Great workout today

Come join us! Kristine was awesome today. Really worked our arms. In the old days, I had no trouble touching the floor bending over. Now, something's in the way--I think it's my belly. The weather's so warm (60s) I'm leaving my workout clothes on and will head out for a walk after lunch.

U of I students protest tuition hikes

Sorry guys. The state legislature owes the pension funds. Unions have a lot more clout than students. This is not a pretty picture. Terry Savage of the Sun Times reports:

"Under Gov. Blagojevich the state borrowed $10 billion to make required pension contributions, with some of the borrowings to be invested in the stock market. The belief was that stock market investment returns would beat the 5 percent cost of interest on the bonds, helping to fill the gap between promises and reality. Unfortunately, the stock market didn't cooperate.

Then in January 2009, this column highlighted the growing budget deficits and late payments to state providers, such as nursing homes, pharmacies, day care centers and other providers. We called it the "Coming Pension Wars" -- as the state and municipalities are forced to raise taxes or cut services to pay the promised pensions, along with current bills. In just the last year, the situation has become even more dire.

In November 2009, the state's Pension Modernization Task Force sent its recommendations to Gov. Quinn. The Task Force concluded that Illinois' unfunded pension liability exceeds $61 BILLION! And that number is growing exponentially."

So it's students against the unions. What to do? What to do!

Emperor has no clothes: Pensions are short cash :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Terry Savage

Illinois is broke

Illinois Airs Plan on Deficit - WSJ.com

Thursday Thirteen--13 things to be happy about this week

Have you ever seen the book "14,000 things to be happy about" by Barbara Ann Kipfer? I picked up a copy years ago at a used book sale for $1. She says for 20 years she made notes in her journals, beginning in 6th grade, and then compiled the "little things" for this book. So, for awhile I'm going to recall 13 things that made me happy beginning on the previous Friday, March 5.

1) I found a new apple this week, Lady Alice, from Washington state. No one knows where she came from---she just "growed," and since I eat an apple every day I was thrilled to find one to fill in for my favorite, Honey Crisp.

2) We had dinner with our friends Rod and Judi at the Worthington Inn. We enjoy their company, and hadn't been to that restaurant in probably 25 years. It was featured also in this month's Capital Style.

3) It was sunny for days, 53 degrees on Monday, 58 Tuesday, 61 on Wednesday--warm enough to walk the neighborhood. We're so sunlight deprived in central Ohio, that people are almost giddy when the sun is out.

4) On my walks I picked up trash and replaced pieces of sod--both the result of deep snow being removed by the plows. Found a wheel cover and propped it against a wall so it could be seen--then 10 ft. further I found the emblem from the center of the cover and took it back to the cover and attached it.

5) We're in the season of Lent. We're communion servers at our church UALC, which is a wonderful opportunity, and because of mid-week services, we serve more often than usual.

6) Not exactly happy--but I did get a good laugh. My husband had scheduled a "paint out" for an art group which fell on our 50th wedding anniversary. He's president of the group. Yes, we've changed it (the paint out, not the anniversary)!

7) The mallards are in love, mating and chasing each other around our street. Sort of cute, but you do have to be careful--the chase is slow and they aren't afraid of automobiles. Ah love!

8) Had a e-mail from an author I wrote about--Amy Dickinson, of Ask Amy (replaced Ann Landers).

9) A friend is out of the hospital and on the mend. She hates my blog, and now she's in it!

10) I made a delicious dessert this week. Each piece made us happy! Sort of made it up as I went--now if I can only remember. . .

11) While my coffee was heating Monday, I walked around the house and admired our art, many pieces by good friends like Ken, Jeanie, Fritz, Ned, and Jim.

12) Got an early start on next month's book club selection--The Virginian (1902), from which numerous movies and a TV series were made. It's online, but mine is a 45 cent yard sale copy. A classic.

