Esta Tiera no es Tuya

Propaganda and/or education? It's a thin line, isn't it? Last night's program at Hoover was Sones de Mexico Ensemble [Chicago]. "The mission of Sones de México Ensemble is to educate, research, preserve, arrange, present, perform, and disseminate Mexican folk and traditional music and dance to children and adults of all nationalities, physical abilities, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds." The members of the group seem to all be Americans of a variety of ethnicities who focus on Mexican folk and traditional music and perform as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. I don't have a problem with that. Remember that dance group from central Ohio, Zivili, that preserved Yugoslavian, Bulgarian, south Slavic etc. folk music and dance (terribly minor key) and most were not of East European ancestry and didn't know any Serbo-Croatian except what they were taught in song? Did the dissolution of Communism and the civil war kill that group? Haven't seen them in awhile.

And possibly La Raza's [The People, The Race] strength and politics will kill this government approved, Grammy nominated ensemble. La Raza also believes "Esta Tierra Es Tuya" (This land is Your land, this land is MY LAND). Given its militancy, disturbances on Cinco de Mayo, and kids not being allowed to wear or display the American flag at schools in the SW, I think I'd remove that one from the repertoire.

I left after that retooling of an American favorite, went back to the cottage, made some pop corn and watched two ABC comedies I'd never seen before--"Cougar Town" and "Modern Family." After the docu-faux-drama of Washington DC and the media trying to whip up racism and hate, these were exceptionally funny.

Immigration laws and/or amnesty

President Bush lost support of his party in droves for proposing amnesty for illegals--I'm sure he didn't call his temporary worker program that--but that's what it was. His plan, during a booming economy, was intended to benefit employers, and I think his motives (political) were quite transparent.

"Yet even with all these steps [more border patrols and law enforcement], we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border--and that requires a temporary worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis. As a result, they won’t have to try to sneak in. We will enforce our immigration laws at the work site, and give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers--so there is no excuse left for violating the law. We need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country--without animosity and without amnesty." (2008 State of the Union address)

BTW, we already have a temporary worker program--I have a friend in the landscape business and she's employed the same Mexicans for 15 years and they go home after the season. Those families and her family benefit from this, and Mexico certain benefits because it doesn't need to improve its route to opportunity within its own borders and the same wealthy class can maintain power.

President Obama is also using immigration as a political club. Without reading SB1070 he and his AG declared it racist profiling and illegal. Arizona wouldn't need this law if the federal government were able to handle the problem. In his case, it is to buy votes of minorities, not to help employers. Right now, we certainly don't need more cheap labor, but he needs more labor union members and needs to find uninformed new voters to replace the liberals and moderates he has driven away.

"Several Senators have learned of a possible plan by the Obama Administration that would provide a mass Amnesty for the nation's 11-18 million illegal aliens. Led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), eight Senators addressed a letter to the President asking for answers to questions about a plan that would allow DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to provide an amnesty if they can't secure enough votes for a bill in the Senate." (Numbers USA)

More on week 2

Yesterday I attended a very interesting seminar on "Identifying and Managing Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome" by Laura Schmitt and Kathy Parker of North Coast Cancer Care, Inc. I learned a lot, but then when you start from zero you can only improve your score. Only a small percentage of breast and ovarian cancer are hereditary, but the red flags are

1. breast cancer before age 50
2. Ovarian cancer at any age
3. Male breast cancer at any age
4. Multiple primary cancers
5. Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry
6. Relatives of a BRCA mutation carrier

Kathy is a patient advocate, and talks to groups about her personal story which includes three in her sibling group of 8 who have the syndrome, and many of her nieces and cousins. She had prophylactic surgery to improve her chances of survival.

This morning our herb study group painted canvas bags with herb leaves. It was challenging for this non-crafty person, to say the least. I used the "less is more" concept and chose only 3 herbs, using each 3 times. Now I have a pretty bag to take to the Farmers' Market.

