3957

U.S. military deaths

According to a story in the Plain Dealer (AP), as of Saturday, 3,603 members of the U.S. military have died since March 2003, 2,952 in hostile action. Most of the Iraqis who have died, have been killed by other Iraqis, or other Muslims passing through who don't like their fellow faith members because of something in the 7th century. Iraq's boundaries, by the way, were drawn up by a woman who thought they could all just get along. But back to Americans. In that same period of time, over 5,500,000 American babies have been legally aborted (estimation based on Planned Parenthood statistics for 2003 and 2004). Even if you figure 1/4 may have miscarried or died of problems in utero even if not disturbed by the medical profession and their mothers, that's a lot of little people. It's a future city, isn't it? In a generation, it could be a small country. And also, during that four years, over 24,000 teenagers have died in automobile accidents, and over 1,200,000 were injured. That's how AllState figures it--and just changing the legal driving age to 18 so their brains could mature could eliminate a large number of those deaths. Why doesn't AP make little gray boxes in newspapers for our dead children?

More on talk radio and fairness

After some excellent links to commentary (Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was a keynote speaker at ALA recently and beat the Fairness horse for applause) Heretical Librarian pretty much sums it up

Whatever form it takes, it is clear that the Democrats' impending assault on talk radio has nothing to do with "fairness" or "diversity" or "media consolidation"; rather, it is a naked attempt to silence conservative talk radio. After all, why is there all this concern about ensuring a fair representation of views on public airwaves, yet no concern about the equally one sided dominance of liberal and leftist viewpoints at public universities? Besides, does anyone really think that liberals would even be making an issue of talk radio if Air America had been a roaring success instead of a bankruptcy ridden failure?

Tech alums are teaching at Lakeside

Duke Low, class of '56, is teaching a poetry class at the Rhein Center this coming week, and my husband, Tech class of '57, will be teaching perspective drawing.





Update: 14 signed up for perspective drawing yesterday, so there will be a lottery (and at a Methodist camp!) for seats in the class; Duke has 5 or 6, which is just perfect for a writing class.

The porches of Lakeside

Our neighbors enjoying their porch. This is an early 20th century 4-square.
In the 19th century, this cottage had a view of the lake, but now other cottages and trees are in the way.
This bed and breakfast is at the crossroads of activity. A movie was made here a few years ago.
Saving Grace is the name of this peaceful spot. Lakeside began as a Methodist campground. This is a condo in the former "Poor Richard's" rooming house.
This couple was having such a relaxing time at their B & B on Walnut that they fell asleep on the porch.
Popcorn Palace has one of the prettiest porches in Lakeside.
This is a "healthy house" designed by my husband, and has a lovely porch. This cottage was featured in the book, "Cottage."

3952

Saturday jobs

My husband spent about 2 hours working in the yard (at the lake house) today, raking, sweeping off the roof, mowing the yard and chopping away at a Japanese-something-bush (with yellow flowers) which wants to take over the yard. About 50 years ago one of the neighbors gave a sprig to the former (and first) owner who just loved to plant things everywhere, so there you have it.

Now he is fixing the kitchen sink. I kept finding water on the floor, and at first thought I was just being careless. Fortunately, I didn't slip and break a leg, because yesterday it was was a puddle! I dragged everything out from under the sink, and still couldn't see anything, but felt the pile of dusting rags and they were soaked. Apparently the elbow was leaking and because I have a rubber drain mat under all the cleaning supplies, the water eventually flowed out on to the floor after it filled up a package of paper towels. After 20 some years, we don't know if one of the periodic blasts from the quarry in Marblehead jiggled something, or if one of the Methodists who rent from us in June decided we had a garbage disposal (we don't) and tried to undo the mistake (he found piece of something like a pen lodged in the elbow).

