Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Never mind, it wasn’t a baby. Stop grieving.
OK, parents, time to stop grieving for that lost child from 1964 or 1980 or last week. It wasn't a baby, you didn't love her, and that red hair and sweet little toes were just in your imagination. She wasn't human and she wasn't your long awaited daughter. New Yorkers believes that. Wait a few years and they'll say the same thing about your toddler.
The “Reproductive Health Act” redefines a “person” as “a human being who has been born and is alive,” according to Breitbart. The state bill also describes abortion as a “fundamental right.”
This language will allow unborn babies to be aborted for basically any reason up to birth in New York. It looks like it will pass in the new Democrat-controlled state legislature this winter. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has threatened to hold up the budget until it does.
The legislation goes beyond Roe v. Wade, allowing abortions even when the Supreme Court has said states may regulate them, according to the pro-life leaders. Late-term abortions, which currently are illegal in New York, would be allowed, and non doctors would be allowed to perform them.
The face of 2020
These past few days through the magic of the twisted media and the ocean of hate on twitter and FB we have seen the 2020 election in the faces of a bunch of Catholic kids waiting for a bus to take them to March for Life in Washington DC. Hate for the unborn and the people trying to save them, and hate for our president--that's all the Democrats have. All you have to do is tell the truth, and their lies will crumble. Be Martin Luther King, Jr. for our time.
Ten Yiddish words that went mainstream
I think I’ve used nine of these ten. It’s such an interesting language. Nosh, putz, klutz, etc. European Jews have had an amazing influence on our culture, art, entertainment and language.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/10-yiddish-words-that-went-mainstream/?
10 years ago I blogged about Aaron Lansky and his goal to save Yiddish books. It’s still interesting given my librarian background, and I’ll have to go back and check on what has happened to that effort. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2009/05/saving-culture-through-its-books-99-of.html
Monday, January 21, 2019
Kamala jumps in
I think there are now about 50 Democrats who've thrown their hats into the ring for 2020. They have 2 issues. 1) abort babies, and 2) impeach Trump. Raise taxes on productive Americans might be a close 3rd.
White Christians accosted in DC while waiting for bus
A group of Catholic teens from Covington, KY were in DC for the March for Life this past week-end. The next day while waiting for the bus to take them to the march location they were accosted by both a black supremacist "Hebrew" group and a native American guy who shows up at rallies to protest ancient history. Being kids, they initially thought the Indian was performing and they joined in, before realizing they were under attack. Because a few had MAGA hats, they were fair game. The blacks were shouting gay slurs at the boys—not just reading Bibles as CNN reported. The media ran with the story that the kids were the ones causing the problem, twitter spread it, and their own school didn't support them--of course did no research. Now the full video is out (not the 30 seconds shown on social media). There was racist name calling directed at the teens, and shame on all those fake news sources [and their own school], and congratulations to the kids for keeping their cool until the truth came out. White males are under attack; pro-lifers are under attack; people who support our president are under attack. Our Fox 28 here in Columbus carried the fake story without ever checking for facts.
The clip that went viral was about 30 seconds—but there is full video available. No taunting even in the viral clip, as CNN claimed. The teen just stood quietly and the total stranger who claims to be an Indian and VietNam vet (to the media) bangs a drum in his face. Remarkable restraint from a 16 year old. CNN should be ashamed for their lies. There's no video of any of the things they accused the kids of. There was no clash. The cult of Hebrew blacks who were calling the children disgusting names about homosexuality and incest, are treated as Biblical prophets by the racist CNN rip and read babe.
The media gave these children more attention than they gave the whole March for Life which was filled with teens and millennials, marching for the lives and rights of the unborn. Little did they know they'd be stripped of their own rights while waiting for a bus. For just standing there singing and goofing around like kids do.
Be very afraid for your sons and brothers, your husbands and friends. Anti-life, anti-Christian Marxism is coming after them, and too many Christians and conservatives are willing to grab at anything they see on-line and take it for truth just so they can run for cover from the lies. Remember the Duke Lacrosse team smear of 2006? That was anti-white, anti-male. That took months to reveal--now it happens in minutes, and lives are ruined, families threatened by internet goons.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/covington-catholic-high-school-students-smeared-by-mainstream-media-lies-dont-expect-an-apology?
https://www.lifenews.com/2019/01/21/networks-spend-19x-more-time-smearing-pro-life-teens-than-reporting-on-march-for-life/?
https://www.glennbeck.com/radio/media-malpractice-the-covington-catholic-teens-would-make-martin-luther-king-jr-proud
The clip that went viral was about 30 seconds—but there is full video available. No taunting even in the viral clip, as CNN claimed. The teen just stood quietly and the total stranger who claims to be an Indian and VietNam vet (to the media) bangs a drum in his face. Remarkable restraint from a 16 year old. CNN should be ashamed for their lies. There's no video of any of the things they accused the kids of. There was no clash. The cult of Hebrew blacks who were calling the children disgusting names about homosexuality and incest, are treated as Biblical prophets by the racist CNN rip and read babe.
The media gave these children more attention than they gave the whole March for Life which was filled with teens and millennials, marching for the lives and rights of the unborn. Little did they know they'd be stripped of their own rights while waiting for a bus. For just standing there singing and goofing around like kids do.
Be very afraid for your sons and brothers, your husbands and friends. Anti-life, anti-Christian Marxism is coming after them, and too many Christians and conservatives are willing to grab at anything they see on-line and take it for truth just so they can run for cover from the lies. Remember the Duke Lacrosse team smear of 2006? That was anti-white, anti-male. That took months to reveal--now it happens in minutes, and lives are ruined, families threatened by internet goons.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/covington-catholic-high-school-students-smeared-by-mainstream-media-lies-dont-expect-an-apology?
https://www.lifenews.com/2019/01/21/networks-spend-19x-more-time-smearing-pro-life-teens-than-reporting-on-march-for-life/?
https://www.glennbeck.com/radio/media-malpractice-the-covington-catholic-teens-would-make-martin-luther-king-jr-proud
What’s come out about Bruce Ohr
“Everybody knew. Everybody of consequence at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department understood fully in the middle of 2016—as the FBI embarked on its counterintelligence probe of Donald Trump—that it was doing so based on disinformation provided by Hillary Clinton’s campaign. That’s the big revelation from the transcript of the testimony Justice Department official Bruce Ohr gave Congress in August. The transcripts haven’t been released, but parts were confirmed for me [Kimberley A. Strassel] by congressional sources.”
https://outline.com/ANjgbL
https://outline.com/ANjgbL
Women earn less cash prize money than men in the sciences
Except the answer is in the article.
“The analysis also shows that when considering all of the awards, women earn 64 cents of prize money for every dollar a man receives, and when cutting out the top and bottom prizes, women winners earn 60 cents of every prize dollar a man receives, the researchers report. Women also tend to disproportionately win awards for service compared with those for research, and they do not win as many prestigious prizes as men. An analysis of the most prestigious prizes shows women received only 11.3 percent of them over the 50 years reviewed; they received 5.1 percent of them between 1968 and 1977 and 17.4 percent of them between 2008 and 2017.”
If women disproportionately win awards for service (more time), and win the less prestigious prizes (less money) why would one expect the outcomes to be the same? Maybe women enjoy the service aspect (like serving on committees) and maybe they don’t compete at the higher levels because they have chosen different career paths. In the last decade this has changed—women are competing at higher levels than before. They may be good, but what have they taken out of their lives? Marriage and children?
