3871

When guys open up

their hearts fall out. Something amazing happened at my daughter's garage sale on Friday. Two different men, nice looking in the 50-60 age range, told us their deepest secrets and hurts. I think it was because my son-in-law was in the garage. They were really talking to him--my daughter and I just stood by, mouths open, bug eyed.

One guy told SIL that he'd lost his church job because of a personal scandal--he'd come home and found his wife in bed with another--woman. No matter what my SIL injected into the conversation to move on (of sorts, but it was really more like a confessional), the guy just kept giving details. His girlfriend was in the neighborhood interviewing for a job, he said, so he was just filling time at our garage sale.

Then about an hour later, another guy about 60 came in. His t-shirt identified the company, which was one my SIL had had a problem with. So he shared some information on who to call to get an adjustment. From him we found out that he'd been married about a year to a wonderful Christian woman, but his former wife, with whom he'd been in business, had had an affair with a friend via the internet. Good-bye marriage, but he got the property and business. When SIL expressed sympathy, he said, "Oh well, I hadn't been in love with her for 3 years, and she was sort of a flaky tree-hugger, worship-mother-earth type."

Maybe it was the heat. The women who came just walked in, looked, and either bought something or left.

3870

Hispanics--the made-for-politics racial category

"With the beginning of large-scale non-European immigration in the late 1960s as a result of the 1965 Immigration Reform Act, entrants from Europe fell from over 50%, 1955-64, to less than 10% in 1985-90, while Third World entrants rose rapidly. This opened an opportunity for lobbies to create new categories of 'disadvantaged minorities.' Thus the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, a powerful interest-group in alliance with the Democratic Party, succeeded in establishing a racial category known as 'Hispanic,' which included latin mestizos, people of predominantly European, black, and American Indian descent, descendants of long-assimilated Californios and Tejanos, and other groups who once spoke Spanish--almost anyone in fact who found it advantageous to belong, so long as they could not be accused of being 'Caucasian' or 'Aryan.' This pseudo-race came into existence as the result of statistical classification by bureaucrats." Paul Johnson, A history of the American people, Harper Collins, 1997, pp. 956-57

3869

1776, the good, bad, and hopeless

I don't particularly like war stories. After all, the U.S. has been at war with some country some where throughout its existence. But lest you get indignant, so have most countries, unless you're reading a modern history published in the U.S. for use in our schools, then all communist and marxist countries/governments are given a pass, and all Americans are invaders, pillagers or scoundrels.

Still, David McCullough's 1776 is a very sobering book. It only covers one year of our revolution which lasted until 1783, but there are so many times the Americans came close to remaining British subjects. In 1776, Americans had the highest standard of living in the world. I imagine there were many asking, Why are we in this war? Many Americans, Loyalists, and British wanted the war to end with peace talks because of the high losses.

"In a disastrous campaign for New York in which Washington's army had suffered one humiliating, costly reverse after another, this, the surrender of Fort Washington on Saturday, November 16, was the most devastating blow of all, an utter catastrophe. The taking of more than a thousand American prisoners by the British at Brooklyn had been a dreadful loss. Now more than twice (2,837) that number were marched off as prisoners, making a total loss from the two battles of nearly four thousand men--from an army already rapidly disintegrating from sickness and desertions and in desperate need of almost anyone fit enough to pick up a musket. . . The British were astonished to find how many of the American prisoners were less than 15, or old men, filthy, and without shoes. . .

What lay ahead of the Americans taken prisoner was a horror of another kind. Nearly all would be held captive in overcrowded, unheated barns and sheds, and on British prison ships in the harbor, where hundreds died of disease. . . Washington is said to have wept. . ."

The Fort was not reclaimed by the Americans until the end of the war in 1783, and it was renamed during that time for a Hessian, Fort Knyphausen.

