Bonita's Apples

Bonita is a blogger I follow who takes the most wonderful photographs--especially of food (always very healthy and often over a campfire), her family outings in the mountains or interesting places, and her Bahai fellowship. We got permission to use one as a reference photo for a painting (by my husband) and this is the result. The cat didn't want to get up so she came along for the show. He didn't like it, but I made some suggestions and I think he's going to keep it. I think a bit more dark on the right side of the oar would really give more depth, but he says no.

Our trip to New England October 1977--Monday Memories

Today I was looking through the photo album of our trip to New England in October 1977. The photos were taken with my little instamatic camera and the plastic pages of the album have pretty much sucked out all the color, although I think it was gray much of the trip. Plus I taped the description on the open end, so it's virtually impossible to take any photos out. But here's one that many people, particularly artists, will recognize--Motif #1 in Rockport, Massachusetts. It may be the most painted scene in America.

Also on that trip we stopped in Boston for two days and stayed with my college roommate, Dora Hsiung and her husband, who is also an architect and a watercolorist like my husband. Dora and I roomed together at McKinley Hall at the University of Illinois. So I went into Google to see what shows she's doing these days and found a slide show selection of her work of fifty wall hangings, installations and sculptures, many large-scale, which are on view at the Chinese Culture Center (CCC) in San Francisco as part of its Xian Rui (Fresh and Sharp) exhibition series. She is a fabulous artist, and I still have the fabric piece she gave me in 1977, and always look forward to their Christmas cards.


Find more images like this on Chinese Culture Center Online Gallery


Photos of Dora and me in the 50s and 80s

Still clueless about what Obama is doing

ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" October 25.

When will our vigilant, "free" press wake up? Yes, they are nibbling around the edges, but only Laura Ingraham nails it. Where else do you see this kind of passion from the White House, except when attacking America's free speech? And this is the guy who's had a free ride to the White House from the press--yes, even from Fox News. But Laura, the ratings will make no difference when he shuts you down after shutting you out! It's all a cover so we don't focus on what's really happening.



HT David Zurawik, Baltimore Sun.

The fun way to change behavior

Probably works better than lectures and finger wagging from the nanny state.

Florida gets the most--$580,096,634

Treasury Dept. Press Release on ARRA Housing money

Call me crazy, but I think "supporting local developers," "working quickly," "tax credits," "innovative programs," and "building affordable housing," are what brought us to this mess.

"WASHINGTON – As part of the Obama Administration's efforts to strengthen communities and ease pressures on the housing market, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced $284 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funding to spur the development of affordable housing in California. To date, 45 state housing authorities have been awarded a total of $3.1 billion in payments in lieu of tax credits for affordable housing projects.

This innovative Recovery Act program allows the federal government to partner with states to support local developers and helps ensure that housing developers can access the financing necessary to build affordable housing," said Treasury Deputy Secretary Neal Wolin. "We have worked quickly to make available more than $3 billion to state housing agencies, and we expect to see continued efforts at the state level, so that these funds can be delivered to the communities that need it most."

In May 2009, the Treasury Department launched an innovative program to provide payments in lieu of tax credits to state housing agencies to jump start the development or renovation of qualified affordable housing for families across the country. Upon receiving notice of these allocations, state housing agencies manage a competitive process to disburse funds to qualified developers. This is an ongoing program open to additional state applications through 2010."

More low income people pushed into mortgages they can't afford to supply jobs for the building trades and unions.

Maybe it's Kerry's first term?

At some very far left blogs, I've seen grousing (swearing, cursing, gutter language like you wouldn't believe!) that Obama is doing a Bush third term. No indeed, they are not happy with the hope and change--it looks like Bush retreads to them. They know and we know why he's waffling on his assurances to us during the campaign. So Dick Cheney's speech at the Republican Convention in 2004 looks more interesting. Maybe, Obama is really Kerry's first term, minus the experience and the military service, of course? Wanting to be under the authority of the UN, seeking approval from our critics, flip flopping on a variety of issues--yes, except for the lack of experience, it all sounds very familier.

"The President's opponent is an experienced senator. He speaks often of his service in Vietnam, and we honor him for it. But there is also a record of more than three decades since. And on the question of America's role in the world, the differences between Senator Kerry and President Bush are the sharpest, and the stakes for the country are the highest. History has shown that a strong and purposeful America is vital to preserving freedom and keeping us safe — yet time and again Senator Kerry has made the wrong call on national security. Senator Kerry began his political career by saying he would like to see our troops deployed "only at the directive of the United Nations." During the 1980s, Senator Kerry opposed Ronald Reagan's major defense initiatives that brought victory in the Cold War. In 1991, when Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait and stood poised to dominate the Persian Gulf, Senator Kerry voted against Operation Desert Storm.

