Bush's Legacy

Early this morning on CBS News I heard two women discussing Bush's desire for a legacy, thus the recent Israeli-Palestinian summit. It was innocuous and bubble-headed even for women who read others' text for a living. I couldn't see the TV, but the "expert" had an annoying voice best for print journalism. I don't think he's seeking a legacy; we'll hope he will not be as interferring as Carter and Clinton as a former president, but be a gentleman like his father.

Here's my ten suggestions for a Bush legacy, in order of importance, five positive, five negative.

1) The appointment of two outstanding judges to the Supreme Court, Roberts and Alito. This will extend many years and perhaps be able to return the Supreme Court to its original intention, moving it away from creating law. Kennedy, his father's appointment after the Bork nomination failed, was a tremendous disappointment for conservatives, so it is possible that with time, this one won't be in number one place, but for now, that's where I'd place it for long term impact.

2) The tax cuts and overseeing the most robust economy in the history of this nation I'd place second. Facing my retirement in 2000 dependent on the health of the stock market, I was watching my accounts stagnate, and then tumble after 9/11. Right now the economy is softening and Democrats are making all the wrong moves, especially for retirees (look out boomers) mainly because they use taxes to punish, not to move the country forward.

3) Getting us back on our feet after 9/11. Although I didn't dislike Al Gore and wouldn't have been upset if he'd been President (my first election as a Republican), it is still hard to imagine his taking charge after that disaster. For awhile it looked like there might even be a resurgence of patriotism and love of country, but that quickly faded as the Bush hatred over the lost election of 2000 continued to fester and eat away at the reasoning faculties of otherwise sensible people.

4) Freeing more women in Afghanistan in the 21st century than Abraham Lincoln did slaves in the USA in the 19th century. We don't know yet the full consequences of this, because women were quite advanced in this country before it was stolen from them by the Taliban, and the climb back up will require a lot of will. American feminists have ignored this achievement rather than give Bush the credit.

5) Leading the country into an unpopular, controversial war with the support and backing of both parties, including some of the same senators who later reversed their decision. That Bush held strong and refused to abandon the Iraqi people the way Nixon did the Vietnamese is a huge legacy, especially for those he saved from the blood bath had he caved into demands for pull-outs and withdrawals from his enemies.

And on the negative side of the legacy ledger.

1) Offended his supporters and party by nominating a weak Supreme Court candidate (White House counsel Harriet Miers) and by attempting to partner with the Democrats on an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants. These two actions also hurt any Republicans who supported him on other issues.

2) Not being able to corral his stampeding RINOs and missing the opportunity to reform Social Security by taking total control back from the government to allow investment in personal accounts.

3) Standing firm in his resolve that all societies deserve and desire a democracy. Perhaps only history will decide this one, but you've got to admit trying to jump start a 7th century mentality and push or drag it into the 21st century, is a tough row to hoe.

4) The biggest tax spender on education ever to enter the White House, crafting a program with Ted Kennedy's help. Did he tell us during the 2000 campaign that he wanted to be the "education president?" Earmarks (pork) and wasted foreign aid--but that's more congressional, and something we've just come to expect from our government, isn't it? This and the next one have made him an anathema to many conservatives.

5) Expanding medical care to a government drug program with Ted Kennedy, thus laying the ground work for the Democrats to make it even worse and more expensive. I think government-doled, rock-bottom health care for every household earning less than $1 million is a real possibility after 2008. Those making over a million will still be able to purchase first class care like they do in socialist countries.

We have these drivers in Ohio, too

Crazy Aunt Purl writes a humorous but "hurt-so-bad" blog, and has turned it into a book. She's divorced (the story's in her book), has lots of cats, and knits. On her way to Thanksgiving dinner with her grandmother and parents, she encounters a drunk driver trying to kill a lot of people; she called 911, but was kept on hold for 20 minutes, and finally had to exit the freeway.



Driving with your middle finger wagging is usually a pretty good breathalizer.

This is from her archives, Jan. 31, 2005. Someone should recommend this as a hymn for divorced people (I've reformated).

"When my husband left me,
and a variety of other really bad things
began to happen in succession
my landlord put the condo up for sale!
my car stolen from the subway station!
Mr. X goes to Italy without me!
moving costs me almost $1000!
clearly, I have pissed off the gods!