3868

Call me anything but Muslim terrorist

Four people have been charged in the US over a plot to bomb John F Kennedy airport in New York, US officials said. [BBC]

Four people, including a former member of Guyana's parliament, have been charged with planning to blow up New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, U.S. officials said on Saturday. [Reuters]

Three suspects have been apprehended with a fourth at large, all believed to be part of the plot with connections from New York to Guyana to Trinidad, authorities said. One suspect was taken into custody in New York as part of a federal-local investigation, and two were apprehended in Trinidad. The at-large suspect is in Trinidad, reports said.[MarketWatch]

Authorities said Saturday that they had broken up an alleged terrorist plot to bomb aviation fuel tanks and pipelines at John F. Kennedy International Airport, arresting a former airport worker and two other men with links to Islamic extremists in South America and the Caribbean. [Washington Post]

Three people were arrested and another was being sought Saturday for allegedly plotting to blow up a fuel line that feeds John F. Kennedy International Airport and runs through residential neighborhoods, authorities said.

The plot never got past the planning stages. It posed no threat to air safety or the public, the FBI said Saturday.[AP]

The plotters sought to blow up the airport's jet fuel tanks and part of the 64km pipeline feeding them from New Jersey. Three of the four suspects, who included a former airline cargo handler, have been arrested, federal law enforcement officials said. [Breaking News Australia, via Reuters]

And six people were arrested a month ago in an alleged plot to unleash a bloody rampage on Fort Dix in New Jersey.[AP]

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have reported that four arrests have been made in a foiled plot to blow up jet-fuel supply tanks and pipeline at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), in New York City. The DOJ suggested the plot was interrupted in the early planning stages through cooperative law enforcement work in the United States and abroad.[Wikinews]

We've got FOUR, we've got PEOPLE, we've got ARRESTS, we've got PLOTTERS, we've got SUSPECTS, we've got a WORKER and a CARGO HANDLER . . . I guess even using the word MEN is too politically charged these days.

3867

Great Grandma's sunscreen

It was called common sense coverage.



Gardeners, golfers, sunbathers and tanning salonistas need to know: Skin cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in the United States and accounts for about 2% of all cancer deaths. In 2005, about 59,580 individuals in the United States were expected to develop melanoma and approximately 7,770 (62,000 and 7,900 in 2006) were expected to die of it. (JAMA and Proc Natl Acad Sci USA) Melanomas are often resistant to radiation therapy and to many chemotherapeutic agents. That's a huge price to pay for being fashionable.

The next time you hear reports of how many soldiers have died since 2003 in Iraq, ask yourself about these preventable deaths. Twice as many in 1/4 the time.

Update: In Tara Parker Pope's column (WSJ, June 5) she reports that a white cotton t-shirt is almost no protection, and even less if wet. A green t-shirt offers 50% more skin protection than white, but even that is only an SPF of 10. You can buy clothing treated with sun block. Rit Sun Guard is a laundry additive which increases the UPF rating to 30 and lasts for 20 washes.

3866

Climate change map

This map, which appeared in JAMA 296:8 and is found on www.sciencesource.com, is supposed to show the possible hazards of global climate change. As you can see, it is Europe. According to the article, the summer of 2003 was the hottest in Europe in 500 years. It used to be very cold in Europe, and warm in Greenland (which is how it got its name).



But wait! The white areas showed no change and the blue areas were cooler, not warmer (the map here is small, but on the larger map, there are many white spaces). To my untrained eye, over half of Europe was cooler or unchanged in 2003. France, however, was very hot. This article was about how epidemiologists can get on the global bandwagon by researching microbial foodborne illnesses, diarrheal illnesses, changing disease patterns during El Nino warmings, incidences of tick borne illnesses due to milder winters, and waterbourne and foodborne illnesses all linked to weather disturbances. Also, more malaria, but then, that's been caused by well-meaning but deadly environmentalists who got DDT off the market so bird egss would be OK. "Think big," they are told. Be afraid, be very afraid.

3865

Are you serving alcohol to underage drinkers?

About a month ago there was a big hoop-la in our community because a limousine driver reported to school officials that his passengers on the way to the Upper Arlington prom in the Arena District had alcohol. About 10 other limos were searched and 125 kids didn't get into the prom that night, even those who didn't know there was alcohol in the vehicles. Some parents were furious; some kids were heart broken.

