1854 Bo Derek says

the 80s are back, so bring out those flared jeans, low hip huggers, belts and jackets. Gosh, I thought that was late 60s, early 70s. At least it was at my sewing blog when I dug out some old patterns. And I read that the turned up collar is back. When I posted this at Coffee Spills I didn't know that--had probably not adjusted the collar after I took off my scarf. Imagine that today a teen-ager might be asking grandma for her hip huggers.

Bo Derek testifying in Illinois about horse slaughter in 2004.

1853 Finally Donna Mills is catching up with me

Donna Mills and I were at the University of Illinois at the same time. I think she was a freshman when I was a sophomore. Of course, she went on to fame and fortune in TV and a few movies (Misty). I think I first saw her in 1967 on a soap "Love is a Splendored Something" and she played the wimpy, delicate sister Laura. Her sister Iris was the fiesty one.

Years later when she was famous for being the 70s version of a controling gorgeous woman on Knots Landing, I picked up a tabloid to find out she was about 10 years younger than me. Imagine my shock! Last week I saw an item in USAToday that the "desperate housewives" of 1979--Michele Lee, Joan Van Ark and Donna Mills, "now in their 60s. . ." So our age gap is dwindling. My guess is she is 65. I googled her bio and it gave her birthdate as 1942. Maybe she was a brilliant student who entered college 3 years early.

1852 Why is this news?

"The U.S. military command in Baghdad acknowledged for the first time yesterday that it has paid Iraqi newspapers to carry positive news about U.S. efforts in Iraq, but officials characterized the payments as part of a legitimate campaign to counter insurgents' misinformation." WaPo

How else would positive news "leak" to the press--maybe they should have paid U.S. newspapers to carry positive news about Iraq. Is paid good news [i.e. propaganda] worse than killing people?

To this I have three little words, in a string, of government agencies which openly manipulate information for good public relations, [you can go to their web sites and look for jobs in communications] and our very own news media which either distort or enhance the news to satisfy their owners or readers or advertisers.

Radio Free Europe RFE
Voice of America VOA
Agency for International Development AID (United States)
Information and Communications Technologies (Canada)

New York Times
The Washington Post
BBC
ABC
NBC
CBS
CNN
Fox Broadcasting Company

And then there's Eason Jordan of CNN who distorted the [bad] news from Iraq, making it less horrible, published it in the U.S. so that he could keep his agency doors open which would continue to distort the news for the U.S. readership.

Disclosure: I was paid for 3.5 years as a librarian on a grant from the USAID.

Technorati tags: propaganda, Iraq War

1851 Booking through Thursday on Friday

Forgot to check the questions yesterday (Dec. 1). The questions and answers are:

Have you ever read a book in a language other than your native language?
Do attempts count--or easy learner's books? Russian and Spanish.

If so, how would you describe your experience?
Pretty awful, but I learned to appreciate dictionaries.

Have you ever read a book translated from another language into your native language?
Yes, often the ones I was supposed to be reading in Russian, like Crime and Punishment and the Cherry Orchard.

Why or why not?
They were assigned. Who would read Crime and Punishment and struggle with all those hard Russian patronymics if you didn't have to?

If so, how would you describe your experience?
Useful. I graduated and got a great job. . . years later.

1850 Liar, liar, panties on fire

Andrew Sullivan should know the power of the bloggers to track down lies, and he's got some whoppers. Sullivan is a gay, Catholic conservative (or was) and when I started blogging in October 2003 and adding favorite links, his blog was one of my first. I dropped him after about a year because he turned against President Bush and the war, both of which he at first supported. What happened? Gay marriage, and his President for whom he'd endured ridicule and scorn (by other gays, I guess) didn't support it. James Taranto at Opinion Journal links to some of Sullivan's pro-war blogs which he is now denying he ever supported. Sullivan is learning "globbing" from John Kerry. Gripe, lie, obfuscate, backpeddle.

