Looking for the artists

The first piece I bought 50 years ago at Manchester College from an artist named Alison Adams. The odd discoloring was caused by sticking it in the corner of a mirror for about 40 years. The second piece is a ceramic bowl by an artist named Wilks and I'm guessing from the colors it is about 30 years old and was probably purchased in Columbus, possibly at an art fair. Anyone have information?

Just give him a chance!

Why? He's already gone back on most of his campaign promises and hired all the old Clinton retreads--not even the left can trust him, let alone the right. (OK, so it's a bit of hyperbole--he hasn't broken ALL 510 campaign promises.) And spend? Oh my goodness! His $150 million inaugural makes Bush and Clinton look like pikers! Where, oh where, are all those progressive / liberal / marxist pundits and bloggers of 2004-2005 who moaned and groaned about Bush's extravagance? And tax us? Whew! Out the wazoo! And the arrogance. Strutting around and giving orders like he was the president the last two months. Didn't grandma teach him manners? Don't they have guidebooks for guys on a steep learning curve? Now he's stroking and snuggling up to a tax crook who doesn't know how to file quarterly the way the rest of us with self-employment income are required to do? And he's the guy who supposedly knows how to turn the economy around!! Perhaps we follow suit and see if President Obama gives us a job. Usually presidents wait 100 days before it's obvious they are clueless. So why wait? Why give him a chance when by Jan. 20 he will have already used up 77 days proving his worth?

"Before President Bush took office, the federal government took in $2 trillion in revenue in 2000. As Bush leaves office, the federal government is expected to take in $2.4 trillion in 2009. In other words, after eight years under President Bush, the federal government is taking in $400 billion more a year in revenue. So why did Congressional Budget Office project a $1.4 trillion deficit for the 2009 budget? Massive spending increases. In 2000, the federal government spent just $1.8 trillion. Now the CBO estimates that the feds will spend almost double that, $3.5 trillion, in 2009 . Oh, and by the way, these figures do not include the nearly $1 trillion in new deficit spending that President-elect Barack Obama wants to throw at our struggling economy." Heritage Foundation, Morning Bell, January 16, 2009

". . . if you are one of the people who is sitting back waiting for Obama to ride in and clean up the mess his party has helped to create, quit holding your breath. You might as well exhale...it will be business as usual. You know, throw some money here and throw some money there. Blow some smoke and blame the other party while perpetuating the problem. After all, our legislators created a crisis and want you to think we need them to resolve it. What we need is for them to go home, leave our taxes alone and let us upright the economy. Whoever heard that the wise thing to do when you are in debt is to go further into debt? The more money they blow the longer and more expensive the recovery! Obama has already expressed that this crisis will take years to resolve thus implying that we will probably need him and his party for another term or longer. They can milk the Bush blame game forever." Murray Sez

Friday Fridge Soup

Nothing like a wind chill of minus 25 to make you open the refrigerator door and look for soup fixins.

a pint more or less of chicken broth made last week
two wilted carrots of indeterminant age
one medium size onion, chopped
two tired potatoes, sprouting
a half jar of salsa, medium hot, left from a Sunday football game
one small can of vegetable juice
one lonesome turkey bratwurst, sliced, cooked lightly in microwave, drained
all the celery hearts (forgotten about when I bought a fresh bunch) chopped
salt and pepper to taste
And nothing like the flash of a camera to let you see all the spots on the wallpaper. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything I liked as well as this. Goes with the cabinets and counters. But I then did try a little of that magic eraser, and found it removed a lot.

Faith Hope Love Ministry of Anne and David Wan

Because of the cold, my husband decided it was best to cancel the exercise class today, so we were trying to find phone numbers. There are a few Chinese women who attend, so I was looking at Anne and David's Christmas letter to see if I could find a phone listing, and instead discovered their ministry called Faith Hope Love, which started as a small gathering of Christians in their home and is now a ministry. Check it out here.



Anne and her daughter Priscilla travelled to Europe the summer of 2008 with an evangelism team and visited seven countries--Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, German, Luxembourg and Holland. They saw many miracles of physical and spiritual healing. Anne was a translator and Priscilla was a worship leader. Here's the video which I found on their web site.



I also found this in their photo file of a family trip to Taiwan, and I think is our O-H-I-O Buckeye cheer.

Thursday Thirteen--13 reminders

In the previous entry I reported on supplements C & E not helping much. What to do? Here's my thirteen reminders on healthy living--from years of observation, and several previous blogs.

