The Gates Annual letter

Interesting letter to donors from Bill and Melinda Gates. https://www.gatesnotes.com/2018-annual-letter Especially the Trump policies question. "The administration’s policies affect our foundation’s work in a number of areas." But when you read the whole response, it's nothing at all--just a lot of IFs and we don't agree with him type things. His policies have not affected their foundation and what it does at all. What does affect their foundation is the success of capitalism world wide, particularly in India and China, and that's what is reducing poverty. Extreme poverty has dropped dramatically--2014 figures showed 721 million fewer people worldwide lived in extreme poverty in 2010 than in 1981 — despite the fact that the global population went from 4.5 billion to about seven billion during that time.

Yes, NGOs (charities, foundations, churches) can help, and for the child with a vaccine, or the opportunity to have an education, donors matter. But what really matters are the policies of the government where the children or workers live, not the policies of our government. Only the president of Nigeria can stop Boko Haram who kill Christians educated by missionaries. There's growing research to show that charities in 3rd world countries have held them back.

Kim in North Korea and his father and grandfather have contributed to the deaths of millions and the poverty and slave labor in the countryside. No Gates money could change that. Trump possibly can. He's made more progress than all the "progressives" bundled together of the last 50 years.

Another question was why don’t the Gates contribute more to U.S. causes.  Well, even defined very broadly, including military aid, the percent of U.S. federal budget for foreign aid is very small--about 1.3%. But that's higher than the 1990s after collapse of USSR. There are almost always strings attached to foreign aid--as there is with NGOs donations. IMO, there's no point in propping up a dictator or communist government with foreign aid. However, our government spends about 73% of the budget on social/human services here at home, and about 15% for defense.

Trump Trauma among Rich Democrats

02138 is the ZIP for Cambridge, MA, home to Harvard and MIT. The town voted 89% for Hillary Clinton in 2016, but 4.5% thought she wasn't liberal enough and voted green or socialist according to Dominic Green in the April 2018, First Things. The townspeople were in end-times mode after the election insisting that Trump won because black voters were suppressed. The sky was falling and they might lose the right to abort babies.

"Here in west Cambridge, the only thing falling from the sky is money. It showers down upon my property-holding, stock-optioning, tech-investing, organic-eating, trash-recycling, Democrat-donating neighbors."

Green then goes on to talk about the small pocket of poverty in Cambridge--street crime, drug-dealing, high rise office buildings for Novartis, Google, and Twitter--where minorities work only with a mop and bucket. And none of the tech people are black, they aren't even servers in the artisanal pizzerias favored by the rich Democrats and university professors. Property values are soaring in Cambridge and the poor and minorities are pushed out. New low rise apartments are being built for the singles who work in the biotech industry. Green grieves for the loss of diversity, and reports that ordinary middle class like police, firefighter, nurses and teachers can't afford to live there. Also, they don't want conservatives in Cambridge (or teaching at the elite colleges). Republicans are such losers--besides they are too poor to live there. They might hang the Stars and Stripes from their porches and buy American-made cars. And it's just so darn embarrassing that Donald Trump is making Cambridge residents who survived nicely the recession even more rich and that middle class wages are rising. Yet they lie awake at night worrying about the future of the republic and their children.

Read the whole article. https://www.firstthings.com/article/2018/04/city-of-the-chosen

Book Club Selections for 2018-2019

This week our book club met to discuss Cod by Mark Kurlansky, and we selected our choices for September through May next season. The addition of a poetry reading is new, and I’m looking forward to that.  Russia seems to be on our mind—2 selections, one a novel and one a memoir.  I was pleased to see the great Ronald White on the list—he’s been a speaker at Lakeside twice, once on Lincoln and once on Grant. Thurberville, of course, has a Columbus setting.  We’ve read Dava Sobel before—a great writer. Not sure I have all the leaders correct—but that will be sorted out. 

Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles led by Carolyn, September

The year I was Peter the Great, by Marvin Kalb, led by ?? October

Lincoln’s Greatest Speech by Ronald C. White, Jr., led by Peggy, November

Selection of favorite poems—each member decides.  December

The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper, led by Mary Lou, January

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, led by Letha, February

Thurberville, by Bob Hunter, led by Jean, March

A Country Between by Stephanie Soldena, April

Longitude by Dava Sobel, May

Spike in STDs in LA—Is it racism or sex?

It's nothing new to blame STDs on racism or society in general--just google it and you'll find articles in peer reviewed journals 10-15 years old. STDs among men who have sex with men is 107x higher than men who don't, (over 300x higher in Hawaii) and it's rising, according to the CDC. For years that was blamed on stigma and homophobia, but that's not the cause--it's a higher rate of promiscuity, a desire for risk, and the old stigma excuse has gone by the boards. And the higher rate for black men, higher than Hispanic, Asian or White? Again, it's caused by sexual behavior, not racism. And they call climate deniers unscientific? Will we never learn? More contraception will prevent pregnancies? Didn't happen. More sex, more babies. The pill will reduce abortions? Didn't happen. Abortions can reduce women's poverty? Making pregnancy a woman's problem simply took men out of the equation creating more poor households. Academics and progressives never learn.

http://www.gopusa.com/why-is-los-angeles-a-hotbed-of-stds-racism-of-course/

https://patriotpost.us/articles/55829

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-std-stigma-20180507-htmlstory.html

https://jezebel.com/5742830/disturbing-evidence-of-race-bias-in-std-screenings

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939479/

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/msm/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats16/natoverview.htm

Take back the culture

Now that Eric Schneiderman, leader of the Trump Resistance and Superhero of the MeToo Movement has been found to be a serial abuser of women, you would think it might cause a set back in the twin movements of demonize Trump and create more victims for the left. However, I've been watching this stuff for about 40 years and it's only a bump in the road. CNN today offered an interview with Stormy's attorney instead of news of the hostage release or an analysis of Schneiderman's duplicity.