Technorati tags: Globs, Andrew Sullivan

1849 You may not like it

but you can't say there is no plan.

“National Strategy for Victory in Iraq,” November 2005, 38 pages

"The following document articulates the broad strategy the President set forth in 2003 and provides an update on our progress as well as the challenges remaining."

"Does America have a good plan for doing this, a strategy for victory in Iraq? Yes we do. And it is important to make it clear to the American people that the plan has not remained stubbornly still but has changed over the years. Mistakes, some of them big, were made after Saddam was removed, and no one who supports the war should hesitate to admit that; but we have learned from those mistakes and, in characteristic American fashion, from what has worked and not worked on the ground. The administration's recent use of the banner "clear, hold and build" accurately describes the strategy as I saw it being implemented last week." Senator Joe Lieberman, A Democrat who gets it.

Technorati tags: Victory in Iraq, Iraq Strategy

1848 Like this isn’t funny, but like, can’t these kids, like speak?

From the Ohio News Now story of a clerk escaping abduction:

“Earlier in the day, police say he [Steven Corbin] tried to abduct a 16-year-old grocery bagger from a Kroger store.

"He told me he needed help carrying out his groceries and he had a lot of stuff. And like I was helping him carry you and like he kept on saying like all this weird stuff to me. Like I don't know he was like, 'hey baby come on, let's get it on,'" she says.

"He's like, kept trying to get me to come to his house. And I'm like no, I can't, like I said I want to get away and he like grabbed my arm like pulling me that way," she says.”

Like. . .

1847 If I move to Canada, will I lose weight?

Canadians apparently aren't as fat as Americans, and their plumpness is much more evenly spread among income groups. Rich Canadians are closer to rich Americans when stepping on the scale, but the rich aren't as fat as the poor in either country. At least I think that's what this chart shows. I'm trying to find the story that goes with it, but keep getting "forbidden" when I chop back the URL.
Chart source here.

I've been in four quintiles--there is great income mobility in the United States. You usually start at the bottom, minimum wage or entry level or part time, work your way up, then when you retire, as we have, you drop back down again. These charts are based on income, not wealth. Most people in the "poor" statistics move on up very quickly, and I think only about 10% are poor for 10 years or more. Although I'm not sure it would make any difference, because poverty, like racism, is on a sliding scale in the U.S. If the poor or the "racists" were to disappear tomorrow, we'd immediately have a huge unemployment problem in government programs and foundations, (so I suppose that would create a new group of poor). Whoever is on the bottom, even if they own a house, car, stock, etc., will be "poor." You can't compare the "poor" from the 1970s with those of 2005--they aren't the same people, aren't even children of those poor. The 2nd quintile in 2005 may have been in the fifth quintile in the 1970s.

But fat--I think that is forever.

Correcting a drunk driver story

A month ago, I wrote about Frankie Coleman's drunk driving charge. I referred to it as a DUI, "driving under the influence." Since January 1, 2004 this has been called an OVI, "Operating a vehicle under the influence." The same bill also made these changes: Restricted license plates can be issued for OVI offenders. Vehicles can’t be seized, immobilized, or forfeited unless registered in the driver’s name, which repeals the “innocent owner” defense; a new “physical control” offense was created to cover being intoxicated in the driver’s position with the vehicle’s ignition key, but not driving; provides consistency between OVI laws for watercraft and motor vehicles; clarifies no driving privileges allowed if offender has three or more OVI convictions in six years (SB 123, explained at Ohio's Drunk Driving Laws)

So I suppose "driving" was changed to operating, because watercraft is now included, and sitting in the driver's position with the key in the ignition makes you an operator, though not a driver.

DUI or OVI, Mayor Michael Coleman (D) has dropped out of the race for Governor. I'm sure his wife has made many sacrifices over the years for his career, and I admire him for standing by his woman and realizing her recovery is going to take a lot of effort from both of them.