And where are you on this? Are you serving alcohol to kids? The parents of the guilty, or older friends of the teens, obviously purchased it. If you own stock in any alcohol related industries, you too are serving children. An article published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (2006;160:473-478) reports that the short-term cash value of underage drinking to the alcohol industry was $22.5 billion in 2001--17.5% of total consumer expenditures for alcohol. Well-designed public service announcements about "responsible" drinking are a drop in the ocean of booz. But the study didn't stop with that. It went on to figure the consumer expenditures for underage drinkers to maintain their consumption as adult drinkers with abuse and dependency, which equaled at least $25.8 billion in 2001. Teen age brains are still forming and alcohol and cigarettes consumed before adulthood have much more serious consequences for addictions and health. If you can get to 21 without starting, you probably won't have a problem and will be responsible.

So, the combined value of illegal underage drinking and adult pathological drinking to the industry was at least $48.3 billion, or 37.5% of consumer expenditures for alcolhol in 2001. Some estimates mentioned in the study place it even higher than that, at $62.9 billion and 48.8% of consumer expenditures.

If any business were to lose over 17% of its consumers' purchases, it would be hurting. But how much are they, and stockholders, hurting us? The alcohol industry needs to cultivate the underage drinker in order to be profitable, and no amount of chit-chat or sweet talk about "responsibility" is going to change that. But you don't have to participate in this fairy tale--just get it out of your portfolio. Just say No to alcohol profits.

The abstract of this article appeared in JAMA, July 26, 2006, Vol. 296, no. 4, p. 373.

3864

Garage sale finds

Although a number of "pickers" had already gone through the jewelry, I noticed this piece, which was black and priced at $.50. I suspected it was silver, or silver plate, so I took it in the house and cleaned it up with silver polish. I don't wear much jewelry, but I thought this was interesting. It seems to be strung on a piece of leather, and I may look for a way to shorten it. I wore it to a party last night with a black t-shirt and white slacks and got more compliments than I'd ever had on anything I own. And when I told the women the price. . . what fun!



This piece was maybe $1.00 and still in the May Co. box with the price tag. It too was black from tarnish, but I thought it cleaned up nicely. Looks cute with a t-shirt.



Of course, my daughter didn't even get $1.50 for these--she just gave them to me, but if you had been there, that would have been your price.

One of the cookbooks I got (out of hundreds, new and never used), was a Taste of Home 2002 Annual. I used one of the recipes for our neighborhood party last night. Very tasty. I could have figured this one out on my own, but when I saw it I realized I had the ingredients and wouldn't need to go to the store after a hot day at the garage sale. I arranged bright red strawberries, with stems, and Granny Smith sliced apples (dipped in orange juice to prevent browning) on a pretty glass sectioned platter, and in the center included "Fudgy Fruit Dip":

1/3 cup fat-free sugar-free hot fudge topping
1/3 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt (I used low-sugar strawberry yogurt)
1 1/2 teaspoons orange juice concentrate (I didn't use this)

I think I used more like 1/2 cup of of the fudge sauce and 1/2 cup of the yogurt because I had a large plate of fruit. It makes a nice dipping consistency. Browsing a new cookbook is the fun part, but in this case, I actually found something I could use.

3863

Big garage sale today

I'm off to help with my daughter's garage/estate sale. The proceeds will help pay off the bills for her mother-in-law's final illness. She was about to bring up a load of clothes all with the original price tags while we talked on the phone last night. I suggested she use two ladders with a beam between because the garage was so stuffed she had no place to put them. Two ladies who had been pestering them to take a peek had just been let in the garage by her husband. "Oh my God," I heard one of them shriek. So she sold about $200 in costume jewelry, and I don't think anything was priced over $3.00. She said you can't even tell anything is gone.

It's going to be a long hot day--the area needs rain, but just not today, please. I may not get my 2.5 miles in.

She's tough!

8 boxes of cookbooks
Lenox roses
Vintage purses
china and costume jewelry
Update: I got 2 wonderful silver necklaces for $.50 each (although she actually just gave them to me for helping), and a Taste of Home annual cookbook which I've already used, and some Christmas coasters.

Thursday Thirteen--my new walking goal

--the distance to Lakeside, OH and back by Labor Day. I'm not really walking to Lakeside, just counting the miles while I walk. Getting in shape for a trip to Ireland in the fall.