My friend Nancy and I (met in 1973 I think) went to the Hotel Lakeside for lunch today to celebrate her birthday. She first told us about Lakeside in 1974 and found a cottage for us to rent.

The program this afternoon is on the Rise of Partisan Politics. I can't recall anyone worrying about this other than Democrats, can you? When they filabuster, it's just because they care and want to stop something unholy and awful the Republicans want; when Republicans do the same thing, they are being partisan and hyper-critical and uncivil. We have two parties, and most of the time they are twiddle dum and twiddle dee. Together they have made Congress almost irrelevant, turning over and playing dead for the President's Czars or the Judiciary's interpretation. The last bi-partisan support for anything that I can remember was in 2003 when Bush got a lot of support from Democrats for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, using the intelligence on WMD gathered during the Clinton years. But then the Dems tried to run from that and called it Bush's fault. So that's what bipartisanship will get you!

Thanks, Mr. Sunil Ahuja, author of "Congress behaving badly;" I think I'll take a nap.

Ohio politics

You've got to feel a bit sorry for Governor Strickland--indeed, all governors--he's out beating the bushes for new jobs, industry and investment in his state. But what good is talking up the possibilities, lauding small business and pressing the flesh, while Obama is doing everything he can to bad mouth capitalism, demonize investors, suck up to foreign governments and shut down our economy through ineptitude or deliberately thwarting the clean up efforts in the Gulf? How many small businessmen say "I hope I never add staff or products," or "I hope I have to take a bailout from the feds, or survive on a state grant"? Business = capitalism = growth = jobs. After Obama kills the oil industry and the Gulf coast economy, coal will be next, and that's very bad for Ohioans. Fifty-four percent of Ohioans disapprove of both Obama's and Strickland's performance. Those numbers will go higher--I don't think either one can buy more popularity by throwing money our way before the election. The people are on to this scam. John Kasich has inched ahead of Strickland in the polls and 45% of Ohioans favor an Arizona type law compared to 35% who don't--and Strickland says he wouldn't sign it if the legislature passed it.

Ohio politics

Fannie-Freddie Fix at $160 Billion With $1 Trillion Worst Case

When will Congress call Fannie and Fred in for the hot seat tongue lashing?. Never. Both parties are to blame. Better to go after "big oil" or bankers or evil capitalists. Their mistakes were no accident, they are 100% the fault of the Congress which created the Federal National Mortgage Association, known as Fannie Mae, in 1938 to expand home ownership by buying mortgages from banks and other lenders and bundling them into bonds for investors. It set up the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Freddie Mac, in 1970 to compete with Fannie.

Fannie Mae and Fred Mac will cost the American taxpayer more than the BP spill and clean up. Estimated at $160 billion and rising, possibly to $1 trillion.

Fannie-Freddie Fix at $160 Billion With $1 Trillion Worst Case « Finance Blog

Tea Party Candidate Opposes Abortion Even In Cases Of Rape, Incest

I have no idea who this candidate is or why this is pulled out of all her employment, education, social background and positions as the most critical. Will this candidate continue the degrading programs that prey on women and keep them 2nd class citizens?  Will she work for smaller government?  Does she believe in the free market? Has she lied about her positions or pretended what she said in the past doesn't matter today?  Is this inconsistent with her other views?

If you believe a fetus is a viable human being, is she less viable if the impregnation were violent or despicable? The headline is about pushing the "oh no" button rather than thinking something through logically. Why would any sane person want to compound a terrible crime with one even more violent, one that leads to death when the helpless victim has done nothing wrong?

Pasta with walnuts and Ricotta

Tonight I watched three cooking shows--Italian, Mexican (I think), and Thai. But they were all using Italian cheeses. Anyway, I just love walnuts and eat them everyday. I decided to look up Lydia's show (it was a 2009 rerun) and found a blog which described what I saw, and explained about roasting the walnuts, since Lydia's were purchased that way. I don't think the pasta I saw on the show was Fettucini, but I'm not sure she said. Check out Plated, Jessica and James, a musician and painter who live in NY and love to cook.