How many women were getting PhDs in the sciences between 1968 and 1977? Maybe 11.3% is more than their population would represent? How many American Indians have received a prestigious cash prize? How many transwomen? That question is coming too. And when a transwoman receives a prize, will he be counted as a woman or man? And are the women scientists earning more than the women grad students, or the women administrative assistants? Let’s look at all the gaps.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
The so-called pay gap
“Feminists, and leading politicians, make much of the so-called gender pay gap which ostensibly favours men. But actually women under 35 years old and working full time have a higher median hourly pay rate than men of the same age. In view of the greater number of women graduates, this disparity in favour of young women is set to increase. Any pay gap in favour of men sets in only once a woman has children. This is due to the woman’s diminished commitment to work due to preferring to prioritise child care instead (and the new father’s increased commitment to work in order to earn more to support the family). The so-called pay gap is actually a parenting gap. That the much vaunted pay gap is not valid is now admitted even by some feminists, e.g., Hannah Rosin who has used the observation of women’s higher pay to support her triumphalist cry of “The End of Men” (book title). When women earned less it was discrimination, now that men earn less it is because men are useless has-beens. Nice.” Introduction to the Disadvantages faced by Men and Boys
As Canada goes, so goes the U.S.?
There are a number of excellent Canadian conservatives that have done well with YouTube channels. Jordan Peterson, Stefan Molyneux, Gad Saad, Janice Fiamengo, Rick Mehta. I think they are being silenced by Big Tech.
Janice Fiamengo is a favorite of mine—I haven’t found much recent on her YouTube channels. She has no charisma and a voice that could put you to sleep, but she's delightfully smart and perceptive. The first is an interview on Rubin Report, but he's being censored, too. Don't know how long we'll be able to watch him. Even being gay didn't protect him. Having unapproved thoughts by Left Mafia can seriously impact your income on the internet. If you have sons, brothers, boyfriend or husband, look out. Their jobs and reputations could be destroyed and no one will protect them.
https://youtu.be/tm7gGEgVXRw Rubin Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PtNzMjvves Professor’s course cancelled
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFO4xvnv_DM The Gillette ad
Guessing compliments will get you further than insults. Ya think?
Use farther for physical distance, further for metaphorical.
Actually, none of us can survive without help at any age
“Every strong woman was once a helpless child.”
And we still are. That part of our humanity doesn’t change, there are just degrees. I don’t grow my own food or make my own clothes or drive a van that I put together. I’m much more helpless than my Ohio great great grandmothers who could manage chickens, gardens and trim a lamp wick and help the neighbors birth the babies.
The issue is life, not helplessness. At both ends of the spectrum. I chatted with my friend Rosalie at the grocery store on Thursday who is the care giver for her 90 year old husband who can’t leave the house, or even the floor he is living on. His mind is good, but his body has failed him. Take care—they may be after the unborn now, but they are also going after the ones who can’t fight back.
Watch out for POLST. http://www.cathmed.org/resources/polst/ POLST is spreading rapidly across the United States as a result of a concerted campaign by euthanasia advocacy groups, including Open Society (George Soros).
Who’s responsible for the immigration mess?
Not Donald J. Trump.
Remember how Obama blamed Bush for 4 years for the recession and then set out to make it worse? Slowest recovery since the 30s when FDR tried the same tricks with the economy. The “experts” are still trying to figure out what happened. Along comes Trump who asks for 1/4 of what the Democrats promised during the last administration, who suggests a deal to correct the DACA executive order mess which Obama illegally foisted on us, but they are terrified to give him another win like he's done with the courts, the economy and the prison system. This is not about illegal aliens, it’s about stopping Donald Trump’s second term.
Saturday, January 19, 2019
How to handle a few inches of snow
When I was in college, there was no e-mail, and the dorms had only one phone to a floor, so we couldn’t even take messages from the college administration on how to handle a few inches of snow. It was just one of those things it was assumed we had learned from our parents who had lived through the Great Depression and walked to school uphill both ways in 6 feet of snow.
This is what Ohio State University sent out to the “campus community.” I’ve been retired for 18 years, and I still hear from them.
“The safety of our campus community is our top priority. Please remember to take precautions while traveling in winter weather.
- Plan ahead and allow extra time.
- Check scheduled activities in advance to make sure there are no changes or cancellations.
- Dress appropriately for the weather (boots, hat, gloves).
- While walking, take it slow to avoid slipping.
- While driving, allow additional distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
- Know your route and pay special attention to changing and/or declining weather conditions.”
March for Life, January 18, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XACCdre_tk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkrJawCk7J0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAmHrvlGflw&fbclid=IwAR0JxghEc500yyU0XHp7bZbDmKz0atpiUUDfZjHN6sqRyU80ODsef1LeUjU
I watched the very inspiring March for Life on EWTN. If you ever want to see REAL diversity, inclusion, multiculturalism and LOVE, that's the place to be. Catholics, Evangelicals, Mormons, Muslims, atheists, black, white, brown, men, women, children, teens, elderly, toddlers, in utero babies, politicians, bakers and candle stick makers. All united on one issue--life is precious, don't kill the most vulnerable, alone and helpless just because they are appearing at an inconvenient time, or are disabled, or are female.
The reason Democrats demand open borders is because we can no longer populate our own country. Families are the safety net, and now that government wants that job too they have to make sure there are bodies to fill those jobs to pay for their plan. Promote divorce, promote living together outside marriage, make sure women can't be fulfilled without being a wage slave, make sure she's paying off college debt for 2 decades so there's no time for babies and children, tell people there's no difference between sexes, so why even have sex, make women think they are both helpless and yet powerful. Perfect recipe for disaster.
And today the counter march--the feminists, Marxists, pro-abortion, government paid labor, elderly boomers--all marching to kill off the family, lower the birth rate, and destroy the nation. It will be promoted by the MSM because who needs people, anyway, to buy the lies?
Lucille Snodgrass, 1919-2019
I heard this week that Lucille Snodgrass, the mother of my high school friend Nancy Snodgrass Falzone, had passed away. She was living at Pinecrest in Mt. Morris, and we should all have a devoted daughter like Nancy—or even a good friend like my brother who visited her there. Nancy and I used to ride horses together as children, so I remember Lucille and husband Bill who died in 1989 from their days on the farm on Mud Creek Road between Mt. Morris and Oregon. I’d only seen her a few times in the last 50 years, but my memory of her is a sweet, beautiful, charming, classy gal who was a lot of fun. I think her passing is the last of the “mothers” that I knew since the 1940s-1950s. I wrote this poem over 20 years ago, after so many of the women I knew had died, although there were some, including my own mother, who were still alive.
The Mothers of Our Childhood
by Norma J. Bruce
February 20, 1997I have filed a report
and sounded the alarm.
We are missing the Mothers:
They're nowhere to be found.Strong women disappeared while
I was living away.
Perhaps a moment ago,
a year or a decade.Housewife, retailer, artist;
teacher, farmer and clerk.
Secretary, volunteer;
No doctor, lawyer, chief.Velda, Gladys, Marian, Mildred;
Rosalie, Rita, Rose, and Ruth;
Alice, Hazel, Ada, and Esther:
Born during the century's youth.Finish this list of Mothers
while I go look around.
No, the veil closed behind them;
they're gone. We are alone.
When I searched her name, I found her wedding announcement on a genealogy page for the Freeport Journal Standard:
“10 Sep 1938 : Miss Lucille Moore, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Roy Moore, North Henderson road, and William Snodgrass, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Snodgrass, Mt. Morris, were united in marriage this morning at 10 o'clock at the parsonage of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Mt. Morris, the pastor, Dr. C. H. Hightower, performing the single ring ceremony.
