787 A blog about the Social Security proposals

It's called "Social Security Choice" and is sponsored by the Club for Growth; you should probably read it even if you don't like what the administration is proposing, just so you can prepare your arguments.

I read something today in the WSJ which made me think SS is probably in worse shape than I originally thought. According to an article by David Wessel, there are 47.7 million Americans receiving benefits--7.9 million are disabled, 6.7 million are survivors, and 33 million are retirees. Of that 33 million, only 20% use Social Security as their only source of income, and 17% of those are disabled. I think this is a smaller number than I've seen before, unless I misunderstood him. I'm not sure why I find that disturbing, but it means very few Americans rely on Social Security now and the rest have voluntarily put other programs in place, just as we have. But the small percentage who are relying solely on SS, then are eligible for other programs like low income housing, food stamps and Medicaid, which may bring them closer to the level of those who have established other plans.

Perhaps what concerns me is the nagging feeling that the government sees that most retirees are already doing what is proposed--we already have "ownership" of our future--so therefore, why not "bless it" and midwife this hodge podge assortment into giving birth to another government program?

786 Should librarian bloggers be anonymous?

Jack Stephens at Conservator notes a new blog called simply "Librarian," which is written anonymously. Doesn't appear to be any big secret. He identifies the suspect--a well known, far left Florida faculty member. I looked at his link. Yawned. Moved on. Do I really want to celebrate 100 years of the Industrial Workers of the World, or follow another screed on the evils of capitalism?

Being anonymous on the internet, in my opinion, shouldn't bump her, however. I regularly read "Wretchard" of Belmont Club and Diplomad and have no idea who they are, assuming if they are putting that much effort and research into their writing, they probably have jobs or families they want to protect. My family and friends know who I am--to everyone else, I'm a collection of pixels on a screen, possibly I'm just a calico cat at the keyboard.


Blogger resting

785 Feed your Brain

Number 2 on a list of 7 ways to optimize the brain is on feeding the brain.

"The fuel you feed your brain has a profound effect on how it functions. Lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids (large cold water fish, such as tuna and salmon, walnuts, Brazil nuts, olive oil, and canola oil) are essential to brain function. Unfortunately, the great American diet is filled with simple sugars and simple carbohydrates, causing many people to feel emotional, sluggish, spacey, and distracted.

What do you have for breakfast? Do you even have breakfast? Today, many children, teens, and adults start the day with either nothing at all or by loading up on simple carbohydrates, such as sugar cereals, Pop Tarts, muffins, bagels, waffles, pancakes, or donuts. In our fast paced society these foods are simple to prepare for the family rushed in the morning, but they cause brain fog and lower performance in many people. Start the day with a healthy breakfast that includes protein, such as eggs, lean meat, or dairy products.

Many people struggle with energy and mental clarity after lunch. I have found that eliminating all simple carbohydrates at lunch (sugar, white bread or other products made from white flour such as bagels and white pasta, potatoes, and rice) can make a dramatic difference in energy and focus in the afternoon. An additional benefit of skipping sugar and simple carbohydrates at lunch is that most people do not feel hunger until dinnertime. I also believe taking a 100% vitamin and mineral supplement is important. Many people do not eat like they should on a regular basis."

Also at this web site is a list of the ways the brains of men and women differ--in many cases, giving women a clear advantage. Probably won't help Lawrence Summers, President of Harvard, who has offended the feminists by suggesting there is a difference between men and women.

Here's a site for exercising the brain. I think I like that part about "thinking" about exercising a certain muscle and having it get stronger. Now that's my kind of exercise!

784 Loose ends

Speaking of the hair cut I'm getting today, there are a few loose ends I need to clip and save here. 1) a discussion about libraries of the future, 2) is there free speech on the campus, and 3) Comma-istas among the Democrats.

Libraries of the Future. Meredith at the blog Information wants to be free recommends this panel discussion at Chicago Public Radio. Nathan Bierma (see my links) is on the panel. According to the current e-newsletter issue of Books and Culture, “starting in February, Nathan will be joining John Witvliet and his team at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship; he'll also be teaching a writing class at Calvin. Nathan has been superb—and he will continue to contribute to B & C. Keep an eye out for his byline both in the print magazine and on the website.”

