Humility isn't his strength

Or maybe it's just his generation. "By our count there were 38 I's (including two I'ms, but excluding two I's in a quote from Martin Luther King) in President Obama's speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize." James Taranto, Dec. 10

I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. . . . I cannot argue with those who find these men and women--some known, some obscure to all but those they help--to be far more deserving of this honor than I. . . . I am the Commander-in-Chief. . . . I come here with an acute sense of the costs of armed conflict. . . . I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. . . . I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King Jr. said. . . . I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. . . . I face the world as it is. . . . I--like any head of state--reserve the right to act unilaterally. . . . I prohibited torture. . . . I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. . . . I have reaffirmed America's commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions.

Norwegians don't like the snub

Apparently 44% of Norwegians think our president was rude to forgo the festivities. Yes, we know how they feel don't we? Except a much higher percentage of Americans think he did nothing to get this prize and he probably should have stayed home, or turned it down.

Newly minted Nobel Laureate Barack Obama has stirred up some bad feelings in Oslo, Norway, by opting out of a round of events traditionally attended by the prizewinner — not the least of which is lunch with the King of Norway.

According to a report by the U.K.’s Guardian, Obama has scratched off a dinner with the Norwegian Nobel committee, a press conference, a television interview, appearances at a children's event promoting peace, a music concert — as well as a visit to the exhibition that honors him at the Nobel peace center. Newsmax story

Editor and Publisher, 125 years old, to cease publication

"NEW YORK Editor & Publisher, the bible of the newspaper industry and a journalism institution that traces its origins back to 1884, is ceasing publication.

An announcement, made by parent company The Nielsen Co., was made Thursday morning as staffers were informed that E&P, in both print and online, was shutting down.

The expressions of surprise and outpouring of strong support for E&P that have followed across the Web -- Editor & Publisher has even hit No. 4 as a Twitter trending topic -- raise the notion that the publication might yet continue in some form.

Nielsen Business Media, of which E&P was a part, has forged a deal with e5 Global Media Holdings, LLC, a new company formed jointly by Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners, for the sale of eight brands in the Media and Entertainment Group, including E&P sister magazines Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, Backstage, Billboard, Film Journal International and The Hollywood Reporter. E&P was not included in this transaction." Link.

The Massachusetts Primary--Guest Blog

Yesterday the primary took place in Massachusetts to replace Senator Ted Kennedy. Link. AG Martha Coakley won the Democratic nomination with 304,056 votes or 47% of the Democratic vote and 37.5% of the total vote. Scott Brown won the Republican nomination with 141,810 votes or 89% of the Republican vote and 17.5% of the total vote. You can cross parties in the primary so it is difficult to say whether a Republican voted Republican or did they cross over and vote Democratic. But a big factor is that only 11% of all registered voters in Massachusetts are registered Republicans. The last time there was a Republican Senator was Edward Brooke who lost his seat in 1979.

But how come Massachusetts gets a Republican governor every second or third election? Because they need one to clean up the financial mess the Democrats create. Well, the Democratic train wreck is here now and the nation, along with Massachusetts needs to put a Republican in this seat. Is it impossible? It is next to impossible, but the time has never been better. Republicans don't vote much in Massachusetts elections as they think it is no use. Well, with these very small turn outs the Republicans have a better chance than normal. I have addressed this communication to those of you who live in Massachusetts. You must vote! Also, please send this to all the people you know in Massachusetts and work to get a better turn out. I believe the election date to fill this seat is January 18th or close to this date.

Democratic candidates for governor in NJ and Virginia were voted down. That made big news and sent an unsettling message to the 111th congress. A Republican Senator from Massachusetts would be like setting of the A bomb in Congress.

Again, please vote and pass the word onto your fellow Massachusetts residents and friends. It is not impossible. And just as important, Scott Brown is a well qualified state Senator who has great values and represents a true difference to the liberal politicians trying to destroy or republic, our culture, and our future.

Bill L.