I finally decided to give up
on keeping up appearances.
I gained a few pounds.
I smoked in public.
I told the pizza guy that my husband had left me.
I was a little crazy
in those first few months,
I admit.

Eventually, I figured out
that my goal was
to simply live out loud.
Lie less.
"No, actually, my sex life isn't fulfilling."
"To be honest, I am not everyone and I do not love Raymond."
"Actually, I hate sushi."
"Yeah, I'm older than Sanskrit. What is your point?"

The unintended consequences of pro-active medical care

Name the disease or condition, and early diagnosis and treatment can reduce poor outcomes. Who knows what could happen in health care if patients heeded the advice on diet, exercise and smoking? Yes, who knows. Actually, we do know. Longer life resulting in higher Medicare and Medicaid costs further down the road. Another outcome we know about because it has already happened, is fewer primary care physicians. The expanding menu of interventions, screening tests, vaccines and devices has dramatically increased the work of patient care for all medical specialties, but particularly the guy who's going to make the decision when you complain of feeling poorly, according to JAMA Commentary, November 21, Vol. 298, no. 19.

"Providing all recommended preventive services to a panel of 2500 patients could require up to 7.5 hours a day of physician time; generalists report that roughly 4 separate problems are addressed at each office visit for those older than 65, and even more for those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes," writes John D. Goodson.

The workload is overwhelming and the reimbursement levels for primary care physicians favor the interventions and more expensive care which in turn passes the patient on to specialists. Now, if you were in med school (or paying for your child to go to med school), looking down the road at even more interference by the federal government, and higher insurance costs, would you choose family medicine or pediatrics, or would you head for the safer and richer green pastures of a specialty? Goodson reports that first-year internal medicine residents who express an interest in general internal medicine are less than 20%, but only about half of those will remain committed to this area.

Goodson goes on to recommend higher compensation by the CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services), the federal agency that determines how doctors will be paid. If this problem isn't corrected, a large portion of the population will lose access to personal care (or any care). Imagine. The government creates a problem with layers of bureaucracy and regulations (low reimubursement for general care) and is then expected to fix it (with more layers, studies, panels and commissions).

The perfect storm of immigrants flooding the country needing massive social services, to mix with a growing cloud of aging baby boomers who demand only the best. Katrina anyone?

Head injuries in sports

The Columbus Dispatch recently published the winning photos in its photo contest--semifinalist photo is 2 little boys colliding in a soccer game. They had on nifty uniforms, special shoes and knee socks--and no helmets or head protection. In his book Making a good brain great, Daniel G. Amen, MD writes:

"A concussion or mild "traumatic brain injury" (TBI) is far more than just a bump on the head. According to the American Academy of Neurology, "There is no such thing as a minor concussion." A study from UCLA found that "the level of brain glucose use in people who suffered mild concussions was similar to that in comatose, severely brain-injured patients. . . Even mild head injuries result in major changes to the brain's metabolism and could make victims susceptible to more serious damage from a repeated blow."

Dr. Amen advises parents to never let their child knock the soccer ball with his head--heading drills, in which a child's head is knocked repeatedly, are of greater concern to pediatricians than is the occasional head-punt in a game. A study of adult soccer players found 81% had impairment of attention, concentration, memory, and judgment when compared to non-players of similar age and circumstances. He says football players are struck in the head 30-50 times per game and regularly endure blows similar to those experienced in car crashes.

Dr. Amen, who has seen over 30,000 brain scans, says: "I would not let my children hit a soccer ball with their heads, play tackle football, or snowboard without a helmet. I encourage my own kids to play tennis, golf, table tennis, and track. Your brain matters. Respect and protect it."

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Deer season opens today

November 26 is the first day of deer hunting season in Ohio, when approximately 400,000 hunters will kill about 120,000 deer. It will contribute $266 million to the state's economy. Toledo Blade story. Deer contribute to their own demise too--the does live twice as long as the bucks, who get in fights and kill each other (it's a guy thing). More deer are killed in accidents with fences than are taken legally by hunters, and feral dogs kill many thousands. Deer vehicle collision (DVC) will also take a lot of lives, some of them human. Three years ago I wrote about seeing 13 dead deer on the interstate medium between the west side of Columbus and the first exit at Richmond, Indiana. The 13th we saw killed by the semi truck in front of us. It was just awful. I've seen the figure half a million a year, but haven't seen the source of the statistic. Doug at Coffee Swirls writes about hitting a deer in Iowa, which has one of the highest DVC rates, with a repair estimate of $4800.