Take back your HR department, your party, your profession, your college or university, your church social justice committee, God's rainbow covenant for Noah, and maybe your extended family. Stop waiting for the left to implode--they just pick up the pieces and move on to a new cause.

Small town seeks economic recovery and growth

I grew up in a small northern Illinois community, Mt. Morris (and Forreston 15 miles away) which had a healthy economy in the 1940s through the 1960s based on the printing/publishing/magazine fulfillment business. The town had been built first on education, and when the college failed during the 1930s Depression, private investors took over the buildings and developed a nice economy to complete the printing business already established by the Kable twins at the turn of the century.  The printing plant, originally known as Kables,  was sold several times, and finally closed a few years ago. The publishing company, Watts, known for its numerous agricultural journals, moved out of town, as did the fulfillment company.   Murray Trout (now deceased) wrote a history for me a few years ago.  Now another friend, a member of the Mt. Morris Economic Development Corporation,  has updated me on the current negotiations on using the printing plant.

“The initial behavior of the 'new' owners, "Phoenix" seems to be more favorable and more 'engaged' than the previous owners, IRG.  https://phoenixinvestors.com/

Omni-trax, owner of the RR spur has been busy clearing brush and repairing track.  http://omnitrax.com/

The plant has an overabundance of electric power, natural gas service, two deep water wells and a water tower, a $14 mm waste water treatment plant within a mile, one block from buried, ultra-high speed (giga-bit) fiber optic cable, the RR spur, of course with 'cross-docking' capabilities, 600K square feet, fully sprinklered  under roof and a 30+ acre property base.  

The problem is NOT the facility, but its location in the state of Illinois.  One of the highest property tax structures in North America; workers comp and unemployment tax rates off the charts, and a legislature that is run - and has been run for 30 plus years - by a 70+ year old Democrat from Chicago, not to mention a $100+ billion unfunded liability, public employees' pension fund, with unsustainably generous (3%) annual cost of living increases, and a structurally unbalance-able budget.  Have I forgotten or overlooked any other disadvantages—oh yes--each of our contiguous neighbors - WI, IA, MO, KY, IN - are 'right to work' states.

A Janesville, WI, outdoor and children's furniture manufacturer has 'waltzed' with us several times:  His company is reported to be headquartered in Battle Creek, MI; and he expressed an interest in moving it to the Mt. Morris Printing Plant.  He claimed possibly 400 semi-skilled labor jobs.  He claimed that Kellogg's was his financial backer, and wished to establish a 'maintenance facility' for their long-haul trucks.  After the Kellogg's decision makers studied the location, they reportedly determined that, "We aren't interested in doing business in Illinois."

It's not a 'pretty' picture … although we have had several small successes, e.g., Sullivan's Foods replaced MM SuperMart with a new, 50% larger store, DOLLAR GENERAL and CASEY'S have opened stores.  But downtown is virtually half deserted! 

The ENCORE! arts group has become instrumental in attracting music groups to summer concerts, and visual artists to The Gallery, i.e., 1st floor of Old Sandstone, as well as several summer festivals, i.e., PorchFest  - music on private porches, functioning much like a 'progressive dinner' - and StrawFest, a straw-statue constructing competition.   The Performing Arts Guild continues to showcase several productions each year.

And periodically, we are contacted by IL Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to 'bid' for re-locating businesses, but to no avail as yet.

Mt. Morris has two Tax Increment Financing ("TIF") districts, which accumulate tax funds for rehabilitating 'downtown' structures, and nearly 200 acres of Enterprise Zone property, which offers tax abatement and sales tax avoidance incentives.  We have engaged a Rockford-based architect, who specializes in restoring buildings to their once, long ago glory; and hope thereby to 'spruce up the downtown' with some of the TIF funds.

Many of the 'experts' which we hear and see suggest towns and villages build their own 'creative economies'; but when one studies the demographics of Mt. Morris, and realizes that Pinecrest Communities [retirement/nursing facility affiliated with Church of the Brethren] is the growth industry, one doesn't find many early, middle aged entrepreneurs!

Attacks on Laura Ingalls Wilder

One of the first attacks I remember on Laura Ingalls Wilder was written by Michael Dorris, who committed suicide about 20 years ago after being accused of sexual abuse by his daughters and the break up of his marriage. She is practically sacred to my memories of childhood and sitting with Mom while she read the whole series to my brother and me (even though I knew how to read). Many years later I read all her columns for farm magazines when I prepared my own research about women who wrote for agricultural publications.

Caroline Fraser has written 2 books and wants to dispute Ingalls-Wilder's memories and facts. That's what current academic criticism is--call it all myth, and especially browbeat American pioneers for daring to settle on Indian land. So that means we should discredit memories of Jews who were children in the 1940s watching their parents and siblings go to the gas chambers, or terrorism memories of survivors of Tutsi-Hutu wars, or the tales of living through the dust storms of the plains during the Great Depression, or the Gospels because they were written so many years after Jesus' resurrection, or the slave narratives recorded by the Federal Writers Project, or even my blogs about what I saw, heard and remember.

Liberals have long discredited Mrs. Wilder--especially because her libertarian daughter, a novelist, edited her works and was very patriotic (died in 1968). Some don't even give Wilder credit. But also the message of hard work, self-reliance, faith in family and community, and self-sacrifice is an anathema to them. I guess Laura and her little family struggling on the prairies were precursors of white privilege and must be destroyed before she gives other children hope and enjoyment.

Who’s the hater now?

