Happy New Year—you have no privacy

I confessed in my piece about Elizabeth Warren that I shopped on Panic Saturday (Dec. 21). Macy's was so happy to see me again that today I received a 14 page bill (some pages were blank) for spending $221.07 on Christmas gifts for my husband! I'm so old I remember when credit card bills were half a sheet of paper 2 sides.

But I was warned. On pg. 1 it referred me to pg. 7 for details on changes being made to my Credit Card Agreement. On pg. 3 it warned me about changes coming on 2/24/20 which it will do in detail on p. 7, and again repeats all the billing information on p. 1--Polo sleepwear, Hilfiger sleepwear, Hilfiger necktie, Tasso Elba neckwear, Alfani shirt, Perry Ellis neckwear, Clubroom shirt. BTW, the Alfani fabric felt cheap after I removed 105 straight pins and washed it. On p. 5 and 6 the only information was that the annual percentage rate is 26.74%, variable rate.

Finally the glorious p. 7 where I am told how much I am appreciated and how they look forward to serving me in the future. The changes revealed on p. 7 are
increased late fees,
returned payment fee and
returned convenience check fee.
The minimum payment due calculation is changing and
the Promotion calculation is recalculated beyond my ability to understand.

"For additional language regarding how and when these fees will be charged, please see the section called "Fees" in your Credit Card Agreement.
Then in a box the explanation of penalty fees--late payment and returned payment. I only have a master's degree, and couldn't decipher this even with the sentence diagramming I learned in 4th grade.

On p. 8 the good folks in Macy's advanced college English class explain making payments--
Minimum Payment Due,
calculated new balance
past due account,
excess of my credit limit,
amount due on each Club Plan,
adding in any amount required by
the Promotion Calculation
the calculated new balance, rounded up
applicable late fee
subtracted interest charges accrued during prior billing cycles
Special event balance
Calculated new balance = New Balance - any balances subject to a Club Plan or the Promotion Calculation

At this point I'm only half way through p. 8 and am worn out.

Page 9 explains who all can see my personal information. It's like Trump's tax returns. If Macy can do all this, why can't Congress? It clearly says, Macy's can share my personal information with anyone they damn well please. Honest. It does.

Social security number and income,
account balances and
employment information,
credit history and
transaction history,
anything they need to run their everyday business. . .
even court orders and
legal investigations or
credit bureau information.

Why do they need this private, personal information? According to Macy's p. 9 of 14,
for marketing purposes,
for joint marketing with other financial companies,
for their affiliates everyday business purposes, and
Macy's everyday business purposes so
they can market to me and
their nonaffiliates can market to me.

And when I am no longer Macy's customer, they claim the right to continue to share my information described in this notice.

DSNB does this, not Macy's. Department Stores National Bank. And on p. 10 there is a long list of what it collects.

Page 11-14 are math problems. 3%, 2% 1% rewards spent at restaurants which are stand-alone merchants in the U.S. that primarily serve food. If you accumulate 1,000 points, yada, yada. . .
But exclusive for you: free shipping from Al's family farms 18 lbs of Florida Honeybells for only $49.95 delivered with a bonus of Orange blossom honey.

Happy New Year. Capitalism is almost as much fun as taxes.

Food nannies strike again

https://www.city-journal.org/banning-dollar-stores

The food nannies strike again. Don't you dare touch my dollar store. They have great deals on the things I want, and the only food items I've purchased are peanuts. That food desert hoax was disproven years ago. If someone is fat, sick or malnourished and they occasionally pick up frozen chicken or a loaf of bread at a fast food mart or dollar store because there's no super market near by, it's more likely the cigarettes and beer they are buying somewhere else. If momma didn't teach them to eat right, it's unlikely the mayor or governor is going to.

“Recent research undermines the argument that a lack of fresh, healthy food is to blame for unhealthy diets. In a paper published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, three economists chart grocery purchases in 10,000 households located in former food deserts, where new supermarkets have since opened. They found that people didn’t buy healthier food when they started shopping at a new local supermarket. “We can statistically conclude that the effect on healthy eating from opening new supermarkets was negligible at best,” they wrote. In other words, the food-desert narrative—which suggests that better food choices motivate people to eat better—is fundamentally incorrect. “In the modern economy, stores have become amazingly good at selling us exactly the kinds of things we want to buy,” the researchers write. In other words, “lower demand for healthy food is what causes the lack of supply.”” (from the above linked City Journal)

What the party who opposed the Soleimani killing stand for—guest blogger Michael Smith

"No one should be surprised by the reaction of Democrats to an American drone going all "Fargo" wood-chipper on Qassem Soleimani.

This is a political party that:
- Reflexively sides with criminals against victims.
- Actively promotes illegal immigration.
- Believes non-citizens have more rights than citizens.
- Condemns victims (like the Texas church shooting) for protecting themselves
- Puts criminals back on the street and calls it "criminal justice reform).
-Seeks to decriminalize anti-social behaviors and then blames their opposition for the result in crime (increases in property crime) and uncivilized behavior (defecating in the streets).
- Has historically become useful idiots for, and fellow travelers with, every brutal communist regime from Stalin to Saddam Hussein and Bashar Assad.
- Sends delegations of elected officials to meet with America's enemies (Saddam Hussein, Bashar Assad, Fidel Castro)
- Have protested in support of America's enemies since the Vietnam War.
- Venerates America's enemies with fawning media coverage that will never be seen for a non-Democrat and will attack any Republican with language they would never use for our enemies.
- Since the 60's, have done a complete 180 degree turn from the anti-communist policies of JFK and pursued a policy of appeasement, preferring to feed other people to the alligators in the hopes those beasts will eat them last.
- Are always for something before they are against it, constantly and religiously lying about their positions, changing them on a dime if they think it will give them political advantage.

The Democrat Party has not just recently become anti-American, they have been this way for over a century, ever since Walter Duranty, Stalin's apologist, and the New York Times won a Pulitzer for lying about the Stalin regime in Russia.

The only difference is that now they don't care if you know who they are. They assume their voters can be bought off with pallets of cash, the same way Obama tried to buy off the Iranian Mullahs.

Whatever you’re doing come hold this baby

Lonnie Lacy

http://lonnielacy.com/what-we-hold/

One of the best Christmas poems you’ll read.

“Honey,” she said,  
“whatever that is you’re doin’, 
you gotta put it down 
and come hold this baby.”

“What?”

“Put it down, 
and come  
hold  
this  
baby.”

In the beginning God

"The Milky Way, our home galaxy, comprises something in the range of 200–300 billion stars. It is nestled among the other 2 trillion or so galaxies estimated to populate the observable universe, postulated to have a radius of 13.8 billion light-years.

However, the figure ascribed to the quantity of terrestrial viruses, an estimated 10 to the 31st power, eclipses even those immense numbers. That means there are potentially 5–10 million times more viruses on Earth than stars thought to exist in the observable universe." https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/1/ac-2601_article

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. . . Genesis 1.

The death of Soleimani

According to the Wall Street Journal:

"After an Iranian-backed militia staged a violent protest and attempted to overrun the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq this week, President Donald Trump described the event as the “anti-Benghazi.” He wasn’t kidding

Last night the Pentagon announced:

At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more. He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.

This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world."

Not to worry those of you Democrats accusing Trump of being Hitler, etc., and especially that crazy movie star who apologized on behalf of 52% of Americans (Hillary's supporters?) Jake Tapper in Sept. 2011 proudly proclaimed Obama the killer of 10 terrorists, including Osama bin Ladin.