Day by Day Cartoon by Chris Muir, The Declaration of Independence Updated

We got a framed print of the Declaration of Independence for Christmas from our son. It's an amazing document. The Chris Muir cartoon of yesterday substitutes a few words and phrases (Obama for King George), adds in the Stimulus Bill, Health Care, immigration, czars and Cap and Trade, and the result is a very spooky caligraphic version for 2010.

"He has combined with Democrats, RINOs, Progressives, Communists, Dictators and Tyrants to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution and unacknowledged by our laws. . . "

Day by Day Cartoon by Chris Muir :: June 27, 2010 Archives

Many legislators aim to copy Arizona immigration law

Arizona's SB1070 is set to take effect July 29, 2010. "It requires police to check the immigration status of anyone they think is in the country illegally. Violators face up to six months in jail and $2,500 in fines, in addition to federal deportation.

Lawmakers or candidates in as many as 18 states say they want to push similar measures when their legislative sessions start up again in 2011. Arizona-style legislation may have the best chance of passing in Oklahoma, which in 2007 gave police more power to check the immigration status of people they arrest.

Bills similar to the law Arizona's legislature approved in April have already been introduced in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Minnesota, South Carolina and Michigan, but none will advance this year."

I'm looking at "Reporting requirements for private boat operaators in the Great Lakes Region (Jan. 2008) and I can't see how this is different. The Border Patrol can come aboard your boat and check the documents of the master and all passengers. Immediately upon arrival in U.S. waters all alien boaters must report (around here that is Put in Bay, Cedar Point, Port Clinton, Cleveland,Mentor, Eastlake, Fairport, and Ashtabula) or face a possible $5,000 fine for the first violation, $10,000 and confiscation of the boat for the next, and/or imprisonment for one year.

Where do you people from California, Wisconsin, Chicago, and even local school districts etc. get your information on the treatment of illegals at our northern borders or Arizona? Why shouldn't police, sheriffs, state patrol have the authority to apprehend people in the country illegally especially in the course of committing another crime? If you're willing to trust the government with your health care records, your banks, your auto dealerships, why are you so touchy and protective about illegals who are bringing in drugs, trafficking in humans, and taking jobs from Americans?

The Associated Press: Many legislators aim to copy Ariz. immigration law

Naughty kitty

Doesn't she look so sweet and dainty? So obedient and purrful? She's becoming a very naughty kitty--after 11 years. She has learned that if she puts her foot in her water dish, she can lick it off her dainty foot. But if she tips it over with her foot, it goes all over the floor, and woot! that's even more fun. She started this in Columbus, and it's really dangerous because of the dark marble tile we can't see the water. So we put her water in a very heavy RRP pottery "dog" bowl we found in the basement when we bought the cottage. Here at the lake we've put her water dish inside a larger bowl, but she still finds a way to see the water spread on the floor.

An even more wonderful, tasty pie

We love rhubarb pie.  But it's a bit tart, especially if the rhubarb isn't young and tender.  So you throw in some strawberries, and that helps sweeten it.  But strawberries turn to mush when baked in a pie and the texture of a strawberry-rhubarb pie isn't pleasant to the tongue even if the taste is (in my opinion).

Friday I decided to use up the rest of Tuesday's Farmers Market rhubarb which I had cleaned and frozen with sugar and flour and was ready to go. But it was not enough for a 9" pie, and I had blueberries, but not enough for a pie, so I mixed them, blueberries on top.  What a fabulous pie.  The blueberries hold their shape and burst when you take a bite.  They sweeten the rhubarb, but do not cover the flavor (they are rather bland). I think it is a much better fruit pie combination than strawberry-rhubarb.

Photo is from another summer, another pie time.