Also, having my van back, I traveled outside the gates for groceries. I admit I'd been stopping at the Wal-Mart superstore which opened last summer, but today I went to Bassett's Market at the corner of Rt 53 and 163. Ah, now there is a store! You get treated like a queen, or at least a valued customer. When I stared glassy eyed at the peanut butter selection, a staff person asked if he could help, and directed me to the organic section. Sometime later, he saw me in another aisle and inquired if I'd found what I needed for peanut butter. Was I impressed he remembered not only me, but what I was looking for. You bet! Also, they offered free sample, small bags of freshly popped corn which I happily munched on. The bagger noticed my ice cream was soft and rushed someone back to pick up another one before I even noticed. When I asked the produce guy about the advertised turnip greens (I was so happy to see that), he knew right away that they didn't have any and that the tag was a mistake. I love it when a plan comes together, don't you?

3951

Why we have minimum wage jobs

A fella that helps me keep my html and css coding straight is Boogie Jack. If it's not right, don't blame him--I came to computers late in life. In his latest newsletter he reports this story from one of his readers:

Recently at McDonald's I ordered a half-dozen Chicken McNuggets.

"We don't have them by the half-dozen," said the teen counter-jockey.

"You don't?" I questioned.

"We only have six, nine, or twelve," he answered.

"So I can't order a half dozen McNuggets, but I can order six?"

"Yeah."

So I ordered six McNuggets, whatcha gonna do?

Reminds me of the time I ordered a cup of 1/2 regular coffee, 1/2 decaf, and the clerk asked if I wanted the decaf on the top or the bottom.

3950

How to kill a lobster and choose a wine glass

Coffee with the Wall St. Journal is so educational. Today I learned how to make a lobster stop breathing and how to choose a wine glass so your wine can breathe.

I thought you just raised the heat slowly--sort of like increasing regulations and taxes to kill the vibrant economy, but I guess that is cruel. The suggestion was to first chill the live critter for 15 minutes, then stab it. It is interesting to me that people who worry about cruelty to animals and crustaceans, do not bat an eyelash at dismembering a baby in the birth canal or experimenting on human embryos in the name of science.

Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher in today's Food and Drink column discuss the proper wine glass for reds, whites, dessert wines, younger wines, etc. You won't catch me serving with the wrong wine glass. I own 12, 10 oz. stemmed water goblets--cost about $6.00, and they work for anything, especially 3-buck chuck, or ice tea or soft drinks. The wine experts suggest that you use a 20 oz. wine glass so the wine can breathe. Be kind to your wine and your lobster.

By the way, have you seen those ratings for your blog? Mine got a "G" rating, but it did get flagged for the word "abortion." Apparently, it's a bad word not just for the unborn, but for children reading blogs. Then when I ran my class reunion blog through, it got flagged for the word "Dick," the name of several classmates. This is why public librarians say they don't like filters for pornography aimed at children--might filter out some innocent words for a health assignment on body parts that get cancer, or a recipe for chicken breasts. Yeah, sure.

3949

The minimum wage increase

It's a battle we never win, a battle to fight economic illiteracy among Americans, according to Government's helping hand also hurts. If the minimum wage increase is so terrific at reducing poverty, why hide it in the war supplement bill and delay and stagger the increases? Because the negative affects are easier to hide. It reduces productivity and employment opportunities at the bottom, and also affects very few employees, who are often young and/or part time.

One economist reports that for every 10% increase in minimum wage the poverty rate increases by 3/4 of 1%. Law makers understand this, but they know the American voter doesn't, so it is always a big issue at election time, like 2006.

3948

There's a reason for income inequality

It's called a pay off for education.

"In 1980, an American with a college degree earned about 30 percent more than an American who stopped education at high school. But, in recent years, a person with a college educa­tion earned roughly 70 percent more. Meanwhile, the premium for having a graduate degree increased from roughly 50 percent in 1980 to well over 100 percent today. The labor market is placing a greater emphasis on education, dispensing rapidly rising rewards to those who stay in school the longest." The upside of income inequality

And how do liberals want to "correct" this income inequality, which is really the result of having a better educated populace? They want to tax people into staying at a lower level of achievement.

"raise taxes on high income households and reduce taxes on low-income households. While this may sound sensible, it is not. Would these same indi­viduals advocate a tax on going to college and a subsidy for dropping out of high school in response to the increased importance of education? We think not. Yet shifting the tax structure has exactly this effect."