(Bill and I attended the same high school in Illinois, although I'm not sure we ever spoke. He was in my sister's class; an upperclassman and an athlete and I . . . wasn't. His permanent residence is Florida for the taxes and the weather, but he has had a home on Cape Cod since 1976. His roots and both children (small business people) and grandchildren are there. He lived in Massachusetts for a decade in the 1970's and for three short years in the late 1990's when he worked out of Sweden as a senior executive for a global manufacturing corporation headquartered in Goteborg, Sweden. Bill maintains an extensive e-mail list for discussion and information and that's how I came across this information.)

If you don't vote in Massachusetts, consider sending a contribution to Mr. Brown's campaign. Something or someone has to stop the Obama machine. Norma

A beautiful Christmas card

This may be the all time favorite e-Christmas card going around. It's from 2004, but never gets old. One of the lists from my high school (Bill L.) sent it this year. It comes from Ashland University here in Ohio, and I think may be one of the best PR tools a school could have. Great links, easy to read web-page.
http://ecard.ashland.edu/index.php?ecardYear=2004adm

More on this topic at my faith blog, Church of the Acronym.

Can Google make you stupid?

No, but it can help get you there if you're not careful.

"Larry Sanger has made his living on the Internet. He co-founded Wikipedia, one of the world’s top 10 Web sites with more than 65 million visitors monthly, and he now leads two other ambitious online projects. So why does he fear what the Internet is doing to our minds and those of our children?" Inquiring minds want to know.

Google won't make you any more stupid than reading only Reader's Digest instead of the original, Bible commentaries instead of the Bible, or consulting a watch instead of figuring out the position of the sun and moon. It's a tool, and I love it. I actually know (or used to) some of the arcane rules for searching complex databases, but I "google" it instead. The difference is, I know not to trust everything I read and check several sources, look for not just two sides of a question, but four or five. I've even poked through that long list of e-mails from the Climategate whistleblower and read a number of scientists who don't agree there is a consensus on the cause of global warming.

Right now I'm reading "A faith and culture devotional" by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington (Zondervan 2008). I just love it that Kelly and Lael sifted through the world of Christian intellectuals and selected the authors and the topics in art, literature, history, science, etc. and that they provide further reading suggestions and web sites if a particular topic interests me. From there I can google til my heart's content.

My Monday book group, and we all read and we know how and when to Google.

Obama pays Hillary's bills with our money

Stimulus money--about $6 million--pays off Marc Penn, Hillary's pollster. I guess that answers the question about where are the jobs.

And here's his version:

"A public relations firm headed by Hillary Clinton's former campaign strategist shot back Wednesday at a report saying it received nearly $6 million in federal stimulus funds, blasting the claim as "fundamentally inaccurate."

The Hill newspaper reported that two companies run by Mark Penn -- Clinton's pollster during her 2008 presidential run -- received $5.97 million from the $787 billion stimulus package so he could preserve three jobs at his public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller.

The firm had secured a contract to work on a campaign advertising the nation's switch from analog to digital television, and the Hill reported that $2.8 million of that contract was given to Penn's polling firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates.

But Burson-Marsteller on Wednesday disputed the newspaper's report, calling it "fundamentally inaccurate" in a statement. The firm said it was awarded a "competitive bid contract" in 2009 to support the Federal Communications Commission's initiative to "educate and advertise the congressionally mandated switch to digital television."

The firm said the contract, which included other vendors, was completed "under budget" and cost $4.36 million -- not $6 million." Fox News

Competitive bid, eh?

I don't care if it is 100% organic cotton

This is drop dead ugly, and women should be insulted to be told it's fashionable. Bad hair, too.

Blizzard closes Wisconsin

What? We're used to the University closing in Columbus when the high wind and snow gets blowing building a few drifts over the parking lots, but Madison? What happened to the global warming? This sure isn't climate change, because when I was a kid it always piled up in Wisconsin and then sort of slopped over into Illinois.

"In response to the blizzard that has impacted the state, [Wisconsin] Governor Jim Doyle has ordered the closure of all state government and University of Wisconsin campuses for public business. The Governor's order directs that state employees are not to report to work, unless their job duties include the provision or support of an emergency response, public health or public safety function, and their absence would compromise delivery of essential public health, public safety or emergency response functions that are required to continue despite weather conditions."