It's now fashionable to declare that if a person believes marriage is between a man and woman,  he is a homophobic hater.  Yet both Obama and Clinton ran on that assumption right up to 2012 or until someone threatened to spill the beans.  It's possible to believe differently and not hate. This company, Chick-fil-a, doesn't discriminate or have hiring and promotion quotas for its homosexual employees, but the thought police have declared them not suitable to be among the 7,300 fast food restaurants for New Yorkers. 

Recently, a Houston gay man shot and killed his partner/husband then himself --now that's hate, but apparently he had correct political views on same sex marriage.  Or maybe he expected fidelity?

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2018/04/the-sins-of-chick-fil-a

http://abc13.com/autopsy-details-shooter-in-murder-suicide-of-divorcing-men/3439322/

Abortion peaked in 1981

Everything the Democrats told you about abortion is a lie. Roe v. Wade has created more poverty among women; it has created more child abuse; there are more scandals at abortion clinics than there ever were for "back alley" abortions; staff at abortion clinics suffer trauma and quit; they are "aging out" of the abortion business; many women suffer terrible post abortion trauma; studies from Europe reveal a 6-7x higher suicide rate among post-abortion women; some of the strongest opponents of abortion are women who have experienced one or two.

It's good that there has been a dramatic decline in the number of abortions. The pro-lifers are winning this issue of violence against the unborn. “There is diminished enthusiasm for abortion, misgivings about its brutality, medical professionals withdrawing their support, and the general public moving with the larger trend toward the pro-life stance, all of which allow for legislative action.  . . Every life lost to the abortion industry if a crime.”

Rachel MacNair, "Our Pro-Life Future,” First Things, June/July 2018, p. 41-44

Wearing a hat to church

I bought a hat to wear to a Derby party last night. So I decided to wear it to church today (Lutheran). Things have changed since my early 20s when I stopped wearing hats and gloves (and going to church).

1) You can knock them off getting into a car.

2) Cars in the 50s and 60s did not have bulging headrests to mess with your hat.

3) The sign of the cross requires a slight change in movement--aim for your eyebrows.

But I got a lot of compliments--particularly from men over 70. Children just stopped and stared.

Announcing our new pastor

Today in church it was announced that Steve Turnbull of Community of Grace Lutheran Church, White Bear Lake, Minnesota, will be the new pastor at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church.  I think this photo is about 6 years old—found it on Facebook.

Fillies in the Derby

Maybe Bruce Jenner is confused (did you read he's getting married for the fourth time--a woman younger than his daughters), but horsemen seem to know there's a difference between the boys and girls.  It took me awhile, but I finally found a list of fillies in the Kentucky Derby.  Fillies mature a little later than colts, so the Derby really isn't good for them.

Fillies in the Derby 1875  Ascension    10th; Gold Mine    15th
1876  Lizzie Stone     6th; Marie Michon    7th
1877  Early Light     8th
1879  Ada Glenn     7th
  Wissahickon     9th
1883  Pike’s Pride     6th
1906  Lady Navarre   2nd
1911  Round the World    6th
1912  Flamma    3rd
1913  Gowell    3rd
1914  Bronzewing    3rd; Watermelon     7th
1915  REGRET    1st
1918  Viva America    3rd
1919  Regalo     9th
1920  Cleopatra    15th
1921  Prudery    3rd&; Careful     5th
1922  Startle      8th
1929  Ben Machree    18th
1930  Alcibiades    10th
1932  Oscillation    13th
1934  Mata Hari     4th; Bazaar; 9th
1935  Nellie Flag     4th
1936  Gold Seeker     9th
1945  Misweet    12th
1959  Silver Spoon     5th
1980  GENUINE RISK   1st
1982  Cupecoy’s Joy   10th
1984  Life’s Magic     8th, Althea     19th
1988  WINNING COLORS   1st
1995  Serena’s Song   16th
1999  Excellent Meeting    5th; Three Ring    19th
2008  Eight Belles    2nd
2010  Devil May Care   10th

