2540 I know nothing about Haditha

But I know a lynch mob when I hear, read, and see one. I've started changing the channels because each report is based on the same no-information. You've heard one, you've heard it expanded.

"Who. What. When. Where. Why. These are the fundamental questions of good reporting. Apply them to what is being presented by the major media about Haditha, and see how very thin factually is the reporting. Speculation, instead, leads, with comments by those with no special information, surrounding small snippets of leaks from those on the periphery of actual involvement or investigation, any cautions quickly passed over or relegated to the end of the “story.”

Regardless of where the truth ultimately is, at this point the major media’s treatment of Haditha is little more than a literate lynch mob in a rush to judgment."

Continued at Democracy Project here and here.

2539 The CBS Sunday Morning Show

I had intended to give my readers a head's up about the CBS segment this morning, because Marilyn, one of the shopkeepers at Lakeside, stopped by our table Friday evening and told us there would be a rerun (it ran on July 3, 2005). I just check my stats, and I had at least 10 hits in about 2 hours searching the topics Lakeside, or honor system or some combination. Since I'd also written about the yard sales last week-end some of which used the honor system, those also got some hits as well as the item in the July archives. When it first ran last summer, the director got phone calls from all over the nation from people who remembered vacationing there as children and wanting to reconnect.

I didn't see it this morning--the choir sang at 3 services, but it's a neat segment.

Check here for information on Lakeside.

2538 New Wal-Mart Super Store

The Lakeside Coffee 'n Cream wasn't open this week-end (season hasn't started yet), so this morning I drove out to Bassett's for my morning coffee (it's a lovely store with a great coffee shop). As I was parking, I glanced over at the Wal-Mart because I had planned to stop there later. It was gone! Not the building, but the store. I don't know why I didn't notice it last week. So I asked the coffee shop clerk, and she said there was a new Super Store a mile down the road. So I visited there after I made a few purchases.

I walked up and down the aisles finding things I didn't know I needed. Then I saw something in ladies' lingerie that just amazed me, but did answer a few things I'd been wondering about. Low-riding, hip-hugger knee-length girdles. Think about that. If a woman needs a girdle to squeeze into her low slung slacks or hip hugger jeans, and the shirt short, that girdle is going to push her belly up and over, isn't it? I'm just saying, where's a gut going to go? I thought they just had a rollover when I saw that, but now I know they had help.

2537 The Bravest President

Tonight I listened to Richard Land on radio compare George W. Bush and Harry S. Truman. But first he quoted from this article by Michael Novak who said "after Washington and Lincoln, Bush is the bravest of our presidents." Now, he doesn't say greatest, wisest, smartest, or most fluent, but bravest.

"On the number-one issue facing the nation—the war declared upon us by fascists who pretend to be religious—he has not wavered, he has not bent, he has stayed on course and true.

In Iraq, civil society, nearly comatose under Saddam Hussein, is today alive and full of vitality. Newspapers and television and magazines are full of diversity and energy, political parties multiply, private associations are functioning by the thousands, most of the country is more secure than some American cities. Iraqi exiles from around the world, far from fleeing, are coming back in droves."

He will be vilified even more this week for his support of the marriage amendment.

Land say Harry Truman put into place the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, NATO--the machinery needed to fight international Communism. He made the tough, unpopular decisions--like getting us into the Korean War. His approval rating was 26% when he left office in 1953. Fifty years later he is considered one of the greatest Presidents of our country, and Land thinks he is the third most consequential after FDR and Reagan. But when he left office he was vilified. Land thinks Bush was the first to see that we will be in a very long battle with Islamofacism, and in 50 years people will look back and marvel at his foresight. Bush isn't concerned by the polls or popularity, says Land, and neither was Truman.

Land's web page.

2536 What starts with C?

I saw this over at Send Chocolate--write about 10 things that start with the letter C. She didn't tag me, but I'm ready for a nap, so here goes.

C is such an excellent letter and has to work very hard with several different sounds, such as K and S and CH. Imagine a concrete cellar chute. I couldn't decide if I wanted adjectives or nouns, so I used a little of both.