Tom Brokaw doesn't get it

Tom Brokaw's new book, Boom, examines the influence the baby boomers have had on our society and culture, and he includes a wide variety of well-known and non-celebrity persons born in that era. Listening to him being interviewed on Laura Ingraham this morning and then reading some excerpts from the web, I was left with the impression conservatives know a lot more about how liberals think and react than the other way around. (Just as a quick aside: the only way they know how to have an interesting conservative character on a TV series is to afflict him with dementia--Boston Legal.) Laura pointed out that the single most important boomer to impact our culture, love him or hate him, is Rush Limbaugh, who got a quick mention in a section about drugs and not the media (I'm assuming his prescription drug addiction). Brokaw defended himself, not by addressing Rush's influence on millions, but by decrying the influence of talk radio in general--that it isn't balanced, and Rush mocks people. The Democrats when in power, will continue to harp on that.

He doesn't get it. Rush (and Medved, and Hewitt, and Ingraham, etc.) ARE the balance. The radio airways are open to the liberals, but they haven't succeeded in drawing an audience that will hold the sponsors. People don't listen to talk radio because there is nothing else--they listen because they want to hear another view that they can't get on broadcast news and cable news, where liberals have a lock. During one of the news breaks on a conservative show, I get to hear Anderson Cooper, a Vanderbilt/Whitney descendant, go on and on about global warming (guilt?). Many conservatives interview people who disagree with them, and usually make them look weak. Laura nailed Tom on this point, and he wandered off into the swamp of "we're never going to resolve this. . . .so why belabor the point."

Here's something else he doesn't quite grasp--the women's movement. In writing about the women's movement that evolved at the same time his daughters were growing up, he says, "One of our daughters is now a physician; another is a vice president of a major entertainment company; and the third is a clinical therapist. They place no limits on their ambitions, but for them, those ambitions also have had to fit within the context of having children. For all the gains made by women, and the recognition within society of how important that is to a healthy body politic, we have not satisfactorily resolved the workplace consequences of having children."

Why not say, "We have not satisfactorily resolved the family and parenting consequences created by women going off to work 10-12 hours a day."

The clutter challenge

A friend and I are challenging each other to remove some of the clutter from our homes and lives. We both have a problem clearing books and magazines--we like to send them on to a second life away from us. The following list has now gone to the garage; they are inside boxes that I have taped shut. If I peek, I might be talked out of it. The next step is to get them into the van, then off to the Friends of the Library book sale.

In general, there are two categories: computer books that are too old to be useful, and books on the craft of or compilations of the short story. I did a lot of writing of fiction in the early 90s. It was great fun, and I enjoy going back and reading them today (especially since I don't remember how they end!). However, I never did follow the experts' instructions, and barely opened the books (all bought used). Here's my good-bye blog.

How computers work, by Ron White, 1993.
PC Novice Guide to computing basics, 1996.
PC Novice guide to the Internet, 1996.
Handbook of short story writing, 1970.
Beginning writer's answer book, rev. 1987.
Handbook of short story writing, vol. 2, 1988.
Children's writer's word book. 1992.
Ways of reading; an anthology for writers. 4th ed. 1996.
This is my best, Whit Burnett ed. 1942.
Prize stories 1983 O. Henry awards.
Short stories from the New Yorker, c. 1940.
Great expectations, by Dickens, pb 2nd ed. 1948, 1972.
Kiplinger's retire and thrive, 1995.
Testimonies, a novel. Patrick O'Brian, c 1952, pb ed. 1995.

While I was selecting the books, I also cleaned out tons of paper that I'd printed from the internet--there was a whole shopping bag, much of it over 10 years old. Over the past week I also cleaned some bathroom vanity drawers, four drawers in the kitchen, two under-cabinets in my office, cleared out and stored elsewhere my old notebooks and publications, took a load of winter clothes to church for the Hilltop Clothes Closet, and cleaned out one drawer of my desk.