The 2018 Derby list—Forbes

1) Firenze Fire
Owner: Mr. Amore Stable
Trainer: Jason Servis
Jockey: Paco Lopez
Opening odds: 50-1
Saturday morning odds: 66-1
Post position winners (where they opening and listed in the program): 8
Last winner: Ferdinand (1986)
2) Free Drop Billy
Owner: Albaugh Family Stables LLC
Trainer: Dale Romans
Jockey: Robby Albarado
Opening odds: 30-1
Saturday morning odds: 35-1
Post position winners: 7
Last winner: Affirmed (1978)
3) Promises Fulfilled
Owner: Robert J. Baron
Trainer: Dale Romans
Jockey: Corey Lanerie
Opening odds: 30-1
Saturday morning odds: 50-1
Post position winners: 5
Last winner: Real Quiet (1998)
4) Flameaway
Owner: John C. Oxley
Trainer: Mark Casse
Jockey: José Lezcano
Opening odds: 30-1
Saturday morning odds: 45-1
Post position winners: 5
Last winner: Super Saver (2010)
5) Audible
Owner: China Horse Club International, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Opening odds: 8-1
Saturday morning odds: 13/2
Post position winners: 10
Last winner: Always Dreaming (2017)
6) Good Magic
Owner: E Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables LLC
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: José Ortiz
Opening odds: 12-1
Saturday morning odds: 8-1
Post position winners: 2
Last winner: Sea Hero (1993)
7) Justify
Owner: China Horse Club International, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
Opening odds: 3-1
Saturday morning odds: 7/2
Post position winners: 6
Last winner: Street Sense (2007)
8) Lone Sailor
Owner: G M B Racing
Trainer: Tom Amoss
Jockey: James Graham
Opening odds: 50-1
Saturday morning odds: 50-1
Post position winners: 8
Last winner: Mine That Bird (2009)
9) Hofburg
Owner: Juddmonte Farms Inc.
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Opening odds: 20-1
Saturday morning odds: 15-1
Post position winners: 4
Last winner: Riva Ridge (1972)
10) My Boy Jack
Owner: Don’t Tell My Wife Stables, Monomoy Stables LLC
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Jockey: Kent Desormeaux
Opening odds: 30-1
Saturday morning odds: 18-1
Post position winners: 9
Last winner: Giacomo (2005)
11) Bolt d’Oro
Owner: Ruis Racing LLC
Owner: Ruis Racing LLC
Trainer: Mick Ruis
Jockey: Victor Espinoza
Opening odds: 8-1
Saturday morning odds: 17/2
Post position winners: 2
Last winner: Winning Colors (1988)
12) Enticed
Owner: Godolphin LLC
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Opening odds: 30-1
Saturday morning odds: 25-1
Post position winners: 3
Last winner: Canonero II (1971)
13) Bravazo
Owner: Calumet Farm
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Luis Contreras
Opening odds: 50-1
Saturday morning odds: 60-1
Post position winners: 5
Last winner: Nyquist (2016)
14) Mendelssohn
Owner: Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Opening odds: 5-1
Saturday morning odds: 7/2
Post position winners: 2
Last winner: Carry Back (1961)
15) Instilled Regard
Owner: Oxo Equine LLC
Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer
Jockey: Drayden Van Dyke
Opening odds: 50-1
Saturday morning odds: 60-1
Post position winners: 3
Last winner: Fusaichi Pegasus (2000)
16) Magnum Moon
Owner: Lawana L. and Robert E. Low
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Saez
Opening odds: 6-1
Saturday morning odds: 15/2
Post position winners: 5
Last winner: Orb (2013)
17) Solomini
Owner: Zayat Stables LLC
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Opening odds: 30-1
Saturday morning odds: 22-1
Post position winners: None
18) Vino Rosso
Owner: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
Opening odds: 12-1
Saturday morning odds: 12-1
Post position winners: 2
Last winner: American Pharoah (2015)
19) Noble Indy
Owner: WinStar Farm LLC and Repole Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Opening odds: 30-1
Saturday morning odds: 30-1
Post position winners: 1
Last winner: I'll Have Another (2012)
20) Combatant
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Willis Horton Racing LLC
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Opening odds: 50-1
Saturday morning odds: 66-1
Post position winners: 1
Last winner: Big Brown (2008)

Hartstone Pottery of Zanesville, Ohio

http://www.americanmadeeverything.com/2012/03/27/hartstone-pottery/

Today I picked up a pretty bowl made by Hartstone at the Volunteers of America store for $1.91.  It’s small and decorated with vegetables, so I thought it might be fun to own.  I didn’t know anything about the company, but was interested to find it is made near by.

“Hartstone was first produced in 1976 in Chatham, New Jersey. Pat and Sharon Hart’s goal was to create beautiful, handcrafted quality articles for the preparation and presentation of food. Hartstone’s first product was the stoneware cookie mold.

In 1983 Mr. Hart moved his manufacturing facility to Zanesville, Ohio because of its known pottery heritage and the availability of a facility to expand his growing business. In 1983, Hartstone began producing hand-decorated gift and tableware.

Hartstone Pottery now operates in a building that was once operated by the JB Owens Pottery Company, built in 1902. This beautiful old post-and-beam building, fleeced in brick, shows the scars of many alterations, including that of fire.”  http://www.americanmadeeverything.com/2012/03/27/hartstone-pottery/

A woman makes it to the top

Cecile Richards is retiring from Planned Parenthood. Her legacy is 3.5 million lives ended. That probably makes her the most powerful woman in the crime archives of the world.

The black unemployment rate

The national unemployment rate for blacks in April 2018 was 6.6%, the lowest it has been since the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) started compiling such data in 1972, some 46 years ago. I'm not one who says Obama deserves no credit--the unemployment rate was normalizing the last year of his presidency. But I do say if he had been willing to cut regulations and taxes, the recession would have really been over, and instead of the artificial date of June 2009, it could have been the actual date. The "great recession" could have been as brief as the one President Bush inherited. But if he'd done that, if he'd done something to benefit employers and tax payers instead of the federal government, he would have been drummed out of his party, and there would have been no second term.

Also both the income and the employment rate isn’t the same for all blacks. Immigrant Africans and island blacks usually have incomes higher than American blacks.   Jamaican Americans have an income of almost a third higher than that of native born American blacks.  Even Haitian Americans have a higher income than American born blacks.

Balaam’s ass, Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, and Donald Trump

In my morning meditation time I’m reading through Kelly Kullberg’s book, A Faith and Culture Devotional for the third time.  Today’s selection is the one I find the most fascinating of all the marvelous stories in the book—“Ziegenbalg: India’s First Missionary.”

Here’s how the story of this incredible man of God begins: “When King Friedrich IV of Denmark suffered the death of his favorite mistress in 1704, he granted a longstanding petition from both his wife and his mother.  As reformist Lutheran Pietists, they wanted missionaries sent to his trading ports.  So began the journey to India of the first ever Protestant missionary, Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, age 23, from Halle in Germany.” This man is so honored by Indians for the changes he brought, he was honored in 2006 by the whole country. Think about it.  Death of a mistress of a king—request from his wife—sends a German pietist to India! It’s hard to get your mind around that.

http://www.bu.edu/missiology/missionary-biography/w-x-y-z/ziegenbalg-bartholomaus-1682-1719/

Balaam’s ass is a story from the Old Testament and mentioned in the New Testament about a false prophet name Balaam who was sent by Balak of the Moabites to cast evil on the Hebrews.  On the way, his donkey sees something—an angel--and refuses to move forward.  Balaam beat the animal, but the Lord spoke to Balaam through the ass. The donkey saw the angel, but Balaam didn’t.

https://www.thoughtco.com/balaam-and-the-donkey-bible-story-700077

So what’s  Christian to do when she sees and hears about Donald Trump’s strange/immoral behavior, yet he continues to do good for the country—like border protection, possible release of Americans from North Korea, and relief from burdensome taxes and regulations that hurt the middle class?  Is God speaking in ways we don’t expect?