13) The daughter of a teacher at the Haitian school where my husband volunteers was kidnapped for ransom last week. We are beyond happy and thrilled that she has been returned to her family, safe.
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Kennedy goes ballistic--but wrong target

According to Glenn Beck's radio show, President Obama has mentioned the war 3 times in 2010--twice in a single sentence during back to back events in early February at the DNC and once in his state of the union address. (I hope this is reverse hyperbole.) Why isn’t Kennedy yelling at him? Oh sure, the press threw gallons of ink at the war when it was Bush’s problem and they wanted him out of office, but is it really their responsibility? We don’t really need to ask, do we? The press won’t do anything to offend Obama. (Except Fox, and they aren't "real" news.) They might get Massa-cured by Axelrod and Rahm, the Chicago thugs. With Obama, it’s health care 24/7, he’s obsessed with it. He's given hundreds of speeches, and still claims we don't understand! He doesn’t care about the economy; he doesn’t care about the wars (one of which is his, the good one)--only health care being controlled by the government. Strange fascination since it will only add to our costs, decrease our care and efficiency, and probably drive thousands of doctors into different careers, thus rationing care. [Posting time adjusted.]

Born in the USA lyrics read by Glenn Beck

Now that's a sobering experience. Heard Glenn in the car this morning; he was reading Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" aloud. You've got to love how celebrities get rich off of kids by denigrating the country that's made them wealthy and famous. Politicians too. Particularly the ones in power right now. I don't know whose story about Viet Nam Springsteen's telling in the song, but it wasn't his--he got classified 4F by acting crazy for his physical, according to Wikipedia, which of course, is not a real source, but I'm not interested enough to look further. [Disclaimer: the post time has been adjusted so the TT stays on top.]

The addon script

The addthis widget: Anyone else having a problem with the "Share" widget? This blog's been loading slowly and slowly wiggling and shaking the last two days. I reset the PC for March 8 and that didn't help. I took off two recent posts. Didn't help. It appeared to be the "share" widget I added at least 2 weeks ago. So I've removed it. We'll see. . . Now it looks like the Share button in the Google bar is hesitating, too. I think someone outside this office screwed up.

Students and Workers Unite?

California college students are protesting a tuition hike of 32% brought about by the compensation packages won from the state by the public employees unions. Apparently the 1999 California Democrat-controlled legislature thought the Dow would forever go up, sort of like the housing prices, and it made promises to unions it now can't keep without stealing from the young. In one decade pension costs went up 2000% and revenue 24%. What incentive is this for students to go to college if they can get huge pensions doing maintenance for the state? And what evidence is there that members of the California legislature ever went to college if their math skills and understanding of economics are so poor?

UC Tuition Hikes and Public Employee Pensions - WSJ.com

Methane seeping

Perhaps you've read the various reports this past week on methane being released into the atmosphere from an area of the East Siberian Sea equivalent to more than four times the area of Sweden. Permafrost in the seabed has been previously assumed to act as an effective cap for the enormous amount of methane in the area, which, if released, could lead to an abrupt global climate warming. Man made global warming is being credited with the permafrost problem, of course, with the disclaimer that they don't really know that for sure, however the authors of the accounts don't even question it. But after seeing the affects of the recent Chile earthquake which moved one of its cities 10 ft. and recalling that it wasn't as strong as the Alaskan earthquake of 1964, I'm wondering why the disturbing of the permafrost in the sea has to be attributed to human industry and not to the affects of the most powerful earthquake in recorded history? We visited Alaska in 2001 and you can still see the affects it had on the permafrost and forests.

They can blame human activity all they want, but if this is as serious as as sounds, things will heat up very fast, and we can't do diddly squat about it.

Global warming? Scientists find methane source in Arctic seas. / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com

Methane releases from Arctic shelf may be much larger and faster than anticipated (3/9/2010)

Update: "The massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck the west coast of Chile last month moved the entire city of Concepcion at least 10 feet to the west, and shifted other parts of South America as far apart as the Falkland Islands and Fortaleza, Brazil. These preliminary measurements, produced from data gathered by researchers from four universities and several agencies, including geophysicists on the ground in Chile, paint a much clearer picture of the power behind this temblor, believed to be the fifth-most-powerful since instruments have been available to measure seismic shifts." OSUToday, Mar. 9, 2010.

If an earthquake can do that to a city, imagine what it can do to permafrost!

Your census form

The census form for our summer home came before the letter at our permanent residence (tied to the door, not delivered by mail). Most of the owners at Lakeside won't see their form until late May, and it is due April 1. Even the people I know who do claim a permanent residence there are either in Florida or Arizona for 3 months. My husband was there last week-end, so he brought ours home and made an attempt at filling it out; it's impossible since there's no question to reveal that you don't live there. Just answering zero to how many people live there won't do it, folks. I think the same people who write the tax code, the health care bills, and the instructions for the can opener made in China also write the Census forms. My husband then tried the phone number but that was a frustration round robin of multiple choices, that brought him back to the original question. I realize no one has ever really been prosecuted for incorrectly filling out the Census, but now that we have the Chicago Mafia in charge of our census, I suppose that could change, especially if there's a way to gather some fees or pay a clutch of lawyers.

