What sort of change?

Just because it appears in a newspaper letters column doesn’t guarantee its authenticity, but most editors require some sort of authentication, so it‘s got a bit more veracity than a forwarded 100-times anonymous e-mail. But it's still just one man's opinion on change. This one I checked--a letter to the editor of the Richmond Times (VA) on July 7. You can read the whole thing. The Cuban American writer states he’s now been in the U.S. for forty years, but he remembers a young leader in the late 1950s who promised change and they all, particularly the press, put their faith in him. He continues. . .

"But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.

Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America?

Would we?

Manuel Alvarez Jr., Sandy Hook."

Digital repositories

". . . the digital collections that libraries, museums and archives create with great effort and expense are not always well-indexed by Web search engines, thus decreasing the potential use and impact of those digital resources. OAIster, a "union catalog of digital resources" developed at the University of Michigan, provides access to over 16 million digital resources by harvesting OAI metadata from over 1000 repositories worldwide. About 45% of this material, the authors determine, is also indexed by Google, leaving the remaining 55% "hidden" in the deep web, unindexed by Web search engines." Hagedorn, Kat, and Joshua Santelli. "Google Still Not Indexing Hidden Web URLs" D-Lib Magazine 14(7/8)(July/August 2008)

No surprise to me. Hidden probably because librarians had little to say in the design, from the looks of it. I’ve never seen anything more poorly indexed than OSU’s Knowledge Bank. Some items look like they were retrieved from the circular file or store room by the secretary and then scanned and cataloged by the lowest paid, newest hire in the department--sometimes no title page, no date of publication, no thought to subject terms or even the official name of the Department. And really folks, a lot of “senior thesis papers“ need to be tossed in a box and stored at their parents, not indexed on the internet where a junior high kid or left wing blogger can find it.

Here lies the problem (from an October 2007 presentation) in my opinion. Keep in mind that a "community" is any division or department within the Ohio State University.

KB Community & Collection Policies

A Knowledge Bank Community has the right to:
• decide policy regarding content to be submitted
• decide who may submit content
• limit access to content
• customize interfaces to community content

You can search by author, title, subject, "community," or date. There is no search for "creator," or "publisher," even though that information appears in whatever main page you bring up. In a database by and about OSU, I'd expect more than five entries to come up for the author, "Ohio. . .", but that was it. As subject, however, Ohio State University brings up 11. Adding subdivisions, there are probably hundreds, including Ohio State Univerity--Libraries, and Ohio State University Libraries, and library and libraries. But to actually find documents created, sponsored, published or about Ohio State University Libraries and its faculty, you'd have to search "community," and sorry, but that's not what comes to mind when I think of a university department. If in desperation you try a general search on the word Ohio, you'll get thousands, including "front matter," and "back matter," of scanned journals with the word Ohio in the title.

If other repositories created with dspace with our tax money “with great effort and expense” are this poor, why should Google have to rescue it with private money?

Covert Radio

I'm having an interesting time working through David's links (Heretical Librarian), and this morning tuned into Covert Radio, via The Long War Journal link, a real relief from listening to the Cleveland corruption and Toledo's crime wave stories (I'm on Lake Erie).

"Brett Winterble joins Tim Lynch from VSSA, Bill Roggio from the Long War Journal and Amy Sun from the FAB LAB, from MIT. Brett interviews Tim Lynch from VSSA, a contractor working in Afghanistan, about the current situation there. Also on the line was Amy Sun from the FAB Lab at MIT, Amy is working on a ground breaking new project to help redevelop Afghanistan's infrastructure. Bill Roggio from Long War Journal also joins in to talk about his take on the latest reports on ISI involvement with AQ and the TalibanPlus reaction to the latest report from RAND."

I had never heard of an MIT FAB Lab (2,000 tons of equipment in the middle of nowhere), but Amy (an engineer) is certainly excited about it. I've also enjoyed reading some foreign newspapers on-line; I'd almost forgotten, if I ever knew, what non-editorialized "news" looked like. You don't have to slog your way to paragraph 11 to get to the point.

