetus or a clump of cells.  An it.

The Singleton Story

How white are the Oscars?

For most of the past 15 years, the Academy has largely judged what has been put in front of them: minority actors land 15% of top roles, 15% of nominations and 17% of wins. Once up for top roles, black actors do well, converting 9% of top roles into 10% of best-actor nominations and 15% of the coveted golden statuettes, a bit above their share of the general population.

It is Hispanics and Asians who are underrepresented; not blacks.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/01/film-and-race

 There's a lot more in this article, so read the whole thing.

Too old to cut the mustard

As far as I'm concerned, Trump and Hillary are 70 and Bernie is 75. Yes, I'm rounding up a few months for the men, and 1 year for the woman. This is too old for such a demanding job. It's fine for being a part timer, or retired, or an artist or musician who has a manager, or being CEO of your own business. I just don't want those tired and inactive brain cells making global decisions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-l2GgSkA6U 
Too old to cut the mustard by Ernest Tubb and Red Foley 1951

I used to could jump just like a deer 
                       
But now you need a new landing gear
                       
I used to could jump a picket fence 
                            
But now you're lucky if you jump an inch

Smart Barbie knows how to stay out of debt

The smart Barbie knows that if she lives anywhere without income for four years and borrows for all her expenses she will have debt. If she lives at home, has a part time job, attends one of the convenient two year colleges like Columbus State for her requirements, then transfers to one of our fine universities like Ohio State University, she probably will be debt free and ready to accept a terrific job upon graduation. Even if college were "free," four years of housing, utilities, food, transportation, clothing, and entertainment wouldn't be.

White or not, I don't care about the Oscars

Chris Rock and the all white Oscars--another 10 minutes of fame. He made a ton of money off that one, didn't he? I didn't watch, not because of the controversy, but other than enjoying the fashion, for me it's just about narcissistic rich people gathering to pat themselves on the back. And the diversity controversy? That's getting really old, and doesn't have much tread left. It is the ticket buyers, mostly white, who make the industry rich. I don't think they are particularly sophisticated consumers or deep thinkers, but if they hear themselves denigrated and criticized at all turns especially by the ‪#‎blacklivesmatter‬ crowds, perhaps they aren't buying the tickets and will stay home to watch an old Stallone movie or even Bing Crosby.

The drivers of innovation in the United States

Who is driving innovation in the U.S.? The demographics of U.S. innovation are different from not only the demographics of the United States as a whole, but also the demographics of college-educated Americans and even those with a Ph.D. in science or engineering. . . Immigrants born in Europe or Asia are over five times more likely to have created an innovation in America than the average native-born U.S. citizen, and they are better educated in STEM. . . Women represent only 12 % of U.S. innovators. . . The average male born in the United States is nine times more likely to contribute to an innovation than the average female. . . U.S.-born minorities (including Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and other ethnicities) make up just 8% of U.S.-born innovators. However, these groups total 32% of the total U.S.-born population. Blacks make up just half a percent of U.S. innovators. The median innovator is 47 years of age and typically has years of work experience and deep knowledge in STEM fields.

This information was from the summary; an interesting survey and report on an important topic.

 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION FOUNDATION | FEBRUARY 2016

This campaign has been humbling

I don't know about you, but I was too smug about our American legal system and process for electing leaders. I'd look at what Asian countries, Eastern Europe or emerging economies or even Germany in the 1930s elected--crooks, liars, socialists, and haters--and wondered "What were they thinking?" Was their life that miserable that they'd fall for that? It's been a humbling experience watching Republicans destroy the best group they've ever put forward after years of struggle only the have the worst one emerge on top, and then the Democrats fall for 100 year old failed myths and the lies of the queen of corruption. I'm particularly disappointed in those who call themselves "Evangelicals." Is that a box you check or a church you attend? I don't recognize the term anymore.

 http://www.npr.org/2016/02/25/468149440/why-do-evangelicals-support-donald-trump-a-pastor-explains

 http://www.christianpost.com/news/john-piper-finding-inspiration-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-bernie-sande

 http://www.catholic.org/news/national/story.php?id=66759

When the cat dies. . .

My husband says, no more pets.  But these little Pomskies are so cute.  A cross between a Pomeranian and a Husky. About 10 lbs. as an adult.  They are the newest designer dog craze, so it may be awhile for the problems show up.  They seem to be inheriting the best qualities of both breeds, but it's probably too soon to know.

http://www.petguide.com/breeds/dog/pomsky/



 

Why are minority women leaving the big law firms?