1. Christian faith. And I'll toss in here church family, church attendance, church service--because it's a package deal. I blog about this at Church of the Acronym.
2. Cherished family and friends. Husband, kids, siblings, their families, new friends, old friends.
3. Collection of books. A house full. And libraries too, of course.
4. Condo community. We love our "new" place--moved here 4 years ago, and still seems new.
5. Choices and challenges. Retirement has been much more fun than I thought. I haven't missed working at all, even though I loved my job.
6. Choir practice and concerts. This is totally new for me--we made a CD this week.
7. Church volunteer opportunities. Gets me out and about--keeps me from becoming too self centered.
8. Cat on my lap. She's a sweety. Nothing is more relaxing than watching a cat take a nap.
9. Computer creativity. Love to read and explore. Have 8 blogs.
10. Creek in the back yard that attracts ducks, birds and deer. What a lovely view.
11. Contentment with my life.
12. Constitution of the United States. It's just awesome. Amazing that they could have created something so sound, yet flexible.
13. Comfortable lifestyle.
14. Couch potato. Yes, I do a bit of that. Like to nap with the TV on. With the cat.
15. Convictions. You betcha. They're all here for you to read.
16. Chronicles. I print out my blogs. Don't trust pixels.
17. Capitalism. It has its flaws, but provides the best for the most.
18. Chautauqua. We have a summer home Lakeside, OH, a chautauqua community.
19. Chocolate peanut butter ice cream for dessert tonight on the deck while the
20. Cottonwood trees are blowing their seeds all over our ice cream.

If you want to play, I think the instructions were for 10--I got carried away. Consider yourself tagged.

Friday Family Photos

My parents' wedding day, 1934

Their 65th anniversary celebration, 1999
The oldest of God's institutions (Gen. 1,2) is marriage, and its choicest blessing is children, described in the Bible as God's gift. Children exist not only for their parents; but parents also for them--for physical support and, above all, for careful nurturing for moral, mental, and spiritual imprint. Baker's Dictionary of Christian Ethics.

Now here's a no brainer

"Female genital mutilation, which is practiced in several countries and estimated to affect more than 100 million women worldwide, adversely affects obstetrical outcomes, according to a report in the June 3rd issue of The Lancet." Reported at Medscape.com

2533 Sometimes it's better not to post

your firing on the internet. Could come back to bite you. E-mail announcement here.

2532 The Muirfield Memorial Tournament

is all the talk around here this week. My husband and son were supposed to go today, but something got messed up with the tickets. In honor of all the slicing, hooking, topping, shanking and chunking golf crazed addicts who read this blog, I submit this book that I found for 50 cents this week at the library book sale. . . apparently donated by someone who fell off the wagon golf cart


It is written in the 12-step style--you know the drill, admit you are powerless, believe a power greater than yourself can restore your sanity, (I hope I'm not offending anyone who has to attend a meeting tonight), made a decision to turn your will and your life over to the pursuit of something other than golf. . .

"No one can spam God with pleadings to be granted the gift of length, accuracy, and touch, and expect to wake up one Sunday morning, skip church, and go out and set the course record. Tour professionals can play the game because they are freaks of nature, and they pray every day for God to keep them in this mutated state." p. 191

2531 Yes, your dog will bite

All dogs will bite if they sense a threat or if provoked. Your problem as a pet owner is you aren't a dog and don't see or smell or sense what they do. You do not perceive a small child's behavior and movement the way a dog does--as prey. Most dog bite situations have several things in common: 1) owner is likely to be a male adult or teen, 2) who owns a young, intact, male dog, 3) who bites a young male child, and the dog is most likely a member or a mix of one of these breeds, pit bull, Akita, Rottweiler, Doberman, Chow, German Shepherd, Huskie/Malamute type and Doberman.
Dog bite, eye

Dog bite, lip

Today's WSJ has an article about pet owners putting up a fight about breed specific insurance restrictions and local codes. This isn't new. I remember many articles in the breed magazines (veterinary library) even 15 years ago about this. What is new, I think, is that more people believe pets are "part of the family" with the same rights to freedom and choice that people have. Their dogs are definitely of greater value than your child. Restricting any behavior--even pooping in the neighbor's yard--is now considered "discrimination" by many self-centered, obnoxious, dangerous dog owners. What? Read a book or take a class in dog control and behavior modification? You've got to be kidding--I've got my rights, yadda, yadda.

Love your dog; but give it dog love, and save the people love for people. Keep a leash in your house and when visitors come and the dog goes insane with barking (realizes a stranger is in his territory and a threat to the peace), leash the dog out of sight in another room. Neither your guests nor your pet should be subjected to such upset. And you won't look stupid shouting NO NO BAD DOG at an animal who obviously doesn't understand English.

I've talked about this before.