"But life is more than polls and more than any one campaign. My family and my city are more important than either, and after spending Thanksgiving considering all of the factors, I have made a very difficult decision. Today, I announced that I am no longer a candidate for Governor of the State of Ohio.

I have traveled long miles since this began, and I've learned so much about this great state and its needs, but I love my family above all other things, and right now that is where I am needed most - as a husband and father." Coleman website

1845 Useful source

when you want to analyze the opposition after President Bush's speeches, check this site, The Who Said it Game--Iraq Style. It says it is "A repository of quotes from prominent Democrats regarding pre-war intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's Iraq."

But no one, absolutely no one, can back peddle as fast as John Kerry.

USAToday gets on the Christmas word bandwagon

The "Holiday Gift Guide" in today's USAToday just went crazy using "Christmas." The message is out. Don't kill your advertisers' joy with "diversity days" and "multicultural merriment." On page 5D: Christmas tree; Christmas stocking; Christmas excitement; Christmas gift; and Christmas. In the article about shopping at CVS there were two Christmas words. On 6D, Christmas. On 9D, Christmas past. In the Kitsch article there was Christmas Story leg lamp and Charlie Brown's pathetic Christmas tree.

At this rate, someone may even report why we Christians celebrate Christmas, although that may be too much to hope for.

And by the way, forget that recommendation for the 5" b & W TV in the CVS article. I bought one for $19 earlier this year for the kitchen because it included an am/fm radio and wouldn't take up much counter space. Lots of static. Can hardly see the controls. We left it on the same channel most of the time because it was too complicated to move the dials made for tiny little stunted fingers. Then that channel seemed to wear out, so we've located another channel. Today, I swapped it with the guest room TV.

1843 Wash before and after eating

fruits and vegetables. Have you ever tried to prepare a salad following the new guidelines for contaminated food? It appears that fecal matter is traveling with them to the stores, restaurants, and our kitchens. I just washed some mixed salad greens. First I washed my hands for 20 seconds; then I dumped the greens in some sudsy water, rinsed, and put them in a drainer, and ran water over them. By this time, I'd contaminated everything in sight, so I washed my hands again, and wiped down the sink and counter top. Then I laid out some paper towels and dried off the greens, which by this time were looking a bit poorly. Then when I tossed out the paper towels and the plastic bag they came in, I decided I was probably contaminated again, so I washed my hands again. I repacked the greens in 2 bags, and wiped down the counter tops and sink again. No, I don't have OC disorder, but if you don't follow some complicated sanitation guidelines, your first unwashed salad could be your last, or at least send you to the hospital with bad diarrhea.

Apparently the same with oral-anal and oral-genital sex, according to a recent issue of JAMA which summarizes a CDC report. First timers can pick up all sorts of nasty pathogens--Shigella flexneri serotype 3 is making a big comeback, or you could pick from a varied menu of Hepatitis A, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Campylobacter, or Samonella. Instead of suggesting that men stop having sex with men (called MSM in the medical literature), the authors recommend a routine not unlike fixing a vegetable or fruit salad--wash your hands and anal-genital regions with soap and water before and after sex; use a condom, a dental dam and gloves. Be especially careful if you or your partners have recently had diarrhea or any breaks in the skin. I'm sure they'll be honest while you do your scrub routine.

Yes, that should just about take care of the safe sex check list and the salad prep routine--and cool your appetites.

1842 WalMart, Target and the left

Why do you suppose liberals hate WalMart so much, but seem to like Target? Target is much more upscale, so is it just snobbery? But now WalMart is moving into that area too, and I don't think liberals will love them just because they carry a better line of clothes or make wider aisles, gussy-up the stores, or put their mega-stores in cities instead of small towns.

