3263 California is losing population

Cap'n Bob thinks it's more than the cost of housing (what would cost about $350,000 here would be about a million in California). Here's a few of the problems he sees:

California is a state where:

• income taxes are extremely high
  
• sales taxes are extremely high
  
• property taxes are extremely high
  
• gasoline taxes are extremely high
  
• courts are generally soft on criminals
  
• immigration laws are not enforced
  
• a half-million illegals and supporters clogged the streets of Los Angeles
  
• vehicle emissions controls are unreasonably severe
  
• congressional districts are gerrymandered to assure Democrats stay in power
  
• judges make rulings for political reasons rather than upholding laws
  
• unreasonable environmental laws cripple business and industry
  
• a jury acquitted OJ Simpson of murder despite compelling evidence he was guilty
  
• extreme firearms laws exist that violate citizens’ second amendment rights
  
• cities like San Francisco attract and cater to degenerates

3262 Probably filming a commercial

There were at least 10 cars parked at our neighbors on Saturday clogging up the street with people I didn't know running in and out of the garage and front door. Sunday they were back, so after church I just walked over and knocked on the door and ask if something had happened to Mrs. ----. The young lady laughed and said, "Oh we're having a home invasion." She thanked me for checking and said they were filming [I didn't catch what], but they are back today. Vans, trucks, SUVS, and bunches of people. This should be something at least 5 minutes long.

3261 Editor and Publisher

is a magazine you probably don't come across often, but I like to read it (or did), and sometimes find information about a magazine or a writer or publisher to use with by hobbylog. But lately, seems they've gone the way of the MSM, so I wrote to them:

"I could swear that I used to read Editor and Publisher for information about, well, publishing, but now when I scan your stories all I see is Bush administration bashing. Have you changed direction? Did you think that the main stream media, all losing readership, weren't doing enough of that?"

Thank goodness for talk radio, or conservatives would have no voice at all. And they aren't in lock step and are positive and upbeat. How refreshing. Right now I'm listening to News Talk 870 (California).

3260 The importance of exercise

"When astronauts come back to earth after extended space missions, they sometimes can’t walk or perform other physical activities very well, at first. Because the weightlessness of space makes it possible for astronauts to push and pull objects without effort, their muscles become weak. Back on earth, the same principle applies to the muscles of sedentary older adults: If you don’t use them, you lose them. The good news is that, at any age, almost any older adult — or astronaut — can improve strength through exercise."

The National Institute on Aging has a very nice 86 page guide to exercise you can download from the Internet, titled Exercise; a guide. Maybe you think you're too young to benefit from this, but I doubt it. Or maybe you've been looking for ideas for Mom or Dad or Grandma. It wouldn't hurt a 30 or 40 year old to know some of these tips about stretching and warm ups and good nutrition.

My husband has been in a regular exercise class either as a participant or instructor for over 2 decades. Now he works out with 25 ladies 3 times a week--he's no dummy. I've tried a variety of things, but usually stick to walking if I can find a surface that isn't too hard, and lately have been using some resistance bands. There's no one more resistant to exercise than I.

3259 Less and fewer

This is probably as lost a cause as diagramming sentences, but at a blog I was reading tonight I saw a phrase that was like fingernails on a blackboard, but I had no idea why. "I think that less and less people have other people in their lives enough." So I just punched it into Google and found a blog called Pedant's Corner, who wrote that you use fewer with countable nouns, and less with noncountable:

"The most important thing to appreciate here is the distinction between countable and non-countable things. This distinction is not always clear, but it usually is. If you consider people, you can always count them. (Even conjoined twins count as two distinct people.) There is always a distinct number of people in any given group. Contrast this with a quantity of water. Water is not a countable thing, even though it is measurable. You could try to confuse this by saying that even water is made of discrete molecules that can be counted, but in practice you don't usually think of water that way: instead, you measure it on a scale like gallons or litres."

Think of many or much: too many (implying few), or too much (implying less).

Seeing the sign at the check-out, "Ten items or less" doesn't help. It's grammatically incorrect, but it's everywhere.