One of the Taliban pro-jihad poems distributed as a ring tone for cell phones — “Death is a gift,” on Al Emarah — included the phrase, “I will not kiss the hand of Laura Bush.” Perfect for the ALA anarchists. Seen at Covert Radio blog.

As mentioned before, my laptop isn't very stable. I haven't reloaded the software since October. I hope I've discovered the trick--I've stopped updating or adding anything that it didn't come with. This seems to interfere with some adobe documents and pod-casts, but this one comes through fine.

A second income? Think again

If Mr. Obama wants to raise your taxes, but still encourage marriage, the greatest non-government, anti-poverty program we have, he should first read the Smart Money article on what that second income really costs.

"After you subtract what you'll owe the feds, your city and state, Social Security and Medicare, you may end up bringing home 60% or less of your spouse's new salary. And if the first spouse already earns a healthy income and you live in a high-tax state, the government pickpockets could easily hit you up for 50%."

But it gets worse; read on.

Two things aren't mentioned in the article. First, the illusion that you actually have that second salary, so you spend accordingly. There's no calculator that can factor in pipe dreams. If your spouse went to work really understanding she'd have less than 1/2 of that $40,000, maybe you'd think twice before buying new toys, or trading up on a higher mortgage and you'd use it to pay down debt or save. Second, keep in mind that if your spouse is in the education field or contributes to a public employees plan, all that money taken out for Social Security is for nothing if they have a state retirement plan. Neither your spouse nor you will see that when you retire. Our federal employees and military can double-dip, but not teachers. The RINOs refused to help Bush fix SS, so now it will be up to the next guy, or the next or the next.

Keep in mind also that no one has fixed the AGI--and Mr. Obama is eyeing you like the fatted lamb; he thinks you're "rich" and can pay more taxes. Remember, the middle class pays; the rich hire accountants and lawyers to hide their wealth.

Also not mentioned in the Smart Money worksheet because it's about as popular as telling someone to stop smoking, a church tithe (start with 10% and work up) on that spousal income is a good way to stay out of debt, but you need to take it off the top so you don't think you have it to spend.

Unfortunately, articles like this do not reduce taxes, they just encourage people to not marry.

Fewer homeless

“The U.S. had 12% fewer homeless last year than in 2005, and the greatest decline occurred among those who chronically live on the streets or in emergency shelters, according to a federal report to be released Tuesday.” USAToday reports (HT Black and Right) Homeless advocates, liberals, progressives, etc. are not happy about this. Chronic homelessness especially is down, and this could put these guys out of work! It’s a huge report--144 pp. Read it if you dare.

Lakeside--a favorite place to eat

We haven’t been doing much eating out in restaurants--just our little concession to higher prices--but we are outside. Some things get repeated on the house menu because of leftovers, but they’re still tasty.


Sunday

bratwurst
Potato salad
Asparagus
applesauce
Rice pudding

Monday

Salmon patties
Asparagus
Tomatoes with mozzarella and olive oil
Fresh blueberry pie

Tuesday

Pork chops
Potato salad
Fresh beets
Blueberry pie

Wednesday

Meat balls in tomato sauce
Fresh green beans with onions
Beets
Fresh peaches with Cool Whip and cookies

Where's the sweet corn, you ask. My husband hates it. So I eat it either for breakfast or lunch, by myself. Two minutes in the husk in the microwave. Fabulous.

Silly, inaccurate campaign ads

It's nothing new, of course. Campaign ads are intended to misinform, to terrify and mangle the truth. Take McCain's ad about the Obama "celebrity" status. Frankly, when I see an articulate, emotional speech in front of masses of Germans, Britney Spears is not who comes to mind. I'm just saying. . . It's scary!

And when Obama looks deep in our eyes and assures the TV audience that he wants to bring us back to some fabled time in history when we were such terrific folks with a proud past just as the U.S. Congress votes to apologize for slavery and Jim Crow laws, I do wonder how much this son of an Kenyan knows about being black in America.