How free is speech on the college campuses? Not even the President of a prestigious university can ask a question. Christian Science Monitor article.

Diplomad (Feb. 1) talks about the Comma-istas: “Of course the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were horrible [Here it comes! Listen for it!] [COMMA] but US policy in the Middle East . . ." “Of course the Iraqi elections were a good thing [COMMA] but they will not resolve the serious issue of severe income inequality in East St. Louis, or the growing gender disparity in the granting of scholarships to welding schools . . .” And the chief Comma-ista is John Kerry.

783 Murphy Brown, even better the second time around

Murphy Brown and the cast of FYI are now on Nick-at-Night, and better than ever. We watched the show's first installment in 1988 and enjoyed most of the early seasons, although not happy about the out-of-wedlock baby story line.** The original ensemble included: Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford), (now starring in her own sitcom with Kelly Ripa) a former Miss America hired for her looks; Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto), investigative reporter; Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough), the neurotic anchorman; Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud), a new college grad in his first "real" job as a producer; Eldin Bernecky (Robert Pastorelli), a house painter who is always working on Murphy's house and becomes the babysitter when her son, Avery, is born; and Phil (Pat Corley), the owner of Phil's Bar, where the FYI staff hangs out. There was a long parade of real news reporters as guests on the show, but the funniest theme, a long running joke, were the always weird and wonderful secretaries to assist Murphy. Looking at the episode list, there are many I don't recall, but I assume I lost interest after awhile.

I just wish they weren't running it at 3:30 a.m. I get up early, but . . .

Maybe I'll have to buy the DVD: "Murphy Brown: The Complete First Season" kicks off the series with Murphy returning to "F.Y.I." after drying out at the Betty Ford Clinic. In her absence, the show has gone through some changes, including the addition of a beauty queen who thinks she's a journalist and a new young executive producer fresh from Harvard who's never worked in television. During the first season, Murphy went through twenty secretaries, sparred with her house painter Eldin (Robert Pastorelli), and traded barbs with the "F.Y.I." team at their favorite hangout, Phil's, run by the all-knowing owner Phil (Pat Corely). Unique to the series, each episode opened with a different Motown song whose title or lyrics related to the story line to follow. In its nine-year run, this acclaimed sitcom garnered 62 Emmy nominations and 18 wins, 4 of which were for season one.

The 22 episodes run 535 minutes on this 4-disc DVD with extras that include:
-- "Murphy Brown: An F.Y.I. Exclusive" looks back at season one and how it all began with interviews by Creator Diane English, Candice Bergen and other cast members
-- Episode Commentary on "Respect" and "Summer of '77" with Diane English and Candice Bergen"

Photo at Classic TV.com

** See: Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, "Dan Quayle was right." Atlantic Monthly, April 1993.

782 Can they ever report good news?

The December economic figures posted in today's Wall Street were good--didn't jot them all down but personal income up +3.1%, productivity +1.9%, unemployment steady at 5.4%. Then while flipping through the USAToday I noticed a photo full page story on "State of the Union," with mostly negative slant from the subtitles, unless you looked closely.

What a surprise to see Ron and Mary of our church featured in a story about a corporate couple who bought a bakery (Great Harvest Bread Company) so they could spend more time with their children as a family. I was in an aerobics class with Mary, and we received some free gifts from their shop when we moved here three years ago. Their baked goods are to die for and the owners are right there.

A black doctor was interviewed for this story--he was worried about red tape and paperwork hurting patients. Hmmm. I wonder who's to blame for that? A Pensacola tax marketer was complaining about not having enough money to eat out more and enjoy more entertainment. An architect worried about the deficit and our international image, but they apparently interviewed him on the job based on his photo. A Puerto Rican who is loving his Chicago job and location and opportunities apparently finds work that some locals don't want, because he was thrilled. At the bottom of the page were tiny charts--eating out, up; federal debt, up; employment, up; satisfaction, up; foreclosures, down; deliquent loans, down.