The bride was dressed in a boy blue dress with Alencon lace jackette, and her accessories were navy blue.She carried a bouquet of pink roses.
The attendants were Miss Betty Peterson and Ralph Satterfield of Mt. Morris.
After the ceremony the bride and groom left on a wedding trip to Omaha, Neb., and Denver, Colo.The bride's traveling outfit was a navy blue taffeta ensemble with rust accessories. On their return they will reside with the groom's parents on their farm home near Mt. Morris.”
I know a little bit more about Lucille and Bill than the parents of my other friends because Nancy kept a book of memories, and when she was 69, she put it all together with photos, and made a number of copies, of which I am the owner of one. It includes a wedding photo. Nancy wrote that her mom was born September 9, 1919, so she almost made it to 100—which seems to be pretty common in Mt. Morris. In addition to working alongside her husband on the farm she also worked at the Conover Cable Piano Factory in Oregon, then later at the Mt. Morris Cleaners
Friday, January 18, 2019
She's finally put her family together
Wouldn’t it be nice if it were this easy!
Ebba's Jan. 6, 1964 wedding. Jerry died in 2004.
Rep. Steven King is being condemned
for defending Western Civilization. The Republicans are actually the “stupid party” for letting the Democrats trap them.
The only white supremacists we’ve had in Congress were Democrats—like Robert Byrd, who was praised at his funeral/memorial by leading Democrats. He actually was a member of the KKK, as was President (former Senator) Lyndon Johnson.
Democrats’ agenda on abortion kills more blacks in 4 days than their terrorist lynchings did in 80 years.
Jennifer, mother of 5, has lost friends. . .
She was always a Conservative, always a Christian, and enjoyed friends from many different lifestyles, until . . .
“I always found a lot of fulfillment in having open conversations with people unlike me- and enjoyed growing and learning from all new perspectives, upbringings, and cultures and religions- it made me proud to be American and felt it embraced free speech and thought.
I became so disheartened over the past few years as it became obvious those kinds of conversations could no longer be had by my many of my friends and family that ran along a more left or liberal leaning line- since voting for Trump I have lost two of my lifelong best childhood friends - friends that were like sisters for 25 years or more. I was devastated to be called a bigot and a racist and worse- a fake and hypocritical Christian simply for my conservative beliefs- and the told we could no longer be friends. I was in shock. Even though I never supported Hillary, it didn’t even occur to me to end friendships over someone else’s difference in opinion or political views.”
I feel your pain, Jennifer. [from her Walk Away post on Facebook]
The 100th day
At this private Christian school in Indianapolis the children (I think it’s first grade) celebrate their 100th day by decorating t-shirts. And they are all ours! These beautiful dumplings are the grandchildren of our niece Joanie who teaches at the school. That makes them our great grand nieces and nephews—or whatever you call the great grandchildren of your sister in law. Halli, Kalli, Jaxson and Anthony.
Orwellian pleasantries
I’ve been cleaning off my desk this morning, tossing old church bulletins, returned Christmas cards with the wrong address, articles to read printed from the internet on crime statistics and nutrition, pieces of Fritos and cookies, and came across a quote I had jotted down while reading the website Priceton.org.
“Whenever one hears the dreaded Orwellian pleasantries ‘diversity,’ ‘tolerance,’ or ‘inclusion,’ one knows that another of one’s fundamental, democratic liberties is about to be rescinded by the revolutionary guard of progressive orthodoxy.” Harley Price.
I think I’ll keep that one and use it when I return a request to review a book or interview an author. Sounds better than “Are you kidding me?”
Pelosi and Trump squabble
“Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed," the president wrote the speaker of the House of Representatives. “We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.”
She attempted to embarrass Trump with her demand he postpone the address to the nation because of the shut down, and there wouldn’t be enough security, so he grounded her flight for the same lame reason.
But also she over uses her “free flights” around the world.
We usually have ABC on in the morning when Bob eats breakfast to keep track of the weather, which breaks in with local coverage, but I tell you, the bias and junk we get from broadcast is about as bad as CNN. If they keep using the word “bombshell” to describe every tidbit from Buzzfeed and Politico, they become the child who called wolf. They are working overtime not only to impeach Trump but to disenfranchise everyone who voted for Trump by declaring 2016 invalid. That puts Nancy in the President’s seat.
She attempted to embarrass Trump with her demand he postpone the address to the nation because of the shut down, and there wouldn’t be enough security, so he grounded her flight for the same lame reason.
But also she over uses her “free flights” around the world.
We usually have ABC on in the morning when Bob eats breakfast to keep track of the weather, which breaks in with local coverage, but I tell you, the bias and junk we get from broadcast is about as bad as CNN. If they keep using the word “bombshell” to describe every tidbit from Buzzfeed and Politico, they become the child who called wolf. They are working overtime not only to impeach Trump but to disenfranchise everyone who voted for Trump by declaring 2016 invalid. That puts Nancy in the President’s seat.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
The True Minimum Wage
“The Democrats seek to more than double the federal minimum wage. “A $15 federal minimum wage affirms the bedrock idea of fairness in our country: that hard work deserves a decent wage,” Speaker Pelosi claims. But as Milton Friedman pointed out, “The true minimum wage rate is zero—the amount an unemployed person receives from his nonexistent employer.”” Dan Flynn
Only 2.9% of American workers are earning minimum. and most of those live in households well above the poverty level, because they aren’t the primary earner. So this is nothing but posturing, most low income families would reduce their hours rather than lose the government benefits like SNAP, Section 8, Medicaid.
Leftists attack minority female—Trump pick
Neomi Rao, a 45-year-old Indian-American, has become the latest target of liberal activist groups and media smears, including BuzzFeed News, CNN, Mother Jones, Alliance for Justice, and Lambda Legal.
No one is safe from these vultures.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/01/16/the-left-attacks-trumps-pick-to-replace-brett-kavanaugh-for-her-smart-college-writings/?
“Take the example of Rao’s 1994 op-ed in The Yale Herald, headlined “Shades of Gray,” where she did indeed write that if a woman “drinks to the point where she can no longer choose, well, getting to that point was part of her choice.”
Activist groups are twisting this line to suggest Rao believes it’s women’s fault when they get raped, but that’s not what she said at all.
Rao wrote firmly that men should be prosecuted and held responsible for rape—not once, but twice, in case the point wasn’t clear.
“A man who rapes a drunk girl should be prosecuted. At the same time, a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober,” she wrote.”
Makes sense to me. Women shouldn’t get drunk and men shouldn’t assault drunk women.
No one is safe from these vultures.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/01/16/the-left-attacks-trumps-pick-to-replace-brett-kavanaugh-for-her-smart-college-writings/?
“Take the example of Rao’s 1994 op-ed in The Yale Herald, headlined “Shades of Gray,” where she did indeed write that if a woman “drinks to the point where she can no longer choose, well, getting to that point was part of her choice.”
Activist groups are twisting this line to suggest Rao believes it’s women’s fault when they get raped, but that’s not what she said at all.
Rao wrote firmly that men should be prosecuted and held responsible for rape—not once, but twice, in case the point wasn’t clear.
“A man who rapes a drunk girl should be prosecuted. At the same time, a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober,” she wrote.”
Makes sense to me. Women shouldn’t get drunk and men shouldn’t assault drunk women.