Elizabeth Warren

I shopped on panic Saturday! December 21. More money was spent by Americans that day, $34.4 billion, than any day in America's history. And Elizabeth Warren is trying to make Americans fearful, that there's a terrible gap, that life's unfair so she needs to steal money from some and give it to others! The big four leading the way were Walmart, Amazon, Costco and Target. Is that where the top 1% shop? Nope. It's where we all shop. (I shopped at Macy's and Kohl's.) Why do Democrats preach doomsday? Because they don't believe in America. Not the people, not the Constitution, not the economy, and certainly not the president.

Year end summary of Trump’s record

Jobs are plentiful. The White House says seven million jobs have been created since Donald Trump’s election. Record numbers of Americans are employed, and wages are rising as employers compete for workers. The headline unemployment rate is at its lowest in 50 years, with minorities in particular enjoying the fruits of this labor.

The stock market has continued to break records, yielding benefits for the investment and retirement accounts of more than half of all Americans. The Dow Jones average rose 22% in 2019, while the S&P was up 29% and the NASDAQ climbed 35%. When Trump was elected, the market was pretty volatile, and New York Times economist Paul Krugman predicted, “If the question is when markets will recover, a first-pass answer is never.” Boy was he ever wrong.

Consumer optimism is reflected in year-end retail sales. Gary Bauer notes, “Retail sales surged 3.4% over last year, led by record online spending. The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a critical time for the economy. According to Reuters, sales during these few weeks can account for up to 40% of all annual sales for many retailers.”

Regulations reduced. Economic growth comes when government gets out of the way, contrary to the “stimulus” philosophy of the last administration. The White House says, “Since taking office, President Trump has rolled back nearly 8 regulations for every new one, saving American taxpayers more than $50 billion in the process — with bigger savings still to come.” That includes rolling back a lot of his predecessor’s environmental controls. The Daily Caller reports that Trump “nixed nearly 100 environmental regulations during his first three years in office.”

Not only has Trump cut red tape, he’s been slow to add new regulations. According to The Washington Times, “The Trump administration issued the fewest new regulations during 2019 than in any year since the government began keeping track more than four decades ago.” All three of the lowest regulation totals belong to President Trump.

Judicial appointments. Not all of Trump’s success has been economic. An astounding 20% of the federal judiciary is now composed of Trump appointments after the Republican-controlled Senate has confirmed 187 of his nominees. For the pace of that success, Republicans at least owe a wink and nod to former Democrat Senate Leader Harry Reid, who nuked the filibuster for judges in 2013. Judges were a big reason for millions of conservative votes in 2016, and Trump has delivered.

Defeating terrorists. After Barack Obama fomented the rise of the Islamic State, Trump has spent three years fighting back. It hasn’t been free of controversy, but it’s hard to argue with success like the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

Other gains include military funding and rebuilding, immigration policy, and — we hope — trade.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/67646  Nate Jackson

Another useless United Nations challenge

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/harming-environment-war-crime/?

Very interesting piece which ends up blaming the U.S. for damage to environment during wars because the 3 writers don't know how to do research. Just search and click on the various civil wars in Africa, like Sudan. I care more about the people who are killed and maimed. I know that forests, cities and farms were destroyed in Sudan, and rivers polluted, but the 2nd civil war killed over 2 million people. And then when the Christians and Muslims separated into north and south, the Christians began another civil war (tribal) among themselves. And there are still German bombs buried in France from WWI and WWII waiting to explode. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/seventy-years-world-war-two-thousands-tons-unexploded-bombs-germany-180957680/  Not good for the environment or people who had nothing to do with the conflicts.

The intent of the article is not to make war damage a crime (already a crime depending on the victor), but to point fingers at your country, the United States. A lot of this article is word salad--"scientists," "armed conflict" "biodiversity" a 5th Geneva Convention called 2 decades ago, yada yada. And it's not even a real article, it's built on a letter.

Is there anything sillier than UN pronouncements? "International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict" so why do the writers advocate making it a war crime to damage the environment? Oh--to make war illegal. That should do it.

"Ultimately, if harming the environment was a war crime, then most acts of modern warfare would essentially be forbidden. After all, there’s no way to drop a bomb without harming the ground it falls on."

Bug Nazis! They are on the Left

I saw this comment on a Facebook group written by “Tom.”  I giggled at the term, Bug Nazi. Also I didn’t know there were insect identification groups on Facebook, although I should.  I’ve seen them for everything else. . .quilters, photographers, dog lovers, writers, exercise nuts, foodies, . . . really just about every hobby and interest.

“I just decided to leave an insect identification group because the leftist loons running it decided it was important to post an announcement how they were no longer going to tolerate climate change deniers, as if that has anything to do with identifying insects.

My response in a separate post? (They had shut off commenting for this one)

“Goodbye Bug Nazis! Nothing screams intolerance like the bantering of attention-seeking liberals. Insects and climate change are two separate things, but congrats on combining them on this page for some inexplicable reason. Your page, your rules.

In the meantime, since you value scientific evidence so much, please feel free to provide scientific evidence that anything we’ve done to combat climate change over the decades has been effective in reducing global greenhouse gases. You can’t because there is none. Just theories. Climate change is happening but there’s no proof...none...that we can stop it. I won’t be around to see your response, but maybe you can enlighten your members as to the evidence of how combatting climate change has been so successful so far and not just an utter waste of time and money. “

The pros and cons of the National Voter Registration Act, 1993

What happened to the Democrat party that used to believe in fair elections with only eligible voters? In 1993, with a Democratic Congress and President (Clinton) the National Voter Registration Act was passed. It requires "a reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters" from voter rolls. In less than 20 years they've thrown that out the window and if local or state authorities attempt to clean up they are accused of racism or some other -ism.

What Democrats do love about the NVRA is it allows registering when getting a driver's license or registering to vote automatically when you register your car and then mailing in your ballot. So the result? Big push for illegals to get drivers licenses. In 2016 about 25% of votes cast were by mail--no voter ID with mailed ballots. And that is the end goal for the Left--no voter ID requirements at all, no voter residency requirements. Those who designed the NVRA probably had this in mind for the long run.

Actually, the big prize the Left lusts after is the abolition of the Electoral College, one of the smartest elements of the Constitution to keep us "united states" instead of New York and California states of America. If they succeed either with a constitutional amendment in which 40 plus states would agree to have no say in a federal election, or by casting their votes with other Democrat control states, most American voters would be disenfranchised and we wouldn't even need any rules for registration or voting.

Adoption of illegal immigrant children? No!

A Democrat cousin (on my Dad’s side) has claimed that the Trump Administration is cruelly stealing the children of illegal immigrants and putting them up for adoption. Eventually, after I asked for details, he provided one link which originated with Associated Press, and then was massaged by another publication. I won't show you the link--there are so many inaccuracies I wouldn't want you to post it--some people only read the headlines and continue to pass the anti-Trump rumors.

The story was built around two children of illegal immigrants who were put in foster care--2014 and 2015. Guess who was president? Further details were from the 1980s. In both cases, the parents got their children back--the agencies that provide this service for the government make it clear to the foster parents they cannot adopt. In the one case in Michigan where a judge didn't wait for the parents to be found, the federal government was the agency that stepped in to return the child.

I'm not sure why a journalist would be so deceptive in developing the story, using stories from the Obama years, and mixing it with hysteria about Trump and then adding in the 1980s. It's manipulative. We can guess which political party she/he belongs to. American children are taken from their parents when they violate the law, but Democrats see this as different. This is a way to attack Trump.