It sure is hard to report on bad news these days. Need to call in John Kerry and Ted Kennedy who managed to put a negative spin on the first free Iraqi election in history for help in composing those make-believe economy stories. John ("let's not over-hype this") Kerry's stock could have soared if he'd just complimented the Iraqis. But he was his usual pompous, my-way-or-the-highway, doomsayer self.

781 Grocery day soup

Last week it was bread pudding. This week it is broccoli soup. This nutritous meal only needs 4 basic ingredients. When I started to put the fresh vegetables and fruit away today I discovered some tired and old has-beens in the drawer. A huge broccoli bunch was turning yellowish; would go nicely with some taters in the basement growing white beards and getting soft. I always keep chicken broth on hand, so into the pot went the broccoli, potatoes and broth.

It doesn't seem to make much difference how much of what is used. The potatoes are the thickening, so you can use 2 or 6--just depends on what you have on hand. Cook the sliced stems of the broccoli with the potatoes chunks and throw the florets in for the last few minutes. (If you have an onion, that's good too.) Then swirl it all in the blender. If you have half 'n half on hand, that gives it a nice flavor, but canned milk or regular milk will work--just won't be as thick.

This recipe from the Idaho Potato Commission indicates you can also use potato flakes, dry milk and frozen broccoli. I'd rather use up what I have.

Last week, I remembered Mom with the bread pudding. This week with the soup, it is Dad. "Baby, don't you want to put on an apron?" (And he was right, as usual, and my white sweater has a few green spots.)

780 Google now in Sanskrit

From Adorablog

779 Medved on Theocons

In an interview with The American Enterprise, film critic Michael Medved explains his change from left wing radical to right wing conservative. He says he is not a "neocon," but a "theocon."

TAE: How do you define theocon?

MEDVED: As a conservative whose outlook has largely been shaped by religious commitment. One of the things that most irreligious or nonreligious Americans don't recognize sufficiently is that a huge theme of American religiosity, both Christian and Jewish, is that the individual goes through a rebirth, a recommitment, a return. That kind of transforming religious experience is usually associated with a more conservative political outlook.

The President of the United States would be a prominent example of what we're talking about. I think that the clear basis for President Bush being more conservative than his father, and vastly more conservative than his grandfather Prescott Bush, is his extremely vital personal religious faith, which he says had a transforming impact on his life.

This is one of many things that the secularists don't get--the President's "I once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was blind, but now I see." This is the core story of American Christianity, the story of being born again, of having a new life, of coming home, of the prodigal son.

In other words, one of the things they'd throw at President Bush is that he was a frat boy, he drank too much, he was a playboy. Well, yes--he says so. And he
went through a change. And part of what I'm hoping to do in my book is to talk about the fact that we have a parallel tradition on the Jewish side of things. Resh Lakish was a former thief and a lowlife who became one of the great rabbis of the Talmud. An amazing number of scholars and figures in the Torah are people who are converts to Judaism, who had no religious commitment at all, who turned their lives around."

Medved knew both John Kerry and Hillary Rodham at Yale. He didn't like Kerry then, but did like Mrs. Clinton.

"MEDVED: I thought at the time that Kerry was simply too pompous to go as far as he has. Usually politicians who are successful are people with some kind of spontaneous likeability. I had close contact with John Kerry, and his likeability factor is nonexistent.

I think Hillary will be more of a challenge in 2008 than a lot of conservatives think. She's really worked hard in the Senate. She's definitely moved to the center. And her voting record on military things is now conservative. If she's able to allow her native niceness to come out, she will be a formidable candidate."

In another article with a one page list of Indicators, TAE outlines what it continues to call the Bush mandate:

Bush's share of the vote was larger than the fraction won by any Democrat in 36 years, beginning with Hubert Humphrey in 1968; Bush increased his percentage of the vote in 45 out of 50 states; Bush in 2000 had more votes than Clinton in 1996, and his second term total was 3 times the jump Clinton achieved between 92 and 96; Bush is the first President since 1924 to start a second term with House and Senate majorities; 48 percent of women voted for Bush compared to 43 percent in 2000; and for the first time in modern history, as many voting Americans fundamentally identified themselves as Republicans as Democrats. Check it out here.