1. Choose your parents and ancestors wisely.
   
2. Eat all the colors, the darker the better.
   
3. Learn to prepare your own food--it's cheaper and healthier than eating out frequently or buying processed. Lots of wonderful root crops; and frozen will be better than that stuff that sits in the back of the frig for 2 weeks, which may have been old when you bought it. Don't bother with those search and destroy missions; the human race got this far without infomercials and expensive eating programs.
   
4. Avoid high calorie, sugary or salty snacks and desserts. They just make you more hungry; but also, don't deprive yourself completely or you'll binge. Chocolate in moderation is good for you. I hope they don't reverse that research.
   
5. Don't smoke at all; not for any reason, no, no, no, not any weed. Nicotine is never good for you, gives you wrinkles, yellow teeth, bad breath, puts you at risk for all sorts of diseases, and you smell bad. Plus it costs hundreds a year. That third hand smoke danger stuff is an urban legend, however. Based on nothing but personal opinion survey. No studies--zip, nada, zilch. If you get too hyper, you'll just give yourself an ulcer.
   
6. Don't have more than a few alcoholic drinks a week; red wine may even be good for you--even more so with a little chocolate. But grape juice is good, too. I cooked up a bunch of grapes getting a little old along with some fresh pineapple starting to turn and a tired apple. Ran it all through the blender, and my! that was tasty.
   
7. Get regular exercise. I know, I know. I hate it too. But it's good for you. Especially the bones. It will also help your balance. Falls are dangerous. You don't want to go to the hospital or nursing home for any reason--bad germs there. Plus it sets you up for pneumonia.
   
8. Wash your hands often. Keep a little bottle of the alcohol rub around for emergencies.
   
9. Brush your teeth.
   
10. Floss. Protect your gums. You can really get bad stuff from decay around your gums. I hate to floss. And I had gingivitis in my 30s, so I should know better. But I do have all my teeth--even my wisdom teeth. That helps me write 11 blogs.
    
11. Protect your ears. Oh, I hate to see these kids blasting away their hearing hour by hour with ear buds and i-pods. Hearing is so precious. My grandmother was blind, and you know what she said? Hearing loss is worse than sight loss because it interferes with communication. I can't stand it when I see parents taking their helpless infants and toddlers into the loud, clangy bangy church service (called x-alt at our church) with the drums and rock music. It's child abuse in my opinion. If my ears are too tender for that CCM noise, think what theirs must be!
    
12. Choose solid, stable, supportive shoes. Oh you foolish girls, trying to look like you have 5 more inches of leg by wearing stiletto, expensive pumps with pointy toes. I like a little stacked heel just because it's comfortable, but you're asking for sprained ankles and strained backs. You'll have corns, bunions and arch cramps for sure.
    
13. Forgive. Don't carry around grudges. How long ago did she say that nasty thing? 20 years? Bad thoughts pull down your face and cause you to get less sleep, which give you bags under your eyes.

The Old Thursday Thirteen is gone; here's the new site. http://thursday-13.com/

Vitamins E and C in preventing cancer in men

Of course, the next study could say something different, but the one published in the January 7 issue of JAMA suggests nutritional supplements E and C (8 year study, 14,641 men) do not reduce the risk of prostate or total cancer. The only reassuring thing in the study was they don't do any harm. The multivitamin study hasn't been published yet.

Results: During a mean follow-up of 8.0 years, there were 1008 confirmed incident cases of prostate cancer and 1943 total cancers. Compared with placebo, vitamin E had no effect on the incidence of prostate cancer (active and placebo vitamin E groups, 9.1 and 9.5 events per 1000 person-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-1.09; P = .58) or total cancer (active and placebo vitamin E groups, 17.8 and 17.3 cases per 1000 person-years; HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.95-1.13; P = .41). There was also no significant effect of vitamin C on total cancer (active and placebo vitamin C groups, 17.6 and 17.5 events per 1000 person-years; HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.92-1.10; P = .86) or prostate cancer (active and placebo vitamin C groups, 9.4 and 9.2 cases per 1000 person-years; HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.90-1.15; P = .80). Neither vitamin E nor vitamin C had a significant effect on colorectal, lung, or other site-specific cancers. Adjustment for adherence and exclusion of the first 4 or 6 years of follow-up did not alter the results. Stratification by various cancer risk factors demonstrated no significant modification of the effect of vitamin E on prostate cancer risk or either agent on total cancer risk.