But you have to read to the end to find out that the reunited family, back in their home country, still communicate with the foster family because they know they love their little girl too. Must have been some hell hole.

Hate speech and hate crimes

I for one have never liked the terms "hate speech" and "hate crime" (protected characteristics of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability). Due to our First Amendment, hate speech laws don't fair well, but colleges are big on "speech codes" and requiring SJW special retraining camps for incoming students and faculty. The more race relations improve, the narrower academe defines the crime so it can add to its administration.

Unless a white man is a Jew or gay or transitioning to female, who is ever charged with a hate crime for attacking him? For race, it only seems to be certain races. If there are two different African immigrant groups in a Columbus high school, who charges them with hate crimes when they attack each other? Would a Columbus juvenile court judge know that one group was slaves of the other 300 years ago? I received a notice of a crime from OSU a few days ago and it made a point of not mentioning the offender's race. Something the whole culture seems obsessed with, yet can't be used to identify a criminal!

What do these laws/codes add to bad language and violent crime except a racial component to discuss on the evening news?  If black rappers can say the words, why can't a white radio host? If a black man robs or terrorizes a black family, why is that not a hate crime, if it is called a hate crime when a white or Hispanic criminal does it? Almost all crime victims (except Asians) are within same groups. Based on the 2018 Bureau of Justice survey, the offender was of the same race or ethnicity as the victim in 70% of violent incidents involving black victims, 62% of those involving white victims, 45% of those involving Hispanic victims, and 24% of those involving Asian victims. Lesbians against Lesbians. Gays against gays. No one commits a crime out of love (although some celebrity abortion advocates claim to).

Hate crime legislation took hold with the Civil Rights movement in the 60s, then a special law for violence against women but not men, then sex and peculiar identities were added. NY is considering adding more on top of what we already have just for anti-Semitism. Now all sorts of quasi legal threats are made if a religion disallows marriage of same sex because it violates the Bible and all of history, or if an employer doesn't recognize the feelings of men who believe they are women.

And yet Democrats, the Left and their print, internet and social media are allowed to call Conservatives and their president all manner of nasty names on the air ways, on TV and public debate--from racist to terrorist to Nazi. They can reinvent as "hate speech" the OK sign or even the words, Make America great. I do see hate, and it's from the Left manipulating our laws intended to protect people. But they shouldn't be the only ones protected by the First Amendment.

A good week-end with the family

Our niece and nephew, Joan and Dan, from Indianapolis drove over to spend time with Phil this week-end, and we also were the beneficiaries.  First we knew Phil was in good hands.  He and Joan are just 2 years apart, and spent many holidays together as children.  Dan and Joan are strong Christians and also people who work and play hard--I can think of no one I'd rather spend time with if I didn't feel social!

Second, we got to have dinner with them and our daughter and son-in-law, sort of a second Christmas as we still had all our decorations up and used the Christmas dinnerware. On Sunday we had someone to attend church with, and then out for brunch at Bob Evans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khkJkR-ipfw

We move forward; we don't move on 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trxw9wqKSHI

I am a survivor

Clarence Thomas and the racism of the Democrats

"At the time of his confirmation, the public was twice as likely to believe Justice Thomas over Anita Hill (55% to 27%), and 58% favored his confirmation. Today, only 30% of Americans believe that he should have been confirmed, and 38% say he should not have been."
https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/12/23/clarence-thomas-tells-his-story-in-a-new-documentary

I don't have a problem understanding what happened. The media and academe. They try to damage any black who leaves the plantation. They try to convince Americans that blacks who aren't Democrats are unfaithful to the "values" of America. What it really is, is the Democrat style of racism. And in all cultural venues, academe, entertainment, news media, tech giants that control social media--Democrats rule. You can hardly get hired if you don't toe their line.

I was still a Democrat in the 1990s, and I was shocked to hear a colleague at the university say that the only reason Bush nominated Thomas was because he was black! I thought I'd never heard such a racist comment. It took me a few years, but I eventually figured out the subtle racism of the Democrats--my party! I was a slow learner. I eventually left the party because of abortion, but then learned what was under my nose all the time.

Final day of radiation

Phil's final day of radiation was yesterday. It was a shock for me to see this photo. I'd never been to the Zangmeister Center where he had the procedure.  Seizures on October 1, 2019, were the first warning something was wrong. We had just that Saturday gone to our old neighborhood for lunch. So how could he be sick three days later? Glioblastoma stage 4. Surgery a week later, followed by radiation and chemo with 13 bottles of pills lined up and all his notes to ask his doctors and write down their instructions. His family, his many friends (I'm not sure I even know that many people), his church family and his co-workers all rallied ready to help, but mostly he just plowed ahead alone, fiercely independent and brave.

Philip Vincent Bruce--

friend, lover, name of one of the first apostles;

conqueror, popular name among first Christians and saints;

Scottish surname from Normans in France, made famous by the King, Robert the Bruce, brave and independent.

So the name is a perfect fit--we just didn't know that as we sat up late at night 51 years ago trying to pick a name.

Where’s the special laws to protect white men?

Women today get the majority of college degrees in America. It doesn’t matter what kind — associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral — women beat men in all the categories. And that article was 5 years ago. It's even more unbalanced today. For over a decade in many cities and age groups, they far out-earn their male counterparts. Yet the media and academe continue to ignore the fact that the gender gap favors women, not men, and it's growing. I retired almost 20 years ago, and during searches for higher level jobs, if male and female candidates were pretty much equal, you could bet the job would go to the woman, because of her biology, not her expertise. Men are being sent to the back of the bus, or thrown under it. But in pathology--mental illness, drug use, alcoholism, accidents, etc. men vastly outnumber women. Women outlive men. Meanwhile men are ridiculed on TV and in movies where young boys are getting their cultural cues. Males are demanding to be called females--maybe they think the jobs and awards will open up?

Where are the special studies and think tanks to help men? Where are the special laws to protect men?

And where are the special programs and laws to help white people? And that includes Europeans, Egyptians, Indians (Asia) and other fair skinned populations who have immigrated to the "new world"--the United States (70% white) Canada (90% white), Mexico (60% white) Puerto Rico (76% white) and central and Latin America? In the U.S. if a person has a Spanish (European) surname for some reason he/she gets a special ethnic category that a German or English surname doesn't.

Whites are a minority in the world population, yet the Leftist/Marxist/Communists in the U.S. ignore all our laws about hate speech and hate crime where whites are targeted. The Leftists can call whites any nasty word they want and they don't lose their jobs! Chick fil A or Salvation Army or Hallmark movies or Catholic nuns and high school students, no matter, white people are maligned, blamed for sins of long dead ancestors or others' ancestors, or ridiculed, called racist and stupid, yet no one stops them. No one sends out the social justice warrior army to go after their attackers. In fact, they enlist glamorous white celebrities to snarl at and ridicule white people who have less income than they do. What's going on? Are pale people that much stronger, moral and braver than other groups that they should put up with this?

Grandma and Santa Claus, a story (anonymous)

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.

I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all us kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.

Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, dropped the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.That store clerk was one of Santa's helpers,too!

May you always have LOVE to share,

HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care...

And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

(sent to my by Robin Hall)

Punctilio, today’s new word

Usually, the M-W Word of the day is familiar to me, so I don’t spend a lot of time on it, but this one I don’t recall using or even seeing. Punctilious, yes, and according to the explanation, they come from the same Latin root, pungere.