Gigolo Golf--If I'd only known

This appeared on Craig's List

"Please help me out as I need a place to stay next week near OSU. I am coming to town for the golf tournament. I am in my 40s, SWM, 6'3" with an athletic build. I have an air mattress so only need a room. Thanks"

View from our place, complete with outhouse
Now why do you suppose he described himself if he only needs a room? At least he can spell. If he'd checked a map, he'd see that the golf course is a long way from OSU. You could probably walk it in 45 minutes, or take the bus for an hour.

Dress code violations

There’s been a lot on the news lately about public schools instituting a dress code--mostly to get the guys out of those saggy, huge, underwear exposing jeans and the girls to tuck it in a bit. I’ve been “on vacation” for four weeks and I’ve seen every violation from skimpy to slovenly to salacious--but mostly on people my age or older! When I was a child, “slovenly” was an older adult with only one working strap on the bib overalls and tobacco juice dribbling down the chin, or a blue haired woman wearing a food stained, feed-sack apron with a run in her stockings. Today, that is practically formal wear for the over-60 crowd at leisure.

Honey, it’s OK to cover up your sagging saddle bags, lumpy knees and purple spider veins--truly it is, please! The wrinkled look was in style a few years ago, but that was for 100% linen. In polyester cotton with a touch of lycra, it’s just messy. Ladies and Gentlemen! Where is the pride, dignity and good taste you had in the 1950s, 1960s, and even the 1990s? The other day at a public event on the lakefront I saw a woman who must have been a stunning prom queen in 1949--very long legs and a lovely figure with beautiful white hair. But in short shorts? Oh my. She wasn’t wearing glasses, but I was. Those kinds of dimples are for old Shirley Temple movies.

This was OK for the 1950s
“Hang on droopy” as we sing at football games in Columbus. As the waist expands, and you purchase capris or shorts to accommodate, there’s nothing to fill out the back of the pants. I’m walking behind you or sitting in the aisle seat at the auditorium. It’s not pretty.

The younger people, however, are cleaning up their acts. I’ve seen some gorgeous 30-something moms pushing baby strollers, wearing cute circle skirts and full coverage darling t-shirts and sparkling sandals. They look fabulous. Then comes granny--often 10 years younger than me. She looks like flattened fauna, as we used to say in the vet library. I’ve even seen some mini-skirts on the 20-somethings that look great--but that’s the last cut off for looking good in that 1960s fashion retread. The younger women are heading for the dock in beach cover-ups; Oh! that their grandmothers were doing the same.

Ben Stein laments the demise of the neck-tie in the business world, but he apparently hasn’t taken a look at vacation wear.

Another blogger gone

In my last post, I mentioned some links to women bloggers, now silent. David Durant, Heretical Librarian, also turned in his blogger keys and has left the building. Dave is the trifecta of librarianship bravery. Not only is he in a female dominated profession, but he is a conservative in a profession where liberals outnumber conservatives 223:1 (which accounts for the real banned books--the ones that never get to your library's shelves), and in addition he joined the North Carolina National Guard after the war started. He gained some fame by having one of his blogs printed in the Chronicle of Higher Education. During my last remodeling of my web page, his link fell off my list of librarians, so as an apology, I'm listing HIS very interesting list of links on terror, international affairs, and radical Islamism. I'm slowly looking through them, only some of which I've read before, so I don't know how many are still current.