Even in this post-9/11 period, Senator Kerry doesn't appear to understand how the world has changed. He talks about leading a "more sensitive war on terror," as though Al Qaeda will be impressed with our softer side. He declared at the Democratic Convention that he will forcefully defend America — after we have been attacked. My fellow Americans, we have already been attacked, and faced with an enemy who seeks the deadliest of weapons to use against us, we cannot wait for the next attack. We must do everything we can to prevent it — and that includes the use of military force.

Senator Kerry denounces American action when other countries don't approve — as if the whole object of our foreign policy were to please a few persistent critics. In fact, in the global war on terror, as in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Bush has brought many allies to our side. But as the President has made very clear, there is a difference between leading a coalition of many, and submitting to the objections of a few. George W. Bush will never seek a permission slip to defend the American people.

Senator Kerry also takes a different view when it comes to supporting our military. Although he voted to authorize force against Saddam Hussein, he then decided he was opposed to the war, and voted against funding for our men and women in the field. He voted against body armor, ammunition, fuel, spare parts, armored vehicles, extra pay for hardship duty, and support for military families. Senator Kerry is campaigning for the position of commander in chief. Yet he does not seem to understand the first obligation of a commander in chief — and that is to support American troops in combat.

In his years in Washington, John Kerry has been one of a hundred votes in the United States Senate — and very fortunately on matters of national security, his views rarely prevailed. But the presidency is an entirely different proposition. A senator can be wrong for 20 years, without consequence to the nation. But a president — a president — always casts the deciding vote. And in this time of challenge, America needs — and America has — a president we can count on to get it right.

On Iraq, Senator Kerry has disagreed with many of his fellow Democrats. But Senator Kerry's liveliest disagreement is with himself. His back-and- forth reflects a habit of indecision, and sends a message of confusion. And it is all part of a pattern. He has, in the last several years, been for the No Child Left Behind Act — and against it. He has spoken in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement — and against it. He is for the Patriot Act — and against it. Senator Kerry says he sees two Americas. It makes the whole thing mutual — America sees two John Kerrys.

2004 Republican National Convention on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2004

Has Bill McKibben abandoned Jesus for Al Gore?

Looking back through his writings, I'd say YES. Five or ten years ago he was obsessed with correcting self-centered, me-and-Jesus Christianity, the failures of dispensationalism on the one end and Rick Warren on the other, with some CO2 and environmentalism as top dressing. Oddly, I didn't find much criticism of the humanistic, communistic, peace and justice Christians. The ones whose churches have emptied out from lack of following Jesus. From admiring Cuba's agriculture, to criticizing just about everything in American culture, his Christian veneer is desperately thin, even five years ago. Yesterday, the big 350 event, shows he's completely moved to climate changism. Algorism. No more "let's pretend". Since Jesus put all Creation in motion, (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. John 1:1-3 RSV), it's odd to see yet another man-made, spiritual but not Christian, movement go global. Ah, the power of the internet. Paul was much more convincing back in the first century and demanded much more of people than demonstrating, painted faces, group projects, and protests. Yes, much more demanding.

Hundreds of photos at the 350 site. From expensive sail boats to high tech bicycles. But I thought this one on the site of a destroyed culture seemed to best illustrate what eco-fundamentalists want for us--especially America. Didn't the rulers of some of these civilizations need human sacrifice to stay in power?

Atheist Pat Condell speaks out on free speech

It's not often I agree with an atheist about religion, but this be one of those times.



Our First Amendment rights are under attack.

Giving out awards

A The New Republic Jonathan Chait notes in "The case against awards" that:

"A recent statistical analysis by Robert T. Hodgson, published in the Journal of Wine Economics (I kid you not), found that a wine that wins one competition is no more likely to win another competition than any other wine. Which is to say, wine awards are handed out completely at random. If you listen to movie buffs, they will tell you that the Academy Awards regularly commit unforgiveable sins of commission or omission. Look closely at any field that gives out awards, and you will probably find that injustice is more the rule than the exception.