Definition:
1. a minute detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code;
2. careful observance of forms (as in social conduct)

“We'll get straight to the point: there are a number of English words that come from Latin pungere, meaning "to prick" or "to sting." Punctilio is one of these words. It traces back to pungere by way of Italian puntiglio (meaning "small point," "point of honor," or "scruple"), Spanish puntillo (the diminutive of punto, meaning "point"), and Latin punctum (also meaning "point"). The adjective punctilious, meaning "marked by or concerned about precise accordance with the details of codes or conventions," is a close relative of punctilio. Do you have any guesses for other pungere derivatives? Punctuate, puncture, compunction, punctual, and pungent are some of the more common ones.”

Racism is on TV

There’s a black radio talker named James Harris from Arizona https://jamestharris.com/the-conservative-circus-with-james-t-harris/.  He’s subbing this week for Glen Beck.  This morning to lead into his topic on bigotry and racism he told a story about his father, who had come north from Mississippi during the second black migration to Milwaukee for a good job.  There he met other men from his state and they became friends and spent time together gardening and fishing, sharing all the bounty. A little kid saw 3 of the men arrive at their favorite fishing hole and said, Oh look three N-word.  Two of the guys wanted to thrash him, but Harris’ father stopped them, and reminded them he only knowns what he’s been taught—it’s not his fault. That was the 1960s and Harris says he’s never experienced the kind of racism his dad did—except on TV.  CNN, NBC, MSNBC.  By that I don’t think he meant they were using racist language or cheating blacks out of journalist jobs.  He meant he’s personally unaware of racism until the media promotes “systemic racism,” or “white supremacy” in their stories.  He also reminded the audience that when Trump was a Democrat he was never called a racist—in fact, black celebrities sought him out. When Trump beat the Democrat candidate, the media personalities began complaining about a “white lash” in that melt down we all remember on TV that election night when impeachment went in full gear. 

Something to remember—we don’t have a racist society but we do have racist TV news.

Teen Vogue

What sort of propaganda digital fish wrapper is Teen Vogue? Just google any topic on race or income, throw in the term "Teen Vogue" and you'll find the most ridiculous anti-American, anti-White, condescending toward blacks drivel you can imagine in woke rich white kid reading material. "Confront other white people," "Lecture your parents about. . . " "SAT is mired in racism," "Racism and patriotism go together," "Patriotic anthems are racist," and "How beauty brands profit off racism." Oh please. I'm surprised the editors aren't calling blacks darkies and colored. Who owns this racialist propaganda mill that's preparing teeny-boppers for college?

So I looked it up. The print edition died with December 2017 and Hillary Clinton was on the cover! Now there's a shocker. It's published by Conde Nast, but is now only on-line. Advance Publications owned by the Newhouse family owns Conde Nast, which used to be known for its classy publications but is now just one more media SJW.

Oh yes, it will also tell your teen how to get an abortion.

You are being manipulated about gender dysphoria and transitions

Don't believe the misinterpretation of the data. Compared with the general population, the researchers explain that gender dysphoric individuals after "treatment" have extremely high levels of mental health problems: six times the rate of visits for mood or anxiety disorders; more than three times the rate of prescriptions for depression or anxiety; and more than six times the rate of hospitalization after a suicide attempt. This is not how normal medical research is done--so what is the agenda? Yet when normal, rational people object to men on women's athletic teams or being forced to change pronouns, we're called haters and phobic.

https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/study-shows-gender-affirming-treatments-dont-help-transgender-mental-health/

https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-crazies-in-our-culture.html

https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2019/11/58371/

Christmas greetings

"In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree. Later that night, African American community centers held an outdoor worship service on these grounds.  And during that service, the Washington Monument was illuminated with a beautiful cross, a powerful reminder of the meaning of Christmas... And at Christmas, we remember this eternal truth: Every person is a beloved child of God.  As one grateful nation, we praise the joy of family, the blessings of freedom, and the miracle of Christmas. On behalf of Melania and our entire family, Merry Christmas and God bless you all. Thank you very much. Merry Christmas, everybody.  Thank you." - President Donald Trump, 2019 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

A question for all of us about who would replace President Trump

"The editors [of Christianity Today] didn’t tell us who should take his place in the aftermath. Maybe the magazine would prefer a president who is passionately pro-abortion, anti-family, hostile to the military, dispassionate toward Israel, supports a socialist form of government, promotes confiscatory taxation, opposes school choice, favors men in women’s sports and boys in girl’s locker rooms, promotes the entire LGBTQ agenda, opposes parental rights, and distrusts evangelicals and anyone who is not politically correct."  James Dobson

Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church and the host of PowerPoint Ministries speaks on CT controversy

“When we [Trump's religious council] began to work with the Trump Administration, it was with the hope that our president would keep the promises he made to America and advocate for conservative biblical principles. We continue to support him because he has kept those promises (all of them) and often he has exceeded them and beyond expectations. The 2020 election is pivotal, and we all should be prayerful that the policies of our president are secured for generations to come.

So call me foolish, but I’ve never been more confident in the will of God as we work and pray together with President Donald Trump with the future in mind."

There are still some Christians advocating socialism and trying to bring down the President so the Democrats can succeed. It baffles me. They don't know history and have forgotten the lessons of the 20th century when communist/socialist governments killed 100,000,000 of their own citizens to say nothing of the millions of unborn who never got to take a breath.

https://www.christianpost.com/voice/why-it-is-wise-for-christians-to-support-president-trump-234332/

IEDs blow up college costs

I have received Christmas/holiday greetings from the OSU Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Executive Director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male. There may be hundreds of these administrative bloat positions at any college or university by the time you include the department level and committee level appointments plus the various centers.

Impeachment timeline

A conversation with a Trump hater on the impeachment, guest blogger Michael Smith

Michael Smith had an actual conversation with a liberal who believes Trump should be impeached based on his assumptions and feelings, not evidence--just like a few Democrats I know.  Trump's enemies didn't expect him to release the transcript of the Ukraine phone call, but it didn't make any difference. Hate, which begins in the heart, has created an actual hate crime.

Actual conversation on Wednesday afternoon (before the shampeachment vote):

Person: "Trump asked Ukraine to manufacture dirt on Biden."
Me: "No. That's not correct."

Person: "Yes, it is. It was in the transcript."

Me: "No. It isn't. Not even close."

Person: "He said 'Do me a favor and investigate Biden and he withheld aid until they did."

Me: "The transcript said '...do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. '" and as to the Bidens he said "The other thing, there's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great."

Person: "Well, that's asking for dirt."

Me: "It's not. He asked for them to look into it but didn't specify a desired outcome - and as to the aid, it was never discussed in any call between Trump and Ukraine and was released after the call without an investigation."

Person: "Well, that's not what Trump meant. We know what he was after."

Me: "We don't "know" anything other than what actually was said and what happened - no witness has stated anything different than what the White House has said."

Person: "I know what happened because I know what kind of person Trump is."

Me: "So what you are saying is that a president can be impeached based on your feelings? That has to be it because you just acknowledged your position is based on how you feel, not what the facts are."

Person: "Trump is the most corrupt president we have ever had."

Me: "Show me. I'm willing to be proven wrong."

Person: "I'm not going to do it for you. You look it up. There's plenty of evidence."

Me: "Which means you don't have any evidence at all." “

Christianity Today doesn’t remember, but I do

About the Christianity Today editorial:

I’m so old I remember when conservatives were horrified that a Roman Catholic could be president; I’m so old I remember that Ronald Reagan’s divorce and remarriage was a topic of media gossip; I’m so old I remember when Gerald Ford’s wife’s divorce years before was grist for the media mill as well as the divorce of his mother and his adoption by his stepfather, named Ford; I’m so old I remember when abortion was taboo for most Christian churches, and now it’s only in the documents of the Catholics who also are ignoring their church’s teaching.