So what's cluttering up your life that could go into storage?

The winning posters

Check out the winners here. I thought "Fear" was pretty classy; the one of the candidates in Hawaiian shirts, probably the funniest.

Mrs. Clinton's experience vs. Mr. Obama's appeal to diversity

Hillary Clinton's experience

First lady of Arkansas
First lady of the United States
Attorney who crafted the Whitewater deal
Organized party faithful to take over U.S. health care in the 1990s
Covered up her husband's assaults on women
U.S. Senator (moved from Arkansas to NY to do this) who supported the war in Iraq
Wears "Shoes and Socks," Hsu and Berger
Oldest of the Democratic front runners

Mr. Obama's appeal for white, "color-blind" progressives

White, Kansasan mother
Raised by white grandparents in Hawaii
Doesn't look or talk like Jesse and the guys
Indonesian step-father
No track record to be criticized on anything
Attended Columbia and Harvard
Member of United Church of Christ, main line liberal Protestant church
Strong, family values to match the conservatives claim to this territory
U.S. Senator from Illinois who wasn't in office for the 2003 Iraq vote, so he's clear to assume the finger pointing position
Youngest of the Democratic front runners

Ready for Christmas

My son-in-law and his father decorated the house and yard, and my daughter got out the creche and the Christmas dishes--and even managed to slip out for a little "black Friday" shopping. Then we enjoyed an evening of football and left overs. Lenox is retiring this pattern of the crèche, China Jewels, so I asked if I could buy a small item (the hen and rooster are about $30--within my price range), but she said if it wasn't in the original story, she wasn't collecting it.






The silver tea/coffee set in her cabinet was our wedding gift (1960), but it spent a lot of time in a box. Looks much nicer at her house.

Have you tried Dumpr?

It can do all sorts of interesting things to your photos. Dumpr. Puzzles. Museum. Scary monster.

This is a sketch of your photo

This is the Rubik's cube version of your photo

HT Librarian in Black

Post Thanksgiving thoughts

It's not so bad using my laptop in the kitchen--I can get up and clean a drawer or cabinet while waiting for slow pages to load.

We ate leftovers with family last night, but first watched, and watched and watched (3 overtimes) the Arkansas and LSU game. The announcers even commented that Buckeyes were watching this game closely because if Arkansas won, OSU moved up. Yes. Goodness, such screaming and yelling from the men in the family. What if it had actually been the Buckeyes playing?

Although I didn't fix the turkey, I got the carcass. It's stewing on the stove right now, releasing yummy fragrance with a few onions.

We've finally had some frost--still many trees loaded with leaves, and my husband has gone to the lake to rake leaves at our summer home. Last pick up is next week. Most summer home owners close up on Labor Day and never look back until Memorial Day. The trees in Lakeside know this, so they send their leaves to our yard.

It must be very cold somewhere. Yesterday out of 100 hits, 16 were to my post on frozen car doors. I thought global warming might take care of that. Even so, there doesn't seem to be much agreement on how to take care of this problem.

Tomorrow we celebrate our son's birthday--we'll probably go to Bob Evan's after church. He and his band are working on a CD so he'll have to hurry back to his home on the east side. I'd show you a photo of the band, but everything is on the other computer which isn't working. So here's one of us from a year ago that I've already posted. I've given up on the daughter-in-law search, so if you come across that blog (I had his permission, btw), don't submit an application.


My Memory Patterns blog continues to chug along at about 80-100 page views a week. I wrote it for only one month--November 2005--matching up old photos with old sewing patterns. Seem to be a lot of people looking for apron patterns--you know, the decent coverage-size that actually give you some protection! I was never a really good seamstress like others in my family, but you don't notice you've given something up until 10 or 15 years have gone by and you realize you'll probably never again thread a bobbin, or walk through the fabric department, touching and dreaming.

I read an interesting article on pedometers this morning in a recent issue of JAMA. When I digest it, I'll blog it, but it looks like just wearing one lowers BMI and blood pressure. Apparently, you'll eat less and move more just by knowing it's there. I'll have to look for mine--like contraceptives, they don't work in the drawer do they, no matter how committed you are to the outcome. After a big week of eating seems like a good time to strap it on, don't you think? I had to push a little flesh out of the way to read the numbers.