Thursday Thirteen about cars

Kiplinger's Personal Finance (May 2006) says the average American household will buy a total of 13 vehicles. Seven are purchased after the head of the household turns 50. So that put me to counting. We've had more than 13, but here are what I'll call family cars--and that works out to 13:

1. We started married life in 1960 with a 1951 Oldsmobile 88. This car used to stall at intersections in Indianapolis and I'd get out and open the hood and jiggle something to get it going, occasionally with a push from the next guy in line. Just Married 1960, 1951 Oldsmobile
2. Dad said the tires were worth more than the car, so when the steering went bad we gave it to him (he'd bought the tires) and I think we just had a bicycle for awhile. Then we got a cute little used black Renault. I found a restored 98 Olds on the Internet for $75,000.

3. After the Renault we bought my mother's 1961 or 1962 blue Comet, which up to that time had been a perfect car, but then turned into a lemon. Don't buy automobiles from relatives.

4. Our first new car was a deep blue 1964 Volkswagen. It was on a cool fall morning the first week we owned it we discovered in Wisconsin that the heater wouldn't turn off--and the day became very warm as we returned to Illinois. I was pregnant--not a happy camper.

5. I promised I'd get a license if we got an automatic (hadn't driven since the Renault), so we bought a light blue Plymouth sedan that was about as plain and basic as a car could be. After we moved to Ohio, my brother came from Illinois and drove it back, and eventually it became my aunt and uncle's car for many years.
1965 Plymouth sedan, visiting in Indianapolis
6. It was replaced by our first (and only) luxury car, a 1969 4 dr. Oldsmobile (used) very dark green, almost black, purchased from my husband's employer--it had all the bells and whistles--even an 8 track tape deck, and we put two baby car seats comfortably in the back. The only photo I could find was lifting the Christmas tree out of the trunk.

7. Our little brown 1974 Ford Pinto was our first "second" car--lots of fun to drive.

8. A beige 1977 4 dr. Buick sedan replaced the Olds. When we were shopping, my husband wanted a sportier 2-door. I looked at our little guy and said, "The kids are going to be big some day, I think we should get a 4-door, because it will be hard to stuff them in the back seat." And I was right, because he was over 6' and our daughter was 5'8" by the time we traded it. This is the car in which our kids learned to drive and get into trouble even though it was a really boring sedan. "Our life is so beige," my daughter complained. (Also had a cream colored house and company car.)
Our 1977 Buick after a snow storm
9. In 1986 I replaced the 9 year old Buick with a 1983 (or maybe 1981) maroon Buick 4 dr. Skylark which had all the luxury options, plush unholstery, sound system, etc. Possibly the most comfortable sedan we ever had, but being a used car it had some mechanical problems.

10. Which gave me an excuse to buy my dream car--a 1987 red Mustang, which I had wanted lusted after since my brother bought one in 19631964 1/2. I had a tenure track job at the university and was wallowing in empty-nest grief--so I deserved some happiness, right? However, the night I drove it off the lot it rained buckets, and I discovered that the Mustang model had no gutter around the door frame so if you opened the door after a rain (and it rains a lot in Ohio), you got soaked as the water sheeted off the roof. I hated my dream car, and because it was low to the ground, it also just killed my back. Couldn't wait to unload it.
1987 Mustang in same location as the 1951 Olds photo. See how much the trees grew in 28 years

11. I fell in love with my Plymouth mini-van, white, used 1989, and never looked back. The seats are exactly right for me, and I've tried other vans and SUVs. I sold the Mustang to a lady in Worthington looking for something cute for her teen-agers to drive to school. I think a week or two later they wrecked it.

12. Traded the white van in 1994 for a 1995 green Dodge mini-van, which I drove until the air-conditioning died in the very hot summer of 2002 and we were expecting company. Its age and mileage didn't warrant the repair costs.

13. Traded the green van for my 2002 silver Dodge mini-van, which I still love.

We had several company-owned cars which we drove as a second car--a brown Audi, a cream color Ford Fiesta, a beige Nissan Sentra. A car for personal use is absolutely the best perk you can have because all we did was pay for the gas (tax laws may have changed, but you didn't report it as income). The Fiesta and the Sentra we eventually owned. Then when my husband started his own business in 1994, he leased 2 different Ford Contours (both a shade of beige), then bought a 2000 Ford Explorer which he still has.

During all these years, with the cars we owned, or drove as a company car, or leased, we've had only one accident. My husband rear ended someone in one of the Contours in the mid-90s--minor damage, but the high pitched squeal from the alarm damaged his hearing because he couldn't get out of the car and the air bag smacked him around a little. Still, not a bad record for two boring, beige people.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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2529 Dan Brown's Truthiness

Rodney Clapp in the May 16 Christian Century writes about the errors in Da Code. It's not a journal I regularly read (too liberal most of the time), but I thought he had some good points. Be careful--this may hurt some conservatives' feelings.