Life in 1957

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6bHs8Vm3EQ&app=desktop
Part of a PBS series Making sense of the Sixties. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhV5CJsoQdg&list=PLl5jpZP-bgnm062FH0VVktr8zOveXLehI
The 1950s and after Sputnik   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlZRHBGlBJY
Rules in the 1950s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrYX9j3Tqzw

May 3 National Day of Prayer

Today we’ll not be attending any particular service, but will be at a funeral for a faithful servant of God who died at 94, so I know we’ll be bathed in prayer.  Here’s what I wrote six years ago.

“Prayer Breakfast at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church this morning: Bishop John Bradosky of the North American Lutheran Church hit it out of the ball park! A fantastic review of religion in America--the role of the Great Awakening, the beliefs of the founders, how the United States form of government is different than all others, that 94% of the founding documents were based on the Bible, that clergy and pastors had a huge role throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, including the founding of such important universities as Harvard and Columbia, that "separation of church and state" was intended to protect the church from being harassed by the state, not the other way around by keeping the church out of the public square, and that the change needs to begin not in the White House, or the state house, or the court house, but in the house of God! Wow.”

Why we have a Russian mess—President Obama

“Russia doesn't make anything. Immigrants aren't rushing to Moscow in search of opportunity. The life expectancy of the Russian male is around 60 years old. The population is shrinking. And so we have to respond with resolve in what are effectively regional challenges that Russia presents.” President Barack Obama, August 2014.

He was wrong on all three; what else didn’t he know about Russia? Combine this with what he said in 2012 to Romney, and what he whispered to the Russian president Medvedev off mic, and you can see what a loser we elected. In his defense, he probably didn’t know anything about Russia and was repeating what his advisors had told him.

https://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2014/08/barack-obama-talks-economist

Worse than we thought

"The wreckage of Barack Obama’s foreign policy is coming into focus. Syria: the “red line” fiasco, with hundreds of thousands killed. North Korea: a do-nothing policy that brought America’s West Coast perilously close to coming under nuclear threat. Iran: a deal that would have been foolish even if the mullahs hadn’t cheated, $100 billion and sanctions relief now, in exchange for promises that Iran could walk away from at will. We now know that the deal was even worse than that." John Hinderacker, Powerline

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/04/the-obama-disaster-and-the-tweet-of-the-day.php?

If the elections were this week

The attention span of voters is short--like 24-48 hours, but today these four things help the Republicans.

1) Michelle Wolf, sickening comedienne who revolted even Democrat journalists at the White House Correspondents Dinner;

2) the two Koreas meeting and shaking hands when Democrats had predicted WWIII;

3) busloads of central Americans demanding entrance at our borders, well fed and financed by the left;

4) realization by workers that taxes really are lower and Democrats lied again.

Right to life isn’t just about abortion

“Jacob Koehler, a senior from Springfield, Ohio, won the Ohio Right to Life Oratory Contest. The competition, which is held every spring in central Ohio, challenges high school juniors and seniors to write and present an original speech on the many issues pertaining to the right to life: abortion, infanticide, euthanasia or stem cell research. In his speech, Jacob focused on the life of his grandmother, who is currently struggling with Alzheimer's. He passionately spoke of how her life is still valuable, no matter how dependent on his family she might become.

"Jacob's speech was passionate, well-articulated, and really tugged at the heartstrings of the audience," said Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life. "It is crucial that the next generation is able to powerfully and persuasively communicate the pro-life cause. Ohio Right to Life is excited to send Jacob to the National Right to Life Contest where we are sure he will represent pro-life Ohio very well." “

https://www.ohiolife.org/jacob_koehler_wins_the_ohio_right_to_life_oratory_contest

Take care of your teeth

When I was a young child, health was sometimes combined with art at our school (we had no art classes in either Forreston or Mt. Morris) and we'd color special pages with messages--like "Take care of your teeth and they will take care of you." And it's true. Early and consistent care of teeth will greatly benefit you. Here's some good news. 75% of baby boomers will enter long-term care with most of their natural teeth. Very different from my parents or grandparents generation. My in-laws were in their 40s when I met them, and both had dentures. All sorts of health problems are linked to oral conditions. I still have all my teeth—even my wisdom teeth, but I had a close call with gingivitis in my 30s.  That can lead to periodontal disease which causes loss of connective tissue and bone.  It’s the leading cause of tooth loss.  So I needed surgery to correct it.  You don’t ever want that—very painful.  "The effects of oral health on systemic health," by Shawn F. Kane.  You'll be able to understand most of this.  https://www.agd.org/docs/default-source/self-instruction-(gendent)/gendent_nd17_aafp_kane.pdf

Making cocoa with honey

Hot Cocoa Recipe With Honey

Ingredients:

1-2 TBS (2 for a super chocolaty drink!) cacao powder

2 cups milk (we prefer using organic whole milk for a creamier hot cocoa drink)

3 TBS honey

pinch of salt

Optional additions:

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Directions:

Add all the ingredients into a saucepan in the order listed. Include any of the optional additions that you choose. Heat on medium heat and slowly whisk together as the milk warms. Make sure the milk doesn’t boil since you don’t want to scald it! Boiling the hot cocoa would also destroy some of the health benefits of using raw honey. Once the hot cocoa is hot and mixed well, remove from heat, pour into mugs and enjoy!