The War on Terror and International Affairs

Across the Bay
American Enterprise Institute
American Footprints
Benador Associates
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Committee on the Present Danger
Council on Foreign Relations
The Counterterrorism Blog
Defend America
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
The Jamestown Foundation
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA)
Long War Journal
Michael Yon
The National Interest
9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America
Small Wars Journal
StrategyPage
Threats Watch
Victor Davis Hanson's Private Papers
Winds of Change

Radical Islamism, The Middle East and Reforming Islam

Ali Eteraz
Apostasy and Islam
Arab Media & Society
Asharq Alawsat
Big Pharaoh
Center for Liberty in the Middle East
Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World
Daily Star (Lebanon)
Daniel Pipes
Faith Freedom International
Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism
Hammorabi
Healing Iraq
Initiative for an Open Arab Internet
Interfaith Strength
Iraq Blog Count
Iraq the Model
Iraq Updates
Irshad Manji
Islamist Watch
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Jihad Watch
Laura Mansfield
Martin Kramer on the Middle East
The Mesopotamian
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
Middle East Times
Middle East Transparent
Secular Islam
Site Institute
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Watch

It's happened again

Now Deborah has closed for repairs. If you are a woman blogger, and I link to you, it's almost a given that you will fold your tent, change jobs, leave your husband, or enter a family crisis that will prevent you from blogging. I'm coming up on the 5 year anniversary of blogging, and there will be no gal pals to help me celebrate. Last I looked, The Laundress and Florida Cracker were still plugging away.

Would posting calories help?

For lunch today I had onions, peppers, carrots, broccoli and cucumbers grilled in a little olive oil. It was fine; tasted good. But I topped it off with some sugar-free peanut butter chocolate ice cream. The calories were posted on the carton. And I ate it anyway.

Will posting calories prominently really make Americans think twice and order more healthy items? "Anecdotally, you hear constantly about people who've changed their choices," say [New York City] Commissioner Frieden. "You go into fast-food places and you hear a lot of buzz online."

Elisabetta Politi, director of nutrition at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center, isn't so sure. "Some of our clients know so much about nutrition they could teach the classes, but does that help them control their weight? Absolutely not," she says. From WSJ Health Journal

The editor of this story needed to find a different photo to show how rising prices for food are hurting people.

Lakeside children grow up quickly

Lakeside is a summer community on the shores of Lake Erie established by the Methodists in 1873. Some people come just for a week; today a first timer sat on our front porch reporting all their experiences. Some come year after year for a few weeks; some of us own our homes and when retired, we can stay most of the season. At last night's awards for shuffleboard, one little boy was from California, one girl from New York. But whether a weekly, monthly, or seasonal family, the children seem to grow up over night because you see them just a few days each year.

Not too long ago, a young mother to be--daughter of a friend--ate a meal with us, then the next summer brought along the baby, and now that baby will be a sophomore at Dartmouth. Zip. Just that fast! The hormone-energized teens I used to watch under the street light on the corner are now bringing their own kids here to spend time with grandma and grandpa.

For awhile we had a little one who sat on the porch, played tea party with dollies on the deck and fished off the dock. We lost her in the divorce, but she has 9 other grandparents, so really didn't need us. About four years ago my husband painted her fishing at the dock from a photo. The picture looked so much like her we really couldn't hang it, so finally it went up for sale. Last week I looked at it, and suggested we put a "sold" sign on it--I really didn't want to sell it. And this was the third season it was for sale. Last night we got a call from someone who had seen it in the restaurant and inquired. He called us and said his 4 year old granddaughter had fallen in love with it, and would we sell it. So we did. Well, I still have the dollies.

Monday Memories--Mother's garden

I've got beets and beet tops in separate pots on the stove; fresh zucchini, asparagus and green beans in the frig; a half finished blueberry pie on the counter; an ear of corn and a paper sack of peaches on the table. Except for the peaches, they all remind me of Mother's garden in Franklin Grove (the fruit trees were there, but except for the cherry tree, rarely produced). Raspberry bushes were along the west side of her garden, and blueberry bushes next to the corn field fence. Asparagus grew wild along the lane to the house and the country roads around Franklin and Ashton. Occasionally, we could encourage Mom to stop a few minutes to chat or have a cold drink of water, but could see her fingers twitching in her gloves, anxious to get back to the rich soil and pesky weeds.