I tried a couple of sites today and they either weren't working or closed due to the weather.

Digging out (Madison) at Wunderphoto

Soapbox Jill at Real Debate Wisconsin

Robinson's column on race

Now, if a conservative white radio commentator had been this racial, all hell would break loose, but I think we get Mr. Robinson's drift.

Drunk driving accidents down

In Ohio in 2007 there were 1,255 traffic fatalities, 389 (31%) were alcohol related. We made headway in 2008--that dropped to 1,190, 356 fatalities, or 30%. A change in one year of 8.5%. Of course, if it was your wife, daughter, son, or dad killed or injured by a drunk driver feeling invincible, that figure runs about 100% doesn't it? Even worse and more dangerous than drunk driving, is allowing teen-agers to drive before age 18. Even riding with a teen makes life more dangerous for the passengers, whether or not he's driving!

Per mile travelled, you're safer in urban areas than rural. In fact, the worst stats are for those states with the wide open spaces--except Utah, bless their tea totalling, Mormon livers.

"State impaired-driving laws have been enacted in all 50 States and the District of Columbia that make it illegal for a driver or a motorcycle rider with a BAC of .08 or above to drive a vehicle. In 2008, the alcohol-impaired-driving fatality rate declined from 0.43 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2007 to 0.40 in 2008. In 2008, Montana had the highest alcohol-impaired fatality rate in the Nation – 0.84 fatalities per 100 million VMT while Vermont had the low-est rate in the Nation – 0.16 per 100 million VMT. In 2007, Montana had the highest alcohol-impaired fatality rates in the Nation – 0.93 – and Utah had the lowest alcohol-impaired driving fatality rate – 0.21 fatalities per 100 million VMT. Traffic safety facts"

And the man who probably saved more Americans from death by car crash was Robert McNamara of Kennedy/Vietnam fame and "inventor" of the seat belt. He was both safety and fuel conscious when not many others were.

"Soon after taking over at the Ford Division in 1955, McNamara had gone way out on a limb by adding several safety devices to the 1956 model and then making them the focal point of the marketing campaign. By today’s standards it was a modest effort. The 1956 Ford’s five-part Lifeguard System included two standard features, a deep-dish steering wheel that gave way in a crash and safety latches that kept doors from springing open on impact. Three options also were offered: front seat belts anchored to a steel plate; a padded instrument panel and padded sun visors; and rearview mirrors with backing that reduced glass fallout when shattered. Also, the front and back seat supports were redesigned to reduce the possibility of their coming loose in a crash." American Heritage

I used a seat belt for the first time in the mid-50s when I worked for a feed company and the owner had a sporty Ford.

If Europe wants to continue paying guilt money

And that's what Copenhagen-Hopenchangen is about. Be my guest. European countries had colonies all over the world, including North America, South America, Africa and Asia. The guilt money that France and the UK have poured into the various corrupt African dictatorships could sink a fleet of Somali pirate ships, but it hasn't done a thing for the people. There are many books on this topic, written mostly by liberals--government, non-profits, and NGO officials. All the money does is prop up goosestepping, military regimes. And we aren't much better. Our own environmentalists have been killing Africans for years through our misguided, misdirected anti-DDT programs. Far more Africans have lost lives and livelihood through bleeding heart (for animals and insects) liberal-environmentalists than ever made it through the swamps and jungles to the coastal areas with their African captors and on to the slave ships owned by Europeans to be sold in the Islands and the future United States. And now they are about to do it again, only to all of us this time.

If Obama wants to help some Africans, let him begin with his own extended family. The Obama Diaspora. Although one brother is following in his footsteps and will write about book about. . . nothing except being an Obama.

Here in Ohio

Much of the upper Midwest is covered in snow today. Here in Ohio it is 51, but we'll soon get your wintry blast, but not the blizzard. About every 5-10 years we get a blizzard--although Iowa and Nebraska would laugh at it.

