Media got their talking points

It was announced on its one year anniversary that the stimulus is working--the Obama Biden dog and pony show said so. This morning the two newspapers I checked--Wall Street Journal and USAToday--obviously received their talking points. Both papers were just full of it--happy clappy, hopey changey articles. Whoopee. It's over. New housing starts. Our great leader has saved us from a Depression! More businesses hiring. They really spread it thick. Still, it's odd isn't it, that so little money has actually been spent, and yet they claim it's working? And didn't they say that in June and September too? I thought TARP was supposed to stop us from tumbling into the Depression. Oh, and USAToday threw in not one but two H1N1 articles about very serious complications for children with other health problems, just in case people were a bit suspicious of all the scare tactics and shortages in that program.

A great music blog

Music isn't one of my hobbies or strengths, but I still enjoy reading David Meyers' blog about the local Columbus music scene. Columbus is a musical crossroads (also the title of one of his books), and David is a meticulous researcher and entertaining storyteller. His recent reminiscences about Earl Wild formerly of Columbus and Ohio State who died January 23 at age 94, and Pat Wilson and her autobiography Yesterday's Mashed Potatoes which you can look through on Google, are a great read.

Partisan politics--Bayh's announcement

Apparently, a broken and dysfunctional Senate is a repeat theme, according to the Star Ledger editorial. Fifteen years ago Bill Bradley of NJ decided against a 4th term, citing the same reasons as Bayh of Indiana did this past week, although he leaned left (probably thought Clinton was too conservative) and Bayh leaned right (wasn’t an enthusiastic Obama team player). Forty three members of the the Senate or House have announced retirement, from both parties. It's always the other guys' partisanship when you're not the one winning. George Voinovich, a much criticized RINO from Ohio, being a good example from the other side.

A reader of the Star Ledger (NJ) writes in response to that hand wringing, pro-Democrat editorial: “There must have been no "mindless partisanship" when Hamilton and Burr dueled to the death over politics, or when the country near collapsed in civil war over trying to politically end slavery, or when the Republican Congress stifled Wilson’s attempts to start a congress of nations by personal attacks that caused him to have a stroke (or mental breakdown no one knows). Or when FDR attempted to circumnavigate the Republican senate by stacking the courts.”

Someone in la-la lib land needs to catch up on American history, and I suggest 30 days of watching Glenn Beck, or your ignorance back. When he recommends a book on history, politics or economics, it goes to the top of Amazon’s list.

The party of NO and the party of KNOW

The party of NO. That would be politicians and voters who support:

No life for those children who aren't perfect or wanted; or who are inconveniently conceived; or who have Downs Syndrome; or who are the wrong sex.

No life for the elders or parents who have outlived their usefulness to society and are gravely ill.

No freedom of speech except their own.

No freedom of religion except their own.

No need for the Constitution.

No need for trust or honesty, masquerading as moderates to get votes.

No need for free markets.

No need for capitalism.

No need for investment in business.

No need for private sector growth to employ more people.

No need to think about unintended consequences.

No need for border control.

No need for military courts for terrorists.

No respect for women politicians who didn't ride into town on their husband/father's coattails.

No understanding of history.

No right to decide how to use your own wealth.

No human of greater value and worth than any animal.

No school choice except for their kids.

The party of KNOW, on the other hand, is just about any other party--conservative, libertarian, Republican, Populist, Tea Party--who KNOWs what's going on in Washington, DC and will support candidates and legislation with their values.

Obama's stimulus is a dribble

It's awfully hard to find a WSJ news story critical of Obama's first year, or positive about Bush's 8 years. (Only the editorials are conservative in case you aren't a reader of this business periodical.) But today's U.S. News section (A2) is close--it actually points out the failures of ARRA without calling them that.

But think about the economy as if it were sex. Would you prefer the same old, same old (speaking of socialism here) that didn't work even when it was young, and now old and tired, dribbling out a little at a time? Or would you enjoy some focused attention with promises kept, not distracted by the condition of your health? And how well do you perform with constant threats and criticism?

Today is Ash Wednesday

If you live or work in the NW Columbus suburban area and wish to attend a service with communion and imposition of ashes, you're invited to one of the services at the three campuses of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church. The earliest, at 6:30, is over. At Lytham Rd. there is a 12:10 p.m. traditional service (liturgy), a 6:00 family service and a 7:30 traditional service. At Mill Run at 6:30 p.m. there is a family service, and a 7:30 contemporary service. At Hilltop at 7 p.m. there is a worship service with communion. Check the link for addresses, and maps.