Conclusions: In this large, long-term trial of male physicians, neither vitamin E nor C supplementation reduced the risk of prostate or total cancer. These data provide no support for the use of these supplements for the prevention of cancer in middle-aged and older men.

The only beneficiaries seem to be the companies that produce and market nutritionals. And although there are no published negative affects, think about all those supplements being passed through to the sewage treatment plants--is there anyway to get that stuff out of the water? We get so worried about what the animals are passing through to the ground water, what about us? I looked at a few articles about this, but didn't see anything worth linking to--sort of hard to find the right descriptors or tags.

Robert Eric McFadden, Scum Strickland Staffer

A former member of Governor Strickland’s staff, Robert McFadden, 46, Dublin, Ohio, who headed his Faith Based Initiatives program until October 2007 has been arrested as one of the main organizers of a Columbus area prostitution ring. A local TV station, NBC4 reports: “Police said McFadden was involved in Columbus prostitution for about six years and was also widely known in Democratic politics and Catholic politics as the leader of Central Ohio’s Catholics for Clinton during the last primary election.”

The Columbus Dispatch reports: “The charges include compelling prostitution involving a minor, promoting prostitution and pandering. He is being held in the Franklin County jail pending an appearance in Municipal Court this morning. Police said they have seized a computer and two vehicles. One was his wife's car, which detectives said was the setting for photos of the 17-year-old girl that McFadden then posted online.”

And the Dayton Daily News: "McFadden has been involved in Democratic politics, working for Catholics for Kerry in 2004, Catholic Alliance for the Common Good in 2006, and Sen. Hillary Clinton's primary bid last year. Strickland appointed him to head the Office on Faith-based Initiatives, a post McFadden held from February 2007 to October 2007. Dailey said, "He was not a good fit for the role... It was a mutually agreed to decision that the position wasn't working out for him."

Lots of churches and non-profits in Columbus do this faith based initiative grant stuff at the local and federal level to rehab houses, feed and serve the poor. Personally, I think it’s a bad idea. The government gets cheap labor, and the church folk get screwed. When there’s a change in administrations, the programs suffer plus the church has been taking handouts instead of tithes. It's a pact with the devil--don't preach the gospel and we'll give you money. Wonder how much he’s tainted these programs? Let's hope some observant Christians reported to Strickland--You don't become a crook over night. They leave crumbs to follow. What better place for the fox to hide than inside the hen house? After he left the governor’s staff he worked for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. What a combination! Didn’t anyone catch on to this guy? Don't they need references?

Strickland is having problems vetting the morals of his staff and fellow Democrats. Marc Dann, Ohio’s attorney general, finally resigned after sexual harrassment and misuse of government funds were revealed. As one wag put it, they couldn’t get him on adultery, or they’d lose half the legislature. After the 2004 loss, Democrats looked around at what worked for Republicans and decided it was religion and family values. Governor Strickland, a former Methodist pastor, seemed a good bet, and he ran on a squeaky clean ethics platform because our former governor didn’t report a free golf game.

The Marc Dann stories in Dispatch, right up through this week.

Update: While checking this story later in google for updates, I see a rabid anti-Republican, anti-Bush web site (got BDS bad) in the original title referred to McFadden as a GOPer. After realizing he was a Democrat, the blogger (I think it was a Huff Puff post) changed GOPer to Pol, not Dem. However, the URL remained the same even though the title changed, so when you see it on Google, it looks like McFadden was a Republican. Porno-pimpers come in all colors and parties and I doubt that his party had a significant role in his scumminess. However, I think it's delightful that the blogger looked at his "faith-based" and assumed the worst, then found out he worked for Kerry, Clinton and Strickland, all loyal Democrats.

Today's new word--SPHYGMOMANOMETER

Perhaps you were calling it "that blood pressure thingy." Sphygmo is from the Greek word for pulse; manos for thin; and metron for measure. I like to read medical journals, so I could fill up a blog with the words I don't recognize, but this one was in a JAMA essay called "Drama in Medicine?" and I have to admit, I didn't get his point, but he did refer to the drama of the otoscope and sphygmomanometer. According to my Tabor's, it's an instrument for determining arterial blood pressure indirectly. I have always had low blood pressure; if the assistant is new, she immediately does it over. But drama?