Drugs at the border, report of 2016
“Over the past several years, the nation has seen an uptick in the use and abuse of opioids—both prescription substances and non-prescription substances such as heroin. The estimated number of individuals who had used heroin was 914,000 in 2014. Further, about 586,000 individuals (0.2% of the 12 and older population) had a heroin use disorder in 2014. In addition to an increase in heroin use over the past several years, there has been a simultaneous increase in its availability in the United States. This has been fueled by a number of factors, including increased production and trafficking of heroin—principally by Mexican criminal networks.”
“Mexican transnational criminal organizations are the major suppliers and key producers of most illegal drugs smuggled into the United States. They have been increasing their share of the U.S. drug market—particularly with respect to heroin. The United States still receives a large portion of heroin from South America (primarily Colombia) and, to a much lesser extent, Southwest Asia. In order to facilitate the distribution and sale of drugs in the United States, Mexican drug traffickers have formed relationships with U.S. street, prison, and outlaw motorcycle gangs. Although these gangs have historically been involved with retail-level drug distribution, their ties to the Mexican criminal networks have allowed them to become increasingly involved at the wholesale level as well. The bulk of heroin smuggled into the United States transits across the Southwest border. From 2010 to 2015, heroin seizures in this area more than doubled from 1,016 kg to 2,524 kg. This trend mirrors the increase in overall seizures throughout the country. Further, there has been an increase in federal arrests and prosecutions of heroin traffickers. In 2015, for example, the Drug Enforcement Administration made 6,353 heroin-related arrests. In addition, U.S. Sentencing Commission data indicate that from 2011 to 2015, the number of individuals sentenced for heroin trafficking offenses in U.S. District Courts increased by nearly 50%. “
Heroin Trafficking in the United States, by Kristin Finklea, Specialist in Domestic Security, August 23, 2016
What happened on the way to economic recovery? Was it Obama?
https://www.bostonfed.org/news-and-events/speeches/2016/after-the-great-recession-a-not-so-great-recovery.aspx This is the link to the summary, and you can open the text with a click.
Shortly before the 2016 election there was the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's 60th Economic Conference, with president Eric Rosengren exploring what went wrong in the recovery from the recession. Technically it was over by June 2009, and Obama’s goosing the economy with payouts to special interests and bail outs hadn’t even gotten out the door.
Without ever getting to the heart of it (I personally think it was Obama’s personality and negativity that caused workers and investors to hold back with a wait and see attitude) Rosengren lists
changing demographics
falling labor participation
higher savings rate (imagine complaining that people were holding on to their own money and not buying stuff they didn’t need)
low inflation
even when full employment returned, the economy was sluggish
low federal funds rate
treasury rates low
price to earning ratio for stocks were low
rents were low
rapid appreciation in commercial real estate
capitalization rates were at historic lows
Conclusion: Recovery was mostly bad news and it may be the new “normal.”
Hmmm. Maybe not Mr. Rosengren.
Data on employment
I don’t know why, but Mercer County Ohio seems to have the lowest unemployment rate in the state, 2.4. It’s on the Indiana border, which seems to have a lower unemployment rate than Ohio, and did all during the very slow recovery. The highest unemployment rate in November 2018 was Monroe County, at 7.1. It is located on the eastern border of of Ohio, across the Ohio River from West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was only 14,642, making it the second-least populous county in Ohio. If you want to be alone, this is your county--the county averages thirty-three people per square mile. Major employers are the county government, the schools and nursing homes.
I found this by looking at “Local Area Unemployment Statistics Map” of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and clicking on Ohio, then placing the cursor over the various counties which were shaded according to unemployment rates, with the lightest color being the least unemployment. https://data.bls.gov/map/MapToolServlet From there you can go to https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045218 and type in the county name in the search window for more facts about the county.
Since I’ve never applied for unemployment I do wonder why some counties that are high are right next to counties that are low, but generally those counties in Appalachia are higher than the counties next to Indiana. Poor transportation? Low education rates? Monroe’s graduation rate is 87.9 and Mercer’s 92.7—both above the national average. Health insurance? Monroe County has 7.8% who don’t have insurance, and Mercer 5.6%. Both counties are over 97% white. But the poverty rate in Monroe is 15.2 and Mercer is 6.9, and disability is much higher in Monroe, 13.7 compared to 6 for Mercer.
See? Even with the employees furloughed, there’s a lot of information out there from the U.S. Census.
I got a compliment
on my research skills and a question on how did someone from academe ever become a conservative! And I responded:
“ I was completely apolitical until about age 55—when my husband went into business for himself and I had to start paying attention to silly things like taxes and insurance—something the state of Ohio had always done for me. I was the perfect state employee—rarely asked how Ohio was going to meet all those pension obligations that paid 2 or 3 times what Social Security does. And frankly, being a Republican isn’t that much fun since we elect such wimps and liars! Being a self-righteous Democrat was much nicer. Did you see where Ohio’s Republican governor (until 2 weeks ago) has taken a job with CNN? Just infuriates me. What a turn coat!!! Right now I’m using my research skills on “growing older with health and vitality.” I think we’ve attended 6-7 funerals in the past 6 months. We called a good friend Sunday to find out why we didn’t get a Christmas card,** and he told us his wife now has Alzheimer’s. She always handled that stuff, and he now has diabetes and congestive heart failure. This getting old is getting old . . . . But occasionally there’s something interesting on our group list to respond to.”
**These days, when we don’t hear from friends or relatives, we know it’s because of Trump, but we knew this guy’s politics so figured it was something else.
As far as being an academic, yes, conservatives are a dying breed on campus because “you dance with the one who brung ya’.”
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
KNOW YOUR FAT
Adipose tissue is broadly divided into brown and white varieties. Brown fat cells express high levels of thermogenic genes and help maintain body heat by burning calories. Beige fat cells function similarly, but they are not of the brown fat cell lineage. Rather, they develop in white fat, the tissue that we typically think of as “fat.” White fat cells are involved in whole-body energy homeostasis and lipid storage and are found both under the skin and in the abdomen, where they are known as visceral adipose tissue (VAT). It is this type of fat that can help detect and eliminate pathogens as well as maintain immune homeostasis in the gut.
https://www.the-scientist.com/features/belly-fat-has-a-role-to-play-in-fighting-infections-64802
Protein supplementation + resistance and the elderly
I’m not ready to write my conclusions yet, but the medical research shows protein supplementation with resistance exercises is important for the elderly (yes, I am). Protein in combination with resistance exercises can reverse some of the wasting of muscle we experience.
“Effects of protein supplementation combined with resistance exercise on body composition and physical function in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 106, Issue 4, 1 October 2017, pp 1078–1091 https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/106/4/1078/4651887( Because this is a review article, the protein supplement varied by article. The types of PS included whey protein, leucine, casein, milk protein, and the leucine metabolite β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate. The protein sources for the PS differed among the included trials, comprising milk-based beverages, a whey protein and essential amino acid combination, fortified milk, milk protein concentrate, and dairy delivered through diet.)
“Effect of exercise and nutritional supplementation on health-related quality of life and mood in older adults: the VIVE2 randomized controlled trial” BMC Geriatrics. 2018; 18: 286. [BioMed Central] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6249766/ (The nutritional supplement provided 150 kcal, 20 g of whey protein, 800 IU vitamin D and a combination of vitamins and minerals, as previously described.)
“Nutritional Supplementation With Physical Activity Improves Muscle Composition in Mobility-Limited Older Adults, The VIVE2 Study: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Volume 73, Issue 1, 1 January 2018” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28977347, https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/73/1/95/4034773 [Oxford] (“daily nutritional supplement (150 kcal, 20 g whey protein, 800 IU vitamin D, 119 mL beverage)”
In the discussions and conclusions all suggested that protein supplement combined with resistance exercises were beneficial for the elderly. Then the question becomes what kind of supplement? Whey? Soy? Animal based? Plant? These studies seemed to all use whey.