1. 250 miles to Lakeside round trip.
2. 100 days between Pentecost and Labor Day.
3. That's about 2.5 miles per day
4. Walk early--might be in the 90s today.
5. Wear good shoes.
6. And thick socks.
7. Wear sun screen.
8. Drink a lot of water.
9. Stretch before starting.
10. Listen to some good audio-books while walking.
11. Maintain good posture.
12. Take a long the camera for special moments.
13. Keep track on the ticker.

3861

The message in favorite children's books

Neo-neocon has an interesting entry on favorite children's stories, and which were her favorites as a child.

"When I was very little, for example, I detested the familiar story of The Little Red Hen. Its relentlessly self-reliant dog-eat-dog Protestant-ethic world seemed so chilling. Forget "it takes a village"—this was individualism with a vengeance. And yet, later in life, there were times when I found it necessary to apply its heartless lessons, and to Do It Myself (and she did).

A more benign early childhood book was The Little Engine That Could. This one was about trying, trying again; about having in faith in oneself and finally succeeding against huge odds. Being rather little myself, and the youngest in the family, it gave me hope (it’s interesting, also, that the Wiki link mentions the story as being a metaphor for the American Dream; it occurs to me that it could also apply to the jihadi dream).

But a much greater favorite was Ferdinand the Bull. Ah Ferdinand, Ferdinand, he of the fragrant flowers under the cork tree. I didn’t know the word “pacifist” (nor is it mentioned in the book), but the idea of opting out of struggle and strife into a simple life of non-aggression and nature was remarkably appealing.

According to Wikipedia, it turns out that Ferdinand has a bit of a political history. Published around the time of the Spanish Civil War, it was widely seen as a pacifist tract and even banned by many countries. And if you look at the comments at the Amazon listing for the book, you’ll find many people whose lives were quite affected by reading it, citing its "timeless pacifist message."

I'm not campaigning against the book itself, which I loved. But I wonder how many people never grow past the fairy tale notion that evil will disappear if we would just sit under that cork tree and smell those flowers long enough. As one of the Amazon commenters points out, in a real bullfight Ferdinand's lack of ferocity would cause him not to be shipped off to pleasant pastures, as in the book, but to be killed–which is the almost invariable fate of bulls in that activity anyway."

I remember the first two, but don't believe I ever read about Ferdinand. Maybe he came along later. My favorite story for Mother to read to us was "Wee wee mannie and the big big Coo," which is about a very cantankerous cow (Big Coo) that won't behave until told (by Wee Mannie) to misbehave, kick and bellow and then she does just the opposite. I don't think there was a political or pacifist subtext to it, but Mother was very smart, so who knows? She probably didn't know that in the traditional version, Big Coo is threatened with a knife and then she decides to cooperate. Olive B. Miller, the editor of My Book House, probably thought it was too violent an ending for children.

3860

My daughter's garage sale

Tomorrow I'm going to help with my daughter's garage sale. But I can't put anything in it because she says she already has too much stuff. Not only was she the world's best daughter-in-law when her mother-in-law was in her final illness, but she is helping to finalize the estate which will help with the nursing home bills. Her MIL was a "collector," if you know what I mean. She loved many things. Beautiful things. Things never taken out of the box or wrap. So yesterday my daughter called about some chests (yes, plural) of silverware and wanted to know how she should price them. "Are they silverplate or sterling?" I asked. She didn't know, but I told her how to find the name of the companies and patterns. She's of a generation that doesn't want to polish silver and owns very nice stainless, but no silver. When she told me the names, I told her not to price them until I had a chance to check the internet china and silver sites. Then I called her back. "Do not put them in the sale. Don't let anyone know you even have these in the house. We'll find a dealer."

3859

New walking goal

Our Easter walk is finished, so we're selecting a new goal. I set Pentecost to Labor Day, mixing my holy days and holidays. I figure a round trip walk to Lakeside and back to Columbus at about 250 miles, although my husband says 244.