It's nice to know that doctors too need to brush up on their medical terms, not just retired veterinary librarians. This issue (Jan. 7, 2009) had an article "How to use an article about genetic association," where the hypothetical case is presented that a patient consults with his doctor because Alzheimer's Disease afflicted both his father and grandfather, so he wanted to know about genetic tests. So the doctor consults his texts and finds an array of confusing words, plus more than 1000 publications on genetic associations of AD with mention of hundreds of genes. So there is a full page of a basic glossary--about 25 words before launching into the topic--how to read and understand the genetic literature.

This would never happen to you or me

"LA Times: Though he was a prodigy in the world of economics, Timothy F. Geithner underwent an IRS audit in 2006 and ended up paying back taxes for a mistake in two years' worth of filings. That was embarrassing enough.

But just as he was about to be named to head the Treasury Department, a more awkward fact came to light: Geithner had made the same error in two earlier tax years and failed to fix it even after the audit."

Someone at IRS gave Geithner a pass Go, do not go to jail card, because he was too big to fail. It was the Obama team vetting him that found the error. The IRS let him off the hook. Another too big, too brilliant to fail, Washington insider. When will we learn? We are about to have a tax crook as head of Treasury! Wasn't this Madoff's problem? Wasn't this the story with the Indian Enron guy? [B. Ramalinga Raju of Satyam] A different set of rules for our buddies? The little guy is hounded, charged interest, and fined for even a minor infraction of "forgetting" a tax rule. When our son needed to dip into his IRA a few years back to pay his bills, he carefully (he thought) paid the penalty and taxes due. But something was overlooked (don't ever try to figure out those rules without an accountant or lawyer), and shazam, down came the IRS on him 2 or 3 years later with a fine and interest. He had the additional cost of hiring a lawyer. Geithner gets into trouble, and the IRS doesn't even follow through. Dual set of rules. And then there's the domestic staff issue. Why do all these Democrats get caught by this? Why can't they figure out why that domestic is such a bargain? Wasn't that a Clinton staffing problem too.

And all these Democrats and media talking heads excusing him for being "sloppy," or "overlooking" something. Would they be so kind to a Republican appointee, or even my son?

Three word Wednesday

The words this week are Entwine, Forfeit and Tryst. Here's how it works, and anyone can play. Take the words proved, write something with them, then come back to the 3WW site and leave a link, and visit the others and leave a comment.



She's twisted
And
trysted

He's entwined
And
refined.

Time's up
Payment's overdue,
You forfeit.

Photo from Softies Central

New Year's Resolution Nine

Join Mindy's watercolor class on Tuesday afternoon. This is from a photo of Mindy's husband walking in Ennis Woods--it must have been on one of our few sunny days.

Today's new word is THRENODY

from threnos (thray'-nos), from the base of throeo; wailing -- lamentation. A song of lamentation; a dirge; a funeral song; a lament. There is actually a blog called, "Threnody of an ethereal dreamer" written by an 18 year old Malaysian girl! Now why would her life be one long funeral song?

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a poem, Threnody, after the death of his 5 year old son (excerpt)

O child of Paradise!
Boy who made dear his father's home
In whose deep eyes
Men read the welfare of the times to come;
I am too much bereft;
The world dishonored thou hast left;
O truths and natures costly lie;
O trusted, broken prophecy!
O richest fortune sourly crossed;
Born for the future, to the future lost!

William Shakespeare wrote a poem, Threnos.

Threnos.

Beauty, truth, and rarity,
Grace in all simplicity,
Here enclosed in cinders lie.
Death is now the phoenix` nest;
And the turtle`s loyal breast
To eternity doth rest,
Leaving no posterity:
`T was not their infirmity,
It was married chastity.
Truth may seem, but cannot be;
Beauty brag, but `t is not she;
Truth and beauty buried be.
To this urn let those repair
That are either true or fair;
For these dead birds sigh a prayer.

To what are we entitled?

For over 30 years we’ve been hearing we deserve something that has nothing to do with our values, abilities, wealth/poverty or station in life. McDonald’s made a fortune with "You deserve a break today (ad campaign 1971)," and it’s never gone away. There’s apparently a new theme at Wendy’s, “You deserve a download with your burger.” which promotes a download of a free music file from Rhapsody. So now you deserve music with your food. I haven’t been in Wendy‘s for sometime (although I love their junior bacon cheeseburger, hold-the-mayo for $.99) so I‘m taking the word of another blogger.