Norma's most wonderful adventure

When our children come to Lakeside, we think it's really odd that they leave for places outside the gates like Sandusky or Port Clinton. One place I've often heard about is The Kenny House in Port Clinton--massage therapy. This year my daughter gave me a gift certificate for a massage. This morning I drove to Port Clinton to meet Ms. Magic Fingers, Nancy Barna, M.T., Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Reflexologist. Wow. I've only had one other massage in my life--maybe 5 years ago--and they just don't compare. From my little toes to my neck, to all the lumps and bumps on my back, Nancy gently removed all signs of stress and age. Yes, folks, I'm only 30 years old this afternoon. I stopped by Wal-Mart on my way back to Lakeside, and upon checking out the clerk asked me about my day, and I told her it was fabulous and why. I even smiled when I ran the plastic for my groceries, something I never do. I ate potato chips all the way back home, something I shouldn't have done, but it seemed a great way to top off the experience (I gave up chips in 2006), and I sang along with the Carpenters on the oldies station. Treat yourself if you're vacationing or live on the peninsula.

The Kenny House
226 Adams Street
Port Clinton, Ohio 43452
1-419-734-5943
By appointment

To be a licensed massage therapist in Ohio requires 600 hours of training and passing the state exam (State Medical Board, Massage Licensing Division, 77 S. High Street - 17th Floor, Columbus, OH 43266-0315).

Don't be fooled! Ask for the best!

Is there a word in English for this "ism"

A friend sent me Eli Saslow's article "In Findlay, Ohio False Rumors Fly" from WaPo, July 7-13 (weekly). Frankly, it is one of the most outrageously hateful mish mash of anti-middle America that I've ever read. Anecdotal? It's beyond that. A whole article about how white midwestern small town folk are anti-Obama based on one person living in Findlay, Ohio. Imagine a whole race or segment of society condemned because of some behavior of a black citizen or an Asian or Hispanic--the outrage would put the journalist out of work. I'm amazed. Just amazed. Even for WaPo this is one of the worst stereotypes of white (older), small town Americans I've ever seen.

I'll just have to remind you what I think about people who are afraid of Obama and his cronies. I wrote this on May 20 for this blog, while the "is it racism or sexism" debate about Hillary and Obama was still going on, when Iraq and its outcome was still an issue, and before Obama did his World Tour as our emperor-to-be.

Conservatives believe that if a black candidate talks about raising our taxes until our investments are destroyed, regulating what car we can drive, wants judges who will make the constitution their personal playground of their own values and beliefs and waffles on what he said about concessions to militant Moslems who want to destroy our ally Israel, that he's not a good guy to put in the White House. We have a lot of history books (at least those published before the early 90s) that tell about what happens with appeasement--either pre-WWII with the Germans or post-WWII with the Soviets, or with North Korea to close out the Korean War, or even the worse course which was to run off whimpering the way we did in Vietnam. Millions died from our "talks and concessions."

This blogger confronts Saslow's article falsehoods.

Newsbusters busts him for fuzzy math in a different pro-Obama article.

I've looked through Saslow's archives. He is so in the tank for the left, he should be a librarian!

Lakeside 2008, John Davidson

Lakeside has its roots in the Methodist camp meeting tradition--but Bible class with J.C. Penney and WCTU conventions were never like this. John Davidson was a crowd pleaser last night--a real pro. He graduated from Denison University in 1963, so he even stopped by our gathering of the Directors Club Reception, hosted by a Denison president, at the hotel early in the evening. The dimpled, cute hunk of the 70s and 80s hosted the Tonight Show over 80 times and was popular on Hollywood Squares and still performs in musical theater and night clubs. Increasingly, he’s popular with us older folks with a versatility ranging from big band to hip hop and rap. I was sitting next to two stunning 80-somethings, tall, straight, silver haired and beautifully dressed, so John’s put-on temper tantrum (lying on the floor of the stage) about being 67 and a grandfather might have fallen a bit flat for some in the audience well beyond that. Especially since he seems to be in terrific condition for running down aisles, up stairs, and dancing with his back-up singers, The Inflatables. He has always been able to make an audience laugh by making fun of his image as America’s dimpled sweetheart. He said he used to “be cuter than Donnie Osmond--no, I used to be cuter than Marie!” Got a good laugh, although the young’ens might not have known what he was talking about. Although he’s been gray for a number of years, his hair was brown again having been dyed for his role in Chicago. Here’s a little video that shows some of his talents.