Target and WalMart both got their start around 1962 in non-metropolitan areas, but Target should have had a huge head start, being part of the Dayton-Hudson group and WalMart was just a family who'd run a successful Ben Franklin store in Arkansas. They both have "global" suppliers; both oppose unions; both have super stores; both put surrounding smaller retail firms out of business because they can't compete. Both pay about the same entry level wages and offer the same kind of benefits. But WalMart's done everything better, faster, and with more innovations and tighter margins.

WalMart has also served the poor and low income consumer better. And I suspect that's what is at the heart of the liberals' ennui and dislike for the world's largest retailer. WalMart succeeded by marketing to the low-end customer, someone just about all other retailers except the little local guy forgot about. At WalMart needs are met, desires satisfied, and the consumer who wouldn't walk into a regular department store or boutique because of their high prices, can be quite happy in a WalMart.

Liberals don't want the poor to be happy; they want them to be angry and feeling victimized--dependent on the government and Democrats for special programs. Not programs that lift them out of the bottom quintile, mind you, but programs that keep them right there where they belong--as their power base. The left is getting very aggressive with law suits against WalMart--and it's not just their deep pockets they're lusting for, they truly want WalMart to fail. Gimme back my po' folk!.

Think about it. Is it snobbery or just old fashioned power politics?

Update: I hadn't seen this WaPo op ed when I wrote this, but here's someone with the details. "Wal-Mart's "every day low prices" make the biggest difference to the poor, since they spend a higher proportion of income on food and other basics. As a force for poverty relief, Wal-Mart's $200 billion-plus assistance to consumers may rival many federal programs. Those programs are better targeted at the needy, but they are dramatically smaller. Food stamps were worth $33 billion in 2005, and the earned-income tax credit was worth $40 billion." Some interesting facts for all you WalMart haters.

Technorati tags: WalMart, Target

1841 Don't open your mail from the "FBI"--it's a virus

My provider cleaned it off, but I went in to the FBI page to see if they posted a warning. They did.

"We're sorry to report yet another wave of virus-laden e-mails sent out with false FBI addresses. This particular e-mail claims the FBI has been monitoring your Internet use...says you've accessed so-called illegal websites...and demands you answer questions—all you have to do is open an attachment, maliciously laced with a variant of the w32/sober virus.

Don't do it! In fact, don't EVER respond to unsolicited poison pills like these. The FBI does not conduct business this way.

Who are the e-mails from? To date, they're being sent out with email addresses of mail@fbi.gov, post@fbi.gov and admin@fbi.gov.

What does the message say? Something like:

So be very cautious about opening attachments.

1840 A Thanksgiving story

One of my regular readers e-mailed me that I didn't have a Thanksgiving story. Well, I posted the menu, but I guess that was on Wednesday. So here it is, Bev.

Thursday evening after everyone had gone home (all three of them) and all the dishes were done and we'd had a few left-overs for supper, one of the upper cabinet doors in the kitchen swung open as far as it could, and wouldn't close no matter what. We don't know if it is the ghost of turkeys past, or if the building suddenly settled after 30 years, but that sucker is open as far as it will go.

After studying the situation, I tied a piece of dental floss around the cabinet knob and then tied that to the coffee caraffe handle. Then I moved the caraffe back under the cabinet to secure the door in the closed position with its weight. I have to keep the counter top clear, because if we forget and whip that cabinet door open, we have a caraffe flying through the air knocking everything in its path to the floor.

1839 Great Balls of Fire

It's 70 degrees in Columbus today, which is lucky for all those folks without power. A fire in a transformer of American Electric Power on the city's north side left about 40,000 people in the dark and cold and a number of schools and businesses closed. Our son is handwriting the customer orders today since he works in that area of the city.

My husband could have used a little of this unseasonable warmth Saturday. He and our son-in-law went up to Lake Erie to rake leaves at our summer cottage--covered by about 4" of snow and ice. Today was the last leaf pick-up. He took a tumble on some slippery landscaping stones, but didn't break anything. Good thing I didn't know he was up on a ladder chipping ice and leaves out of the gutters.