Also in Ohio yesterday the state put a murderer to death with a single injection. The official announcement on the radio sounded a bit like a weather reporter announcing a new gizmo.

I don't support the death penalty--why should we the people sink to the low of a common criminal? However, if I did, I would have chosen his method. Ken Biros got off and out much too easy, and he was convicted close to 20 years ago. After killing Tami Engstrom, he dismembered and mutilated her and scattered her body parts here and there in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

A wordsmith? Hardly!

Tina Brown writes: "It's a strange paradox for a great wordsmith, but when Obama makes an important policy speech these days he leaves everyone confused."

Only guilt-ridden, diversity obsessed liberals who'd probably never listened to a really good black preacher thought Obama was a great wordsmith. So he gave one inspiring, crowd-weeping speech in 2004--and even then there were detractors (in his own party, probably PUMAs) who noted that speech had been around the block many times when he was drumming up votes for his Senate run.

Nuance? Sub-text? Really! How about this one. He's a marxist (aka progressive, socialist, communist). Do your homework, folks.

Obama's Fog of War by Tina Brown

It's in my DNA

When I retired October 1, 2000 I was faced with a unique and wonderful challenge: TIME. A gift of twenty-four hours every day to use any way I wanted. Time is money, and I became an instant millionaire, a winner of the lottery. Unlike most women I knew, I really didn’t have any hobbies, just a variety of interests. I’d always liked writing and art, animals and travel, religion, history and science, but especially research got my blood flowing to the brain. That interest in everything is probably what drew me to library science first as a staffer (high school and college in the 50s), then a professional (University of Illinois and Ohio State University in the 60s). That career is a never ending quest for information in a logical progression, and because I was an academic librarian, publication was a requirement for promotion and tenure. However, both my mother and grandmother were researchers in their own way--so it's in my DNA.

For 30 years I’d been dabbling here and there with genealogy, looking through scraps of paper and family Bibles each time I visited my parents. In the mid-1990s, I even signed up for a pass to use the genealogy sources at the Ohio Historical Society. In 1993 I wrote down the recollections of my father and aunt, “Tales from Pine Creek” and created a family recipe book to use at a 1993 reunion of the 100 or so descendants of my grandparents. However, once I had the time, I soon learned that genealogy is more than a hobby, it’s an obsession requiring more devotion and days than I had left. From time to time, I do look through the records I’ve accumulated and I read the newsletter from Rootsweb, a wonderful resource for anyone interested in beginning this fascinating hobby, step by step from the beginning. December's issue was on one of the newer research tools, DNA testing:

The most common test used today is for the Y chromosome. Males are tested because only males inherit a Y chromosome. Y-DNA testing is surname-based with a specific surname (and variant spellings) included in a project. Surname projects will generally have a group of people whose results indicate that they share a common ancestor. The degree of the match helps to pinpoint the approximate number of generations separating a person from the shared ancestor. Common surnames may have many separate groups whose results indicate they descend from different ancestors.

Although only males can be tested for Y-DNA, females can use a surrogate male relative, usually a brother, for testing purposes. The surrogate male must share the top line of the pedigree with the female relative, usually represented by the father's surname. DNA tests, for genealogical purposes, must be taken from a living person. Most tests are self administered by swabbing the inside of your cheek – no blood, no needles!

mtDNA testing is for everyone (male and female). All children inherit mtDNA from their mother. mtDNA isn't a chromosome like Y-DNA. It comes from the egg contributed by our mother. This type of test tells us about our straight maternal line -- the very bottom line of a pedigree form. Finding a relative based on your mtDNA is quite rare.

Y-DNA and mtDNA tests will provide us with information about our paternal and maternal "haplogroup." Our haplogroup tells us about our deep ancestral origin.

These are the only portions of our DNA that are inherited "intact" from one parent or the other. This means they can be traced back to a specific ancestor and the results compared with others. DNA won't identify the common ancestor. That element is left to the paper records we've gathered in our traditional research.

Keep in mind that Y and mtDNA tests only tell us about the very top and very bottom lines of our ancestry -- a tiny fraction of our overall ancestry. These tests will not tell us about our father's mother's, or our mother's father's, ancestors. For another explanation, see the Ancestry blog entry.