1. The book is written like a movie script.
2. The characters have no inner dimension.
3. It's designed for tourists.
4. It is the striptease of truthiness--the seductive solving of obscure and opaque puzzles.
5. Resembles the "Left Behind" series which decodes the Bible through dispensational theology.
6. Plays to a culture that stays close to the surface--a sand castle on the beach that will erode and melt from view.
7. People most drawn to Da Code tend to be ex-Catholics.
8. The anxiety and urgency of the post 9/11 world made it easier to tap into fears of dungeons and theocracy.
9. As a novel, it is a cop out--the hero never locates proof.
10. Brown's claim to doing research--39 books--is nothing in the academic world. [I used that many for just a journal article in library science.]

DaVinci Code
Dan Brown

2528 Let's have pizza tonight!

At the library today I was reading a history of the pizza industry/craze in the United States, so I think we'll have take out tonight. No other foreign food has ever immigrated so successfully. It first really took off about 60 years ago in the midwest--and I was there, reluctantly. The first time I ate pizza was in 1955 or 1956 on a date with a tall, dark and handsome Italian-American whom I met because we both played trombone. I think he wanted to really impress me so we went to an Italian restaurant in Rockford (40 miles from my home, so counting the distance from Oregon to Mt. Morris, then Rockford then back, then to Oregon, he must have driven close to 100 miles round trip for that pizza). I was aware of two condiments--salt and sugar. I'd never tasted oregano, or garlic, and probably had never had any cheese other than Velveeta. I didn't even know how to eat it and asked for a fork--embarrassing him I'm sure. Leonard, where ever you are, forgive me. I love pizza now. I'm sorry I didn't believe you.

The second time I had pizza I was a freshman in college at Manchester in Indiana in 1957, and a carload of us went to a restaurant in the next town (getting out of North Manchester was excitement in those days), and they all ordered pizza. Being weak willed, I went along. It didn't seem to taste too bad that time. And it wasn't the beer--I still have never tasted beer because it smells like rotten grain.

By the time I had my first big date with my husband in 1959 at the University of Illinois, he took me to a restaurant in Urbana after a dance. I thought pizza tasted pretty darn good that night (maybe it was love?). However, in the intervening 4 years, I think the fat calories had increased considerably because I could see my happy reflection in the grease puddles on the pepperoni slices. And I was hooked.



Before (L) and after (R) pizza

2527 Saying good-bye

Today I said good-bye to my medical student. I'm a volunteer, a "senior partner" for a medical student. Because I'm pretty healthy, he didn't have much to do, but I've enjoyed learning about his studies and activities. He's from Cleveland, is bright, personable and capable, the kind of guy any of us would love to have as a son or a doctor. He says he'll see me again even though my part of the program is over, but hey--I'm not so old that I don't remember that great line of handsome young men.

Another good-bye really is permanent. A friend who'd been in a church study group with us about 10 years ago died suddenly on Saturday. She and her family had just arrived at a restaurant and she went in the rest room, apparently not feeling well, and collapsed and died. When we walked into the funeral home this evening we saw a teen in a dark suit who looked so much like his grandfather it almost took my breath away--and it was confirmed by the old black and white photos posted of her and her sweetheart in his navy uniform. They were married 52 years had 5 children and 12 grandchildren. They will miss her laughter, love and wisdom. But as our pastor has often said, although it was a shock for us, God was not surprised.

2526 The U.S. isn't falling behind in stem cell research

as reported in the latest Wired (14:06, June 2006). "Ever since President Bush hobbled domestic stem cell research nearly five years ago, US scientists have been left with just 22 viable embryonic cell lines to use for federally funded projects." says Greta Lorge in "Where the cells are."

However, in the April 2006 issue of Nature Biotechnology there was a review of all scientific publications involving the use or derivation of human embryonic stem cells, starting with the very first paper in 1998 and ending just over a year ago. Librarians love review articles. The authors' intention was to blame Bush for the U.S. falling behind, but instead says The New Atlantis (Number 12, Spring 2006, pp. 112-115) . . .

"The study itself, however, tells a very different story. Owen-Smith and McCormick reviewed the 132 human embryonic stem cell articles published in 55 scientific journals since 1998. Far from showing the United States lagging behind in the field, they found that American scientists had by far the most publications—46 percent of the total, while the other 54 percent were divided among scientists from 17 other countries. They also found that the number of papers in the field published by Americans has increased each year, with a particularly notable growth spurt beginning in 2002. . . 85 percent of all the published embryonic stem cell research in the world has used the lines approved for funding under the Bush policy"

President Bush said, "We should not use public money to support the further destruction of human life," and I agree, but as it turns out both morality and scientific research can go hand in hand.