“Protein quality as determined by the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score: evaluation of factors underlying the calculation” Nutrition Review. 2016 Sep; 74(9): 584–599. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6322793/ Extensive analysis of IAA. Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid (DIAA),
“Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial” British Journal of Nutrition. 2015 Oct 28; 114(8): 1237–1245 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4594048/ (Used collagen peptide, The product was provided by GELITA AG (BODYBALANCE™). The amino acid composition of the collagen peptides is shown in Table 1.)
Will update as I find them.
Trump trumps the media again
They are going bonkers with hate filled monologues, articles and jokes about the President offering football players fast food since the Democrats have shut down the government and there was no food service in the White House. Can’t believe how humorless and pointless “journalists” have become. I think their ratings are lower than Congress. What 20-something kid doesn’t love fast food? Some lefties are calling the feast “racist!” New Yorker calls it “banal.” Americans spend over $200 Billion a year on fast food and they are dissing the deplorables again. Wow. Elitism rides again rough shod over Americans. They even criticized the President for saying the first and second lady could make salads apparently putting down all women with the comment. Can’t believe them—it isn’t fake news, it’s inability to understand a joke, a wise crack or a nuance.
Apparently it’s OK for Planned Parenthood to put their billboards and clinics in black neighborhoods, but fast food companies shouldn’t do that—according to some lefty web sites I’ve seen—and I won’t link because they don’t deserve to be paid by their advertisers. They are all capitalists, but the media are just more self-righteous.
Keto Pancakes for breakfast?
I receive interesting daily e-mails from Warrior Made https://www.warriormade.com/ and Coach Tyler-- must have filled out a questionnaire some where, but most of the time I do make note of the exercises since he seems to do them in his living room and not the gym. Today there was a recipe for Keto pancakes. I know nothing about the Keto diet except it is low carb. (definition: “The “keto” in a ketogenic diet comes from the fact that it allows the body to produce small fuel molecules called “ketones”. This is an alternative fuel source for the body, used when blood sugar (glucose) is in short supply. Ketones are produced if you eat very few carbs (that are quickly broken down into blood sugar) and only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can also be converted to blood sugar) . https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto#what-is-keto )
So I looked at the recipe https://www.warriormade.com/content/diet/keto-pancakes/and see it has less protein than regular pancakes, so I don’t think I’ll use this one—made with cream cheese and almond flour). I’ve been researching a higher protein diet for the elderly combined with resistance to improve joint and muscle health. Not ready to write my conclusions yet, but the medical research show it is important.
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/106/4/1078/4651887
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322897813
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6249766/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2612691/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6322793/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28977347
Not that I frequently make pancakes, but they do sound good on these cold mornings—or evenings with creamed chicken, right?
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Play by the rules and get punished
When you receive your paycheck and look at the withholding for federal, state and sometimes city taxes, along with Social Security and Medicare, you probably don't think you're underpaying governments and want them to take more. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio believes that if you have played by what used to be called "the rules" and are making a decent living, taking care of yourself and your family and not relying on government, your taxes should be increased.
What exactly are the Democrats’ policies?
The Democrat policies you say you care about are: “Most are in the area of social issues: common-sense gun control, affordable health care for all (can't wrap my head around the fact that gun ownership is a right, but healthcare is a privilege), increase in federal minimum wage so it at least matches the poverty level minimum, pro-choice.”
They all sound rather vague, but that’s not what the Democrat party means with those words.
1. We all know the issue isn’t “gun control,” because some of the worst disasters have happened in cities that have that. The goal is confiscation for all except the government and private security guards to protect entertainers and politicians. It’s never been anything else. Democrats are almost as patient as terrorists—and it is always incremental.
2. Healthcare—we already had 5 federal/state medical plans before Obama decided to make NOT having it a crime punishable with a fine or jail time. Native Americans have had cradle to grave health care for many years, and they are the least healthy and poorest of American minorities—at least if they live on the reservation. My brother-in-law was a full blood Indian who grew up in Huntington Beach, CA, and used all the rights and privileges the rest of us have, plus a few from his tribe. He had a public employee pension, but died at 73, not for lack of health care, but lack of agreeing to a colonoscopy. I think it was the take over of one of the largest industries that Republicans objected to. If he had begun without the mandate, or not forcing religious groups to buy contraception/abortion, he would have had no problem growing it to single payer. But it was never about healthcare, it was always about power. Also, the government no matter who is in the White House is eyeing the deductions or credits for medical care by employers and employees—they (it) believe that is rightfully their money.
3. We already have 123 federal wealth transfer programs, and many started out to help the sick, poor, elderly, etc., (those who tug at our heart strings), but as time goes on more people are added as they expand, until now we’re at the point that 62% of the people who receive entitlements or assistance are well above the poverty line. Nonpoor households received 48% of the $2.4 TRILLION distributed in 2015. And about 31% were in the upper half. There’s just something about a government entitlement plan that is like our waist sizes (at least mine) and expands as we age. These programs don’t necessarily reduce poverty, but they certainly employ a lot of middle class bureaucrats in state and federal government. If poverty were to disappear tomorrow, on Thursday we’d have a new class of poor—all those folks who work upstream from the poor. (figures from “The high cost of good intentions” by John F. Cogan, 2017)
4. As far as minimum wage goes, that’s another feel-good, guilt trip. A tiny fraction of wage earners are at minimum—I think it’s 2.9% of all workers. And even at the old $7.50/hr figure, if a 2 adult earner household was working 40 hours a week at $7.50, that household has gone beyond the level for qualifying for most important benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, Section 8, WIC, etc. Low income doesn’t mean stupid, so if it were me at that job, I’d cut my hours or refuse a promotion so I could continue qualifying for about $22,000 a year in benefits. It’s quite possible for EITC for a man with a family to have a stay at home wife and 3-4 kids who is better off than the man earning $60,000/year because the government pays him to earn below $50,000 and it’s non-taxable. The average family income of a minimum wage earner is $53,113 and they are more likely to have some college than the average American worker. Why? They are not the primary earner of the family!
5. And pro-choice.? Well, there goes your concern for the weakest and most vulnerable in society. Again this is incremental. All the talk these days from the left is that abortion is OK right through the full 9 months—it’s legal to poke a hole in the skull to make sure the baby’s dead on arrival, and the more radical Democrats have moved that to 2 years out from birth. It will come. Soon the Democrats’ drive for euthanasia of the elderly and severely ill will meet up in the middle with their desire to end the lives of children who are not perfect or who come at an inconvenient time. At the age of my readers and family, it might be wise to have your EOL documents stated clearly, because the Democrat party is coming for you.
https://www.cathmed.org/assets/files/LNQ59%20FINAL.pdf
A response:
Norma;
I really like the point that you are making about the slow incremental loss of freedoms, rights and government intrusion in every facet of our lives.
And I share your concerns that will be happening to the old folks and agree that you need to work on a plan.
There is always this argument about being reasonable and accepting of progress and small changes but when you look at it over time the impact on the American Way of Life is significant.
While not directly germane to the border security discussion, it is relevant to the issue of slowly stripping law abiding citizens of their rights and putting government in control over every aspect of our lives, whether it is healthcare, education, physical movement, gun ownership, property ownership, etc. etc.