This is the recipe from my previous blog, but this is what I made.  I mixed 2 TBSP of cacao with 2TBSP of honey (purchased from a friend who has hives), mixed with 1 1/2 cups of hot decaf plus some whole milk and a smidgen of vanilla.  Tastes fine.

You can see my blogs on the benefits of chocolate.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/05/dark-chocolate-is-good-for-us.html

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/02/habitual-chocolate-users-perform-better.html

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/03/but-make-it-dark-chocolate.html

A month with no processed food

Can we do it? For the month of May we are giving up processed foods (my definition). So today we are finishing up the donuts and potato chips just to get a clean start. We're not milking cows or harvesting wheat here in the 'burbs, so some processing is allowed.

I couldn't figure out how to make our hot cocoa, but found a recipe for using honey. http://montanahomesteader.com/hot-cocoa-recipe-honey/ Of course, cacao is highly processed, but it's also very bitter along with having lots of health benefits, so you need a sweetener. I just might try this.

Supper tonight: ham, steamed fresh baby spinach, grilled bell peppers with onions and mushrooms, fresh fruit on skewers with some cheese.

We live in crazy times

Louie Gohmert on Robert Mueller

https://www.scribd.com/document/377409983/Gohmert-Mueller-UNMASKED#

“I was one of the few who were NOT surprised when Mueller started selecting his assistants in the Special Counsel’s office who had reputations for being bullies, for indicting people who were not guilty of the charges, for forcing people toward bankruptcy by running up their attorney’s fees (while the bullies in the Special Counsel’s office enjoy an apparently endless government budget), or by threatening innocent family members with prosecution so the Special Counsel’s victim would agree to pleading guilty to anything to prevent the Kafka-esque prosecutors from doing more harm to their families.”

On Mueller’s Five Year Up or Out Policy. . . which got rid of a lot of experienced FBI agents

“If an FBI Director has inappropriate personal vengeance in mind or holds an inappropriate prejudice such as those that infamously motivated Director J. Edgar Hoover, then the older, wiser, experienced agents were not around with the confidence to question or guide the Director away from potential misjudgment. I also cannot help but wonder if Mueller had not run off the more experienced agents, would they have been able to advise against and stop the kind of abuses and corruption being unearthed right now that occurred during the Obama administration.

Rather than admit that his Five Year Up or Out Policy was a mistake, Mueller eventually changed the policy to a Seven Year Up or Out Program.”

A movie for the #metoo movement

The Bill Cosby trial and #metoo movement brings to mind a great movie to watch this week-end, just as a refresher in guilt and complicity almost 60 years old. The Apartment (1960).

Jack Lemmon (Baxter) hands over his apartment key willingly to lechers in the firm so he can curry favor and advance in the company. Shirley MacLaine (Miss Kubelik) is the boss's mistress hoping to move up from elevator operator to being Mrs. Sheldrake, for whom Baxter provides the apartment for servicing Miss Kubelik. Fred MacMurray (Sheldrake) has no intention of leaving his wife and 2 kids as he makes the moves on at least 4-5 female employees out of 32,000 including his secretary Edie Adams (Miss Olsen) who after she's fired tells the real Mrs. Sheldrake what's happening at work. The only character even slightly innocent is Baxter's neighbor, Jack Kruschen, (Dr. Dreyfuss) and even he is ethically challenged for covering up Miss Kubelik's attempted suicide in the apartment.

Did none of these #metoo women watch movies? It got five Academy Awards.

Ethnicity vs. nationality

Sunday we celebrated with the Oromo Evangelical Church, which is part of our Lutheran synod. They had recently occupied a church building near Baltimore, Ohio with the financial help of our congregation and other Lutheran churches in central Ohio.  The Oromos are from Ethiopia. I saw many different skin tones and hair styles (and lovely Ethiopian fashions). In this YouTube video the speaker says her parents and grandparents are Ethiopian. But when she referred to herself as African in her video, she got push back from people who said she was too light. Her brother Noah is very dark. So she did a genetics test through National Geographic. 56% east African, about 28% Arabian, some Jewish diaspora (possibly from slavery days in Egypt), some Asia Minor and going way back--Kenya. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a7Z8Q43cfw

If you keep looking through the sequence, there are several people sharing Ethiopian genetics tests on YouTube. I saw one from UK, and one from Canada.  They too said people had told them they weren’t African because they were too light.

Kanye and Trump

Although I don't think Kanye's remarks were political or economic (I think it was plain old friendship), the Democrats are deathly afraid of economic revitalization for American blacks. If Trump succeeds, they could possibly lose a locked down voting block. He must be stopped, even if the rising middle class will be hurt. Electing black politicians has never helped black citizens; education, strong families, and creation of businesses has always been the way. Many of our largest cities have powerful political machines from the black population, and still the city struggles. Government can help families with a safety net for hard times, but as a wealth builder, government only builds that for politicians.

The New Yorker called it “galling.”  Vox was inside out about it. Rolling Stone said they are “made for each other.” Huffpo claims Kanye is being erratic and outrageous.  Get over yourselves, leftists.

The importance of relationships in our health

Inheriting good genes and taking care of your body are important, but "Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives, the [80 year] study revealed. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes. That finding proved true across the board among both the Harvard men and the inner-city participants. . .The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.”