Thank you, Mr. President. At a time when a lot of us are scratching our heads over some of your other decisions, it is nice to be reminded how standing firm in the face of media criticism and poll numbers pays off.

stem cell research
Wired magazine

2525 Tom Tancredo condemns the Senate bill

The House Immigration Reform Caucus Chair, Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) said this about last Thursday's fiasco in the Senate:

"The battle is joined," said Tancredo. "Today, the U.S. Senate passed the largest illegal alien amnesty in American history. It is bad for our national security, it is bad for American workers, and it sends a very bad message to those waiting legally for their chance at the American dream. The only good news is that Congressmen are going home next week where they are guaranteed to get hell from their constituents for this amnesty."

"A majority of House Republicans are holding firm as the last line of defense against the Senate’s amnesty plan," continued Tancredo. "The President is well known for arm-twisting, but immigration is in the front of Americans' minds, and I doubt Members will easily flip on this issue. Speaker Hastert has reaffirmed his 'majority of the majority' rule, which makes sure that my party’s leadership doesn’t collude with the Democrats to pass an amnesty bill." Key features from his press release.

Senators DeWine and Voinovich of Ohio, both Republicans, definitely sided with businesses interests rather than the people they represent. If it looks like Republicans are in disarray, indistinguishable from their Democratic colleagues, who are beholden to unions which take illegals into membership, seeing is believing in this case. Follow the money.

In my opinion, to attempt any sort of "comprehensive" bill before securing the border will endanger the lives of millions of Mexican illegals and decimate their villages as they rush north to take advantage of amnesty and all the social benefits their relatives will receive. Amnesty did not stop illegal immigration in 1986 with IRCA, in fact, it increased because our borders are porous. All the same points were made in the 1970s during the Carter years, the 80s during the Reagan years, and the 90s during the Clinton years. Remember? They thought NAFTA would keep more Mexicans working at home.

We didn't secure the borders in Iraq, so we'd better do it at home.

2524 Blogger burping

Blogger seems to be rebelling about uploading my photos for my Thursday Thirteen (in draft). I'm guessing bunches of you are posting your holiday picnic and memorial observance photos. My TT this week will be on automobiles, so I really had to do a hunt through the photo albums. But my, what fun. Hope I can get the photos to work--it will be much more interesting. It also occurred to me that I almost never took photos of cars, and if I did, they didn't get into the family albums.

As I was explaining to my husband what I was doing he began to tell me about our Packard. We never had one. However, my sister Carol and I shared a Packard (about 1950 model I think) for driving back and forth to college--she was at Goshen and I was at Manchester (both in Indiana about 50 miles apart). Talk about a tank! It was even the color of one. We could get 4 other co-eds in it with all their luggage. The trip was 250 miles on 2-lane roads, and I think Dad figured it was cheaper to buy us a car to drive back and forth than to take time off work to drive us to college.

2523 The trophy wife

At dinner last night I was browsing through the latest GSLIS Annual Report (University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science)--the campus wide bioinformatics master's program, the certificate of advanced study in language and speech processing, advanced study certificate in digital libraries, and its LEEP (online education) program. I said to my husband, "If I were 20 years younger, I might just try one of these." Without missing a beat he said, "If you were 20 years younger, I'd have a trophy wife."

Monday Memories Honoring our Veterans

For all who have served, thank you for our freedoms. May we honor you by not abandoning them.
Dad and his brother in 1944

"From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
We fight our country's battles
In the air on land and sea.
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to bear the title
Of United States Marines."
The Marine Hymn

"After the Marines participated in the capture and occupation of Mexico City and the Castle of Chapultepec, otherwise known as the "Halls of Montezuma," the words on the Colors were changed to read: "From the Shores of Tripoli to the Halls of Montezuma." Following the close of the Mexican War came the first verse of the Marines' Hymn, written, according to tradition, by a Marine on duty in Mexico. For the sake of euphony, the unknown author transposed the phrases in the motto on the Colors so that the first two lines of the Hymn would read: "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli." "

Victory in Tripoli, our first war with Islamic terrorists in the 18th century.

Who would have thought when Dad and Uncle Russell had this candid shot fighting in the Pacific, that members of our Senate 62 years later would be trying to gut our history, honor and country?

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2521 The ultimatum

After seeing this fashion trend several times this week at Lakeside, I told my husband that if he starts wearing suspenders with plaid shirts, I'm outta here.

men's fashions