3947

This non-crime needs a real pardon

It's been interesting to see the left go crazy over the commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence, to allow him to stay out of jail while he appeals. Many conservatives think it didn't go far enough, and I'm one of them. Usually, whining that so-and-so did much worse isn't much of a defense, but when I think of Sandy Berger and this theft of documents from the national archives and the little wrist slap he got, I'm just stunned by this injustice. And the out and out crooks that Clinton pardoned! Oh my gosh--and for what--money for Hillary's campaign?

Here's the take at Opinion Journal about the lack of courage in the Bush administration:

Joe Wilson's original, false accusation about pre-war intelligence metastasized into the issue of who "outed" his wife, Valerie Plame, as an intelligence officer. As the event unfolded, it fell to Mr. Libby to defend the Administration against Mr. Wilson's original charge, with little public assistance or support from the likes of Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell or Stephen Hadley.

In no small part because of these profiles in non-courage, it was Mr. Libby who found himself caught up in prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's hunt for the Plame leaker, which he and his masters at Justice knew from Day One to be State Department official Richard Armitage. As Mr. Fitzgerald's obsessive exercise ground forward, Mr. Libby got caught in a perjury net that we continue to believe trapped an innocent man who lost track of what he said, when he said it, and to whom.

One other thing that puzzles me is our prosecutor system. These guys are given way too much power. Whether it is Nifong, or Starr or Fitzgerald, the system stinks, because you are obviously guilty until you've spent down all your funds, or the public gets tired of reading about it.

And Joe Wilson, the biggest liar of them all, goes free, the darling of the MSM. I'm baffled by Washington.

3945

Do you wash

Your hands before eating? Yes.

Apples before eating? Yes, and I also scrape off the wax.

Raisins before eating? Yes, removes the twigs and bugs.

Peanuts before eating? No, I like the salt.

Bananas before eating? No, but it might be a good idea.

Walnuts before eating? Yes, 3 rinses will do it.

Feet before eating? No, except at communion at my former church.

Face before bedtime? No, but I do change the pillow case frequently.

Bagged and pre-washed salad greens? Yes.

Cut and bagged "baby carrots?" Yes. They are slimy.

Glasses or dishes for holidays that have been stored for some time? Yes.

And what do you do about that door handle in a public restroom? If there are paper towels, I use one, which is why I hate hand dryers--they are very unsanitary.

My son tells me that some supermarkets supply alcohol wipes for grocery cart handles. I've never seen them, have you? I'd use them. Nothing spreads a cold like a toddler.

I'm not a fanatic about cleanliness, but dirt, dust, chemicals and fecal matter I prefer not to ingest.

3944

This 'n That 'n Those

If you are a regular, you may have noticed that my e-mail address has changed to prontomail from medscape. It seems to be moving nicely and medscape will be forwarding for some time. I'd never heard of this mail service before. I was hoping to lose the spam, but it was forwarded, too. I finally got my OSU mailbox cleaned out--had about 1000 spam. Doesn't give me much faith in OSU's OIT.

I'm loving being back to my regular coffee spot, Coffee and Cream, here at Lakeside. But while in Oregon I did visit Mudd Puddles (great lunches there too if you're tired of the Macedonian restaurants in the area) and Casey's. Last night I got the munchies and walked "downtown" to a little shop to get a bag of pretzels and heard someone call my name. Donna and Bob from Columbus were at the coffee shop having an ice cream. Donna and I had met in the park at home one day and I told her about Lakeside. They brought the grandchildren up, and they've had a fabulous week.

I've heard from a few classmates about my class reunion blog--still waiting for some more photos to post.

Since I use a different computer at Lakeside, I'm not sure what I'll post for Family Friday--maybe something from last week. I thought I had a great photo of my brother and me, then realized it is on my niece's camera. She's getting some photos from cousin Margaret to scan and send to me while she's in Illinois.

The auditorium was packed last night for illusionists, The Spencers. I only stopped by for a few moments, but it must have been one of the most popular programs of the summer.