This reminds me of my 2009 $250 Social Security refund check. I don't get Social Security.

Shooting at Ohio State

"University Police have confirmed the identities of the victims and suspect in a shooting that occurred on campus earlier this morning. They also have confirmed two deaths.

• Larry Wallington, 48, building services manager, a victim in the shooting, was pronounced dead at the scene earlier this morning.

• Henry Butler, 60, operations shift leader, also a victim, is in stable condition at the OSU Medical Center

• Suspect, Nathaniel Brown, 51, custodial worker, sustained a self-inflicted gunshot at the scene and was transported to OSU Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival

More than 1/2 dozen employees were working at the OSU Maintenance Building, 2000 Tuttle Park Place, when the suspect entered an office suite with a gun and began shooting. Those employees and other coworkers have been offered grief counseling.

The incident appears to be work related. Brown was hired in October 2009." OSU Emergency Management via e-mail

Sounds like a careful background check wasn't made if the guy goes bonkers 6 months after he is hired. Bad review? Was he going on probation? I wonder if the media will decide he was a tea bag patriot? They made that judgement in the Stark case and the Pentagon shooting.

Update: Yes, he had a bad review, hadn't made probation, and he also had a prison record that hadn't turned up in a background check. Interesting that they were able to find it within hours of the shooting. Columbus Dispatch

Lady Alice apples

I bought three Lady Alice apples Saturday for $1.49/lb. A fruit website describes them: "Lady Alice was discovered as a chance seedling in a Washington orchard so we don't know its parentage. Flavor profile: Sweet - with a hint of tartness. Heirloom crunchy, dense flesh." I had one for breakfast, and it has a very nice flavor and texture. Although I'm a Honey Crisp junky, Lady Alice is wonderful.

Remember Johnny Appleseed,
All ye who love the apple;
He served his kind by word and deed,
In God's grand greenwood chapel.
William Henry Venable (1836-1920), Johnny Appleseed

I also made an apple dessert from some apples I've had around for awhile--a Granny Smith, a Fuji, and a Pink Lady. I sliced them, added flour, sugar and cinnamon while they cooked, like a pie filling. Then I made a Jello sugar-free pudding cheesecake flavor filling and put it a graham cracker crust. When the apple filling cooled, I put that on top. I have no idea what this will taste like. It just came to me when I realized I didn't have the right vegetables to make vegetable stock, but there I was in the kitchen, in the mood.

Defaulted Loans May Haunt Seniors

According to an article in the WSJ this morning by Ellen E. Schultz, Congress (that would be Democrats, btw, who won Congress in 2006 in case you've forgotten) tacked on a nasty little thing to the 2008 Farm Bill. I've read quickly through the highlights of the bill, and can't find the specific provision, so I'll take her word for it.

"A provision in the 2008 Farm Bill lifted the ten-year statute of limitations on the government's ability to withhold Social Security benefits in collecting debts other than student loans—for which the statute of limitations was lifted in 1997—and income taxes, where the limit remains 10 years.

This means that a person who defaulted on a small-business loan in 1995, for example, and who is receiving Social Security could be notified that his benefits may be reduced each month until the debt, with interest, fees, and penalties, is paid. The Treasury can withhold 15% of the benefit, though it can't be reduced to below $750. Tax debts have no floor.

The change will add more than $6 billion to the $75 billion in delinquent debt individuals owe the government, according to the Financial Management Service, the Treasury's debt collection unit. Defaulted Loans May Haunt Seniors - WSJ.com

Imagine the interest, fees and penalties the Treasury will tack onto that loan you defaulted on 15-20 years ago, and then see your Social Security check go "poof" right before your eyes! Wow. Even if you challenge the validity of the government's claim, you can spend thousands and thousands fighting the claim and still be impoverished by using up your savings. And you folks trust the government with health care? This is a change in the law--and how many people were paying attention to a farm bill? This will impoverish God knows how many seniors. But not to worry. Obama will tax the rest of us for some new program so he can claim to rescue them from the impoverishment the Democrats bestowed on them!