I see this with my two youngest kids in elementary school. We live in Maryland. The school supplies that we buy become community property – property ownership is one of the hallmarks of capitalism and freedom (and communism the opposite). The result is that the kids go through 100 pencils, 10 erasers, … a head per year and the teachers beg for more before the school year is over because they have run out. Sounds like the Kolkhoz (State owned Farm) in the Sowjet Union that could never succeed of making a fraction of their crop plan and had to import most their grain from the USA.
The kids and parents are highly discouraged to pay for lunch with cash out of their wallet – learning the use of money is fundamental to a capitalistic society. Result, the kids have a lunch account and have no concept of what stuff costs and how to make choices. Sounds like Obamacare for the low income people.
A month ago, I learned that the children are no longer taught cursive writing. I was told that WE ONLY TEACH PRINTED LETTERS for the last 5 years now. When I raised the issue that they would never be able to attain a decent speed of writing, I was told, that the direction is that at some point the kids would only be typing.
DOES ANYBODY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS SETS UP A TOTAL SURVEILLANCE STATE?
The children are undergoing mandatory behavioral testing annually which was part of common core legislation under Obama. What does this look like. It’s frightening. It reminds of how the Communists identified those who were potential dangers for the dictatorship regime.
The kids read a story about some animal pet that will be put to death UNLESS a child is willing to say some lies. Only with these lies could the pet animal be saved. The testing involves asking the children various questions about their opinions on this story.
I wrote a letter to the school that I am opting my kids out and they don’t have permission to be testing. They told me there is no ‘opt out’ allowed. I met with the principal and was redirected to the assistant principal who is in charge of testing. To my surprise, he confided to me that he as 4 children that will be tested soon and he has been thinking about how he gets around this because knowing what he knows he thinks it’s very dangerous too. After he explained all of the rules to me we found a loophole around it and it has worked now for the last 3 years. Although I would not be surprised if the authorities will show up at my door step one day. If you look at the parent group websites in protest of this testing, they have been largely unsuccessful protecting their children.
We had hoped that with a Republican governor this nonsense would stop, but it hasn’t.
So while I don’t own guns, don’t shoot, I have to completely sympathize with the people who want to uphold their constitutional gun rights.
But those rights have been slowly eroding piece by piece and have been converted to hunting rights and gun ownership. The Constitution was not about guns for hunting. It was about safeguards against an oppressive regime.
So it is important to recognize that there are consequences when you allow the forfeiture of citizens rights and you are not paying attention.
So why all the lies [about the wall] ?
Because lies are effective in achieving left-wing goals. There are people in every political, social and religious group who lie. And there are people within every one of those groups who are truth tellers. But — and this is a “but” whose significance cannot be overstated — while truth is a liberal value and truth is a conservative value, truth has never been a leftist value. For the left, there is always something more important. In this case, it is the humiliation of the president of the United States.
Dennis Prager, Jan. 14, 2018
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/60535-the-left-the-wall-the-truth
Churches are easy targets
For the past half year, I’ve noticed armed policemen in the lobbies of both Mill Run and Lytham Road locations of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church on Sunday morning and at special events. Today our on-line news announced:
“UALC is pleased to announce that our plain clothes security teams will be trained and in place at both the Lytham Road And Mill Run campuses on January 27. We are thankful for the assistance that we have received from the uniformed officers while we were building and training our teams. We will still use uniformed officers during our larger events but will be moving to a more subdued security presence at our Sunday services. Our teams will consist of armed and unarmed volunteers who have been carefully selected and vetted. They will be trained to respond to all security and safety issues that may occur at our buildings.”
A sign of the times. Sadly.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Can the unelected FBI investigate its boss whom we elected?
“One danger in the what the FBI apparently did is that it implies that the unelected domestic intelligence bureaucracy holds itself as the ultimate arbiter—over and above the elected president who is the constitutional face of U.S. intelligence and national security authority—about what actions do and don’t serve the national security interests of the United States. It further suggests that the FBI claims the authority to take this step on the basis of the president’s exercise of another clear presidential prerogative—the firing of the FBI director in connection with the Russia investigation, which the Times says was the final predicate for the FBI’s action. And it took this step did without any formal guidance on the books for applying counterintelligence rules to the president, akin to the special counsel regulations. Beyond the organizational and legal questions raised by these steps, if the FBI can open up a secret counterintelligence investigation of the president based on its belief that his actions threaten national security, it would chill controversial presidential foreign policy actions that the Constitution says are solely the president’s decisions to make, for better and worse.”
https://www.lawfareblog.com/what-grounds-can-fbi-investigate-president-counterintelligence-threat?
Letters to Governor Reagan, 1967
I’ve been reading through the letters that Californians wrote to their governor (Ronald Reagan) in 1967—52 years ago. I remember that year well—it’s the year I met accidentally the personnel librarian from OSU on the fourth floor of the University of Illinois Library, in Urbana, Illinois, and he offered me a job in Columbus, Ohio. But my husband would need a job, I responded, and he said there was a guy in his Sunday school class that needed a draftsman. And the rest is history. Every time I drive by that church on Bethel Road I think of that, and say a little praise, because our lives changed completely that year.
https://reagan.blogs.archives.gov/2017/10/19/1960s-student-movement/
The blogger’s comments (seems to be an employee/intern of the Reagan library) are not helpful, but the letters and news clippings are fascinating. A college was giving credit for attending a protest (against the Viet Nam war). The Bolsheviks at UC Irvine were sponsoring a dance. A 21 year old wants Reagan to get with the times and be more progressive.
By putting these letters on the internet with names and addresses where they can be copied or used, I’m wondering if they violated copyright law. In the U.S. the physical piece belongs to the receiver (addressed person), but the information belongs to the writer. Since the one writer gave his age, and company name, I was able to look him up. Makes me wonder what has happened to the hundreds of letters to editors, writers, and politicians I have written over the last 60 years!!
Grandma told me to vote for the Democrats
A montage of black members of the Walkaway movement. It will take about 35 minutes. I prefer the individual testimonies, but this was a lot of work!
Many point out the conservative values they were taught in church didn’t match up with what the Democrats were promoting.
Social Insurance and Retirement Payroll Taxes
From: Overview of the Federal Tax System, 2018, p. 15 Congressional Research Service, March 29, 2018
“Payroll taxes are used to fund specific programs, largely Social Security and Medicare. Social Security and Medicare taxes are generally paid at a combined rate of 15.3% of wages, with 7.65% being paid by the employee and employer alike.
The Social Security part of the tax, or the old age, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI) tax, is 6.2% for both employees and employers (12.4% in total). In 2018, the tax applies to the first $128,400 in wages. This wage base is adjusted annually for inflation.
The Medicare portion of the tax, or the Medicare hospital insurance (HI) tax, is 1.45% for both employees and employers (2.9% in total). There is no wage cap for the HI tax (the Medicare HI tax applies to all wage earnings). Certain higher-income taxpayers may be subject to an additional HI tax of 0.9%. For married taxpayers filing jointly, combined wages above $250,000 are subject to the additional 0.9% HI tax. The threshold for single and head of household filers is $200,000. These threshold amounts are not indexed for inflation.
Employers may also be subject to a federal unemployment insurance payroll tax. This tax is 0.6% on the first $7,000 of wages. Federal unemployment insurance payroll taxes are used to pay for the administrative costs of the unemployment insurance (UI) program. State UI taxes generally pay for UI benefits.