I'm so old I remember that Bill Clinton was NOT impeached for sex but for perjury and deception, aka lying, using the Violence Against Women Act definition of sex. I’m so old I remember when marriage was between a man and a woman. I'm so old I remember when Cher had a daughter and the Kardashians had a father. I'm so old I remember when Christians sat out the vote in 2012 because Romney was a Mormon so we got a second term of Obama. I'm so old I remember when ordinary people actually believed it was about medical qualities of marijuana, but presidents could inhale.

Christianity Today stumbles badly

Although I'd never call Christianity Today a "far left" magazine, it poked a hornet's nest by attacking President Trump. Trump has done more for Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists by protecting their religious liberty from socialism and appointing judges to balance out our leftist courts than any other president in my life time.

I’m so old I remember when conservatives were horrified that a Roman Catholic could be president; I’m so old I remember that Ronald Reagan’s divorce and remarriage was a topic of media gossip; I’m so old I remember when Gerald Ford’s wife’s divorce years before was grist for the media mill as well as the divorce of his mother and his adoption by his stepfather, named Ford; I’m so old I remember when abortion was taboo for most Christian churches, and now it’s only in the documents of the Catholics who also are ignoring their church’s teaching.  I’m so old I remember when marriage was between a man and a woman.  I'm so old I remember when Cher had a daughter and the Kardashians had a father. I'm so old I remember when ordinary people actually believed it was about medical qualities of marijuana, but presidents inhaled.

My letter to the editor:

Mr. Galli:  

I hope your magazine can survive your attacking our President. I haven't subscribed for years, but do occasionally pick it up at the library. Trump has done more for Christians, and all religious people, than any leader in my life time, and I'm 80. 

With your standards, Jesus would have left Zacchaeus in the tree and the prostitute with a puddle of perfume in the dirt. Plus, you've probably made most adult Christians look like hypocrites, including many pastors and priests. The very thing unbelievers criticize us for. 

I was a Cruz supporter, and didn't want a 3x married businessman/entertainer. But I held my nose; I've been pleasantly surprised to find out some presidents really do keep their promises.

Spending is up on education, and especially on administration

Funding at the federal, state and local levels has increased between the 1980s and 2019. Democrats and the teacher unions lie about that.

In real dollars, total government spending per pupil increased from $7,359 in 1980 to $9,850 by 1990, reaching $13,180 per pupil by 2015.

Taking a longer view, real spending per student in public schools has increased from $2,763 in 1960 to more than $13,000 today.

So if you have questions about learning, don't blame the funding. Plus, government spending does little to change student out come. It's the homes. What really has been jumping ahead the last 55 years (War on Poverty) is the number of administrators. Number of students is up by 40%; administrators up by 137% The student gap in learning is the same as 1965.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/12/18/washington-post-concedes-that-government-spending-on-education-has-increased-not-decreased/

https://www.heritage.org/the-not-so-great-society

Last night’s debates

I rarely watch political debates. I've heard a few filtered comments from last night, but oiy, another 11 months of this? A small town gay mayor, a fake Indian college professor, and an elderly socialist with a recent heart attack? It's proof that anyone in America can grow up to be president.

Any one, even a billionaire business man who can

• lower taxes,
• restore freedom of religion,
• deregulate and cut red tape,
• strengthen the military,
• appoint outstanding judges,
• negotiate trade deals with countries which had been cheating us,
• recognize Israel's capital,
• tackle the opioid crisis,
• raise black employment to the highest in our history,
• investigate corruption in the government,
• inspire the highest consumer confidence in many years, all while
• beating back the power and money of academe, media and entertainment as well as bigoted, hateful Democrat politicians like Nadler, Schift, Pelosi and Schumer.

Two years ago, end of radiation

Two years ago Bob ended his radiation for prostate cancer and Phil was with him to ring the bell.

Hallmark and the LGBTQ political agenda

This was my first year to watch Hallmark Christmas movies--I needed a diversion. A few of the older reruns even had carols about baby Jesus. No one was forced to watch them and I was not damaged by living to 80 without seeing one. They are cheesy, corny and chaste. Too bad Hallmark is being blackmailed. And this power agenda is coming to your club, company, church, library, or workplace soon if it hasn't already. You must obey. I've looked through some of the media business articles--I see no evidence that there is a demand for this from conservatives, liberals, Christians, Jews, bankers or candlestick makers.

17% of Americans are over 65 and 12% are disabled. Do you really think they are numerically represented in Hallmark movies or TV show main characters? You might see someone in a wheelchair in a shopping scene or grandma and grandpa baking cookies. Compare that to 2-3% for LGBTQ who are strong arming entire industries. https://www.wnd.com/2019/12/hallmark-execs-say-channel-working-fix-lack-gay-christmas-movies/

The impeachment of President Trump

I've only served on one jury trial--it was in 2002 and the people strange. (The law called Scott Pontzer--aka the Golden Turkey--was reversed the next year.) But not a one of us were deciding 3 years before the incident happened to declare the person guilty. But that's our Democrats in Congress. And a lot of Democrats on the ground.

Only about 45% of Americans are ever called for jury duty and perhaps 17% serve, so that may be why so few people know how the Democrats are violating basic rights, or that the House, either party, can really impeach for no reason, no guilt and no proof. They only need to be out of their minds with rage and hate.

Democrats are very confused about values

My Democrat friends have been rending their clothes and wearing ashes since before the President was inaugurated. They are so clairvoyant they were demanding impeachment before they could find a hoax to call a crime. I'm not surprised it's called a witch hunt, or at least something with supernatural powers. They've moved to the alarming desperation of referring to themselves as patriots and constitutionalists. Meanwhile they are calling Trump supporters "cults" because they vote and support someone who kept his promises about Israel, the military, the border, the VA, ICE, jobs for blacks and minorities, trade deals, protection for unborn babies, lower taxes and healthcare without coercion. They look at the list of religious protections, regulations and laws that have been in place over 50 years and call that Nazi Germany. They are such a confused lot.

My new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious

I had no idea I’d purchased an afternoon of reading for $1.00, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.  First, I’d never pay $25.00 for a recipe book, especially in 2007, but $1.00 looked like a good price on the library sale shelves.

I vaguely remembered the story of Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, but had to look it up. He of course, was a famous comedian whom I rarely watched.  Then after he retired (I think) he married a much younger woman who was escaping a brief marriage, then they had babies and she made books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Seinfeld

Their kids are now 20, 17 and 15 or approximately that, and when they were young she had some trouble getting them to eat, so she wrote cook books, one of which was the one I bought for $1.00.

I’m not sure the recipes are simple, the ideas are simple or if it’s supposed to be easy. But it has occurred to me recalling years ago when I tried to teach a young woman some basics of cooking who had never helped her own mother in the kitchen, that there’s a lot left out of cookbooks.  For instance:

1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs—how would you explain this to someone who didn’t know how to make them or where to buy them; it’s not like they are in the bread section of a grocery store.

This whole cookbook is built around the idea of pureeing food and then slipping it into regular recipes.  For this you need a food processor which I’ve never used, and the instructions are not particularly clear: put the (item) in the processor, secure lid, press on button and puree until smooth.  Does a beginner just learning how to peel carrots understand that?

However, I suppose if your kids won’t eat regular, hearty textured food, slipping some puree into the French Toast or scrambled eggs might do the trick.  And it’s certainly not going to hurt adults.

I think a lot of women have larger freezers than I do and definitely more patience.  Maybe jars of toddler baby food?