More stuff I like--Monday Memories--Merle Norman Cosmetics

Around age 40 I thought it might be nice to learn how to wear make-up.  Must have been a mid-life crisis--you know, you look in the mirror one day and say, Whodat? I had lipstick, mostly red or pink, but foundation, eye shadow, mascara, blush, moisturizer, etc. were whatever I'd picked up along the way. So, I walked into a Merle Norman shop in the Lane Avenue Mall in Upper Arlington, and made an appointment for a "make-over."  Earthtones were all the rage then, but I liked the look and the older saleswoman (about 50) was gorgeous and very low key--just my type.  So I bought the powder base, moisturizer, cleansing cream, that red goop in a bottle, blush, eye shadow, mascara, and a rust colored lipstick.  I know all about bacteria warnings in make-up, but some of those products I must have had for 20 years because I didn't use them often.

I found out from the saleswoman (consultant?) that reds and rose weren't good for my extremely fair, peachy coloring, and I learned to apply foundation sparingly in a connect the dots method and not mask-like in the jaw area. This was a good tip particularly because as women age, we should wear less, not more, to cover facial wrinkles.  The last thing you want is an orangy or rose hue build up in those crevices and valleys. I never did much with eye lid color or mascara.  Makes my eyes itch, and again, as women age, lots of eye liner gives that startled racoon in the garbage can look. And God forbid if you shed a tear--big smears!

Then I discovered that these little stores come and go!  Rents are high in the malls, and women are fickle, it seems. After Lane closed, I went to Kingsdale, and it closed and I drove to Worthington; then to Westland.  Fortunately, in her teens, my daughter became a Merle Norman user, and she started giving it to me for birthdays and Christmas. There used to be a nice Merle Norman shop in a dress store in Port Clinton, but the owner died and it closed.  The last one I found near me was north of Bethel in Columbus, and she closed up after Christmas 2008--I rushed in and stocked up.  But while checking on-line today I found one in Polaris--it's a bit far for me to drive, but maybe there's something else in that area that I'll need, or I'll stock up for another closing.

The sound of pain

The yelp of a dog in pain--you don't forget that. I rushed to the window. A golf cart had gone over the foot of a large, hound-type dog. Now, the dog hadn't run after it or got in the way. No, the two overweight dog owners were riding in the cart while "walking" the dog, on a relatively short leash. They ran over his foot. The weight of the cart plus the weight of two obese adults must have hurt. They both looked like they needed to be outside the cart, walking. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and assuming they are disabled, but it's still a dumb way to exercise a dog. And that goes for the more svelte, buff people who think riding a bike with the dog on a leash is a smart way to exercise a dog. Especially when they get tangled up and I have to slam on my brakes.

Week 2 plans at Lakeside

Last night we enjoyed the wonderful Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats. Nothing like their show to make me feel like a slug.

Today we attended church on the Lakefront with pastor Irwin Jennings and then enjoyed breakfast at the Patio Restaurant. One of my husband's paintings has sold, so he swapped it with another one he had brought along. This afternoon I went to the Heritage Society Lecture on the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol--we have a huge border with Canada, and here on Lake Erie it is patrolled by boats but also on the highways. There was a big bust in May involving many levels of law enforcement. There is a new border patrol office in Sandusky (or reopened--it closed in 1957).

My husband plans to take children sailing today. Then this evening we're hoping to see the movie, "Letters to Juliet." I think $6 is too much to pay for a ticket to anything in Lakeside, but this one has scenes of Tuscany in Italy where we travelled in 2008 about this time of year.

I stopped at the art center to see if I wanted to sign up for drawing class, but it was a pastels class, and I really don't enjoy that. I was really looking for basic drawing skills.

This week's seminars are on Challenges in Mexican-U.S. Relationships, most of which I'll pass, but Joanna Swanger, daughter of our friends Gene and Carolyn is doing a 2-parter, so I may look into that. Another theme is "Provocative Social Movements," and that doesn't interest me. On Friday there will be a focus on Haiti, so we hope to go to that.