Temperatures are supposed to get into the 90s today, so I walked early along the lakefront. Still listening to Guitar; and American Life by Tim Brookes. I see it is over 105 in Montana. My friend Carol may want to extend her stay in Illinois where it will only be in the mid-90s until it cools down out there.

3943

Conservatives and Talk Radio

Liberals can't walk the talk on freedom of speech. Particularly when it is talk radio. Liberals don't do well in competing for listeners in talk radio--can't get the advertisers (they are anti-business) and they are boring (haven't had a new idea since the Johnson administration). So they want to reinstate the "fairness doctrine" which would so tie up the radio stations in regulations and law suits that they would drop that format. Imagine if every time you spoke about marriage between a man and woman you had to give equal time to gay couples, or polygamists, or man-boy-love groups. Or if you interviewed a veteran of WWII you had to also interview a Nazi veteran, or an anti-war Mennonite or if you did that you had to also give the same number of minutes to the fanatical types who blow up little children in government buildings in Oklahoma. What if the host of the show was pro-choice--he'd have to give equal time to pro-life groups; or what if the host didn't like President Bush and had to give equal time to Cheney or Rove? No, the programmers and producers and owners would just throw their hands up and we'd go back to dead air, endless NPR type programming or musak 24/7. And the people who want something other than what the MSM spew and spit at us on TV would find another way to get information from Gallager, O'Reilly, Malkin, Hannity, Ingraham, Beck, Medved, etc. Read Adam Theirer's article on The Media Cornucopia.

"That leftist media critics start sounding so authoritarian is no surprise. In a media cornucopia, freedom of choice inevitably yields media inequality. "In systems where many people are free to choose between many options, a small subset of the whole will get a disproportionate amount of traffic (or attention, or income), even if no members of the system actively work towards such an outcome,” writes Clay Shirky of New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. Overcoming that inequality would require a completely regulated media." "

Democrats and talk radio.

Top 100 talkers.

Thursday Thirteen about our trip

1) Last Thursday we left Lakeside, OH for Oregon, IL around 7 a.m. arriving about 2:30 at my sister's home, returning to Ohio on Tuesday.
2) We had fabulous weather the entire time, 5 days--cool mornings, sunny days. They needed rain, but it held off until we were gone.
3) On Friday I walked with my high school friend Lynne, about 4 miles, past the home where I lived and out into the country. A lovely day for a long walk.
4) Also on Friday my sister and I visited the new veterans' memorial in Forreston, where we lived when we were children.
5) We found our father's name, and talked about all the surnames we recognized, even from the Civil War era (we're really not that old, but recognized the names).
6) Touched base with my high school friend Tina (California) and her sister Valerie (Florida) at a restaurant and made plans.

7) Went to a restaurant for dinner and surprised my great niece, a college sophomore, who was working there.

8) Attended the annual Ladies' Breakfast of my high school class at the White Pines State Park.
9) Visited with neighbors of my sister who had been our neighbors in Mt. Morris.
10) Attended Saturday services at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mt. Morris where my sister is the organist and choir director. We had communion and enjoyed the service and Pastor Erickson.
11) Enjoyed a family dinner at my sister's home with aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, great-nieces and nephew, siblings, and in-laws on Sunday afternoon. Slipped away for an hour to attend the memorial service at the cemetery for Tina and Valerie's mother.
12) Visited the site on Monday where my cousin is building a new home in the woods, getting a nice tour and update, and visited with my uncle and his wife who is in the nursing home in Mt. Morris. Had lunch at my sister's home with Tina and Jack, enjoying Sunday's left-overs on their lovely deck.
13 Attended on Monday evening a very fine 50th class reunion at the White Pines State Park.

Progressive and radical librarians

aren't very different from any progressive and radical fill-in-the-blank folk. They are political first, second and third, and librarianship, if it exists in their thought process, ranks somewhere below. I don't know how many of the PARL are out there on the fringes of the profession, but their noise level is high because so many in the profession are liberals and Democrats, sort of the first cousins of the Progressives. However, like those food/drug reform groups (Center for the something of the something) or church committees (Council of the whatever for the thingamajig) they make a lot of noise and put out tons of announcements and pack their party faithful on the faculties of our tax supported institutions.