And thank you Mom for all the things I learned from you that I never thought about so I didn’t have to start from scratch with a book.

Celeb breakups, 2019

I managed to look through the 2019 breakups and knew only 3 people, William Shatner, Ron Perlman and Rosie O’Donnell, then the screen bled out from too much overload of ads after Rosie and it died, and I do not know the rest of the story.

When the state university invests

I don't know exactly how venture capital works, but when I read that Ohio State University is involved in the Rev1 Ventures which is a few miles from here on Kinnear Rd. that it's my tax money going to work to produce millions for investors and to do good for people. How can I know? OSU only gets money to invest or give away from the federal government or the state government--my taxes. From that it takes about 60% to run the university and passes the rest along. So how do I get a return on my investment? At some point, it trickles down, I suppose, with money for jobs, infrastructure, employees thriving, etc. And how does OSU complete this mission to invest and grow businesses while at the same time maintaining such an anti-market, anti-capitalist, anti-America atmosphere on campus, infusing its students with that attitude, including STEM?

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/12/17/rev1-ventures-launches-15m-biotech-investment-fund.html

https://ceo.osu.edu/new-ventures

https://www.development.ohio.gov/files/otf/TVSF_CY2016_FINAL_7_27.pdf

https://development.ohio.gov/files/otf/2019_TVSF_RFP_Phase2.pdf

https://www.rev1ventures.com/

How long is too long for leftovers?

Instead of the smell test, consider how long your leftovers have been in the fridge since they were prepared. Different items have a different shelf life, so keep the following time frames in mind:

• Cooked pasta: Eat within 1-2 days
• Cooked rotisserie chicken: Eat within 3-4 days from the date of purchase
• Chicken, seafood, and pizza: Eat within 3-4 days
• Red meat and pork: Eat within 3-5 days

https://blog.ohiohealth.com/leftover-lessons-know-whats-safe-to-eat-and-whats-not/

This site didn’t mention potato salad, so I looked that up separately.  Most sites said 3-5 days, however, home-submitted responses said up to 10 days, and one said 12!  I usually start with a deli mix, so I wouldn’t call that fresh, would you? Then I add cooked potatoes to taste, and some eggs and olives, or more onions, depending on taste.  However, I don’t keep it over 4 days, so I have to have a big crowd.

https://stilltasty.com/Fooditems/index/18079

Could Democrats make this worse? Yes.

A friend of mine who lives in the DC area says, “I just returned from driving Gil to work. In case you see the demonstrations on TV, here’s what I saw. In the corner area of the Capitol lawn by the Senate side, there are around 100 demonstrator/protestors. They look like the typical protest crowd in DC — hired homeless and unemployed youths making quick money as paid protestors. They are waving flags and signs for impeaching and removing. These are not volunteers or a spontaneous group. They are clearly part of an organized-for-media demonstration (right on a corner where they can be conveniently photographed, but out of the way of tourists and people doing business at the Capitol. Disgusting because it is carefully organized to show well on TV to look bigger than it is and to have closeups that are photogenic. We see it often for various causes."

Are you smarter than a 7th grader?

This was a comment on a post about impeachment on Facebook.

“Jack is in 7 th grade and the other day he was the only one in his history class that knew that The House and Senate make up Congress. So what does that tell you. I really don’t put that in the schools though. What’s wrong with parents? Because they probably don’t know either. Look how many people think The President is going to be removed from office.”

I’m looking back to 7^th grade (1952), and I’m not so sure I knew  who or what made up Congress.  Did you?  Harry Truman was president.  That was about as far as class discussions went on politics.  My parents had a mixed marriage—one Democrat, one Republican—don’t recall a political discussion in our house.

Lies continue daily about the pro-life movement

On Facebook, a friend of mine from childhood, who doesn’t vote, listens to the main stream media for news, and quotes the Bible selectively claims that pro-life people don’t care about children after birth.  What an outrageous lie. Basic pro-choice talking points written by Planned Parenthood.  My response:

Who told you that? CNN? MSNBC? Who do you think are funding all the agencies that help children who escape the siren call of Planned Parenthood? Pro-Life people, primarily Christians.

Have you ever visited a pregnancy center that saves children, gives the mothers counsel, maternity clothes, job training, parenting lessons, clothes for the children, referrals to social agencies, bus passes to clinics and hospitals--all free and with all volunteer labor? They also provide mentors and send teams into the schools to teach the basic facts of life and social skills because so many kids don't have functioning families.

Do you know what the largest social safety net in the world is? The Catholic church. Then if you combined that with all the 35,000 Protestant denominations who feed, educate, train, adopt, foster and provide health care to the poor, it would way out perform what the government does--and at no cost and with volunteers who can witness about God's love just as Jesus said in Matthew 25. People who criticize (and lie) about what the church does are afraid someone might witness to a hurting soul who's never met Jesus.

Some Christians who know selective Bible passages don't know the good that goes on in their own community and state in the name of Jesus.

http://pdhc.org/

New Orleans jazz like the old days

This should wake you up--sleeting here in Columbus (Dec. 17), so I'll probably stay in or go out after the salt trucks pass by. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZdMxFiUf9Q Name of group of street musicians is "Tuba Skinny" http://tubaskinny.com/

One of the viewers of Jackson Stomp wrote: "I started playing jazz in 1952. In recent years I have feared that the music would die out with my generation; you can't imagine how I feel too hear these young people doing their stuff. Not only do they have technique to spare but they play with passion and a real feel for the music. There are lots of copyists of the NO style but this is the real thing."

The trio of clarinet, cornet and trombone are the bomb. Craig Flory, clarinet, Shaye Cohn, cornet, Barnabus Jones, trombone, Erika Lewis drum and voice, Todd Burdick, tuba, Jason Lawrence, banjo. (On one list). Max Bien-Kahn, guitar & banjo; Greg Sherman, guitar & vocals; Robin Rapuzzi, washboard. (On another list)

Get ready for the New Year’s goal weight

Are you getting ready for your New Year's Resolution on weight? Take a look at this NIH tracker/planner. Has some nice features and it isn't preachy.  Since Phil has been ill I’ve put on about 10 lbs from stress eating. So I looked at the nice little tracker and chose 180 days and about 12 pounds. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp  By the end of February I should be at 145.7 lbs.  Maybe my slacks will fit better by then.

This article suggests eating most of your calories over a 10 hour period instead of 14 to maintain weight. https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2019/12/10/why-when-you-eat-might-be-as-important-as-what-you-eat/

James Comey wouldn’t make it through library school

"James Comey has finally admitted some “sloppiness” over the surveillance warrant for former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. The former FBI director should re-read Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report because it lays out a record of willful incuriosity about Christopher Steele and his dossier that is hard to credit as mere incompetence." WSJ editorial board, "The incredibly incurious Mr. Comey."

In my profession (librarian), curiosity is what drove us there, paid the bills and took us home; can't imagine an FBI director with zip, nada, zilch curiosity, but there we have it. A librarian without curiosity and some problem solving skills wouldn't have made it through the first year of graduate school.

Snow blindness question

Dear Dr. Toole,

I’m a retired OSU librarian, and receive the Ohio State OSU Health Beat daily. Although it’s an interesting blog/aggregator/prepackaged digital publication, I think it’s a little sloppy on its research and links. It cites health articles from Reader’s Digest which has used articles from newspapers with no links or citations, or CNN, for instance.