778 Canada geese, go home

Blog Driver's Waltz is one of the best looking blogs among my links--well designed and tasteful. And I'm betting it is really interesting too, if only I understood what he's talking about, but most of the time I don't. Today I noticed a tiny book cover over to the right for "Souvenir of Canada 2." Viewed through my trifocals, the book cover looked like a photo of a Canada Goose dropping its load, but upon enlargement, it is actually two fused geese moving in opposite directions, just like some things Canadian. I peeked inside (Amazon lets you do that) and it looks like a really interesting book. This is Douglas Coupland's second book about why Canada is really cool.

It's not about scooping poop, which we have to do around here, every place there is a small pond--like the little park next to our church. I don't know how often the staff has to flush the sidewalks or clean the treads on the shoes of the pre-schoolers, but I'm guessing it is often. As I drove home yesterday, I'd say conservatively, 1,000 geese were nibbling, skating on the frozen pond, chatting up their buddies and wandering into traffic. I sometimes see joggers and walkers in that area, but they'd need to be constantly looking down. I have a sneaky feeling these geese have never even visited Windsor.

This website is devoted to calming fears about tons of poop in our parks.

This one says we don't have enough data.

When I was a veterinary librarian at Ohio State, I did get questions about fecal count in bird feces and avian diseases. One time I got a phone call from a chef in New York City who wanted to bake blackbirds in a pie for a contest. This is not a joke. Librarians hear the strangest things.

777 Jumping into the deep end

When I started blogging in October 2003, I waited until the seventh entry before I wrote about quintiles, retirement and baby boomers. BrainDrain has jumped right in, posting about social security and his ideas for rescuing it, immediately after his "testing, testing 1-2-3" post. I think it is the right mix of opinion, fact, chat and hyperbole--so we'll look forward to more good blogging from another Midwesterner.

776 Gallant and Goofus

Remember the cartoon panel in Highlights for Children of the two boys, one well mannered and ethical, and the other clueless about behavior and attitude? Garry C. Myers III, the CEO of Highlights, was the child model for Gallant. His grandparents Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers founded Highlights in 1946. Garry III's obituary was in the local paper yesterday. He died January 26.

The parents of young "Gallant" were killed in a plane crash and he and his siblings were raised by an aunt and uncle in Texas. The Columbus Dispatch reports "He graduated from U.S. Army Language School in Monterey, California, and served as a Spanish language specialist in Panama. He received a bachelor's degree in International Affairs at George Washington University in 1972 and then earned a M.B.A. in marketing from the University of Michigan. In 1971 at age 24 and while still in the Army, Myers was elected to the board of directors of Highlights for Children, Inc. He joined Highlights in 1975 as a management information analyst. In 1978, he became vice president of mail sales and promotion and in 1980 was named president of the Highlights corporation. Myers had been chief executive officer since 1981." Many service and volunteer organizations are listed.

I Googled "Gallant and Goofus" and discovered they have been used in sermons, TV show scripts and particularly punditry appearing in both red and blue state blogs.

Highlights Foundation has workshops for children's writers.

775 Big hair and leg warmers

Cattiva over at Does this mean I'm a grown-up enumerates the fashions of the 80s that are making a comeback. Kinda funny--my daughter's era. I think I've just packed away a few of my 80s things recently, so the reruns of the fashions have missed my notice (probably I was still wearing the 70s in the 80s). My very favorite 80s fashion was the huge shoulder pads and the wash and wear perms that needed a scrunch or two when wet (I had several).

I have a favorite blue sweater from 1980 or 1981 that just won't give up. It's a cotton knit, crew collar, long sleeve in sort of a Microsoft blue--that band of color at the bottom of my computer screen in Internet Explorer. Comfortable in summer or winter. This sweater hasn't pilled, shrunk or stretched in 25 years. I throw it in the washer, toss it in the dryer. It refuses to die or even fade. I wore it Tuesday with a white shirt and khaki slacks.

1985 in review.