Tuesday Wellness at 3:30 is Genetic testing, which sounds interesting, and Wednesday in Herb class we're going to paint a canvas bag. I might do the historical walking tour on Wednesday after herb class, and the tree walk on Friday at 10:30. Friday evening is the Artie Shaw orchestra and Saturday is Capitol Steps which is usually political satire--fair and balanced we hope.

Thunder storms and tornado warnings, so I'll turn off the computer and unplug!

Patronizing and infantilizing members of other cultures

We just love PBS Antiques Road Show, and today are enjoying a rerun from 2005. The guest had a marvelous Native American (aka Indian) painting. The appraiser explained

It's painted by a Native American artist, and he was a Navajo artist by the name of Narciso Abeyta. His Indian name was Ha-So-De. He was born in 1918. And in 1939, he was one of the first classes at the Santa Fe Indian School, to be taught by Dorothy Dunn. When they were sent to Indian schools to Anglicize them a bit, Dorothy Dunn encouraged all the children there, who were taken from their tribal lands, to remember their native ways. And there were many famous American Indian painters from that class. But the interesting twist in Abeyta's life was in the early '40s. He was pressed into service with about 52 other Navajos to be a code talker in the Pacific theater. They were code talkers that helped the Marines, and these people were sent home, sworn to secrecy, all the Navajos, and they were not allowed to talk until it was declassified in 1968. And if you can imagine to be taken from the tranquil grounds that he grew up on and be thrown into the Pacific theater, with all the danger and the change of climate, the jungles. . .Unfortunately, he was shell-shocked, and his paintings suffered for it. So you acquired a painting that was done in his prime. And it's really quite wonderful. He and the other code talkers weren't recognized till 1981 for their service to this country. And Abeyta died in the late '90s. He actually has a son, Tony Abeyta, who follows his father's tradition and works in the contemporary vein, too. Have you ever had any thoughts about this painting and its value? Because it's a little nontraditional.

He was an Indian, an excellent artist, a patriotic American, a code talker in WWII, but the appraiser tries to make his service and experience somehow different than millions of other men and women who sacrificed, interrupted their lives and learned new or unusual skills never to be touched again. Why do that because of his ethnicity? Yes, many Indian children were sent to boarding schools and removed from their culture. Millions of children have that happen every day as they get on a bus and are driven out of their neighborhood and are told in a classroom that their religion, their habits, their values and their behavior are not acceptable. We call it "education" if we believe what they will have is better than what they are leaving. Would Narciso Abeyta and his classmates learned how to preserve their culture in paintings by remaining in the culture? Or did school give them new ways to appreciate and explain their culture?

Small town, rural and urban youth were also pressed into service, "thrown into the Pacific Theater with all the dangers and change of climate" and they too were sworn to secrecy if they had sensitive jobs. My uncles weren't accustomed to jumping out of airplanes; my dad had never lived out of the county and didn't know how to swim--the Pacific Ocean must have been quite intimidating. These Navajo men provided an invaluable service that others could not do--and so it was for many. Let's not make it something it wasn't because of their race.

When academics and experts do this, they not only infantilize minorities, but they are speaking from the perspective that their own lofty view in 2010 is somehow superior to that of the 1930s and 1940s. How biased and narrow (you only have to look through the newspaper headlines or entertainment pages to see how absurd that is!). Dorothy Dunn herself later came under criticism for limiting the self expression of her art students by insisting they do art the "indian" way. Sigh. You just can't please these people.

Stuff I like--Sensodyne pronamel toothpaste

One day at the dentist's for a check up and cleaning, I told the hygenist (Dr. Walton's wife) that my teeth were becoming increasingly sensitive. She recommended Sensodyne Pronamel Toothpaste, and gave me a sample. I love this stuff--and I use the gentle whitener variety. I drink a lot of coffee and tea, and that really messes up your tooth color--just look at the inside of a ceramic cup after you've reheated your coffee in the microwave. My teeth aren't sensitive anymore (and now that I've seen a few commercials I understand it better) and I think I'm making a little progress in the whitening department. It costs a little more than Crest, but it's worth it.