The computer fix-it places I called, never called back. I suppose they want a holiday too. I'll have to look a bit further for someone in the data recovery business in Columbus, Ohio. Know anyone?

We've gotten our fourth edition of the Smithsonian catalog--this one has the word Christmas right on the cover.

Another broken zipper. A favorite pair of slacks that went with everything--a warm tan-beige lined 100% wool. Sigh. I blogged about a broken zipper in a pair of khakis that were about 20 years old about 2 years ago. I suspect these are at least 10-15 years old because the Talbot's tag says "Made in the USA." When was the last time you saw that on a piece of clothing?

I think I'll invest in new tires. I notice the van is slipping on wet pavement. We don't get tons of snow around here, except maybe once a season, with a humongous storm about once a decade, but the roads can get icy and slushy making traction difficult. Nothing scarier than trying to get out of the way of an on-coming car and have your tires just buzz the pavement.

My friend AZ and I have challenged each other to unclutter our personal spaces. Today while looking for the Christmas wreath to hang in the outside entry, I found an empty file box in the basement. It's already labeled correctly, "Norma's notebooks," and I have a bulging box of used notebooks in my office cabinets, so I think I'll move them into this box. Does this meet the test for de-cluttering, since I'm just moving them? We lived for 34 years in a house with no basement--since having one, I've become quite careless.

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How to charge your iPod using an onion

I don't own an iPod, so I wouldn't trust anything I say about this one, and I couldn't try it, but I thought it was sort of interesting.



This is from the The Household Hacker.

Central Ohioans and rising gas prices

The news stories yesterday worked very hard to gin up a problem with travel and the economy, but I don't think they pulled it off. My e-mail always comes up with a news story, and it was something about the dark mood of the American consumer. The reporters in the airports couldn't seem to find anything except orderly, patient crowds, and millions were traveling despite gloom and doom stories (like the lady who was only going to fly to Atlanta once in 4 weeks). And then today the shoppers are jamming the parking lots on "black Friday" spending like there would never be another Christmas.

They took a survey in Ohio about high gas prices, and it was reported in the paper today.

73% said they were very or somewhat concerned about the rising price of gasoline for their own family.

But. . .

64% said they weren't cutting back on travel as a result of gasoline prices.

83% said they hadn't bought a new car to get better mileage.

59% said they weren't going to avoid long distance driving.

61% said NO to carpooling.

Remember when a few liberals wanted a $1/gal "patriot tax" on gasoline after 9/11? What did they think it would do? They're having a global warming conference in Bali and the private jets are jamming up the airport. Have these guys never heard of telephone conferences or I-see-U-see on the computer? I wonder if they plane-pooled?

Yesterday I saw gasoline for $2.99/gal on Rt. 33 south of Fishenger.

I wouldn't have a clue how to text message--I rarely use a cell phone--but you can go to this site, read the guidelines, and send a message. I used e-mail. Yesterday I listened to some wonderful interviews with our men and women in Iraq on the Laura Ingraham program. They were truly an inspiration--from age 21 to 42, loving their jobs and fellowmen, but looking forward to coming home soon.

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Thursday Thirteen--The menu edition

It's all about being thankful--for family, friends, country and milestones passed. So yesterday after church we drove along the river and past some woods to my daughter's home for her 40th birthday and our Thanksgiving celebration. I asked several times and offered to bring something, but she wanted to do it all, and she really did. All I did was dry the dishes after dinner.

Here's the fabulous meal that awaited us--and we're going back today for leftovers! Everything was sugar-free, and most dishes were low-fat until we got to dessert. She used her lovely Lenox wedding china and crystal and seasonal decorations.