3858

Vegetable Lasagna

Yuk! I had a brilliant idea yesterday, inspired by two products I hadn't seen before--a ribbon lasagne that was supposed to fit a 9 x 12 pan with no boiling, and a 4 cheese tomato sauce (brand name unfamiliar). So I whipped up a vegetarian lasagne--didn't use a recipe, but did use turnip greens lightly grilled in olive oil, onions and yellow peppers and black beans. Anyone for lunch? It could have really used some sausage or mozzarella. So this morning I looked at my niece Julie's recipe which she contributed to my 1993 family cookbook, "Taste the Memories."

VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

8 oz. lasagna noodles, cooked
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, or thinned paste
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2-3 tsp. salt
1/2 - 3/4 pound sliced mushrooms, sautéed in olive oil
3/4 cup dry small red beans, cooked tender
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Rinse and set aside the cooked noodles. Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until transparent, but not brown. Stir in the tomato, oregano, basil, parsley and salt. Cook the sauce about 1/2 hour, simmering it and stirring often until it has thickened. Stir in the sautéed mushrooms and cooked beans.

To assemble the lasagna: place a layer of the noodles on the bottom of a shallow baking dish, put 1/3 of the tomato sauce over the noodles, spread a layer of ricotta or cottage cheese over the sauce, then a layer of mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle 1/3 of the parmesan cheese overall. Repeat the layers twice more, ending with parmesan. Bake the lasagna in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Serves 8. 1 portion=approx. 18 grams of usable protein, 41% to 50% of average daily protein need.

And Julie added: "This is my first and still favorite vegetarian recipe." I guess buying the sauce with cheese already in it was my mistake. Or maybe it was the turnip greens.

Mothers, daughters, cousins, nieces, sisters, etc. in 1999

3857

Religion in the schools

Last week when I was on my blogging hiatus, I came across two cases of spiritual/religious advocacy in our schools, one at Stephenson Elementary in Grandview Heights, the other at Ohio State. On May 24, Channel 10 ran a story on using yoga to fight obesity in children:

More and more public schools, yoga centers and gyms across the U.S. are beginning to offer yoga classes for children, 10TV's Heather Pick reported.

"Yoga for kids is a little different than yoga for adults," said instructor Julia Sims Haas. "We use a lot of the same poses but it's presented in a fun way."

Sims teaches young children yoga techniques as part of the Afterschool Adventures Program at Stevenson Elementary School.

"It really encourages kids to learn about their body, learn about the world around them, and get in touch with themselves so they can have a healthy approach and lifestyle," Haas said.

Kathleen Lemanek, a pediatric psychologist at Columbus Children's Hospital, said that everyone, including children, has some stress in their lives.

"What is going to stress a second grader is going to be very different than a tenth grader or, for us, but anything that's unexpected, unpredictable that can be stressful," Lemanek said.

She said that yoga teaches children to breathe more efficiently, calm their minds and strengthen balance, gain flexibility and improve posture.

They recommended that your pediatrician give approval, but you might also check with your pastor. Yoga is an integral part of the Hindu religion. It is not just an exercise program, although it is presented that way. It's about as honest as having the children gather for afterschool story time and then finding out the only stories presented were from the Bible, and at the end of each story, there was prayer time. That would never make it past the school board or principal, would it? But Yoga? Oh, it's just about fitting your body into prayerful positions to worship various Hindu dieties.

Then I was researching digital archives at Ohio State. The fancy name for it is "institutional repositories," or at OSU, Knowledge Bank. So I was looking through the list, noting how inconsistent the catalog subject terms were, learning that each department makes up their own (unfortunately), when I came across a video presentation of a lecture on the battle between Black Hawk and Keokuk back in the early 19th century. That sounded pretty interesting, so I brought it up. Imagine my surprise when the faculty member of Ohio State who introduced the guest speaker, gave sort of a laudatory praise to "Our Grandmother", who by definition in that culture is the Creator, Supreme Being and Author of Life. A lecture on some aspect of Christian history or literature or Crusades battle would not open with a prayer to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (whom Christians accept as Creator, Supreme Being and Author of Life). At least in my many years at the university, a department sponsored event didn't open this way, although special invited guests for para-church organizations using a university room might.

So why the double standard for Christianity and other religions?

3856

How's your golf swing?

We live near a fabulous golf course. When I'm driving to or from home, I see a lot of bad golf swings. I know nothing about the game, but I know when a belly is in the way. Extra pounds looks like the culprit to me.