I've often suspected as much at art shows when I look at the winners. However, since I think the point of his article was to reference Obama's recent prize when he erroneously says, "the committee frequently chooses recipients in order to encourage or empower them, rather than to reward actual achievement" at least I can't think of any examples, one person comments:

Originally the award was designed to be given to those who had done the most to bring about peace. This means it should go to international mediators and those who make peace with their internal or external enemies. While there might not be good candidates every year, there are many who fit this criterion who haven't received the award. It took the Nobel Committee in Oslo 23 years to award Carter for mediating the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. There are two figures in the Obama administration who deserve it for their work in the Clinton administration: George Mitchell for mediating the Good Friday Agreement in Belfast in 1998; Richard Holbrooke for mediating the Dayton Accords for Bosnia in 1995. Obama should give each of them half of the peace prize.

I think I could go for that--split it with people who deserve it. Although wasn't Clinton given the credit for the Belfast Agreement? He certainly is revered in Ireland.

Google and social networks

Independent booksellers fight back

This is a very, very old problem. The people who do it better get more customers, and the smaller firms (which years ago put the mom and pop firms out of business) complain to the government. I feel badly for the book sellers--I like nothing better than to nose around a cosy bookstore, but there sure are a lot of holes in their arguments. The letter to DOJ from the ABA.

I really think their gripe is with the publishers, not Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon. The book business has been screwy for many, many years. Long before Sam Walton ever thought of expanding his little five and dime store. I remember thinking that when I sat by the hour tearing the covers off books and hauling the guts to the trash bin behind the bookstore.

Mr. President, there is no consensus

Why does he keep smacking us with the global warming myth? Calling us names like naysayers and cynics. Defeatists. Living in the past. Pretending that most people believe it? Any thinking person can see where we're going with the cap and trade bills and agreements--not to protecting future generations, not to lower energy costs, not to saving glaciers and polar bears. Not only do we know the temperature hasn't risen in a decade, but we're on to his one world, global control scheme. It's just an opinion but considering what a bad country he believes he's heading, I think our president, hopes soon to be ruler of the world. (Look out Norway, he's got his eye on you!)

“There are those who will suggest that moving toward clean energy will destroy our economy — when it’s the system we currently have that endangers our prosperity and prevents us from creating millions of new jobs. There are going to be those who cynically claim — make cynical claims that contradict the overwhelming scientific evidence when it comes to climate change, claims whose only purpose is to defeat or delay the change that we know is necessary.” Obama's remarks at MIT, Friday

If anyone bought into this, it would be the building trades, architects in particular. Their livelihood depends on it--they're wetting themselves over the thought of tearing down the clunkers and getting government money to build green. And yet the cover story of Architect says 46% believe in climate change, 34% believe it isn't caused by humans, 13% believe global warming is a myth perpetuated by the media, and 7% aren't sure that building green will help when China and India are expanding so rapidly. So let's see, that's 46% for, and 54% who either don't believe it's man made, or it's a myth, or that there aren't political solutions. Does that sound like a consensus to you?

And how about Pew Research Center? According to the New York Times

The decline in the belief in solid evidence of global warming has come across the political spectrum, but has been particularly pronounced among independents. Just 53% of independents now see solid evidence of global warming, compared with 75% who did so in April 2008. Republicans, who already were highly skeptical of the evidence of global warming, have become even more so: just 35% of Republicans now see solid evidence of rising global temperatures, down from 49% in 2008 and 62% in 2007. Fewer Democrats also express this view – 75% today compared with 83% last year.

Obama and Waxman are losing ground on this, even among their own people. No wonder he wants to rush it through. The biggest drop of support is in the Mountain States. Hmmm. Do you suppose they are figuring out what cap and trade will do to their economy?

What's the hurry, Mr. President? "Never waste a [man made, trumped up, media engorged, one-world government] crisis."

Kiplinger drinks the Obama Kool-aid

This little item came through today in AIArchitect, the "Kiplinger Connection."

Economic Stimulus
Was the economic stimulus a success? Depends on how you measure.
The answer’s no, if set against Obama’s original goals: Holding joblessness around 8% and limiting the economic contraction this year to about 1.2%. [Yup, he missed that big time.]

But measured against what would have been, it was a rousing success. [You're kidding, right? Have you noticed your grandchildren will pay for this?] Washington added about $90 billion to GDP in the second and third quarters, through direct payments to the states, COBRA subsidies for the unemployed, reduced income tax withholding plus the first round of infrastructure spending. [Notice how little was spent on infrastructure--but isn't that what he promised?] Otherwise, the second quarter contraction would have been worse than the 0.7% it was, and third quarter GDP would have been expected to come in flat. As it is … GDP surely rose in the third quarter, probably by a healthy 3.5% or so. [Gee, maybe he can keep this going 10 years like FDR did?]