When I talk to people my age, I really notice their teeth more than their wrinkles or sun damage. Although regular dental care was coming in when we were children, there was no floridation of water, and my generation (including me) was careless about flossing, and it really wasn't emphasized. I had a very early case of periodontal disease (1977) that was caught by Dr. Heinzerling who sent me to a surgeon to have it removed. I am 70 years old and have all my teeth, even my wisdom teeth. Most people lose their teeth from poor care--especially gum disease. After a frenulectomy (removal of the muscle between my front teeth) at the same time as the gum surgery--I don't recommend having this double whammy--my teeth naturally shifted and there was room for all of them.

McChrystal remarks sad but not surprising

J.D. Gordon, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and a retired Navy Commander, says McChrystal, although a talented military officer, was completely out of touch with how to handle the media and didn't rely on his public affairs staff for advice.

"The swagger and salty talk displayed by Gen. McChrystal and his inner circle are not uncommon for military staffs in war zones. What was remarkable however, was the level of contempt combined with profound lack of judgment in allowing a virtually unknown reporter with whom they had no sustained relationship to such unfettered access."

Center For Security Policy

Attention Boomers! Where is your doctor?

USAToday reports, "The number of doctors refusing new Medicare patients because of low government payment rates is setting a new high, just six months before millions of Baby Boomers begin enrolling in the government health care program." Can you believe there's not a word in this article about why or who caused this, only that Congress has failed to stop an automatic 21% cut in payments that doctors already regard as too low. Where did that come from? Is this more Cloward and Piven--try as hard as he can to make everything break at once?

The CMM will tell you 3% don't accept Medicare, but in Illinois it's 18%. 19% of DOs won't accept new patients.


Doctors limit new Medicare patients - USATODAY.com
HT Murray

Four Christians arrested at Arab Festival--in the United States

Police in Dearborn, Mich., say they arrested four Christian evangelists at a large Arab cultural festival Friday for conduct they allege was disorderly.

The Christians weren't being disorderly, the hecklers were, but the police arrested the victims using their first amendment rights. The four evangelists, however, say they only spoke with people who wanted to speak with them. They have since been released on bail. It was not billed as a Muslim festival, but an Arab festival. Many Arabs are Christians, as was one of the evangelists.

If this were reverse, Arabs harrassed at a Christian event, President Obama would have stepped in and accused the police of acting stupidly. The police chief who had them arrested, Ronald Haddad, has been appointed to serve on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, which provides advice and recommendations to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on matters related to homeland security. Don't you feel safer now?

More information from the arrested.

4 Christian Evangelists Arrested at Arab Festival | Christianpost.com

Where is it safer to have a blow out--on land or 5,000 ft under water

Who pushed BP off shore into deep water (5,000 ft depth) and gave them the permit to drill after reviewing their plan? Who benefits from their taxes? Who are their employees? Who uses their oil? What pension funds (outside Britain) are paying dividends to investors and retirees? And couldn't they do the same, much safer and cheaper on land? Yes.

"Whether more exploration on federal lands would make the U.S. energy independent is debatable, but more onshore development would certainly be safer. In early June there was a blowout in western Pennsylvania. Did you see it on the nightly news? No, because it was capped in 16 hours. The Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency that regulates oil and gas production there, recorded 102 blowouts of oil and gas wells since the start of 2006, resulting in 10 fires, 12 injuries, and two deaths. None of those made the nightly news either. The largest oil spill on Alaska's North Slope in 2006 was from a pipeline leak. It dumped only 6,357 barrels and had no disastrous impacts."

Terry Anderson: Why it's safer to drill in the backyard

And by the way, just how do you feel about windmills off your coast or on your prairie vista in your line of vision, or a nuclear plant next to your river? How long before "alternative" energy sources will be able to handle this summer's heat?