His final piece was from Man from La Mancha and he closed with "Impossible Dream." We have a Lakeside music box (attached to a painting of the pavilion) that plays that and for years we'd play it as we left our cottage--the impossible dream that came true.

How to save lives

During the last gasoline crisis in 1973-1974, 11,000 people didn't die in auto accidents. Maybe one of them was you, or your father so he was around to see that you were born. Americans will protest the war and/or high gasoline prices (not necessarily the same people), but ask them to slow down or drive less? Heresy! But like 35 years ago, fewer people are dying on our highways. Just here in the midwest, "Indiana fatalities are down 26%; Ohio's rate is off 20%, and the state recorded just six deaths over the Memorial Day weekend, the fewest in 38 years; Illinois' total also is off 20%, and Wisconsin is down about 30%." Traffic deaths fall

And for all our healthcare penny sorting and pie charts, trying to guess if Joe Sixpack would just lose 20 lbs how much would the nation save in diabetes or cardiovascular treatment, think of all the people who weren't even in non-fatal, but injury producing accidents. The savings in medical costs must be astronomical when you add those non-injured people to the list of 11,000.

Yes, cars are safer; roads are better; cops are being more vigilant. But if you drive 55 you really are more likely to arrive alive, that's not just a slogan. (In metropolitan areas you may even arrive sooner because traffic flow is smoother.) And you'll also save a few tankfuls on a long trip. But common sense isn't very common, is it?

Unfortunately, no one has figured out how to do this

"Yesterday [July 20] the Trust for America's Health released their report Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities. They found an investment of $10 per person per year (that would be 2.7 or 3 cents a day) in proven community-based programs that included ways to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, prevent smoking, and stop use of other products containing tobacco could save the United States more than $16 billion each year within the next five years. The ROI (return on investment) would be $5.60 for every dollar spent." Seen at the National Nurse Blog

Do you know of any community or private or personal program to increase exercise, stop smoking or lose weight that actually "works?" It has to be a personal decision, and some people have been dealt a bad set of genes and can't really do much. I read health and medical journals like an addiction, and I have yet to see one program succeed. And for all that, you would be, if it worked, adding years in the 80s and 90s, which would eat up any savings, because we've all been told how expensive end-of-life care is.

Do you know what I saw at the hospital on July 2-3 after my return from our fabulous Italy trip? A hierarchy of obesity among health care staff based on education, age and position. I was treated by two female doctors, both trim (and I suspect foreign). They were hospitalists, probably early 30s. The RNs were all attractive with normal BMI (if there is such a thing), but a little older and heavier than the hospitalists. The med techs were younger than the RNs and much heavier, some were obese. The food service women were older and much heavier than the med techs. The housekeeping staff, if foreign born were very thin, if American, extremely over weight.

I'm just saying, if nurses (or the office of a National Nurse) know what to do about unhealthy lifestyles, they can start letting hospital staff in on the secret. I have no idea who Trust for America's Health is, but a quick browse reads like a liberal lobbying group/think tank which will support itself on endless taxpayer and foundation grants and then become a regulatory agency with great power over our
lives.

Eat less, move more. Fight FEMA-tizing your health care.

How much water this year?

All the Great Lakes have above average water levels this year. The lowest was around 1934. Our high yesterday for Erie was 174.35--Lake Superior is the BIGGIE at 183.400. You can check all this and other interesting stuff at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes Water Levels Site.


Yesterday was a perfect day in the neighborhood. After breakfast at Avery's in Marblehead, we drove over to the Marblehead Lighthouse and took a stroll.