774 That was close!

It wasn't exactly a New Year's resolution, but I haven't had a Fritos corn chip or a potato chip since January 1. Occasionally, the desire for something crunchy and salty rolls over me, so I pulled into a CVS parking lot on the way home from my women's group at church this morning. It was slushy and slippery and I finally found a spot that was clear, turned off the engine, and put my hand on the door, preparing to run into the store. Then Jane's face came to mind. She's in my Saturday morning group. She's about 28 and gave up a two pack a day cigarette habit on April 4, 2004. She says she loved smoking. She reached for a cig when rolling out of bed in the morning. She quit cold turkey. No nicotine gum. No patch. No substitution with snacks (didn't gain any weight). She looks (and smells) great.

So, I turned the engine back on and drove home. Thanks, Jane.

773 Delicious Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is a comfort food. I think it was developed by our grandmothers (well, not yours since you are younger) to use up stale or spoiling ingredients in the days before refrigeration. And so it came to pass, that on Monday January 24 I had a bag of stale sandwich buns, about 2 cups of milk well past the "do not sell after" date, and 5 eggs that had hung around like late night guests who don't know when to leave. So I decided I had the perfect set up for bread pudding.

In an odd coincidence, Monday was also the 5 year anniversary of my mother's death. During the grieving time I had written a very long story about my search for the perfect bread pudding recipe--something that tasted like hers. I wrote about going through her little wooden recipe box, one of the treasures I was able to take home after the funeral, and my delight at finding all sorts of names and tastes I'd forgotten. I recorded my testing of various recipes and taking them to pot luck dinners, all in the search for taste and texture (and my mom) that I remembered. I'm a little fuzzy on the details since I haven't looked at the essay for some time, but I don't think I found it. She probably made hers just by throwing a few things together and didn't use a recipe.

Five years later, I'm strong enough to accept a substitute, so the one I did make got rave reviews from my husband, and I thought it was delicious too--fine for breakfast, lunch or dinner (the dish was 13 x 9, so we had A LOT for just 2 people).

6 eggs, well beaten (I used 5--doesn't seem to matter)
1 cup sugar (I used Splenda)
2 cups light cream (I used 2% milk)
1 stick of butter (I actually had that on hand because I didn't make the Christmas cookies)
1 Tablespoon of vanilla (I think I reduced that a bit--sounds like a lot)
1 large French or egg bread, broken into pieces (I used 3 very large, stale sandwich buns)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup raisins, soaked and drained
(The recipe called for 1 jar of Bing cherries, drained, as optional. I had none and don't think this extra fruit is needed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan or large ceramic baking dish.

Beat eggs with the sugar, cream, melted butter, and vanilla; pour this mexture over the bread cubes. Stir until bread is moistened. Sprinkle cinnamon over mixture; add pineapple and raisins.

Press mixture into the pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pudding is set. Serve hot. Serve additional cream to pour over the pudding.

Serves 12--or 2 if you're lucky.

I almost never mix the way the instructions read. I tore up the bread and put it in the baking dish and then poured the liquid over it, and dabbed on the fruit, sprinkled the cinnamon on top. Really, with these "make do" ingredients, for a dish our mothers and grandmothers threw together from left overs, it doesn't matter much. I served it with Cool Whip Free.

772 Now that's a reader

Because of who I am and the people I hang out with, I know a lot of readers. Steve and his wife have us all beat. When they married back in the 80s they challenged each other to read a book a week. He kept up with her for 7 or 8 years, and then when she turned 52, he suggested she double the number to 104, and she did! I'd be surprised if I've read 52 books since the mid-80s. Probably have, but skimming or browsing is more like it. I've certainly checked out that many a year.

Yesterday I checked out Got Game; How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Business Forever by Beck and Wade (Harvard Business School Press, 2004) and Bleachers by John Grisham (Doubleday, 2003). I'm trying to finish up So Many Enemies, So Little Time; an American Woman in All the Wrong Places by Elinor Burkett (HarperCollins, 2004), which I think is overdue (they don't charge old people fines, so I get sloppy). In the morning I've been reading Amazing Grace; 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories Daily Devotions (Kregel, 1990). That would easily get me to 52 books a year if I'd finish them. But if I read Steve's blog correctly, he and his wife actually read the entire book! What a concept.