In today's Wall Street Journal, Tara Parker Pope writes about fitness and your golf swing.

1. If you need the cart, you probably need to improve your fitness level.
2. Short drives--lack of flexibility may be your "at a desk" life style.
3. Accuracy--posture, arthritis.
4. Inconsistent swings--lack of strength in the core muscles.
5. Game falls apart after a bad shot--you need stress management.

The women who use the OSU golf course seem to be in much better shape than the men.

3855

Look a little deeper at our medical statistics

Whenever government controlled health care is trotted out, the left points out miserable statistics about who isn't covered by insurance, our infant death rate, and how our per capita health care costs (government + private) are the highest in the world.

The left, particularly feminists and pols who depend on a steady supply of victims, won't point some dirty little secrets they've contributed to the problem of poverty and health care. For instance, more than one third of infants in the U.S. are born to single mothers, most never married, teens and non-white. Many of these babies are premature and will require extraordinary health care costs the rest of their lives. They will struggle in school, need special classes, and go on to have more babies. What and who has promoted removing men from the family and giving women money to do so with Uncle Sam as the absent step-father? The federal government and the programs, although well-intentioned at the beginning, have been promoted and marketed by the left. Conservatives, not wanting to be "mean" have gone along, and along and along, contributing to the problem through inaction and acquiescence. The liberals only solution to the problems they helped create is to kill the little ones before they are born and enroll in the system.

We have millions and millions of illegals in this country. Liberals encourage them to be illiterate in two languages in the failed name of diversity and multiculturalism. They are not learning English--some are afraid to leave their homes, let alone learn how to call for a squad or read a prescription. They miss or don't know about vaccinations and don't get health problems taken care of until they show up in the ER. They can't read to get a valid driver's license. They bring in diseases that have long been conquered in this country. Who is protecting and encouraging them in this unhealthy life style? Not conservatives.

Why would you compare this mess to Canada, which easily controls its borders (one being ours, one being too cold, and two being too wet) and rations health care or to Argentina which is 98% European and mono-cultural with zero diversity and strict immigration?

We already have government health care; it's called Medicaid for the poor and Medicare for the over 65. It is expensive and rationed. Why would the rest of you want it? When the new shingles vaccine became available the first thing I was told was that Medicare didn't cover it--so I paid for it because it is worth it (I've seen shingles and definitely want to avoid it). My Medigap policy is very expensive and doesn't always cover and by the time I finally get the bill that has been passed around, it is 6 months later and I've forgotten the appointment--and that's what the rest of you want?

Next time you hear Hillary or John-Boy touting universal government health care, peek under the rug and ask which universe and how much care.

3854

New restaurant in Marblehead

Yesterday we enjoyed breakfast at Avery's in Marblehead, OH. It's a new place, almost next door to the book store that is raising money for the new library, on the main street (i.e., Main St.) through town. Wonderful baked goods, yummy pancakes, fresh fruit. It fills up early. We got there about 8 a.m., but when we left at 9, it was full. There's also a new coffee shop I hadn't seen before. Coffee spills, possibly, or is that the name of my other, other blog? We went with Lakesiders Jim and Marian from Toledo. She's also a retired librarian.



Do you like to quilt? Quilts by Elsie sells quilt patterns for lighthouses. Here's one for Marblehead.

3853

Just about now

they are dedicating the Veterans Memorial in Forreston, Il, 2 p.m., May 28, 2007. It had been talked about for some time, but in 2003, Dave Snapp, a Korean War vet took the ball and ran with it. Journal Standard Story The names of veterans includes the Civil War to the present.



My dad was the 13th District Commander of the American Legion, which had a total membership of 6,500 when he was membership chairman, and he was post Commander of Forreston in 1950.

3852

Lakeside is Open!

We enjoyed our three day holiday at the lake, although yard work, gutter cleaning and ceiling repainting isn't exactly a holiday, still it is fun to be there and see the cottages being opened and cleaned. They've had a lot more rain there than we've had in central Ohio and all the lawns and flowers look great.

Coffee 'n Cream at 2nd and Walnut

Ooh-la-la on 2nd