Most taxpayers pay more in payroll taxes than income taxes. The JCT [Joint Committee on Taxes] projects that in 2018, 67% of tax units will pay more in payroll taxes than income taxes. Most low- and middle-income taxpayers pay more in payroll taxes than in income taxes. [They pay zero income tax because of our progressive tax system.] Nearly all taxpayers with incomes of $30,000 or less pay more in payroll taxes than income taxes. Up through the $100,000 to $200,000 income category, the share of taxpayers paying more in payroll taxes than income taxes exceeds the share of taxpayers paying more in income taxes than payroll taxes.”
A busy Bible week
From January 6-13, I attended 4 Bible studies! That must be a record.
On January 6 our small group from church had an Epiphany lunch at our home after services on Sunday afternoon. We’re studying Hebrews, and the leadership rotates with the host.
On January 10 after doing the mail run for the church, I sat in on the Thursday morning class for (mostly) retirees at 10:30, studying Revelation led by pastor Jeff Morlock. That was followed by a wonderful luncheon with guest speaker John Kohan of Delaware, Ohio, talking about his sacred art collection (some of which is on display at our Mill Run location, and will change during Lent). http://sacredartpilgrim.com/ http://sacredartmeditations.com/news
Then on Saturday January 11 I returned to the Women of Word group I’d been a part of for many years, but had stopped going about 4 years ago. The leader Mary Jo is the same as are many in the class, and I was warmly welcomed “home.” They are participating in a video class Bible study of Genesis 1-11 led by Jen Wilkin, “God of Creation.” https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/god-of-creation
On Sunday January 12 while Bob was busy with the quilt show at our other location, Mill Run, I rejoined the adult Sunday School class after the 9 .m. worship at Lytham Road. We had attended for many years, but several years ago while they were struggling through Romans at the speed of a snail, we found other things to do. Charlie, the leader is doing an excellent job of working through Acts with a good study book and handouts. He’s very good at reining in the diverse, and very well educated, members who love to expound on not much at all. I even met a new member named Dotty who joined the church last fall. This is the only Sunday School class for adults and is open to all, although it definitely leans to the over 50 crowd.
Post abortion recovery
On today’s prayer list (via e-mail) from PDHC, I noticed a request for the 8 women participating in the post abortion recovery program, Living in Color—to pray for restoration, healing, and growth in their faith . So I looked that up to see if it were local or national. Post abortion means 10-20-even 50 years later. Did you know post abortion women are at risk for death—not from the procedure but from homicide, suicide and disease? There’s something in nature that doesn’t support abortion. There is a terrible sadness that boomerangs after the initial sense of release and resolving a difficult situation.
Pregnancy Decision Health Centers, 665 E. Dublin-Granville Rd., Suite 120, Columbus, OH 43229 Call or Text: 614-444-4411
https://healthresearchfunding.org/19-shocking-post-abortion-depression-statistics/
http://www.afterabortion.org/pdf/DeathsAssocWithAbortionJCHLP.pdf
Living in Color (2nd Edition) is a post-abortion recovery and healing program designed for use by a small, facilitator-led support group. However, it is equally suitable for a person making her recovery journey alone, or in the company of a mentor, pastor or counselor. A Living in Color Facilitator's Guide is available for those leading support groups from www.pregcare.com. Dr Theresa Burke coined the phrase "forbidden grief" to describe the sadness and pain felt by many women following their abortion decision. This pain is seldom confined to the loss of a child: many also lose relationships, self-worth and hope for the future. These losses must be grieved and, as with all grieving journeys, this involves processing emotional responses such as relief, denial, guilt, shame, depression, anger and forgiveness. The post-abortive woman also needs to allow herself to "know" her child in order to say "goodbye for now." Having processed her grief, it is important to pay attention to what comes next. Many women discover that their healing journeys teach them many life lessons that contribute to increased strength of character, wisdom, vision and hope. The final chapter of the program celebrates the process of emerging from the "grey zone" of unresolved loss into a life of color, freedom, and joy. https://www.amazon.com/Living-Color-goal-post-abortion-recovery/dp/1453656596
Sunday, January 13, 2019
The instructions for the new watch
Our $10 toaster came with instructions in 3 languages, my husband’s new watch had none. I had to ask. But here they are:
“Sorry for the inconvenience! I will forward this matter to our development team. You can also copy the instructions below and print it instead.
-best worn every day to keep accurate time
-best to fully wind the before every wear.
-best to keep in watch winder when not wearing.
-avoid magnets. shocks, and water exposure. in the event that water penetrates the case, repair immediately.
-avoid setting the date between 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM.
-best to avoid extreme temperatures. accuracy is compromised below -10°C and above 60°C
-best to service approximately every 3 years to ensure long term quality performance.
-in the event of the time -delay or other unusual occurrences, service immediately.
Do Americans trust the media? The polls?
It’s not hard to see why distrust in the legacy media is ever-rising.
“Americans blame shutdown on Trump over Democrats by wide margin, poll finds” blares USA Today. Wide margin? The poll actually shows that:
When asked, “Who do you think is mainly responsible for this situation?” 53 percent of Americans told pollsters they blamed Trump and congressional Republicans.
Three points is a “wide” margin? Moreover, the story’s kicker admits that “The poll of 788 Americans was conducted Jan. 8-11 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.” When the spread is less than the margin of error, that’s usually called a “split” or “close” race.
What more, this important fact isn’t revealed until the third paragraph. Given the fact that as many as 25 percent of American adults get their news from Facebook, and given that too many people never read past the headline, this is especially egregious. “Fake news”? No, but “Wrong” news? Absolutely.
PJMedia, January 13, 2019
Day One with the new Congress
(No source: gathered in e-mail, but I’ve seen all of these incidents in the news. A lot of attention hounds in this group—especially the women.)
Wednesday was a big day in Washington. As newly-elected members of Congress were sworn in, control of the House of Representatives flipped from Republican to Democrat.
While this is usually a run-of-the-mill process, a lot of things happened Wednesday that should concern anyone who cherishes American values and who was hoping for compromise from the new Congress.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) refused to take her oath of office on the Bible. Instead she used a law book. I don't know which law book, but I do know this: Long after the senator and whatever book she took her oath on are gone, the word of God will endure.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) took her oath on what she called Jefferson's Koran." She said, "Some of our Founding Fathers knew more about Islam than some members of Congress now." Obviously she doesn't know very much. Jefferson got a translation of the Koran so he could understand the Islamic Barbary Pirates against whom he would later, as president, wage war. Thus the phrase, "To the shores of Tripoli" in the Marines' Hymn. But she is probably right -- the Founders understood what many elites today do not: Radical Islam is a deadly threat to freedom.
Unfortunately, Tlaib wasn't done. She later went to a reception sponsored by the radical group MoveOn.org. Referring to a conversation she had with her young son about her election, Rep. Tlaib declared, "We're gonna go in there and impeach the motherf---er.'"
And there's more. The world map on the wall in Rep. Tlaib's office had a Post-It note on it labeled "Palestine" over the state of Israel.
Rep. Tlaib is not the only newly elected member of Congress who is hostile to Israel.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) lied to her constituents about her support for efforts to boycott and sanction Israel.
The election of these two Muslim women, along with socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(D-NY), has been hailed by cultural and media elites as "the wave of the future."
Just to be clear, they are celebrating the victory of anti-Semites. Some future.
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) posted the transgender flag outside of her office. (Yes, they have a flag.)
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump.
Not to be out done, Nancy Pelosi made history herself by becoming the first woman to become Speaker of the House twice. And the first bill she pushed through the House late last night was an appropriation bill that gave an additional $12 billion in foreign aid to multiple countries and provided more money to promote abortions overseas, but did not provide one dime for better border security to protect American citizens.