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/

“Good relationships don’t just protect our bodies; they protect our brains,” said [Robert] Waldinger in his TED talk. “And those good relationships, they don’t have to be smooth all the time. Some of our octogenarian couples could bicker with each other day in and day out, but as long as they felt that they could really count on the other when the going got tough, those arguments didn’t take a toll on their memories.”. . .

“Aging is a continuous process,” Waldinger said. “You can see how people can start to differ in their health trajectory in their 30s, so that by taking good care of yourself early in life you can set yourself on a better course for aging. The best advice I can give is ‘Take care of your body as though you were going to need it for 100 years,’ because you might.”

An interview with Ross Douthat on Pope Francis

Ross Douthat is an author and New York Times Op-Ed columnist. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 2002. He is the author of several books including, Privilege, Grand New Party, Bad Religion, and most recently, To Change the Church.

https://www.hoover.org/research/change-church-ross-douthat

Douthat and Robinson spend a large portion of the episode discussing the Catholic teachings surrounding marriage, divorce, and communion. They examine the history of Catholicism and divorce, going back so far as to understand the lessons of the New Testament on divorce and how those lessons were radically conservative for the time. They talk about how problematic the terms “conservative” and “liberal” are when used in the context of the Church as the political leanings do not necessarily correlate with moral leanings of religion. They go on to discuss the future of the Catholic Church under Pope Francis and how the Bishops can handle all of the changes.

What’s in my refrigerator and pantry?

Americans spent 5.5 percent of their disposable personal incomes on food at home and 4.3 percent on food away from home. Food is a good buy. (USDA, 2014)

Fruit

Apples

Oranges

tomatoes

blueberries

orange juice

apple cider

bananas (on the counter)

pineapple juice

pie filling, various flavors

applesauce

Vegetables

cauliflower

broccoli

red cabbage

red, green, yellow and orange peppers

onions, cut and bagged

carrots, whole

mushrooms, whole

mixed salad greens, bagged

leaf spinach

butternut squash

peas (freezer and pantry)

cucumber

V-8 juice

green beans

green beans (canned)

black beans (canned)

Dairy

whole milk

5 kinds of cheese

Greek Yogurt, plain

butter

eggs

ice cream bars

Meat

chicken thighs

beef sirloin

pork roast

sausage links and patties

lunch meat, ham

hamburger

salmon (canned)

tuna (canned)

Grains and Nuts

whole wheat bread

baked brown rice

dry brown rice

cookie mix

brownie mix

Banana bread (from our neighbor Jan)

walnuts

pecans

But what I’d really like is a bag of Fritos or potato chips.

Am I the only one who likes to shop?

“Walmart on Tuesday announced an agreement with restaurant delivery firm DoorDash to expand its grocery delivery service in Atlanta. Walmart plans to expand its grocery delivery to more than 40 percent of U.S. households by the end of this year. The company already has assembled a team of more than 18,000 personal shoppers to implement the service.”  E-Commerce Times, April 25, 2018

After exercising at the gym I went to Marc’s today for bananas, and came home with $32 of groceries.

Two Kates

The Deep State Update—Judicial Watch

The scandal in Washington is not about Russia; it’s abuse of power at the highest level, the FBI, the CIA, State Department and embedded and entrenched government loyalists, aided by the media who didn’t even look for any sources other than what was leaked from those agencies. This panel took place yesterday and is an update to discuss “The Deep State Update.”  Panelists are Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Vince Coglianese, Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, Michael Bekesha, and Tom Fitton, who gives the introductions.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/video-update/judicial-watch-expert-panel-deep-state-update/

No crust no pie

No one made a better pie than my mother.  But I used to be good too, and was often asked to bring one to a family get together or church pitch-in.

This is the only pie crust I know, and I think it was Mom's. 1/3 cup of shortening to 1 Cup of flour. 1 tspn of salt to 2 cups of flour. 6 TBSP of water for a 2 crust, and 3+ a smidge for 1 crust. So for 2 crust: 2/3 c. shortening, cut into 2 cups of flour with 1 tspn of salt. Add by sprinkling 6 tablespoons of water, mix very lightly and press and roll half of it out between two pieces of plastic-wrap. Lift the top piece, place the pie pan over the crust, and flip. Scrunch down the crust, put in the filling, and roll out the other half for the cover. Got it? Most of the time now I make a crust with peanut oil, but I don't think it is as good as Crisco. Doesn't stay flaky. I've never used butter.

I never knew Mom to use margarine as one of my nieces does. Mom  used lard in her glory days of the 1940s and 50s until it fell out of favor, then switched to Crisco, and then later in life when watching cholesterol or something, she changed to oil (which is why I tried it) and she always complained it wasn't like Crisco. There must have been some years of pie baking that I missed. I've even tried baking the bottom crust a little before I fill it, and it still isn't like I remember. I had a gas stove until 2002, and I can't remember when I started complaining about it. Our daughter makes a beautiful crust, and never comments on mine which are sort of slapped together. Hers are a work of art with little cut-outs.

April is poetry month

Normal day, let me be aware   

           of the treasure you are.

           Let me learn from you,

           love you, savor you, bless you

           before you depart.  Let me not

           pass you by in quest of some rare

           and perfect tomorrow.

                              -Lynne Wilburn, 2011

Treadmill for seniors

https://www.verywellfit.com/treadmill-walking-for-seniors-3436652

This routine pretty much describes mine.  I go to Lifetime Fitness 6 times a week and walk 40-50 minutes on the treadmill--walking not running.  The only thing that doesn't match up is holding on the hand grips.  I do walk swinging my arms and was hoping that is good for balance (and the article confirms that), but only for maybe 10 minutes.  So I'll increase that--the article says that holding on can throw off your posture, or even cause some new aches and pains.  Then 3 days a week I do resistance, all on pulley machines.  I love it when I find a site that agrees with me!