3258 Absolutely

Lake Superior State University, the smallest state school in Michigan, has issued its 2006 list of banished words (and phrases), including "an accident that didn't need to happen" (are there accidents that need to happen?); "first time caller" (who cares?); and "talking points." I have submitted a word for 2007--ABSOLUTELY. I am really sick of hearing this word every time a simple YES would do the job. In fact, sometimes people will say, "Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely," when they agree, pausing and emphasizing along the way. I hear it in ordinary conversation and on TV and radio. It is also said with a very solemn face, as though the speaker were saying something incredibly wise. Anyone else sick of this?

3257 Three reasons I love language

Phonics. Diagramming. Latin. And I learned in that order from age 6 to 16. I really enjoyed the review of Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog by Kitty Burns Florey in today's WSJ. I think I want this for Christmas (someone who reads this blog has been asking for ideas).


I don't know how children are taught to read and write these days in public school. Someone is doing a good job because I've found some amazingly good writers on the internet, and they can't all have been home-schooled or have attended private schools. Perhaps it is self selective--if you hate to write, know you're a poor speller and can't make a sentence sound right--you take up another hobby. Or you type with your thumbs and can only text message.

Were you taught to diagram sentences when you were in school? Were your classes called "language arts," or "communication," or "English?" Were you taught "whole language" or phonics? Did you have instruction in penmanship (cursive) after the early grades?

3256 The monetary returns of a college degree

I've said this for years, but no one wants to believe it. They shift the topic to other values. But dollar for dollar for many students, investing the college fund and just getting a job would pay better over a 40 year career--probably 9-10%. What's interesting about this article is that it shows a public education gives a better return (4.42%) than a private college education (1.9%).

3255 Why he gives away his e-books

Cory Doctorow's first novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, has been downloaded 700,000 times--it's free on the internet. But he's made a lot of money:

"Most people who download the book don't end up buying it, but they wouldn’t have bought it in any event, so I haven’t lost any sales, I’ve just won an audience. A tiny minority of downloaders treat the free e-book as a substitute for the printed book--those are the lost sales. But a much larger minority treat the e-book as an enticement to buy the printed book. They're gained sales. As long as gained sales outnumber lost sales, I'm ahead of the game. After all, distributing nearly a million copies of my book has cost me nothing."

Full story at Forbes. HT Bibliofuture at LISNews.com

3254 Darfur

"A stunningly diverse range of individuals and organizations are pushing for the United States – and the world – to put a stop to it." Religion Link.

Whoa! Isn't that the drum beat for war we heard in the 90s about Iraq? Evil government. Democide. UN waffling. Torture. Suffering. . . The US needs to DO something.

3253 Garbled, inflated and pretentious

While browsing a thesis database for something else, I came across a master's thesis on public library architecture. I didn't want to download 23 MB to my computer, but I think architecture students and their advisors need more English classes if the abstract is an example of their writing.

"Contemporary society is gifted with the ability to retrieve the world’s wealth of information from anywhere, to anywhere, at any time. However, this ability calls into question the continued relevance of the special places that first rose to prominence for their once-unique ability to provide that information. Despite serving as the heart of many communities, the public library building is faced with questions of its purpose and utility in a networked society. Rather than attempting to combat positive change, the library must instead reform itself around the mission that begat its creation - enhancing the lives and freedom of the common citizen through culture. In this sense, the building will shift -- from simply being a repository of information to serving as an agency for the development of creative skills. Though still housing books, the building is focused on delivering experiential, collaborative learning, organized around the psychological flow of creativity." After Books: Re-Imagining the Role of the Public Library Building Hines, Scott Alan, Master of Architecture, 2006, University of Cincinnati.

I think it says The modern public library building design needs to accomodate both digital and print resources within its traditional role of acquiring, storing, preserving and delivering information. I simply have no idea what "psychological flow of creativity" is, or how you "re-imagine," so I won't touch that. And any student today who thinks a public library was ever just a "repository" within his lifetime, hasn't been in one for awhile.

3252 Bo Derek has turned 50

and Tuesday Weld is 63. They need new first names if they're going to go and get old on us.