They are joining us with the United States Social Forum. They are against "value-neutral" libraries, whatever that is, because they sure want to see their values well represented on the shelves, like the 16 copies of a popular anti-Bush title, or 25+ titles of everything Michael Moore ever produced on film or in print at my public library, or fighting community groups trying to keep pornography out of the hands of children using libraries.

PARL never asks what can be done for the working librarians, the profession or the library user, only how can they mold the library culture into meeting their social reform goals. Annoyed Librarian has renamed them the Regressive Librarians, and it does beg reflection on just what the word "PROGRESSIVE" means when used by any American political group. Progressive does not mean better benefits or unionization of retail employees of very large companies, because they really want the company destroyed; progressive doesn't mean a safer and healthier environment if that means the US economy could survive; nor raising the income of the bottom quintile but bringing everyone else down to their level, and if that isn't successful, import more poor people (illegal immigration); a progressive value is not saving wild animals or habitat, but valuing animals above humans. It's not about cooperation among religious groups, but destroying any faiths and putting Marxist principles first. Their plans, methods and goals have brought misery in every country that tried them, but they are so progressive they are desperate for it to work here in the U.S. Now, what's so progressive about these folks' tired, failed ideas? Nothing that I can see?

Celebrate our Freedom and Independence!

Happy July 4. I posted this photo of my neighbor and her dog last July 4, but I think it is so cute, here it is again.



Lakeside, Ohio

3939

We're back in Lakeside

We had a peaceful trip back arriving about 2:30 p.m. Traffic was light and there weren't too many construction slow downs. Weather was terrific. I've been updating the class reunion blog. My husband was able to get in an hour or two of sailing and tonight we're going to Hoover Auditorium to hear the Brass Band of Columbus. "The band’s instrumentation is brass and percussion only, following the tradition of British brass bands. Membership of this 45-piece ensemble includes over thirty active or retired music educators and a wide range of other professions."

We're off again

We're heading for Illinois to visit family (brother, sister, aunts and uncles, a few cousins, nieces and nephews) and to attend my high school reunion here. The worst part of the trip is getting around Chicago. We'll be back at the Lake in time for the Fourth celebrations. Bev will stay in our cottage and keep the kitty company. See you all when I get back.

3937

We're haters and xenophobes

According to today's WaPo:

"Under attack from talk radio, unions, xenophobes and others, the White House and reform-minded Republicans have maneuvered to salvage legislation that would address the core problems of tightening enforcement of existing laws and providing a legal future for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country."

One of the core problems is our legislators haven't even read the bill. They have no idea what is in it. One "prominent" Republican hung up on a radio interview when asked if he'd read it. I've read some of the suggested admendments (haven't seen the bill, but neither have my senators), and if the bill is as bizarre as they are, we're in deep doo doo. The 1986 IRCA is a mess, always has been; now we're trying to make it even worse. Can Ted Kennedy get anything right?

"The enemies of immigration reform remain unable to articulate a realistic alternative to the Senate legislation that would address the plight of the 12 million undocumented immigrants. They seem to imagine that by ignoring them, or harassing them, they will simply fade from view. They won't. If it's not resolved in this congressional session, the problem will come back again and again. Better to fix it now."

Americans who want our employment laws enforced, our borders secure from drug dealers and terrorists, are now "enemies" in the marxist-think of the MSM. At least WaPo acknowledges the 12,000,000 illegals--usually the liberal press overlooks that. Well, how do the august, so-smart editors think they got here? IRCA. Don't fix it. Dump it and start over.

3936

If you're a parent

of one of the 600 teenagers from the Methodist Lima District (now called something else), I must say these are some of the nicest, well-behaved kids I've seen in years. Maybe ever. Certainly better behaved than my generation. We were in the Hoover Auditorium when they came in last night for the program, and when the lights went down, you could have heard a pin drop, they were so quiet. Earlier in the day we had talked to a group of them on the dock who were on a scavenger hunt. One of them recognized us at the program and stopped to chat. This is the 80th year that this district has sent its youth to Lakeside. That could mean some of the these kids' great-grandparents might have done the same. Wow.