I don't think this is a problem just  for minority women (the only articles that will sell), or just law, but women in general. When we get away from education, or nursing, or business related fields, we complain, feel insecure, anxious, and put upon. And good golly Miss Molly, it's been 40 years! I've noticed that women in the formerly male-only professions (in my youth) retire quite early and try something else, or leave to raise families, try art, or write a novel. Librarians, teachers, nurses, buyers, accountants--they seem to stick it out. Back when I was employed in the 1990s, I knew a woman lawyer who had become a librarian, and a woman veterinarian who had become a librarian.  I know a woman doctor who quit in her 50s to write novels, and another who quit in her 50s because she hated the government interference in her profession. Am I meeting the wrong women? We females by-passed men in college enrollment for the last 2 decades, yet still picking the soft degrees and complaining about salaries. When we pick the tough fields, we drop out?

 http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/minority_women_are_disappearing_from_biglaw_and_heres_why/

Eighty-five percent of minority female attorneys in the U.S. will quit large firms within seven years of starting their practice. According to the research and personal stories these women share, it’s not because they want to leave, or because they “can’t cut it.” It’s because they feel they have no choice.

“When you find ways to exclude and make people feel invisible in their environment, it’s hostile,” Jones says. “Women face these silent hostilities in ways that men will never have to. It’s very silent, very subtle and you, as a woman of color—people will say you’re too sensitive. So you learn not to say anything because you know that could be a complete career killer. You make it as well as you can until you decide to leave.”

I wonder how black women "know" what hostilities the men in their firm have faced?

My new printer, the HP Envy 5660

Monday I needed to replace the black cartridge in my HP Deskjet 3520, and the paper came out white!  Two people worked on it, we followed all the trouble shooting suggestions, including a user's suggestion of mixing ammonia and water and drop it into the print head, then followed by prayer (I think that was in jest).  No. It didn't work. My daughter and I checked all the deals on the internet.  So I took all the cartridges (3 used, 1 unused) back to Staples which had a record of my purchase, got a $61 refund, bought a new $150 printer reduced to $95 with all sorts of discounts and coupons, bought a 3 year warranty (I usually don't but these only last about that long), and the whole thing with my $5 coupon from recycled older cartridges came to $54 for a new wireless printer/scanner/copier, an HP Envy (less than a package of ink cartridges if I'd replaced them). Yes, it's a racket to sell ink. Checked all the customer reviews, they were excellent. Now my daughter needs to come by and connect everything. I also signed up for the Instant Ink. HP tracks my paper usage and send me cartridges for $5 a month.

Corporate America and liberal cronyism

"For far too many years, corporate America has been lending its voice, money and power to liberal politicians, causes and organizations. From ObamaCare to gay marriage to federal energy policy, the past seven years of the Obama Administration has coincided with an expansive growth of corporate statism and corporate liberalism," said National Center Free Enterprise Project Director Justin Danhof, Esq. "While the exponential growth of cronyism has coincided with President Obama's time in office, it isn't coincidental. The National Center's Free Enterprise Project will bring the fight for liberty to corporate America in earnest this year. The battle starts this week."

. . . "[John] Deere has often taken actions that run counter to its duties as a for-profit, publicly-held company," said Danhof. "For example, when liberal politicians in Washington, D.C. needed corporate support for their repeated attempts to shackle the economy with cap-and-trade schemes on carbon emissions, John Deere happily obliged."

. . . "Last spring, Apple CEO Tim Cook joined with many corporate executives and much of the liberal media in attacking Americans of faith. Writing in the Washington Post, Cook falsely claimed that attempts to enact religious freedom laws in Arkansas and Indiana "would allow people to discriminate against their neighbors."(Press Release)

"Apple operates in 17 nations in which homosexual activity is illegal. In four of those, it is punishable by death. Women have almost no rights in numerous countries in which Apple does business. A female could not even drive a shipment of iPhones to Apple’s sales location in Saudi Arabia, or work there without a male’s permission." (Press Release)

Proxy Statement

Apple's response the the human rights violations in countries where it has business operations was to recommend against #7 because it has products loved in all countries.  That is simplifying it, but that's what it sounded like to me.