Also, lookout if you are defaulting on a government backed loan right now. Especially, if retirement is coming up. If they can take your social security to pay it off, they can take your government pension too.

How to be mislead on budget and policy

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is one of three left wing think tanks funded by the Democracy Alliance which is funded by George Soros. The other two are the Center for American Progress and the Economic Policy Institute. They are all non-profits, but not non-partisan. I just read a March 5 report by the CBPP which advises that we’d be in much worse trouble if it weren’t for ARRA! Woot! President and Chief Executive Officer of Center for American Progress is John Podesta, who served as chief of staff to Bill Clinton. One of the directors of the Economic Policy Institute is Andy Stern, who runs the SEIU, who drafted and designed the health care bill to benefit unions and is a regular White House visitor and confidant. His is a global labor movement. These folks have more agendas, plans, white papers, and tax payer hustles than you can read in a month of Sundays. There's hardly a word in English they can't turn upside down, inside out and squishy. And they have handsome, beautifully designed web pages that sound very patriotic and reasonable. Don’t be fooled. They are all Marxists. Capital M. Their grandiose plans have all been tried and found wanting before.

30 days or your ignorance back

Democrats are taking a huge risk asking their followers to listen to conservative hosts on talk radio and call in their scripted opinions. Right now, the snippets they hear are filtered through the liberal "truther" filter. Sliced, diced, and canned. What will happen when they catch the entire piece and realize they've been lied to?

"Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, has launched an online site to help President Obama’s supporters infiltrate largely conservative talk radio.

Visitors to the On the Air site are provided with the call-in number of a talk show that discusses political topics, and the option to listen to the show live. They are urged to phone in when the topic of healthcare comes up. They can also click on a button to move to another show.

“The fate of health reform has been a focus of debate in living rooms and offices, on TV, and online — and on talk radio,” the introduction to the online tool states.

“And since millions of folks turn to talk radio as a trusted source of news and opinions, we need to make sure [Organizing for America] supporters are calling in with a pro-reform message.”" Newsmax

What does public education really cost?

A lot more than you're told. CATO figures the per pupil cost in Washington DC is $28,170, and in Los Angeles $25,208. Those aren't the figures reported, if they are reported at all. Are you getting your money's worth?

Dementia is a leading cause of death in the U.S.

That sounds really scary unless you realize that our research and technology have extended the lives of people who would have died of different diseases, and safer roads and automobiles have prevented thousands of deaths. Dick Cheney and Bill Clinton for instance have both been saved several times of dying of a heart attack. All that means is you live long enough to die of something else. Deaths from heart disease, stroke, prostate and breast cancer all decreased between 2000 and 2006, but Alzheimer's (about 70% of dementia cases) was up 47% in the same time period. And I doubt that too many actually die from dementia, but from something related like pressure sores, kidney infections, or pneumonia from aspirating food.

The February 10 issue of JAMA has an article on using feeding tubes with nursing home residents with "advanced cognitive impairment" i.e., dementia [Hospital characteristics associated with feeding tube placement in nursing home residents with advanced cognitive impairment," vol 303, no.6, p.544-550]. Using feeding tubes in patients with advanced dementia does not improve survival. So why is it done and why do the rates vary from hospital to hospital? That's what this study was supposed to explain. I'm not sure I understood all the details, but I did see that only 5.8% of hospitalized nursing home residents had an order to forego artificial hydration and nutrition despite the fact most nursing home residents say they would rather die than live in dementia with a feeding tube. (I'm not referring to people like Terri Schiavo who didn't actually need a feeding tube and wasn't dying--she was inconvenient for a husband who had received a very large monetary settlement and had started another family.) Also, I didn't see a distinction between hydration and feeding in this article. (Dehydration is an extremely painful death.) Also, it appears that feeding tubes don't solve any of the problems like pneumonia or pressure sores, which actually are the cause of death. The research also demonstrated that practices vary widely among hospitals and that black and Hispanic nursing home residents were more likely to undergo a feeding tube insertion. So is that more aggressive care or a reflection of how indigent people are treated?

As the authors of this study comment, the results raise more questions than they answered. For instance, the rates decreased during the 8 year study. But one thing I know, conservatives unhappy with Obamacare shouldn't use reluctance to use feeding tubes or counseling about preferences as a sign of an attempt to dispatch the elderly. There doesn't seem to be any evidence that feeding tubes help those suffering the end stages of dementia.