Today it had an index summary of an article on snow blindness, and it refers the reader to a contracted commercial aggregator site, HealthDay, Dec. 15 which it often sites. In that article it credits, but doesn’t link to, a Wexner Medical article of Dec. 5. My concern was that the large photo accompanying the article was of 2 adult skiers, a man and woman, with a baby on the man’s back. The 2 adults had on sunglasses and the baby didn’t. The article explained in some detail the damage to eyes caused by bright sunlight and snow. It’s the first thing I noticed, and thought it was a little odd. So I decided I would try to find the original article. I googled as much as I knew—produced at OSU in December. There I found your name and an article on an inhouse  blog, December 3, https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/snow-blindness. From that I went to the staff directory. From that I went to your vitae. I see a lot of your articles concern children. So here’s my question, which should have been answered at the first link I went to at OSU Health Beat; Is it safe for young babies to be out skiing in the bright sunlight without proper sunglasses-- "Blocks 100% UV-A and UV-B," or "UV400."?

Also, because OSU has its own reliable articles for the layman on health topics (as yours was written), wouldn’t it be better and more authoritative for OSU Health Beat to cite those articles with a link rather than a commercial health cite that has further reduced the level of research providing no link. If HealthDay was able to find your article, why couldn’t the OSU staff?

https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/Files/WexnerMedical/OSU%20HealthBeat/2019/12/MB-121719

https://optometry.osu.edu/directory/faculty/andrew-toole

https://consumer.healthday.com/eye-care-information-13/eye-and-vision-problem-news-295/snow-blindness-a-wintry-danger-752853.html

https://blog.quiet.ly/industry/aggregators-vs-traditional-publishers/

Wealth, income and living standards—not the same

"The humblest working-class American today enjoys a standard of living and an array of amenities and comforts — from air travel to contact lenses to overnight package delivery — far superior to most of what even a billionaire like John D. Rockefeller could have commanded a century ago." Don Boudreaux, George Mason University, via Jeff Jacoby.

Ask anyone my age about this. After WWII my parents moved from their comfortable 2 bedroom 1 bath home in Mt. Morris to Forreston for dad's job with Standard Oil.  It was a farmhouse on the west end of town, 4 bedrooms, no bathroom (had an outhouse), and a hand pump for cold water in the kitchen. I'm sure my mother was horrified with 4 children, but it was 1946 and a lot of people were in the same situation. She rolled up her sleeves and learned carpentry and plumbing and we soon had a functioning bathroom and kitchen. A year later we moved to a nicer home with 1.5 baths, beautiful wood work, and a nice office for my father.  The economy was booming, and we were moving on up.

What market economics does not do . . .

https://www.thebalance.com/market-economy-characteristics-examples-pros-cons-3305586

Market economics does not hold that money is all that matters. . .

Market economics does not hold that the world would be perfect if only government stays out of the way. . .

Market economics does not hold that consumers, workers, investors, and entrepreneurs are fully informed and never prone to error or to personal irresponsibility. . .

Market economics does not assume that markets are perfectly competitive and that prices, wages, and interest rates adjust instantaneously.

Market economics does not assume that all foreign governments avoid imposing tariffs and paying subsidies that affect economic activity in the home country.

Market economics does not assume that workers displaced from jobs instantaneously find new jobs at pay equal to or higher than these workers earned in their former jobs.

Market economics does not assume that tax cuts are a miracle elixir, or that current taxes should be cut irrespective of the level of government spending.

Market economics neither discounts the value of work nor denies that people find meaning and dignity in their jobs. . .

https://granitegrok.com/blog/2019/12/notable-quote-prof-don-boudreaux-10  for a longer explanation.

Why do Democrats post Hitler memes?

I've got liberal Facebook Friends who keep posting Hitler memes instead of the truth, which just shows they

• don't know much about biology,
• don't know much about history,
• don't know much about geography,
• don't know about the French they took.

They think France and Poland, England and Holland where jumping the border running into German; they seem to think Germany's economy was booming; they don't know that Hitler disarmed and killed his own citizens.  The President loves Israel and is saving babies and the elderly.  That just doesn’t sound like Hitler.

And they seem to be clueless about Stalin and Mao. Poor, pitiful leftists.

Rudeness is in the eye of the listener

Interesting morning at the fitness palace today. Someone described his very large dog--about 200 lbs--who ate four pounds, yes pounds, not sticks, of butter that had been put out for Christmas baking. So far, only one really bad mess (I think there will be more).

Then my friend, Joanne, and I were catching up on the treadmill after she'd been gone a few weeks. The guy on the treadmill next to her said very loudly into his phone that he couldn't hear the person he was talking to (loudly) because the people next to him were talking! Since I was saying something extremely important to my friend, I just leaned over and said to him. "And you think you're not talking too loud?"

It's not unusual to hear people on cell phones complaining about other people talking (not on their phones) talking too loud.

Daddy date

Caleb, our great nephew and his daughters Halli and Kali making a gingerbread house.

  

Your future is better if you have a toilet

Maybe if more men knew about the problems women have with sanitation and hygiene, fewer of them would be conflicted about their sexuality. https://www.wsscc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/We-Can’t-Wait-A-report-on-sanitation-and-hygiene-for-women-and-girls-WSSCC-WaterAid-Unilever-2013.pdf

"Women and girls living without any toilets spend 97 billion hours each year finding a place to go" and even in developed and western countries it can be a challenge.  Our church supports the collection of hygiene products for school girls and homeless women. Teachers have told me about teens who skip school because they don’t have sanitary products.

This is an interesting report on sanitation and hygiene, particularly as it affects women.  Good graphics.

The benefits of acne

This sounds like a bad joke, but when you think about it, it sort of makes sense. . . Acne as a teen predicts success.

"We use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to investigate the association between having acne in middle to high school and subsequent educational and labor market outcomes. We find that having acne is strongly positively associated with overall grade point average in high school, grades in high school English, history, math, and science, and the completion of a college degree. We also find evidence that acne is associated with higher personal labor market earnings for women. We further explore a possible channel through which acne may affect education and earnings."

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/701436

Media leaks and persecution

This story has a little age--3 years almost--but it's important to remember which president has really been mean and nasty to journalists--Barack Obama. https://theblacksphere.net/2017/02/media-silence-obama-stunning-record-prosecution-journalists/

I looked it up because the Committee to Protect Journalists found at least 250 journalists in 2019 in jail in relation to their work globally. None by Trump. Obama went after leakers big time; Trump not so much and the White House leaked like a sieve. Journalists didn't like it during the Obama years, but it brings in the gold for them in this administration.

https://freedom.press/news/obama-used-espionage-act-put-record-number-reporters-sources-jail-and-trump-could-be-even-worse/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/08/trump-rages-about-leakers-obama-quietly-prosecuted-them/

Code words—Constitution and Democracy

The reason we're hearing so often those words rarely ever uttered by a Democrat--Constitution and Democracy--is because they are smart enough to see the hypocrisy of saying Trump asked Ukraine for help for political reasons not policy, when they are trying to impeach Trump for political reasons not policy.

But in fact, the President was following up on corruption--Joe Biden had admitted in public on camera involvement in a quid pro quo and got someone in another government fired in exchange for money. It's part of the president's job to look into that. On the other hand, the House Democrats are trying to impeach Trump for the sin/crime of winning the election in 2016 and defeating their candidate in the electoral college. From the pink hat marchers to Maxine shouting at rallies to investigating endlessly a porn star, they have been political. They have no crimes. Theirs is political, Trump's was not. The IG report shows that all the collusion was on the part of the DNC, the Obama administration and the media.