The Girl Scouts and feminist ideology

 I was in Girl Scouts and 4-H about 2-3 years back in the 1950s. I enjoyed both organizations and learned valuable life skills--patriotism, camping, cooking, sewing, first-aid, good manners. Still remember our faithful leaders, Mrs. Lamm, and Mrs. Bechtold, who had to put up with so much nonsense from screaming pre-teens. But it's a shame what has happened to Girl Scouts with links to Planned Parenthood and various LBGT organizations, like "Free to Pee." Really? Churches are questioning whether than can any longer provide space. GSUSA recommends many leftist, feminist based organization, but no pro-life organizations.

http://www.lifenews.com/2013/12/04/what-every-pro-lifer-needs-to-know-about-the-girl-scouts-link-to-planned-parenthood/

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/cw/post.php?id=621

 http://www.christianpost.com/news/girl-scouts-convention-has-pro-abortion-ultra-feminist-agenda-say-ex-members-59984/

Dear Shareholder

"For the 12-month reporting period ended December 31, 2015, yields on taxable money market securities remained at historically low levels. Short-term interest rates stayed near zero percent until December, when the Federal Reserve(the Fed) ended months of speculation by raising the target federal funds rate. It was the first time in nine years that the central bank moved to increase rates and it signaled confidence in the U.S. economic recovery."

 

Imagine that.  Nine years to signal confidence in the U.S. economic recovery when the recession was officially over in June 2009.  President Obama has kept the business cycle in constant disarray, especially with the health insurance situation, with investors holding back and small business, the engine of the economy, afraid to hire or expand.  Meanwhile, investors were kept calm by the Fed artificially keeping interest rates low.

What is a lay apostolate?

I've heard so many Catholics on the Journey Home refer to their apostolate, I thought I'd better look it up.  Well, for starters, it isn't what you do for your individual church or congregation, like parish council or teaching classes.  It's in the secular world, working for the Lord.

A key part of lay apostolate is that it happens in a secular environment, not in church. Vatican Council II's Constitution on the Church spoke of it as a “special vocation” — making faith “present and fruitful” in those places where that can only be done by the laity. What places might those be? The home, the neighborhood, and the workplace come to mind. If Christianity is to be lived out there, it's up to lay people to do it.

Lay apostolate comes in two broad varieties — individual and group. A group apostolate might involve something like running a pregnancy counseling program or operating a values-oriented private school. http://catholicexchange.com/whats-a-lay-apostolate

I encourage you to read the    

DECREE ON THE APOSTOLATE OF THE LAITY
APOSTOLICAM ACTUOSITATEM
SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS,
POPE PAUL VI
ON NOVEMBER 18, 1965 

It's really quite inspiring; succinct, yet readable in its thoroughness.
  http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651118_apostolicam-actuositatem_en.html

Our own times require of the laity no less zeal: in fact, modern conditions demand that their apostolate be broadened and intensified. With a constantly increasing population, continual progress in science and technology, and closer interpersonal relationships, the areas for the lay apostolate have been immensely widened particularly in fields that have been for the most part open to the laity alone. These factors have also occasioned new problems which demand their expert attention and study. This apostolate becomes more imperative in view of the fact that many areas of human life have become increasingly autonomous. This is as it should be, but it sometimes involves a degree of departure from the ethical and religious order and a serious danger to Christian life. Besides, in many places where priests are very few or, in some instances, deprived of due freedom for priestly work, the Church could scarcely exist and function without the activity of the laity. . . "

". . . The greatest commandment in the law is to love God with one's whole heart and one's neighbor as oneself (cf. Matt. 22:37-40). Christ made this commandment of love of neighbor His own and enriched it with a new meaning. For He wanted to equate Himself with His brethren as the object of this love when He said, "As long as you did it for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it for Me" (Matt. 25:40). Assuming human nature, He bound the whole human race to Himself as a family through a certain supernatural solidarity and established charity as the mark of His disciples, saying, "By this will all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). . ."

" . . . In the manner of the men and women who helped Paul in spreading the Gospel (cf. Acts 18:18, 26; Rom. 16:3) the laity with the right apostolic attitude supply what is lacking to their brethren and refresh the spirit of pastors and of the rest of the faithful (cf. 1 Cor. 16:17-18). Strengthened by active participation in the liturgical life of their community, they are eager to do their share of the apostolic works of that community. They bring to the Church people who perhaps are far removed from it, earnestly cooperate in presenting the word of God especially by means of catechetical instruction, and offer their special skills to make the care of souls and the administration of the temporalities of the Church more efficient and effective."

The day after the birthday party

We spent the night at Joan's home, and Deb was at Jean's. On Sunday we all went to Cornerstone Baptist Church where Jean and Joan's families are members, then headed back to Jean and Bob's home for more family time and lunch.  There were lots of left overs from the birthday party.  Hamburgers, hot dogs, French Fries, cute cupcakes.  We left about 3 p.m. for Columbus.

The party food fed our Sunday crowd

Caleb's twins, Joan's granddaughters

The siblings enjoy time together at Jean's home

Our party favors, 2 Coke glasses