Still providing misinformation on libraries

The Upper Arlington Progressives still don't understand that "free circs" are not the responsibility of public libraries to distribute. They are rehashing 2005 again. The public meetings in 2005 were "packed" with outside, non-tax paying (in UA) liberal interest groups to force the library to maintain piles of sex-peddling free circs in the lobby. For those of you not in the biz, a "free circ" is basically boiler-plate articles with some original content, and like all newspapers and magazines they are completely dependent on advertising, but they are provided "free." They are also known as "fish wrappers." The result? The libs won, and the situation made worse when the free circs were moved inside to specially made cabinets. The objectionable sex publications were already cataloged and available in the magazine/newspaper section of the reading room, proof the protesters were just making a political move.

Don't let the word "progressive" in the name fool you. There's never anything new or original in socialism. Certainly not progress.

Sadie's the total package!

The Scottie was judged Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club championship. "She's the total package," marveled Elliot Weiss, of Eagle, Idaho, who judged the Best in Show round before a cheering, capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden.

"This is the complete dog ... That's what you want a Scottie to look like," said Weiss. (Reuters)

Now if the rest of us could all look as good and behave as well as those dogs! But if you need a four legged friend and companion, consider a shelter dog. They will truly appreciate you! Don't forget the training, either, so others can enjoy your pet!

I'm not an early adopter

That's why I only recently joined Facebook. It sounded like junior high school to me--asking people to be your friend. Besides, with 12 blogs, who needed more on-line time? But, sign up I did, found lots of relatives, have put faces with names of church members, started a fan page, linked to news sources, and today I even tried to add the little widget thingy.

In 2009 Facebook went from about 54 million registered users to 110 million. And it wasn't just registered users. Unique visitors, page views, and total time spent all increased by at least double. That's big. It's experiencing Zuckerberg's law.

At the Web 2.0 Summit in November 2008, Facebook founder & CEO Mark Zuckerberg famously remarked “I would expect that next year, people will share twice as much information as they share this year, and next year, they will be sharing twice as much as they did the year before. That means that people are using Facebook, and the applications and the ecosystem, more and more.” In other words, once the network is in place and people are active and engaged, the dynamics of the social interaction taking place incentivize participants to share information about themselves more regularly, which in turn solicits more engagement from others, creating a virtuous cycle of interaction. With increased interaction comes newer and fresher content, which helps feeds the addiction to consume information about what’s happening with the lives of people in one’s social network. ComScore

2009 Digital Year in Review



Who knows, in a few years, I might Twitter!

A new element making the rounds

This can be found on the internet in a slightly different form three years ago or more, and it's making the rounds again, probably because it was posted on Glenn Beck's site.

Heaviest element discovered and named

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has now identified with certainty the heaviest element known to science.

The new element, Pelosium (PL), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Pelosium is inert, and has no charge and no magnetism. Nevertheless, it can be detected because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Pelosium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.

Pelosium has a normal half-life of 2 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a biennial reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.

Pelosium mass will increase over time, since each reorganization will promote many morons to become isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Pelosium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.

When catalyzed with money, Pelosium becomes Senatorium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Pelosium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Time Shares--I've never understood them

USAToday on Jan. 18 had an article about a well-educated, wealthy couple who were apparently not real smart about money. Their marriage was in trouble. So they accepted a free week-end at a resort, and were "suckered into" buying a time share during a week (October ) they can't possibly use! They have school age children.

$18,000 for one week
$1,150 annual fees
$90 annual club fees
$200 trade fee for a different week

She blames the beauty, excitement and charismatic salespeople. I see her dilemma (divorcing while trying to cut expenses and sell it), but we did something slightly similar in the heat of the moonlight when we bought a lake lot in Indiana we really couldn't use. However, we paid $10,000 for it and sold it a year later for $25,000.

Tight pants and funny hair

That's what football looks like to me, a non-fan. So I was happy to read in the WSJ a few weeks ago that in a 3 hour football broadcast there is just 11 minutes 43 seconds of the ball in play and 67 minutes of standing around. No wonder I can't get interested and always go back to reading or blogging.

More snow--probably a February record

We're supposed to get about 9", although depending on whether you're north or south of Columbus, your inches will vary. I have a feeling I'll be drinking coffee at home tomorrow. Children around here went to school last Thursday, after being off 3 days due to weather and/or ice or cold, then Friday the teachers had a meeting and today, Monday, is a holiday. I'm guessing they'll all close tomorrow--Columbus already has. Parents must be going stir crazy. Many were kids during the blizzard of 78, so it's pay back time.

One bad winter doesn't make "climate change," but all the news about lost data, damaged reputations and moved weather stations isn't going well for the IPCC--and there never was a consensus. Just greedy politicians moving ahead with regulations and rubbing their palms in anticipation of the riches of carbon credits. The science definitely isn't settled. There have been massive cover-ups, see Mark Sheppard.