But this entitlement idea is everywhere. It's the opposite of what the Bible says, and what Americans who founded this country believed. In the OT, the core values were worship of the Creator God, of being grateful, of obeying God’s commands and living to honour Him. In the NT, there is no sense we deserve anything except justice, which would be hell for being disobedient sinners. Grace is UNMERITED.

I checked the internet:

How to get every dollar you deserve . . . by getting the full value for your house”
“Helping you receive the financial aid you deserve”
“You deserve a tax break on your home office costs”
“Get the job you deserve”
“Get the raise you deserve”
“You deserve the best selection”
“Make health your priority - you deserve it”
"You deserve a true marketing partner, not someone who simply takes orders"
"The vacation you deserve"
"The advertising you deserve"
"The attention you deserve"
"Gain the exposure you deserve"

We call government programs "entitlements," and as much as Democrats want to think Republicans are uncaring, heartless boobs, it's really the Republicans who are the big spenders on entitlements. It seems whenever they get a chance, they try to outspend the Democrats. Obama will have to really open the wallet to outspend Bush. Since 2000, Medicaid up 50%, Social Security up 6.3%, Medicare up 6.6%, child nutriiton up 8.9% veterans benefits up 7.3% (this would be higher, except the Iraq War costs are offset by the deaths of WWII veterans), Earned Income Tax Credit up 13.3%, Pell grants (college for low income) up 33.1%, and welfare down 18.2% (this reflects the 1996 welfare reform whereby it is harder to qualify).

So, to how much health care are you entitled? Mole removal? Hair transplant? Gastric by-pass? Liver transplant after a life-time of drinking? Drug rehab? Smoking cessation program? Fees for Weight Watchers or Jennie Craig? Anti-biotics for STDs? For those of you thinking universal healthcare is wonderful, let me tell you I have the "equivalent" through Medicare and my pension plan and it is costing me over 19% of my pension--and that's if I'm well and file no claims. When was the last time "free" translated to that? Is this the "skin" in the game that Mr. Obama talks about? Mine's already there, thank you.

Obama's appointing people to his cabinet who haven't even paid their taxes! Where is the change? Where is the hope? Where is the money?

Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, yesterday told members of the Senate finance committee that mistakes on his tax forms early within the last decade were unintentional, and that he had repaid the more than $42,000 owed, including interest. It was also disclosed yesterday that Geithner employed a housekeeper whose work eligibility had expired during the period in which she worked for him. UK Guardian

Now that's a guy (treasury) who really understands the meaning of "entitlement." Hank Paulson is a mess, but I think he managed to pay his taxes.

From Heritage Foundation: Last week, after the Congressional Budget Office report showed that the pre-stimulus budget deficit would reach $1.2 trillion in FY 2009, President-elect Barack Obama reiterated his campaign promise to make Social Security and Medicare reform a “central part” of his efforts to control skyrocketing federal spending. Democrats on the Hill are already pushing back against any reform that would lower government spending, but Obama is correct. Spending is the problem. In the coming decades, the cost of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will leap from 8.4 percent to 18.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)–an increase of 10.2 percent. Funding all of the prom­ised benefits with income taxes would require rais­ing the 35 percent income tax bracket to at least 77 percent and raising the 25 percent tax bracket to at least 55 percent.

Where did the money go?

The drop in gasoline prices since summer has amounted to about $2,000 per household in spendable income. That's why a "stimulus" check isn't going to dent the recession. Now, we didn't get that much--we have two cars but don't drive a lot, but it did halve what we spent on gasoline. I think our share went to our California relatives (bunches of them--probably more than any other state). According to USAToday here's were it went:

48% for groceries

42% to savings

30% to pay down credit card debt

10% for entertainment

9% for home improvements

I think that shows the American people can make good financial choices when the government gets out of the way. Even though money that goes into savings isn't technically out there circulating by buying "stuff," it is used by banks to offer credit to businesses that do employ people. If you remember, since Congress doesn't, this was the idea behind the huge September scare--TARP. The money was to be used for banks to get the economy going. Instead, it has morphed into PARP POOP PORK. This is why we're getting the return of the Hoover-FDR economic boondoggle of federal fiddling (1929-1943), only this time it will be the Bush-Obama Boondoggle. Let's hope it doesn't last over a decade this time.