And that, my friends, was just Day One of the new Democrat House!
Trudeau trashes pro-life supporters at town hall
“Justin Trudeau, Canada’s radically pro-abortion prime minister, blasted pro-life advocates Wednesday amid a nation-wide outrage about barring pro-life groups from a federal grant program.”
Canadian taxpayers pay about $200 million a year to support the youth-based program, which provides funding for businesses and non-profits to offer temporary summer jobs to youth ages 15 to 30. It is a way the government encourages young people to get hands-on training before entering the workforce full-time.
The new 2018 grant application requires groups to say that they respect “reproductive rights,” including abortion on demand, as one of their core values. Groups cannot submit the online application unless they do, according to the Post.
Canada has some of the most pro-abortion laws in the world, allowing abortions for any reason up to birth and forcing taxpayers to pay for them in many cases. Common sense regulations such as parental consent for minors, waiting periods, informed consent and other basic measures are non-existent. Many of its provinces now force taxpayers to pay the full cost of abortion drugs for women.
Saturday, January 12, 2019
The Affordable Turkey Act
This past Sunday (Epiphany) we had our couples group from church here for Bible Study and brunch, and I used up several pounds of frozen, left over turkey from Thanksgiving in a fabulous turkey tetrazzini. Used the white wine, etc. If you need a recipe, I’ve got a good one. I sent some home with our guests and we still have a small casserole in the freezer. Today I came across a blog I’d posted in 2013 about mandatory turkey for Thanksgiving. It was funny then, and still is, but painfully true.
From my November 25, 2013 blog entry.
The U.S. government has just passed a new law called: "The Affordable Turkey Act..." declaring that every citizen MUST purchase a Turkey this Thanksgiving, no later than Thanksgiving itself, Thursday, November 28th, 2013. These "affordable" turkeys will cost an average of $430 -$545 each. This does not include stuffing, cooking pots, meat thermometers, hunting fees, feather plucking fees, a stove or other device used to cook it in, meat cutters, “removal of innards” fees, labor costs resulting from losses caused by passing out after eating yourself sick of turkey [i.e. 1lb dark meat = appx. 2 lbs white meat in estimated labor losses felt by your employer].
This law has been passed, because until now, typically only wealthy and financially responsible people have been able to purchase turkeys during Thanksgiving. This new law ensures that every American can now have an "affordable" turkey of his or her own, because everyone is "entitled" to a turkey during Thanksgiving. If you purchase your turkey before Thanksgiving, you will receive 4 "free" pilgrim vests; not including frequent dry-cleaning fees.
In order to make sure everyone purchases an affordable turkey, the costs of buying a Thanksgiving turkey will increase on average of 250-400% per year. This way, wealthy people will pay more for something that other people don't want, still can’t afford, or haven’t enough space in their stomachs or people in their home to eat it all. But to be fair, people who can't afford to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving will be regularly fined and children (under the age of 26) can just eat their parent’s turkey until they turn 27; then they must purchase their own turkey for Thanksgiving. If you already have a turkey, you can keep yours (just kidding; no you can't). If you don't want or don't need turkey this Thanksgiving, you are required to buy one anyhow. If you refuse to buy one or can't afford one, you will be regularly fined $800 until you purchase one, or face imprisonment. Failure to eat the turkey this Thanksgiving will also result in fines. People living on the beachfronts; ghettos; inner cities or areas with no access to grocery stores or hunting grounds are not exempt. Meat allergies, veganism/vegetarianism, PETA advocates, lack of knowledge nor desire to cook your turkey are unacceptable excuses for not eating your turkey this Thanksgiving.
A government review board (that doesn't know the difference between the turkey, duck, and bacon in a turducken will decide everything, including; when, where, how often and for what purposes you can eat your turkey, to include how many people you can share your Thanksgiving turkey with and determine if one is too old or healthy enough to be able to eat turkey. They will also decide if your turkey is acceptable to FDA or USDA standards or if you must purchase specific seasonings, condiments, recipes or other additions, (like a government issue can of cranberry sauce estimated at $25.00) or a newer and more fresh turkey. Those who can afford turduckens will be required to do so...it's only fair.
The government will also change the name of the “wishbone” to the “hopebone” as they will be determining the full extent of your fortune in the event that you snap off the larger half of said bone. Failure to comply with these rules – such as continuing to call it a “wishbone” – will also result in fines and possible imprisonment.
Government officials are exempt from this new law. If they want a Thanksgiving turkey, they and their families can obtain turkeys for free, at the expense of taxpayers. Unions, bankers and mega companies with large political affiliations ($$$) are also exempt. If the government can force you to buy health insurance, they can force you to buy a Thanksgiving turkey....or ANYTHING else.. It really is that simple.
STORY OF HOPE AND HEALING, UNBRIDLED OPENS IN SELECT CITIES JANUARY 18
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When Climate Change killed hundreds of thousands—the 17th century
The Global Crisis: war, climate, and catastrophe in the 17th-century, by Geoffrey Parker, Distinguished University Professor and Andreas Dorpalen Professor of European History at Ohio State University “concerns the climatically-induced crisis that created acute political, economic, intellectual and social upheaval all round the globe, causing the premature death of around one-third of the human population. Although not the first such worldwide crisis, it is both the most recent and the only one for which plentiful records survive.“ https://history.osu.edu/people/parker.277
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/opinion/sunday/lessons-from-the-little-ice-age.html?
Earth scientists have discerned three factors at work globally during the 17th century: increased volcanic eruptions, twice as many El Niño episodes (unusually warm ocean conditions along the tropical west coast of South America), and the virtual disappearance of sunspots, reducing solar output to warm the Earth.
The 17th century saw a proliferation of wars, civil wars and rebellions and more cases of state breakdown around the globe than any previous or subsequent age. Just in the year 1648, rebellions paralyzed both Russia (the largest state in the world) and France (the most populous state in Europe); civil wars broke out in Ukraine, England and Scotland; and irate subjects in Istanbul (Europe’s largest city) strangled Sultan Ibrahim. . . “
“Few areas of the world survived the 17th century unscathed by extreme weather. In China, a combination of droughts and disastrous harvests, coupled with rising tax demands and cutbacks in government programs, unleashed a wave of banditry and chaos; starving Manchu clansmen from the north undertook a brutal conquest that lasted a generation. North America and West Africa both experienced famines and savage wars. In India, drought followed by floods killed over a million people in Gujarat between 1627 and 1630. In Japan, a mass rebellion broke out on the island of Kyushu following several poor harvests. Five years later, famine, followed by an unusually severe winter, killed perhaps 500,000 Japanese.”
Fact checking the criminality of the illegal aliens
In President Trump’s speech Tuesday, January 8 from the Oval Office:
“In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings.”
Trump’s arrest numbers are correct, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement numbers compiled in 2017 and 2018.
The number of illegal immigrants arrested by ICE is the highest since 2014, according to a December report by the agency.
The ICE report says 158,581 illegal immigrants were arrested in fiscal year 2018, and 138,117 of those had a criminal history. This is an 11 percent increase over 2017, when 143,470 illegal immigrants were arrested, 127,992 of them with a criminal record.
“The number of people with pending charges arrested by ICE was 48 percent higher in 2018 than in 2017, while arrests of those with criminal convictions dropped slightly,” Reuters reported.
According to The Washington Post, the report “shows that 145,262 of those deported were convicted criminals and that 22,796 had criminal charges pending against them.”
https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/01/09/fact-checking-5-of-trumps-claims-in-border-speech/?
So why are Democrats against a wall? They were for it before Trump became president.
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