One reason for the view that the stimulus isn’t panning out: Obama’s tendency to focus on infrastructure development. Spending on it has been slow to take off…with long lead times for planning and contracting … and slow to pay off in terms of increased business spending and job creation. [Or maybe he was wasting too much political capital on stealing our health care and had no appointments who knew anything about business and capitalism?]

Shoulda coulda woulda--there is no way to measure "what would have been," just as there's no way to know about that job you didn't take, or the one you didn't marry, or that promotion you didn't get, or club you didn't join, or that trip you didn't take. Sure--might have been super, or it could have been a bust. You just don't know. Nor do we know what would have happened if the federal government had just let the recession run its course, let bad companies fail--no cash for clunkers, no take-over of banks and automakers, no petty czars poking their noses into business, no threatening Fox News for pointing out the obvious, no denigration of 95% of American businesses who belong to the Chamber, no take over of the economy in order "not to waste a crisis." But if government stayed out of our business, out of market manipulation, out of mortgages, out of schools--well, wouldn't that mean we don't need them. And what would they do with all that surplus, pent up wind power?

Trying out the new sidewalks

This morning I took advantage of the new sidewalks and timed myself on a walk around the neighborhood which formerly would have meant wet shoes and falling into the traffic from the bad slope. Half an hour, or approximately 2 miles. The intersection wasn't quite finished, so I didn't connect to the sidewalks on the other side that would have led to the park, choosing instead to walk briefly inside Columbus (no curbs, no sidewalks, poorly paved street) and then back again into our community. In spite of the gray skies, the color in the trees is still beautiful. I don't know how many variety of maple trees there is, but they all seemed to be a different color--ochre, yellow, burgundy, gold, red, lime with a touch of rose, scarlet, purple, and some as green as an August day. With some shin stretches and good solid shoes I should be able to tolerate walking on concrete. So as I'm walking and enjoying the fall weather, I'm thinking--M W F exercise class, T Th S walking the neighborhood for half an hour. That really sounds good until the wind picks up and the temperature drops into the 20s. My mother took up cross country skiing at my age--don't think I'll do that--she was just amazing--but in her memory, I'll try to keep up. Besides, we don't get much snow here.

The perfect birthday card

Sometimes it's just not worth it. I look and look and look. Some cards are so not true. When my dad was alive it was virtually impossible to find a good card--sailboats and golf clubs were just not him. I always look for the right words after I find the right art. This week was my son-in-law's birthday. He's not the home made card type--and I do many of those with my own art. So the hunt was on. Finally, I found it. The art was just awful--bad colors, yucky graphics, but the text fit.
(on the front)
Son-in-law
Strong
Good-hearted
Intelligent
Real
Beyond amazing

(inside)
It means so much
to have someone like you
in our family.
Hope you know
how much you're loved
and appreciated.
The four of us went out to eat at our favorite sports bar and caught up (at least my daughter and I did--the guys probably talked sports). She's doing such an amazing job on her treadmill exercise routine--but hurt her tendon on the recent vacation trip, so we're taking over my exercycle today (which is gathering dust) so she can get aerobic but not put pressure on her foot. I don't know how many dress sizes she's dropped but at least four, and all through the discipline of regular, intense exercise. She was dangerously close to being a diabetic, and all her labs are normal now. She's such an inspiration, I'm even wearing my sweats and athletic shoes to go for a walk (on our new sidewalk) after coffee. It's takes a lot to get me to exercise, and to appear in public dressed this way.

And I apologized for the poor art work--He did like the sentiment.

We no longer have this couch, so I'm guessing ca. 2005

Thanks America!

Some very wealthy suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, are getting new sidewalks, road repairs, and other dinky little jobs cleaned up at your expense (stimulus money). Soon I'll be able to walk to my favorite coffee shop--I don't think it's this stretch, but one further south if I read the papers correctly. Now, we've certainly sent our share to Washington, D.C. and because of the wealth here, Obama will get his pound of flesh in return for these sidewalks. In recent years (since 2004) the progressive movement in U.A. has really been flexing its muscle, but really, if the richest communities in the country like Upper Arlington, Dublin and Worthington, loaded with OSU faculty and government employees, can't pay for their own sidewalks across the street from one of the finest golf courses in the nation, something's really screwy in the federal government.