The recommended amount of cardiovascular exercise for seniors over age 65 is 30 minutes per day, five days per week. If you can't do all 30 minutes in one session, it is permissible to break up that 30 minutes, but your exercise session should be at least 10 minutes long.

You should also do strength training exercise two to three days each week, with eight to 10 exercises. You can do this exercise on the same days you enjoy treadmill walking, or on alternate days. Try a 20-minute strength training workout for seniors or a dumbbell strength training workout for seniors.

What if it were a little prince?

Just heard that Kate and William left the hospital with the new baby. Do you suppose if this beautiful boy were found to have an incurable neurological condition like little Alfie Evans and Charlie Gard the UK socialist health service would demand he be killed? Don't think so! Princes have privilege.  Alfie has been made a citizen of Italy.  Charlie, you’ll remember, died from lack of care ordered by the system and upheld through court appeals.

Obama Administration had ZERO intelligence to go after candidate Trump

It was all “trumped” up.  Then Comey “leaked” lies through his buddy to the New York Times. Watch this bombshell interview of Nunes and Bartiromo. In order to launch an investigation you need evidence.  They had none! This is probably the biggest scandal that Obama and the Democrats hide.  At the highest level, a counter intelligence investigation in order to spy on the “other” campaign.  I don’t think this can be blamed on Hillary Clinton—I put it at the feet of Obama.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W54KbYPfkcw

A dad’s review of Black Panther, guest blogger Fred

“a real shame that Black Panther, a movie unique for its black star power and its many thoughtful portrayals of strong black women, depends on a shocking devaluation of black American men.” Boston Review

“I started a new job a few months ago and have been buried. I stuck my head up from beneath a mountain of paper last night and finally took the kids to see Black Panther. I've been looking forward to it because I'd heard some pretty good things about it from people whose opinions I value. And about mid-movie I started questioning the intelligence of my friends. And yet I sat there with my children, all the way until the final moralistic preening message of responsibility and sharing. I really did want to like this movie.

After the movie I talked to my kids about how unlikely it is that a single spectacular resource (even extraterritorial Vibranium) could enable a people to master the physics of aerodynamics, the science of medicine and the fiction of anti-gravity. (Otherwise, perhaps Botswana would live in diamond palaces and be free of HIV/AIDS.)

I told them about the plight of Venezuela, with its fantastic climate, beaches and oil riches. I talked about the century (or so) of "enlightened" thought that enabled American forefathers to create a system of government that established God-given rights to the individual, supplanting what were previously the rights of society and/or the government. I told them about the principles (and hard work) behind laissez-faire economics, arguably the single greatest factor in driving the most extraordinary technological advancements in history.

But a discussion (that sounds more like a lecture from dad) simply can't compete with Hollywood's CGI, 3D soundscape and idealistic naïveté of a better future.”

Guest blogger, Roy, on Common Core math problem

COMPLEX LANGUAGE WARNING: you have to learn the extra baggage of the fixed linguistic element "make 10" to be able to carry out the task. Isn't it a lot simpler to just teach that 8 + 5 _is_ 13? I haven't heard of any really good pedagogical reason for not just taking the easy path in answering such single digit questions, at least. Old school for me meant that a lot of life is simplified by just learning some things by rote. Most people are born with 20 digits-- it makes sense to learn by heart without looking what you could count out from the top and bottom on your hands and toes. Depending on whether your language reads from left to right or right to left and top to bottom or bottom to top, one could learn one's digits in order (assigning each a fixed number between 1 and 20) and have a visual backup for that stuff in one's mind at all times.

In my opinion as someone who at one time started on the road to be a linguist, has studied a good deal of philosophy and managed a graduate theological degree, this the pictured method in the meme above is illustrative of a veiled attempt to take all of education and turn it into something, where the _learning_ process becomes the focus (rather than _reality & objectivity_ and how to distinguish (it's really "all the same" they say)) those two.The rotation of that procedural complex(and its implicitly, for outsider's-- at least, incomprehensible language, laden with new technical terminata) has the explicit, but hidden goal of absolutely taking someone two generations away completely out of the communicative process. Now you add the pubescent storming away from logical reasoning as to why some activity shouldn't take place at the moment while yelling "You don't want to understand me because you hate me." to several levels of "I'm not really sure I really did understand what he was asking, but the way I answered was formed with the goal of engendering understanding-- it seems she doesn't want to be understood" The left wants equal outcomes for everybody. The only way they suggest to get there is to replace meaning with feelings in verbal intercourse and make government bigger. Ergo, everybody has to get dumber and poorer.

Mathematical question for budding statisticians: Is the last sentence of the preceding paragraph a betterment or degradation for society?

The Bush family and Columbus, Ohio

Most of us around Columbus, OH, know about the Bush connection--George H.W. Bush's grandfather Samuel Prescott Bush, was president of Buckeye Steel and built his mansion in Marble Cliff which is now part of Prescott Place luxury condominiums. We admire it during Lent when we go the the fish fry at Our Lady of Victory.  His son Prescott (the senator and father of HW) lived here too and attended Douglas School before going east to a private school. I had forgotten that Barbara Bush's grandfather James E. Robinson was an Ohio Supreme Court justice and lived in Columbus and got his law degree from Ohio State. Wealth and influence married wealth and influence, much like today.

http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/SCO/formerjustices/bios/robinson.asp

http://graphics.wsj.com/jeb-bush-family-tree/

Jesus shall reign, by Getty music

https://www.gettymusic.com/ghs18

On Feb. 25, 2018, over a million Christians got together to sing a Watts’ hymn, Jesus shall reign.  Really beautiful.  77 countries.