1. A 24 lb turkey roasted to perfection--I've never seen a prettier golden brown.
2. A spiral sliced honey baked ham.
3. Cubed and roasted butternut squash, the best I've ever tasted.
4. Fresh, buttered beets.
5. Homemade, chunky applesauce.
6. Wild rice and mushroom stuffing (I think I saw one of her Martha cookbooks on the counter).
7. Sausage/corn stuffing (with a side portion without corn for my husband who hates corn)
8. cranberry relish, home made
9. Veggie platters of 4 colors of bell peppers, grape tomatoes, pickles, celery
10. hot clover leaf rolls
11. Mashed potatoes and gravy
12. red wine (2 choices), coffee
13. 2 deep dish homemade pies (apple and cherry) and one pumpkin pie, with crusts so tender and flakey she's getting very close to my mother's standard, served either with Cool Whip or vanilla ice cream

Thursday Thirteen

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Artificial or pseudo-twinning in adoption

Every event seems to have its own special day, week or month, and November is National Adoption Month. I was not familiar with the concept of pseudo-twinning, adopting children no more than 8 months apart in age, until I read about Nancy Segal who has done a lot of work on the nurture/nature aspects of twins raised apart. Through her research, I came across an article (from 1997) by Patricia Irwin Johnson who writes to prospective adoptive parents who have been through years of frustration with fertility issues and adoption red tape. It's worth reading the whole article because she knows she's going to be really unpopular, that adoptive parents who have "twinned" will be defensive, and she addresses that first.

The author observes, "The goal of parents who artificially twin babies is the same, no matter how these babies arrive: instant family. It is a logical, understandable goal, born out of great frustration and long term disappointment and pain. But pseudo-twinning is usually not a carefully thought through goal and it comes from self-centered thinking rather than baby-centered thinking. Most of the time it reflects parents’ nearly desperate need to regain control over their family planning and to “get” a child. . . Parents of exceptionally close-in-age babies who protest that they didn’t do this on purpose (and many take this position) are kidding themselves. Adoption doesn’t happen accidentally in the way that birth control fails."

But, knowing that adoptive parents will go ahead any way, she has the following suggestions for those raising babies close in age. Our children are 12 months apart and not the same sex, so they aren't "twins" in the sense of this research, but I often got the "are they twins?" questions. I nearly crippled my back for life by carrying one on each hip (they weighed almost the same). For years I tried to make every thing "fair," which does nothing but create jealousy and cranky kids.

I think all nine of these are important points, even if you just have children who are close in age but not "twinned." In my opinion, it is definitely easier if close together children are not the same sex, but if at all possible, I would seek out different teachers in the school system. Each of us pops out of the womb already stamped with our personality, skills, intelligence, and physical appearance in place. Don't saddle close together sibs with the teacher's expectations--yours and grandma's are enough of a burden.

"Here are nine practical strategies for parents of very close-in-age siblings who arrived as babies.

1) People are fascinated by multiple births and will expect your family to want to do “twin things” because they think twinning is neat and desirable and because they presume that lumping twins together is “easier” on parents. You will need to go to extra lengths to refuse to allow yourself or anyone else in your children’s lives–daycare providers, teachers, grandparents, etc.–to “treat” your children as twins. Dress them differently, give them individual toys (and rooms, if possible), acknowledge birthdays separately, etc. No matter how close they are in age, treat them not as a twinned pair but as you would treat children born at least a year apart.

2) Become acutely tuned in to your babies’ age-related developmental differences, particularly during their first two years of life when change and growth is rapid, and be individually responsive to these differences. As they grow older, be especially observant of and supportive about your children’s individual interests and talents while at the same time fostering their sibling interactions.

3) Remain aware that in all families parents and others have a natural tendency to “lump” close-in-age children together even when they are not twins. This is more often about accomplishing the tasks of family life as efficiently as possible than about not wanting to see children as individuals. In your family this issue becomes more important than in families whose close-in-age children are genetically related.
The common fascination with multiples also means that you will need to be particularly aware when your children are babies of the need to establish family privacy boundaries concerning who really “needs” detailed information about the unusual beginnings of your family. As your children become older, help them to develop their own scripts about how to respond to the curious.

4) Being artificially twinned is likely to be harder on same-sex siblings than on opposite sex pairs. If your children are the same sex, you’ll need to work even harder not to twin them.

5) If your children are of the same race, the assumption that they are fraternal twins will be even greater than it will be if they are of opposite sexes or racially/ethnically different. On the other hand, close sibs of differing races may draw even more questions from the curious, causing the children to feel awkward and uncomfortably “different.”

6) As your children grow, support their close friendship but discourage what could be their inclination to become “twin entwined” as exclusive friends who are frightened of separation from one another.