That said, Trump is allowed to be political, and so is the partisan Congress. The Democrats can impeach him because they hate him, and for no other reason--they can twist that to high crimes and misdemeanors--it just makes a mockery of the system.

Christmas cheer

I received the most delightful Christmas letter today from a friend with ALS. She is focusing on living, not dying. She's so thankful to be in her specially equipped home with home health aides and doing ordinary things we take for granted like attending church and shopping and getting her hair styled because she was in nursing care for awhile after aspiration pneumonia.

Her friends visit, call, send cards, bring gifts and send flowers, and her husband is with her.

Thanks for an uplifting message, old friend.

What’s for dinner?

You can be married almost 60 years and still be surprised. I offered 2 leftover choices--chili or pork roast with gravy and biscuits. I thought sure I'd get the chili, but I was wrong. . .

There was no bias.

The IG report says there was no bias in the FBI's methods and behavior. Whatever. But it also says the Obama administration was spying on the Trump campaign and using a fake dossier pushed by the Clinton/DNC operatives to get a FISA warrant which was then used improperly.  Seventeen major mistakes (and many more smaller ones), and all made by Democrats.  But there was no bias.

Now maybe that's no bias, but someone owes Trump an apology for the grotesque lies they told. Someone needs to apologize for deceiving the entire country with the media's help. Someone needs to apologize for putting us through this mess for 3 years in their "no bias" campaign to undo the 2016 election and steal the votes of 60,000,000 people. Schiff and Pelosi come to mind--no bias, of course.

But this all began during the Obama administration and he set the whole thing in motion. Yes, the election was interfered with, but it was coming from the White House led by the most powerful man in the world, and that isn't Putin.

What a sweet grandma story!

I saw this on Facebook.  I’ve “known” Carol since 2003 as a blogger.

“Our week of babysitting the two youngest grandgirls ends tonight. One more car rider line pickup at school this afternoon, one more homework-dinner-bath/pajama time this evening - and then their parents should arrive back home right at bedtime - which means that later tonight I'll drive back to my home and sleep in my own bed for the first time since Sunday night over a week ago. What a wonderful week it has been! Snuggle and reading time with each girl individually at bedtime has been especially tender. And bedtime prayers, too. Last night they put on an original farewell song-and-dance production for me that was both entertaining and sweet! I'm so proud of the wonderful way our son and DIL are raising their precious girls. Both girls are strong, smart, sweet, confident, and beautiful. This week reminded me so much of the times I babysat Lily and Sophie when they were younger. And I know that my days of being needed as a babysitter are numbered. Children grow up so quickly!”

51,312 abortions 2017-2018

What Warren Buffet gave through his foundation in 2001-2012 paid for 2.7 million abortions. One of the reasons he was able to complain about his low taxes (said his tax rate was lower than his secretary's) is that his taxes were reduced by these "donations." So we helped pay for the abortions he wanted.

No gulags; no death camps; no gas chambers; no lynching. Just financing abortions.

https://www.lifenews.com/2019/12/10/warren-buffet-foundation-spent-77-million-on-abortion-enough-to-kill-220000-babies-in-abortions/

You go girl—Nikki Haley

Usually I don't reply to party, candidate or non-profit surveys--they are always an appeal for money. But yesterday I got one for Republican something or other with Nikki Haley's name as the headliner. So I filled out the survey, added some money, then an orange sticky note,

"Nikki Haley for President 2024."
Three term SC House; Governor SC 2011-2017; Ambassador to UN 2017-2018. Graduate of Clemson; experience in business; active in civic affairs. Parents are both immigrants from India. Wife and mother of 2. She has stated, "I'm not pro-life because the Republican Party tells me, I'm pro-life because all of us have had experiences of what it means to have one of these special little ones in our life." She was rejected for a child beauty contest because she didn't "fit" in the black or white categories for SC which had 2 contests. You've come a long way, Nikki.

Are needy people losing SNAP?

Have you heard your Democrat friends (if you still have any) howling or posting memes about 700,000 people losing food stamp (SNAP) benefits? Actually millions have come off Food Stamps because of Trump's improving economy, but we'll have to fight that later. The October poverty report was amazing.

“The change is limited to able-bodied adults without dependents, so you don't need to envision little AOC crying with no food after daddy died.

There are currently 3 million such people—able bodied adults with no children--receiving food stamp benefits. The overwhelming majority have zero employment and earnings.

Under the rule, some recipient able-bodied adults without dependents who have received aid for more than three months would be required to take a job; if a job is not immediately available, recipients would be required to undertake training, perform community service work, or at least look for a job.
The reform is quite modest: Two-thirds of all recipient able-bodied adults without dependents are exempt from the requirements.”

This sounds a lot like the welfare reform of the mid-1990s. Able body adults need to work for their own self-esteem and work experience so they can move ahead.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/12/08/the-truth-about-the-new-food-stamp-work-requirements-effects/?

I admit, having worked in a jobs program for JPTA in the 1980s, I know there are people who will NEVER be eligible in a meaningful way for work.  We will need to support them the rest of their lives.  You wouldn’t want them near you, either stocking shelves or emptying bed pans. Jobs today can be terribly complex, even checking numbers on a clip board. 

Shep is out, Bill is in at 3 p.m.

Unless he keeps the same writers, Bill Hemmer should be easier to watch than Shep. I just turned Shepard Smith off; however, because the company was listing left anyway, not sure it will affect the viewers. Fox has always been more moderate and middle of the road than CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and the alphabet broadcast.  Its analysis and experts are better, its women prettier, its humorists funnier, and its tone friendlier.  Its ratings show. CNN must be getting subsidized because it has lost so many viewers I'm surprised it can pay the utility bills. Fox's news is news, and its opinion is opinion.  Any discerning viewer should be able to tell the difference. Tucker, Laura and Hannity are opinion shows. The Five and Outnumbered are up to the minute panel news commentary, but always with at least one liberal on board. Bret is straight news—doesn’t even change his expression. I predict Bill will sort of be right down the middle—news with a little opinion on the side.

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/bill-hemmer-shepard-smith-fox-news-1203429749/

“As a journalist, l am extremely grateful for this opportunity. 2020 will undoubtedly be a year of great significance. Leading our breaking news division with a signature hour has enormous value to me, personally, and to our audience,” Hemmer said in a statement. “We’ve got a fantastic team here and I am excited to get to work.”

Hemmer used to work for CNN and has been at Fox about 15 years.

Tumor Treating Fields—a review and graphic

Treatment for glioblastoma approved in 2015.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6406491/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29349613https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29349613

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28298023

“In 2011, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a tumor treating fields (TTF) device for treatment of recurrent or refractory GBM. More recently, the FDA approved the TTF device as adjuvant treatment for newly-diagnosed patients after completing standard-of-care surgery and chemoradiation. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) added the TTF device as an option for treatment of newly-diagnosed GBM. Despite FDA approval, skepticism remains regarding this therapy. In this review we discuss the current evidence supporting treatment with the TTF device and its limitations.”

TT Fields Treatment https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/brain-tumor/tt-fields-tumortreating-fields-for-brain-tumors

• The TT fields treatment device is portable and may help people treat their cancer while continuing their normal activities.
  
• People undergoing TT fields therapy use small transducers that are attached to their head with adhesive bandages. Hair must be shaved in order to use the device.
  
• The transducers are connected to wires, which are plugged into a battery that is about the size of a book. The batteries fit into a bag that the person carries with them, either in a backpack, across the body, or over the shoulder like a messenger bag.
  
• The system comes with multiple batteries and a charging station. The user is alerted when batteries need to be changed.
  
• The therapy is continual, but people can unplug the device for short times