UA residents need to stop breathing

We're emitting too much carbon dioxide. But we're ahead of the game--we are the first central Ohio city to get a "carbon footprint." (Upper Arlington Magazine, January/ February 2009, p. 20) Breathing map by tonnes while you watch. Here's a word from the Lord on this topic, that all greenies, tree huggers and Algorends need to heed: We are to take care of the earth--that's one of the earliest contracts with God who made it, but we don't control the climate. That's above our pay grade.

The global warmists have switched to using the term "climate change," especially as we are freezing our buns off here in the midwest and east coast, as if there had never been a cold or hot day in the 1930s or 1950s, nor an earthquake rumbling through central Illinois, or a tsunami that came before TV coverage. If it doesn't warm up a bit by next Tuesday (Obamaday), I'm sure it will be blamed on George Bush. We in the 21st century are so terribly self-centered we think the entire globe must always be as it has been since the 1800s, and never as it was in 1000 or 1500, or 500 B.C. And just in the nick of time, too, because here comes the third world millions wanting our lifestyle--electricity, automobilies, air conditioning, computers! And while lefties in our government play footsie with Kyoto, Europe continues to build coal fired plants--take that Ohio!

If reading God's word bothers your sensibilities, step outside on a clear night and look up--at the billions of stars above, and get a whiff of humility.

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.
He says to the snow, "fall on the earth,"
and to the rain shower, "Be a mighty downpour."
So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labor.
The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.
The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.
The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.
He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.
At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.
He brings the clouds to punish men,
or to water his earth and show his love. . .

You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
can you join him in spreading out the skies,
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?
Job 37: 3-13, 17-18

No moralizing here.

Renzo Piano calls his new building for the California Academy of Sciences in the San Francisco Golden Gate Park a “soft machine.” Apparently, it sounds better in Italian, but in any language it is a green gimmick. The type I love to ridicule. No professions, unless it is the politicians and civil service of both parties, are more vested in green hype than the building trades--architects, interior designers, furniture makers, engineers of all makes and models, all construction trades from plumbers to sub contractors, and venture capitalists. They ripped down classical structures and threw up (literally) buildings that looked like cereal boxes on a kitchen shelf, then covered up that mess with "post-modern" full of peaks and valleys and round windows, and after leaving most cities and their budgets in a shambles, are back with a new idea--going green and reducing the carbon footprint. I can hardly stand to look at some of the architectural student projects for survivors of hurricanes and earthquakes.

“Piano saw the roof as a metaphor for the entire project. “I saw it as topography,” he adds. “The idea was to cut a piece of the park, push it up 35 feet—to the height of the old buildings—and then put whatever was needed underneath.” From the beginning, he envisioned a green roof that would be an extension of the park and serve as a thermal buffer for the spaces below. “Twenty-first-century architecture must be about sustainability,” he asserts. “This isn’t a moralistic stance; it’s simply what architecture must be.” To really appreciate the full scope of every shade of green, read the whole article in Architectural Digest.

I love it especially when they say they aren’t moralizing.

Today's new word--INCUNABULA

This is a word most librarians learn in library school, but I came across it yesterday and realized I'd forgotten--was it an old book, a manuscript or the size of something. Use it or lose it! Incunabula comes from the Latin in cuna "in the cradle," or beginnings, or birthplace of something. In Latin, usually the ending A means it is plural, like "data," so incunabulum is singular, and means a book printed with movable type before 1501. Or, it can be expanded a bit. . .

In a general sense, the term "incunabula" can be used to refer to printed works of a time so early in the history of printing in a given locality that such printing may be said to be in its infancy; thus it is possible to speak of American incunabula, Arizona incunabula, etc. With regard specifically to printing, however, and unless stated otherwise, the term is used to refer to the products of the European press of the 15th century. from Bookbinding and the conservation of books

Good eats for the new year, or any time

Tara Parker Pope, one of my favorite health writers (used to be with the WSJ so I don’t see much of her anymore since she left because I don't like NYT) has an article on the 11 best foods you aren’t eating. But I'm ahead of her--I do eat them--except for turmeric. There was a terrific buy on pomegranate juice, so I bought a few bottles and found out why it was on sale. Tasted awful. I still have a jar, so I may have to try it again if Tara thinks it's good. As I recall it was ghastly sweet. And the pumpkin seeds are just a little bit too snacky--I try to avoid snacks. Especially salty. But if you must--be my guest. You know what the secret of my chocolate peanut butter pie is? I mix in some canned pumpkin--about 1/3 cup. No one will ever know--although now they will because I just told it. I much prefer fresh blueberries to frozen, but they are OK to keep in the freezer and just throw in to something else fruity. They are brain food, and we elders really need that, don’t we. The only thing on this list I haven’t tried is tumeric. Don't have clue what to do with that one. Tara writes:

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
   How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
   [No thanks, I'll cook mine--and I always buy them fresh with the leaves--they are fabulous, too.]
   