7) Give serious consideration to planning from pre-school forward to separate your children in school by more than just different rooms and teachers for the same grade. There are two ways to do this: you may decide to hold one back from the beginning (boys in particular often benefit from starting formal kindergarten at 6 rather than 5) or, if the cognitive development of both children makes it in their individual best interests to start school at the same time, you might consider sending them to separate schools.

8) If there was a birthparent deception involved in one or both of your babies’ arrivals, honor your child and his genetic parents by fixing the lie as soon as possible. Allowing this potential problem to exist unaddressed can and will begin to feel like a sword hanging over parents’ heads. Furthermore, the longer you wait, the more likely your child’s birthparent–and eventually your child himself–will feel betrayed. Consider engaging the help of a professional social worker or other mental health professional with mediation training to assist you in sharing this information with your child’s birthparent and establishing a more honest relationship.

9) Above all, give yourself credit for having had the best of intentions in being so eager to build a family that your children arrived close together. Be the best parent you can be to your individual children. If you acknowledge and address your family’s unique issues, allowing yourselves to reach out for support or help when you need it, your family will do very well!"

Instant Family (1997)

The stem cell miracle breakthrough

It will be interesting the see the left/right line up on the news of the new stem cell technique that doesn't require the complexity of removing an egg from a woman. I don't understand the old method or the new, except it doesn't come with the moral and ethical baggage of the old. Here's the explanation by Dr. Jonathon Lapook at CBS News.

What's so surprising is that the recipe is relatively easy to follow. I expect there will be an explosion of stem cell research all over the world.

Essentially, this new method makes the old way of destroying harvested or left over embryos the dinosaur. Researchers who have invested their careers, grants and labs in this are not going to be happy. It's like the guy who invested his fortune in buggy whips when people started buying into the idea of the automobile.

I don't think it will end the national debate peacefully, as WaPo quoted Rev. Thomas Berg. The left will never concede this victory to Bush. If he hadn't held the line on refusing to release federal money in destroying human life, this easier, simpler and cheaper method probably would not have been found.

[James] Thomson said he was surprised it didn't take longer to discover how to reprogram ordinary cells. The technique, he said, is so simple that "thousands of labs in the United States can do this, basically tomorrow." In contrast, the cloning approach is so complex and expensive that many scientists say it couldn't be used routinely to supply stem cells for therapy.

We'll just have to see. There have been promised breakthroughs before.

Creating the holiday sob story

Yesterday I heard a brief report of bad financial news on the radio (they will be on the increase until the election and then will disappear): it seems that the elderly and/or their caregivers are now dipping into their own savings to pay for their care!!!! Isn't that what you're supposed to do? Ever hear about saving for a rainy day?

Then there was this economic horror story in today's WSJ: a woman who is flying home for Christmas (Atlanta) has decided to stay home for Thanksgiving because of "soaring" travel costs. My daughter lives 5 miles down the road and I might not see her between Thanksgiving and Christmas, either. Honestly, some people just have to invent problems.

My friend Mitzi used to spend every week-end taking care of her father-in-law. She lived in Illinois and he lived in Arizona. Beat that one!

Kindergarchy

In today's WSJ, Joseph Epstein in his article "Desolate Wilderness" mentions living under the rule of children.

"For some time in America we have, of course, been living under Kindergarchy, or rule by children. If children do not precisely rule us, then certainly all efforts, in families where the smallish creatures still roam, are directed to relieving their boredom if not (hope against hope) actually pleasing them.

Let us be thankful that Thanksgiving has not yet fallen to the Kindergarchy, as has just about every other holiday on the calendar, with the possible exceptions Yom Kippur and Ramadan. Thanksgiving is not about children. It remains resolutely an adult holiday about grown-up food and drink and football."

Sam Levinson, the comedian who died in 1980, first used the word, kindergarchy, but he was referring to the older children--the college student who rules the parents, particularly their purse strings. The age of the ruling class now has dropped about 20 years.

We'll spend our Thanksgiving with adults, but come Christmas we'll be with adults, their children, their grandchildren and their great grandchildren and a variety of boyfriends and significant others and their little ones. And everyone will be expected to stand transfixed and in awe of their antics. Someone will even be showing video of the next one in the womb.