Shame on the Christian Science Monitor

For this headline: "John Patrick Bedell: Did right-wing extremism lead to shooting?
Authorities have identified John Patrick Bedell as the gunman in the Pentagon shooting. He appears to have been a right-wing extremist with virulent antigovernment feelings. "

He was a registered Democrat; hated Bush; was a 9-11 truther; had numerous drug charges; and probably was insane. And I don't blame all the craziness and conspiracy stuff from the left for his behavior--he made his own decisions, unincumbered by political views. I think he was on the level with a woman I met about 40 years ago at a community meeting. We were all sitting around discussing an event we were planning, and she stopped, looked at me and said, "I know you're all watching me, that you know what's going on with my husband." We didn't even know her, where she lived, or who she was married to. We were shocked. So I put him at that level of "politics." His parents were concerned and had notified the authorities when he disappeared. But just like the Stack case (flew the plane into an IRS building) the media jumped on a chance to smear the peaceful, grass roots movement known as the Tea Party, a group they first ridiculed, then marginalized, and now that they see the movement's strength in less than a year, they are fear mongering. Even after the truth about Bedell came out, I heard the chattering heads on the left cable shows speculating in code words. Really, how do you people even turn those shows on? Your view of history and current events are totally screwed up.

As Ben Shapiro says: "This mirrors Noam Chomsky far more than Rush Limbaugh; meanwhile, the media is attempting to play it off as some sort of legitimate “right-wing” perspective. Real conservatives look at the 9/11 truthers as complete dolts, and complete left-wing dolts at that. This guy was more Van Jones (a fellow 9/11 truther) than John Boehner or Sarah Palin."

That aside: Do you really think Amazon.com should be releasing people's reading lists? Yes, it was all anti-Bush crazy stuff like what my public library stocks, but I still don't think it should be released to journalists.

Mind Your Own Damn Business Politics, a blog

Here's a blog with some well thought-out principles. I've only read a few of his entries, but he seems to stick with his plan. I particularly like points 7 and 8 of his 10 principles.

7. Everything has a cost. Government can only give to one group by taking resources from someone else. Therefore, be careful about taxing the other guy.
Example: Don’t decide that the rich person doesn’t need to buy that yacht unless you are willing to tell the people that build and maintain that yacht that they are not entitled to their jobs because the government has a better use for the rich person’s money.
8. Self sufficiency and personal accomplishments are good. Helping others is good when you give that help of your own free will. Using government to compel others to help with your cause is not good, no matter how good you believe your cause to be. The people you compel may have causes of their own. They certainly have needs.

I particularly believe that churches that take government money to run their array of "good works" from pre-schools, to lunch programs, to work training programs need to reconsider Christ's challenge to meet the needs of those less fortunate.

Principles of MYODB | Mind Your Own Damn Business Politics

Is Hawaii or Florida or New York or Georgia or Pennsylvania Home to the Next Scott Brown?

A New York Democrat, Eric Massa, is quitting--apparently there will be, or would have been, an investigation into harassing a male staffer. So that makes possibly special elections in New York's 29th, Florida's 19th, Hawaii's 1st, Pennsylvania's 12th and Georgia's 9th. Now if the Republicans just don't do something stupid like appointing or electing RINOs, we just might be able to stop Obama. And isn't this a handsome family behind their man in Hawaii? CHARLES KONG DJOU--according to his bio Djou is a French misspelling of his Chinese surname.

Is Hawaii Home to the Next Scott Brown? - Hip Hop Republican

Could Charlie Rangel be next? Anyone who replaced him would be an improvement, even another Democrat.

Vintage Aprons, Kitchen Aprons: Jessie Steele Hostess Aprons

The various times I've blogged about aprons here and my sewing blog, I've received a lot of hits. Women are looking for aprons bigger than a postage stamp that don't sag, bag, or make promises they can't keep. At Facebook today I see that the Tremont Goodie Shop in Upper Arlington Tremont Shopping Center is selling Jessie Steele aprons, so I just had to look it up and see if they have COVERAGE and aren't just a lick and a promise. Really cute. Could use a bit more across the bust, or are other women just neater cooks? My Mom really knew how to make an apron, and I still have this one after 50 years. Jessie Steele also has aprons for professional wear, like hair dressers.

Vintage Aprons, Kitchen Aprons: Jessie Steele Hostess Aprons