771 Ted Kennedy is not fat

But he got to his current size because he is full of gas, hot air, and himself. He is pompous beyond belief. His latest remarks as Iraqis bravely go to the polls, are inexcusable, dangerous and life threatening--not to his career, unfortunately, but to their lives.

770 Rebuilding America street by street

For 34 years we lived in a lovely, hip roof, colonial style home on a beautiful, tree lined street in a pleasant, upscale suburb. Ours was the last street developed before World War II put a stop to home building due to shortages of materials. Just one street north of us where home building started in the later 1940s, the homes were a different style and materials. Of course, by the time we purchased 2338, it didn't meet the standards of the times, either ours or the city's, so it seemed that for 34 years we were adding closets, building walls, replacing light fixtures, upgrading plumbing, putting on triple track windows, installing a new water heater and furnace, new wiring, appliances, kitchen cabinets, adding a family room, an art studio and a free standing garage, laying a brick patio, building and replacing a variety of privacy fences and finally wrapping the house in vinyl that looked like board siding. Don't believe the stories you read about this or that improvement adding %% of value to your home. That only applies if you sell within 5 or 6 years. We stayed too long and ended up redoing a number of our 1970s projects in the 1990s. Yes, a home is a good investment, but if we had banked all the remodeling projects and just let the home appreciate with the neighborhood, we would have been way ahead.

But we were pikers compared to many of our neighbors. In the late 90s, our new young neighbors with 3 little children purchased the huge half million dollar home (reduced) next door, and because it looked like such a bargain to them (they moved from California), for the next two years they provided full employment for a variety of carpenters, decorators, landscapers, and painters. The previous owners had also continuously been revising, adding on, covering up, and redecorating. Truly, for five days a week, for over thirty years, the prettiest street in town looked like a used truck and van parking lot.

Now we own a condo in one of the prettiest complexes in our city. There isn't a day that goes by that we aren't happy to be here and enjoy the lovely view from the living room windows. But occasionally, these units too go up for sale--we're the fourth owner of ours since 1990. One on the north side sold last summer and the new owners have been meticulously redecorating for 5 months. The previous owner had redone it about eight years ago, and it was quite lovely when we did a walk through after her death. Every day negotiating that side of our drive was a challenge--trucks and vans were everywhere, day after day.

Now the largest one on the south side has sold. Yesterday morning I counted the trucks and vans parked on the street and around that unit--there were eight. But after 5 p.m. and on week-ends--it is still a pretty place to live.

769 The oldest ism

The same URL kept appearing on a search of my blog, 4 or 5 times within a few minutes, so finally out of curiosity I clicked on it. It turns out my blog about Answer.com appeared on a Yahoo finance message board: "Even old people like GRU." (stock symbol for GuruNet which developed Answer.net) Maybe I should change that photo?

768 Looking for answers?

If you use Answers.com when you need a simple definition and not 50 blog entries or ads about real estate and restaurants, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Based on the comment at my previous entry, I searched "Malaysia."

"Ma·lay·sia (mə-lā'zhə, -shə) [little speaker icon for pronunciation here]
A country of southeast Asia consisting of the southern Malay Peninsula and the northern part of the island of Borneo. Malays probably moved into the penisula c. 2000 B.C., eventually reaching northern Borneo and displacing the indigenous Dayaks. Europeans arrived in the 16th century. By the 20th century Great Britain had established protectorates throughout the lower peninsula, which later formed the Union (1946) and then the Federation (1948) of Malaya. Gaining independence in 1957, it joined with Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak to become the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. Singapore gained independence separately in 1965. Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the largest city. Population: 23,000,000."

Instead of getting just a Wikipedia entry, you get a for-real source, like American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed., and a map of the region. But it does use Wikipedia when regular sources don't work--like looking up Robert A. Taft, the Governor of Ohio. Wikipedia found him under Bob Taft; Answers.com found his grandfather, Robert A. Taft.

There is also a tool you can add to your own site which allows "one-click." Hold down the ALT key and click on any word, and you will immediately have the resources of answers.com.

I love it. Although I was counting the 4 steps to the bookshelf for the dictionary and thesaurus as exercise.