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
   How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
   [Again, I chop and lightly saute with some onion and peppers--I think putting cold things in a hungry tummy just doesn't kill the hunger pangs.]
   
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
   How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
   [Yes, I eat this, but actually prefer turnip greens or maybe collard greens. Wash carefully! Cooking liberates the carotenoids, so I always lightly grill with some onion. Huge bowl cooks down to tiny serving.]
   
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
   How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
   [A big maybe--don't count on it. Use it because it tastes good--with a little honey makes a great glaze to keep chicken or fish moist while baking.]
   
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Just drink it.
   [I don't care for it--prefer to get antioxidants in citrus, like orange juice with pulp.]
   
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
   [Just reach in the box or bag!]
   
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
   How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
   [All nuts and seeds are good for you, but I eat walnuts every day--about 1/2 cup. Love walnuts--fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and the highest antioxidant activity. Whatever that does.]
   
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
   How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
   [I'll pass. Too slimy and yucky and don't they have eyes? I'll just buy some canned mackerel--cheaper and it's off the charts for lots of nutrients.]
   
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
   How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
   [Clueless in Columbus.]
   
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
    How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
    [Good for your brain--skip the yogurt and all the extra calories and just mix with some cereal.]
    
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
    How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
    [Put it in peanut butter pie--no one will ever know.]

Speaking of things that are good for you, last night I had a treat that couldn't possibly pass that test. At book club we had "tablet," a Scottish sweet made with condensed milk, sugar, and butter. There were no redeeming qualities except taste. Oh so yummy.

On to week two

The parties are over, thank goodness; yesterday was the last of the holiday open houses. It's wonderful to have a full dance card--I'd feel just awful if we were never invited out, but boy it is rough on the hips! As Richard Simmons says, "A smaller behind in two thousand and nine." I start the second week of exercise class today. I was pleasantly pleased with last week--I particularly liked Monday and Friday (led by women much younger than I) which included a lot of stretching and weights. At my age, bone health is probably more important than cardio, which my husband emphasizes on Wednesday when he teaches. I didn't have any more leg pain than usual when I do nothing or just walking. The trick will be to keep it going to week 10 or 11, right? I still have some of the same measurements as high school--just not in the same places.

Older drivers in Florida

In January 2004 a new law requiring a visual acuity screen was put in place in Florida for drivers 80 years and older despite there being little evidence for an association between visual acuity and fatal motor vehicle collisions. The results were reported in Archives of Ophthalmology, 2008;126(11):1544-1547.

From 2001 to 2006, there was a nonsignificant increase in MVC fatality rates in Florida; in contrast, fatality rates among drivers 80 years and older demonstrated a significant downward linear trend. When comparing prelaw (2001-2003) and post-law(2004-2006) periods, the fatality rate among all-aged occupants increased by 6%; conversely, fatalities among drivers 80 years and older decreased significantly by 17%. The researchers are not sure what explains this relationship.

Here's my guess (I've only seen the abstract, not the article). When states first began to require drivers' licenses, those who already knew how were "grandfathered in", at least in Illinois. Neither of my parents (born in 1912 and 1913) had to pass a test--they just received a license by applying for one. Once vision tests are required, the older drivers probably also read up on "rules of the road" and practice a little, out of fear of losing their license. My father was driving before he was a teen-ager, and probably regularly by age 14 (his mother was blind and he was the oldest so he drove everyone to church). He had only one accident that I know of, at around age 87; but another driver slid on the ice and hit him. No one was injured. Still, I think an angel must have been in the passenger seat after about age 80; at least it looked that way from the back seat where I was watching white-knuckled and gasping for breath.


Judging from the hair styles (my natural color, no perm, and my husband actually still has red hair) in this undated photo of my parents visiting Columbus, I'm guessing it is fall 1982, around the time they decided to go to Florida for an extended period. They only did that once--my mother was really bored and she thought Florida traffic was unreal. Then they just went for a week or two to visit my sister and brother who lived in Bradenton.