Thirteen Things I've been Wondering about This Week

This is the season of wonder, so I've been wondering, in no particular order, while you've all been fighting the crowds at the mall:

1) Have Catholics advanced spiritually more with the vernacular rather than the unifying language of Latin?

2) Do Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians have a better grasp of the gospel with loud rock music?

3) If every household now has 2 or 3 fuel efficient cars, are we really better off, environmentally speaking, than when we had one gas hog that could hold six people comfortably?

4) Has bussing children for 45-60 minutes to and from school ever improved the quality of education or even built friendships and understanding among the races and income groups?

5) How many lawyers will get rich from restaurant operators (passing the costs on to us) trying to figure out compliance with Ohio's new minimum wage law (now part of our constitution) and the anti-smoking bans?

6) What do little children strapped into safety seats in automobiles think about or learn listening to mommy chatter on the cell phone while ignoring them?

7) Do restaurant employees really "lávase las manos" before leaving the restroom?

8) Do baseball caps on guys really hide thinning hair, or do they increase the fallout and make it difficult to give their wives a kiss?

9) Will Nicole Kidman change Keith Urban's drinking behavior or has she made another bad marriage?

10) Will the visual quality and intellectual content of YouTube be a passing fad?

11) Do gun enthusiasts, hunters and collectors really need assault weapons?

12) Did George Clooney really share his bed with Max his 300 lb. pet pig and could this be the real reason he's not married?

13) Does sloppy, loose clothing hide weight gain or does it visually add pounds?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! Leave a comment and I'll add your name and URL. View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Visited and visitors today:Amber, Amy Christopher, AnnaMary, Beth, Bookworm, Bubba, Carol, Caylynn, Celfyddydau Chelle Y. Cheryl, Chickadee, Cinderella, Cindi, Christine, Dane Bramage, Darla, East of Oregon, Gracey, JAM, Jane, Janeen, Jen, JMom,John, Julie, Katia, Kitty, KT Cat, Lady Bug, LaughingMuse, Leah, Ma, Mar, Pippajo, Sanni, Shoshana, Silver, Skittles, Something Blue, Sonny, Southern Girl, Smurf, Sparky, Staci T, Susan, Susan (Mustang), Terrell, Terri,

3250 Head for the Resale Shop

if you've gained or lost weight. Today I went to the American Cancer Society Shop up the street and bought 4 pair of slacks, black, brown, navy and tweed. Not terribly exciting, but they were all lined, 100% wool or wool blend and better quality than I usually buy; they appear to have been shortened just a bit which is great, all the buttons are sewn on and they cost between $8-10 each. But here's the best part. Because they are several years old, all had natural waists! I hate the pants style that rides below the waist--your shirt won't stay in, it won't stay flat across your tummy, and they gap big time when you sit down. I also bought a navy muted plaid suit with a pleated skirt--haven't seen one since the mid-90s, so that's probably the vintage, but it didn't have huge shoulder pads and the jacket was nicely fitted. Somebody my size up in Dublin must be cleaning out her closets!

And before I could even think about it, I bundled up about 7 pair of slacks that are either too big, or so old that the linings are ripped. I never take anything to a resale shop because I buy for value, not quality, so these will go to the church for our urban ministry to be redistributed to people who need them. And just a little of the cat is going with them since I didn't notice she'd been sleeping on the bed before I put them down.

If you need a party dress, Oh My, this place has them--and lots of cute fancy jackets to wear with dressy slacks or a velvet skirt. I just didn't need any bling this year.

weight loss
women's fashion
resale shops

3249 Of Cabbages and Kings

And Poles. A cancer study of Polish women in Warsaw and Polish-American women in Chicago, showed that the European Poles have much more protection against certain cancers because of . . . CABBAGE! Yes, they eat a lot more cabbage in Poland, including sauerkraut, but immigrant Poles tend to eat more like Americans. I just had no idea.