Amy Bishop and "true crime"

Mysteries and crime novels are not for me. "True crime," written like fiction telling more than the writer could possibly know, is more interesting. Will Amy Bishop's story make good "true crime?" She murdered or critically wounded her P & T committee at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. What little we know of her story is almost too bizarre, as are the hints, missteps, and keystone cops in her sad history.

She had wanted Harvard, and was cut from the team early in the game. U.S. News ranks Harvard as #1 (other rating systems have it much lower), and University of Alabama at Huntsville isn't rated (although it's much higher in other systems). Is it a stretch to imagine that she considered her university, her committee beneath her? That they were lucky to have her?

Getting tenure isn't just about execellent, ground breaking research, or a list of publications in peer review journals. It's about being able to work with a group of people whose own advancements in their field will be tied to yours. She wanted Harvard, and someone saw through her. She moved on, and they noticed something strange too. Probably from day one. Or so it will say in the book.

Government push back

“The year [2008] just ended was characterized by three trends: a growing worldwide demand for greater personal and political freedom, governmental efforts to push back on those freedoms, and further confirmation that human rights flourish best in participatory democracies with vibrant civil societies.” Introduction, 2008 Human Rights Report, U.S. Department of State, February 25, 2009

The assault and ridicule by the mainstream media and the Obama Administration attacking tea parties, talk show hosts, conservatives, Republicans, libertarians, and cable opinion shows, including targets as minor as notes for a speech, indicates that this trend--a demand for greater personal and political freedom--is continuing and growing. Especially here at home. The push back would seem they believe our own civil society is too fragile for the freedoms for which we go to war elsewhere.

Cost comparison of notes by Obama vs. Palin

"Barack Obama and Sarah Palin each have their own unique crib notes technology. The two diagrams analyze how much each type of technology costs per speech." This is really funny.

No snow in Vancouver, too much in DC

Blame global warming. Here's a list of all the problems it's caused. All you have to do to stop it is return to the stone age. Or maybe not. I think the climate was changing in those days too.

Ten churches burned, but "not a hate crime"

That's because most of the congregations are white. When small rural Christian churches are torched, and the congregations are black, then it's called a hate crime. At least in the media. If not, it's just arson.

""It doesn't have to be a hate crime," Crowley said, noting that a variety of denominations and non-denominational churches were targets. Most, but not all, have predominantly white congregations." USAToday

Something's wrong with our language.

Harry Reid's definition of the real world

He has accused judges of the Supreme Court and the American Bar Association of not living in the real world--you know--the one he experienced! James Taranto in Best of the Web [Feb. 12] takes a look at his resume.

Here is a list of the jobs Harry Reid has held, according to his congressional biography: U.S. Capitol police officer (1961-64); city attorney of Henderson, Nev. (1964-66); state assemblyman (1969-70); lieutenant governor (1970-74); Nevada Gaming Commission chairman (1977-81); U.S. representative (1983-87); U.S. senator (1987-present).

By our count, Reid's 50-year career spans some 33 years in elected office, 8 in appointed office (city attorney and the gambling commission), and 3 in a patronage position (the Capitol police). That leaves only about six years during which he might have been in the private sector, most recently in 1982, though during part of that time he must have been busy campaigning for his seats in the Assembly and the House.

Didn't his mother ever teach him that parable about stones and glass houses?

Our God will have the last word

Pastor Dave Mann and his wife Pam of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church are teaching in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. This is where my husband will soon go on his fourth short term mission with other members of our church. This area was not damaged by the earthquake, but the school, Institution Univers (private Christian), has taken in over 300 new students as relatives and friends take refuge in Ouanaminthe, an 18% increase using every available space. Dave writes on his Facebook page:

"This morning as the students lined up in the lobby before going into their classrooms, it was easy to recognize the new students. Not only did they wear a Univers t-shirt instead of the full uniform, but there were also many other tell-tale signs – arms wrapped in gauze, wrists banded between splints, arms resting in slings, bodies balancing on crutches, eyes downcast. It was a moving sight. Two of my top English students who often come to practice English over the lunch break shared that they saw a girl who just cried all morning.

The day began with an all-school worship service. I was privileged to give the message. It was not difficult to find the word that would be right – Ours is a God who knows how to transform evil into good. The story of Joseph which is a key piece of my Bible curriculum in the 10th and 11th grades demonstrates this teaching. As I began to quote Genesis 50:20, many of the students completed the verse with me aloud. And, of course, the cross of Jesus is the ultimate proof that our God is a redeemer. Joseph’s story was not finished when he was in prison. Jesus’ story was not finished in the tomb. Haiti’s story was not finished on January 12th. Our story is not finished today. Our God will have the last word."