One of the city workers stopped me on my walk yesterday and asked how I liked the brick retaining wall (had to cut into our landscaping), and I said it looked nice. He started to say something about Obama (I had the impression he thinks it's free money), and then quickly changed the subject when I asked him why Arlington needed stimulus money.

Here's an August article from Business First detailing some of the other projects around our city.

Friday Family Photo--Christopher

In two Monday Memories I featured our nephew Caleb, entering the army reserves. This is our nephew Christopher, grandson of Brother Bob and Sister Jean (as is Caleb, son of Joan and Dan), son of young Robert and Christa. He's recently finished his Air Force training and was hoping for an exotic relocation--wishes granted--he'll be in Dayton, OH!

Obama's promises to the gay lobby

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. "By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all."

On October 10 the president gave this speech to the HRC which included:

My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians -- whether in the office or on the battlefield. (Applause.) You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman. (Applause.) You will see a nation that's valuing and cherishing these families as we build a more perfect union -- a union in which gay Americans are an important part. I am committed to these goals. And my administration will continue fighting to achieve them.

Of course, he’s flipped, flopped, and bamboozled the American public before resulting in the biggest loss in approval numbers in the briefest time of any president. I don't know why the GLBTs should have any more faith in him than Christians, business people, insurance salesmen, auto dealers, bankers, home owners, newscasters or anyone else he's lied to and absconded with their wealth and freedoms. Of any group in the U.S. in danger from his cozy relationship with Muslims, it would be this community.

What's behind the closed doors?

While I head for the coffee shop, Murray will give you his ideas on what Harry Reid was trying to do this week with the healthcare bill.

This week Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev) tried taking 250 billion of expenses out of the healthcare Bill in an attempt to lower the overall cost. $250 Billion! How ? By simply eliminating it from the healthcare Bill and paying the 250 billion out to doctors over a 10 year period of time. This would be unfunded and simply be added to the national debt!

It appears there were two problems he was trying to solve. Lower the cost of the health plan to make it look better and still appease the doctors who aren't supporting the plan. You see, even though the AMA claims to be for the plan, the majority of the doctors in this country are not. That's why Obama held that little fiasco handing out white coats to a select few who were supposed to be doctors in an attempt to fake us out one more time. Obama is good at that.

Fortunately 12 Democrats plus the Republicans defeated the move which proved to be a miscalculation by Reid. I'm sure there will be other attempts to make this "dog" bill look better before it's over. This attempt to extract 250 billion of costs out of the healthcare bill has NOT CAUSED A RIPPLE in the mainstream media. With all the attention and focus on this bill, wouldn't you think NBC, CBS, ABC and the major newspapers would jump all over this? No, no, no! They'd rather give us another report on the Swine Flu.

Well the only people that have so far [Thursday] is Fox News. You know Fox. That's the News station that the Obama administration keeps trying to shut down. They have all the others cooperating but so far they haven't been able to quiet Fox but that doesn't mean they haven't been trying! They put political pressure on Fox's advertisers and claim that Fox IS NOT a news station.

There probably is another reason for sneaking out some of the costs of the healthcare bill. These are my own thoughts. You see, Tuesday the Democrats were behind closed doors ( no Republicans allowed in spite of the fact that Obama calls this a bi-partisan effort) to merge two of these bills into one. Now in order to do this there had to be some arm twisting to get everyone in the room to agree. So how do they do this? PORK! Yes folks, it's PORK time again. Since the CBO has already come up with a number, they can't come out of that room with a bigger one. So I think ol' Harry figured if he gets the 250 billion out of the Bill then there's room for $250 billion of negotiable PORK. Pork is always a tool that is used to pass a dog bill. Regardless, whether that was the plan or not, you can count on the fact that if there isn't any PORK in the current Bills , there certainly will be!
Murray

If you can find another reason for the closed doors, the campaign to isolate and then close down Fox, and the sneaky $250 billion move, write me!

70 year old woman shoots intruder in motel

In town for the Quarter Horse Show, this lady grabbed her gun when an intruder in the motel room where she was staying demanded money. He's dead. She had a permit. She probably saved their lives, but is very upset. The annual All-American Quarter Horse Congress is in its third week at the state fairgrounds and ends Sunday. It is the world's largest single-breed horse show and attracts more than 600,000 people to Columbus each year. Don't mess with the cowgirls.

Update: He's now been identified -- had a prison record and was wanted in Missouri.