Party like it's 1875

"Barack Obama, understanding the histrionics required in climate-change debates, promises that U.S. emissions in 2050 will be 83 percent below 2005 levels. If so, 2050 emissions will equal those in 1910, when there were 92 million Americans. But there will be 420 million Americans in 2050, so Obama's promise means that per capita emissions then will be about what they were in 1875. That. Will. Not. Happen."
George Will, Washington Post

"Some climate scientists compound their delusions of intellectual adequacy with messiah complexes. They seem to suppose themselves a small clerisy entrusted with the most urgent truth ever discovered. On it, and hence on them, the planet's fate depends. So some of them consider it virtuous to embroider facts, exaggerate certitudes, suppress inconvenient data, and manipulate the peer-review process to suppress scholarly dissent and, above all, to declare that the debate is over.

Consider the sociology of science, the push and pull of interests, incentives, appetites and passions. Governments' attempts to manipulate Earth's temperature now comprise one of the world's largest industries. Tens of billions of dollars are being dispensed, as by the U.S. Energy Department, which has suddenly become, in effect, a huge venture capital operation, speculating in green technologies. Political, commercial, academic and journalistic prestige and advancement can be contingent on not disrupting the (postulated) consensus that is propelling the gigantic and fabulously lucrative industry of combating global warming."

The praying cat

We had a good time discussing Dewey the library cat last night at book group. Dewey certainly has a second, maybe third life, and is making Vicki a rich woman, something that doesn't happen often to small town librarians. She's just returned from Turkey promoting the book, has a possible movie in the works, a children's Dewey came out in September, and she has a new boyfriend. Oh yes, she has a new cat, Page Turner, which was found by a library staffer (the board won't let them have any more cats) as a cold, wet kitten, and is now quite large. But you can look in its eyes and see it isn't Dewey.

Dear Brown, Voinovich and Kilroy

What's the point of our having elected senators and representatives, if you guys sit back and let the regulators do your job with no laws passed?

USAToday: "The latest step by the government to regulate carbon dioxide emissions saddles industry with uncertainty and potentially higher costs, industry groups said Monday after the Environmental Protection Agency declared carbon dioxide a health hazard.

The EPA's decision paves the way for new regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and factories even if Congress doesn't pass legislation to do so."

During the campaign, Obama promised he would raise energy costs for every American home and business, thus destroying jobs. Unfortunately, this is one promise he intends to keep. What else can this man do to worsen the economy? How about another job summit and invite more job destroying union reps?

We exhale CO2. I wonder if he know that?

Retired Old Men Eating Out--ROMEOs

Actually, this group is The Pump House Guys, a group of artists, but they are retired and they go to lunch together. I just thought it was a cute name, but I think it belongs to another group. They are seen here at the art show currently at The Church at Mill Run, honoring one of their deceased members, Fritz Huffman, called "Fritz Huffman and Friends." The show runs from November 12 through January 5, 2010, Sunday-Thursday, 8:30a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Mill Run is closed Friday-Saturday.) Fritz' family provided the t-shirts at the reception.

Obama's safe schools czar--Kevin Jennings

You might want to read this. It's a porn list for children. From Maggie's Notebook:

Kevin Jennings, Barack Obama's failed "safe school czar" has a recommended reading list for children of all ages. What has been revealed is sick and perverted, and until you read this, you simply cannot image what Jennings recommends as appropriate for school children in this country. I implore you to read and pass it around. Contact Congress, your schools and specifically the White House.

More at Breitbart TV--teaching children about "fisting." Jennings, Obama's choice to lead us to safe schools, created the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Although supposedly GLSEN's mission is to discourage harrasment of gay children, it appears to any observer that its mission is to promote pornography and creating sexually ready children for men who like little boys. And who enjoys reading about first grade boys performing fellatio, other than older boys and men desiring boys? Sounds like child porn to me. Do we need this in schools?

Really, this administration is just a wiggling, squirming swarm of mischief and mayhem. You hardly know which rock to peek under next!