I fixed cooked cabbage last night for dinner--really just to use it up. I'd had a small head in the frig for about two weeks, and didn't want to make cole slaw again. I've found this really great site on the Internet called "The World's Healthiest Foods," and when I'm curious about the nutritional value of something, I look it up. This site has what every librarian loves--hundreds of references to refereed and scholarly journals, and what all non-nutritionists need--translation into a language we can understand. The site is well-designed and easy to read and print--also a big plus for me. Reading about cabbage I learned that it is a cruciferous vegetable with phytonutrients which "initiate an intricate dance inside our cells in which gene response elements direct and balance the steps among dozens of detoxification enzyme partners, each performing its own protective role in perfect balance with the other dancers."

Wow! It's romantic to eat cabbage! We've been "dancing with the stars" and didn't even know it.

Also, I learned that my mother probably did it right (this really isn't news to me). She used to give us children a wedge of raw cabbage for an after school snack or let us finish up the core if she was making slaw. We thought it was a wonderful treat. According to the Polish study, women get the most life time protection from raw cabbage if they eat it during childhood. The article also reports that I left mine in the refrigerator too long, so it probably lost a lot of the nutrients, especially Vitamin C. It quickly degrades once it has been cut, and I also didn't have mine tightly wrapped. Although I did lightly saute the cabbage, I overcooked it when I reheated it. Apparently, there's not much left when you make cabbage rolls.

Unfortunately, the site says 3-5 servings a week of cruciferous/brassica vegetables to fight cancer, and there's not much in this family. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are the only ones we eat. So even if you eat each just once a week. . . your house will always stink. I suppose I could break away from white and red and try some of the Asian cabbages--there are many of those.

cabbage
vegetables
cruciferous vegetables
healthy foods

3248 Chef training for the homeless

is the topic of Roger Thurow's lastest installment in his series about creative ways to address poverty and hunger in the Wall Street Journal. The devil is in the details, as usual. Although he describes an innovative program to train chefs, his story is a reminder that if you think low wages or poverty can be addressed by adding an amendment to raise the minimum wage, or consciousness raising among the middle class, think again.

Eighty-four low wage and homeless people signed up for the chef training program, of which half didn't show up the first day. Thirty-eight completed the interviews. Twenty were dropped after a battery of tests and a 3 day kitchen trial. Finally, they had a class of 17, of which 14 completed the course and 12 found jobs.

As I've said many times, homelessness is not the correct term. These people suffered from lack of a sense of responsibility, absenteeism, health problems, poor math skills, and test anxiety. If there is a chance of overcoming these life long habits and problems, it is in the small programs that Thurow describes.

3247 Straight-from-the-book classes are history

was the headline of the Columbus Dispatch story on Monday. Actually, they were history when I was in elementary school in the 1940s, and when my parents were in school in the 1920s, and when my kids were in school in the 1970s-80s. Except my parents and I also studied real "history." My children's teachers didn't want to load up their impressionable minds with boring facts, so they never knew which came first WWII, Korea or VietNam.

How I remember building walls for a medieval fort by cutting up bars of soap (the whole class worked on this plan), and making a poster of Georgia showing all the agricultural products with my friend Nancy. And I also remember the less able students who were part of the team and learned nothing--not even how to cut up soap. Whatever. Each generation of journalists and teachers seem to think they invented hands-on, group learning.

However, this article in the CD was about teaching teachers who had no required history courses in college--how to teach children what the teacher doesn't know. It's a program--funded with federal money, of course--by the Ohio Historical Society, Ohio State University and the Columbus Public Schools called "History Works II." Seventy-five Columbus teachers have been through the $1 million dollar program to teach creative ways (costumes, journals, mock-government) to teach history.

Here's an idea. Let's reset the college requirements with more history courses for education majors, so we don't have million dollar programs to correct the oversight later on (federal site says $119,790,000 for 130 programs). I was a foreign language/education major and was within about one credit hour of a history minor, with some political science courses, too. So, how are ed majors filling their class time these days?

Check here for Jennifer Smith Richard's article.

New drug pulled from trials

Yesterday the big story was that Pfizer's experimental cholesterol drug, torcetrapibhad had been removed from the clinical trials because 82 people had died. A woman guest on Cavuto's show on Fox (I think) commented that if Michael Fox were told today that there was a cure for Parkinson's Disease that didn't require research for a new drug, would he pursue it? Then she went on to say that there is help for cardiovascular disease and no drugs or clinical trials are required. We already know what works. I agree with her 100%. For every drug we take, no matter how helpful, some chemical reaction not so helpful will also be happening. Why not correct the problem yourself?

Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of women in the United States and most other developed countries, exceeding the number of deaths in men. Two thirds of the women who die of coronary heart disease have no previous symtoms. The road to a cure involves lifestyle changes and interventions available to any woman.

This is reprinted from "Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women" (Circulation. 2004;109:672-693) describing what doctors should be doing for their female patients. It is a long list, but the first five items pretty much say it all, and four of the five are completely in our control. Ladies! Take back your health!

Lifestyle interventions
Cigarette smoking: Consistently encourage women not to smoke and to avoid environmental tobacco.

Physical activity : Consistently encourage women to accumulate a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (eg, brisk walking) on most, and preferably all, days of the week.

Cardiac rehabilitation : Women with a recent acute coronary syndrome or coronary intervention, new-onset or chronic angina should participate in a comprehensive risk-reduction regimen, such as cardiac rehabilitation or a physician-guided home- or community-based program.

Heart-healthy diet : Consistently encourage an overall healthy eating pattern that includes intake of a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, fish, legumes, and sources of protein low in saturated fat (eg, poultry, lean meats, plant sources). Limit saturated fat intake to <10% gi="1">

Weight maintenance/reduction : Consistently encourage weight maintenance/reduction through an appropriate balance of physical activity, caloric intake, and formal behavioral programs when indicated to maintain/achieve a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2 and a waist circumference <35 in.

3245 When my husband does this

I know he's asleep.

The following is the reply of John Hogan, Commonwealth Edison Supervisor of News Information, to a charge by a Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector that two Dresden Nuclear Plant operators were sleeping on the job:

"It depends on your definition of asleep. They were not stretched out. They had their eyes closed. They were seated at their desks with their heads in a nodding position. "

Annals of Neurology, June 2006 "Sleepiness in the Elderly"

3244 The Christmas Meme

I saw this at Gracey's.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog, definitely. I purchase it, then cut it in 1/2 with skim milk. We can't tell the difference.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? We wrap--my husband always gets his under the tree first. My daughter's gift wraps are really elaborate and artistic. Mine are reused bows and paper.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have white lights outside, and colored on the tree.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. We have open season on kissing in this house.

5. When do you put up your decorations ? Ours are up from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? It depends if I'm doing Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Lately it's been boneless pork roast with an orange cranberry glaze.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child The excitement. Particularly to see what doll clothes my mother had made.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Santa wasn't part of our tradition--I always knew the story, and sort of hoped it was true, but realized about age 7 it wasn't. My husband, however, was a true believer, until he noticed that under Santa's red suit was a shirt the same as his uncle's (Santa used to stop at his Grandmother's.)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We did when I was a child, and when our children were young. Now we open them all on whatever day they are with us.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? No theme except tradition. We have very old decorations--some from our first Christmas in 1960; some handmade by our children. I used to buy one or two each year and date them, but don't any more.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? It's fun to see it fresh and white around Christmas, but I'm always anxious for it to melt to make better driving conditions.

12. Can you ice skate? No. I tried it a few times as a child and found it very difficult. Spent a lot of time sitting on the ice.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My father was discharged from the service in December 1945, and I remember that Christmas Mother got us (my 2 sisters and me) a doll house. It continued well through the grandchildren, and maybe great granchildren, being redecorated many times.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The coming of Christ for our salvation.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Although I don't make them anymore, my husband's grandmother, Neno, made a fabulous sugar cookie cut-out.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve services at our church with lighted candles singing "Silent Night."

17. What tops your tree? An angel.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving presents? Giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Although it is secular, I love "White Christmas" sung by Bing Crosby. I heard it first in California where it was damp and foggy and we were homesick for Illinois. It makes some sense because it was written by a Jew, Irving Berlin, about a Californian.

20. Candy Canes Yuck or Yum?OK for decorating, but I never eat them. Fudge would be my choice for Christmas candy.