1838 Christmas word in the Journal

The Wall Street Journal has apparently picked up on the backlash about the non-use of the C-word, Christmas. In section B (Market) today I noticed the use of four Christmas words and one Hanukkah, and five holiday words uses plus one cute play on words.

Christmas selling season
Chilly Christmas sales
Last Christmas
Christmas morning
Hanukkah

Holiday sales
Holiday discounts
holiday season
holidays
holiday gift-giving
jingle sells

I was reading Snopes.com and understand that the proposed boycott of WalMart for a rude customer service rep's e-mail insulting a "valued customer" has been called off because WalMart has apologized and the employee fired. And I think they are going to use the Christmas word.

I hope all the Christians who've been complaining about this keep in mind this event isn't about making sales.

1837 The Not Used Blog Entry

Occasionally you'll see my numbering system is messed up. That's because I drafted something, let it percolate for awhile, then decided to discard it. Meanwhile I continued on another subject. This one (1837) was about hiring the older worker. I didn't like it when I finished, and didn't really have any stats to back up my opinions, so it got moved to the permanent draft file with the title "This Blog was not Used."

1836 A Favorite Cookbook?

The week-end cooking thread at Daily Pundit is "What is your favorite cookbook?" I thought that was a good topic for this blog and too long for his comment section, so here goes.

When I got married in 1960, my mother was busy assembling not only the pieces-parts of the wedding (I was living in another state), but also a cookbook. At the store each week (maybe the A & P) she’d buy a chapter of Mary Margaret McBride's Encyclopedia of Cooking (Homemakers Research Institute, Evanston, IL: 1959, 1960). Really, you'd never need another cookbook in print, unless you needed to know something old, like how to pluck a slaughtered chicken (I use Granddaughter's Inglenook for that) or how to cook something in a crockpot or microwave (I use the manufacturer's instructions or the internet because they hadn't been invented yet). My most favorite, favorite give-to-every-new-bride recipe comes from this source: sweet sour meatloaf.

It contains standard American recipes--that's primarily what I use, but also "the world’s best recipes of all nations" including Scandinavia, Ireland, Italy, Great Britain, France, the Balkans, Eastern and central Europe, Belgium and Holland, Spain and Portugal, Germany, Latin America the near East and the Far East. It even includes Canada! And it also includes American regional cooking, most of which I haven’t tried--rabbit casserole, Maine togus loaf, royal Poinciana pompano, smierkase, etc.

There's lots of helps, how-to's and many photographs--oh, not fancy colors like today’s cookbooks, but more than any one person could ever use. Some take me back a few years--like Pineapple Baked Beans which is two no. 2 cans of baked beans and one no. 2 can of pineapple chunks. Bake at 350 for 20 or 30 minutes and serve 6. Any bride could master that one! There’s a tiny chapter on weight control (eat less, exercise more) and a very large chapter on wines, a nice meal planning section, high altitude cooking, freezing, game, preserving, and to please my librarian’s soul, a good glossary and index.

I'm not a great cook, but if I had wanted to be one, here's where I’d turn.

Technorati tags: cookbooks, American cooking, memoirs.

1835 Unpacking and washing the memories

At my other blog, I'm matching up sewing patterns with photographs, and yesterday unpacked the storage bins with my children's clothes finding all sorts of things I'd forgotten. These items had been stored for many years, and then were repacked and sent to my daughter's home when we were trying to make our storage-impaired home of 34 years (no attic or basement) look larger. It's a trick every home seller does--clean out the closets, buy bigger wattage light bulbs, bake a batch of cookies, etc.

Before repacking, I decided I needed to launder everything. Some of these things have been packed for over 30 years, some for 40, and things were musty and there was some evidence of tiny bug carcasses. It was quite an event because some items have become fragile. I have no idea why I'm saving these, but who among you could throw away such precious, delicate pretties that a tiny daughter was able to wear only once or twice before outgrowing them?



And then there is the ironing. . .