Recipe for Cranberry Stuffing for Thanksgiving

Recipe for Cranberry Stuffing for Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving Day Recipe Ideas | eHow.com

I've got all the ingredients for this one! Looks really simple

Update: Made it according to her directions. You'd better find a way to sweeten the cranberries, or it is unedible. I served ours with syrup, then threw the rest out!

Will Jon Stewart show up in Wilmington to ridicule?

HuffPo last spring reported that Stewart was getting 50% of his material from Beck--not plagerism, but mocking him. Then in Beck's newsletter today it was noted that Stewart's program was 66% ridiculing Beck! Beck is keeping this man alive--he has no material without him.

Now Glenn Beck has announced he will travel to Wilmington, Ohio to do a show and to support a Christian ministry/food pantry there because in 2008 Wilmington lost its major employer (9,000 jobs) DHL. On his show tonight he interviewed Sugartree Ministries Director Allen Willoughby. Originally for the homeless and street people, Sugartree has a food pantry and accepts no government money, which must be a real challenge. Everyday the staff prays for the shelves to be filled. Every food pantry I know gets government grants to keep their doors open, same with after school snack programs and summer lunch programs that are run by churches. This prevents the ministry from being able to tell the story of Jesus and his saving work.

Beck isn't the only celebrity to show up to help Rachel Ray remodeled their kitchen. They are now serving 150-200 people 6 days a week.

Everyone knows that unemployment checks and food pantries aren't the answers to our economic problem--the government needs to get out of the way and allow businesses to thrive. In past recessions, new businesses sprung up; not so much this time. Regulations, energy requirements, insurance rates, and inability to get bank credit are stifling the small business man.

Maybe Jon could do something funny about that?

There's a college in Wilmington. My uncle J. Edwin Jay was the president from 1915-1927.

The cries for civility from Democrats

Where were these guys two years ago when Obama began blaming President Bush for all the ills of the world, when he was demeaning over half of the American people a few weeks ago during the campaign, when he traveled abroad bowing and scraping to foreign despots? How civil was he and his supporters in the press and Congress? Isn't he the one who said "I won" when asked about cooperation with Republicans?

Jay Rockefeller wants to shut down your news sources

"I hunger for quality news. I’m tired of the right and the left. There’s a little bug inside of me which wants to get the FCC to say to Fox and to MSNBC, “Out. Off. End. Goodbye.” It’d be a big favor to political discourse, our ability to do our work here in Congress, and to the American people, to be able to talk with each other and have some faith in their government and, more importantly, in their future."

Yes, I just bet that would really help political discourse a lot and getting work done in Congress. So what does he consider "quality?" Katie Couric's opinions and water carrying passing as news? WETA, D.C.’s public television and radio stations where his wife is CEO?

Obama signs order to reform faith-based office

"President Obama signed an executive order Wednesday (Nov. 17) that reforms the White House's faith-based office in a bid to improve transparency and clarify rules for religious groups that receive federal grants.

The nine-page order reflects numerous recommendations made more than six months ago by a blue-ribbon advisory council charged with streamlining and reforming the office created under former President George W. Bush."

This certainly bears watching. During the 2008 campaign, Obama alluded to "fair hiring" in faith based programs, taking some religious freedoms by strangling churches ability to preach the gospel through what was once a popular Bush I and Bush II program--the 1000 points of light and the office of faith based initiatives. In 2008 I wrote a number of blogs about the dangers churches were facing with the Faustian agreement to take government support and grant money for everything from food pantries to housing rehab in distressed neighborhoods to after prison work programs to immigrant resettlement. I thought he had launched it when in 2009 he had Georgetown University remove all religious symbols when he gave a speech, but he became so embroiled in the healthcare debacle and the financial industry problems, that he wasn't able to turn his attention to it until . . . after the Democrats lost the House in 2010.

Once churches take government money, the administrators of that program by law, law suit, regulation or political pressure can tell them

1. who to hire
2. pull their tax exempt status
3. which in turn can destroy other funding
4. can hold up building plans that need to pass code
5. can deny the retirement plan set in place for employees
6. can affect the Medicare and Medicaid funding for the nursing home the church might run
7. can restrict the adoption agency supported by the church plan to only place children with married couples
8. and most importantly, can dictate what is said from the pulpit on any topic deemed politically sensitive, like marriage, abortion, environment, health, stem-cell research, euthanasia, war, etc.

RNS: Obama signs order to reform faith-based office - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Ten years ago City Journal (Winter 2000) reported that Catholic Charities had lost its soul by promoting government programs rather than traditional church teaching, and the author tosses in Jews and Lutherans for good measure because their charitable acts had also been compromised. "Catholic Charities—and the same could be said about the Association of Jewish Family and Children's Agencies or the Lutheran Services in America—has become over the last three decades an arm of the welfare state, with 65 percent of its $2.3 billion annual budget now flowing from government sources and little that is explicitly religious, or even values-laden, about most of the services its 1,400 member agencies and 46,000 paid employees provide."

I believe if we are to fulfill the Great Commission, we'll have to disentangle ourselves from the federal and state government.

Saving the world, one cat at a time

Bandit
I often quote my mother who said, "I can't save the whole world, but I can save four acres." And she did, and she shared those acres with others by turning her family home into a peaceful, attractive retreat center. There are people in Powell, Ohio (northwest Columbus) who are saving the world one cat at a time at the Cozy Cat Cottage. What can you do to help. Of course, there's always money, but if you'd like a more fuzzy, hands on position, there are also volunteer jobs. I spend a lot of time on the internet so I might look into that good search click thing which provides CCC with benefits.

Mission Statement: Cozy Cat Cottage Adoption Center is a non-profit organization that provides refuge; aid and care for abandoned, injured, abused or lost cats and kittens. We refuse to euthanize cats or kittens simply because they are unwanted.

We are committed to the keep and care for these unwanted animals of all ages while attempting to find permanent, responsible, loving homes for each and every one of them.

We are dedicated to promoting respect and compassion for all animals through humane education and vigorously promoting spay and neutering to reduce, and eventually to eliminate the animal over population.

Right now this no kill facility can't accept any new residents, but if you are looking for a nice pet, perhaps one that's had a rough start in life, why not stop in at 62 Village Pointe Drive, Powell, Ohio 43065.

California's Destructive Green Jobs Lobby

"All the so-called "renewables" programs waste and desecrate the precious resource of arable land that feeds the world. Every dollar of new wages for green workers will result in several dollars of reduced pay and employment for the state's and the nation's other workers—and reduced revenues for the government."

George Gilder is just about the smartest guy I know. Read it. The Greenie's intent is to kill the economy. Their agenda long term has nothing to do with saving Planet Earth. Everyone should be environmentally responsible, including the lefists.

George Gilder: California's Destructive Green Jobs Lobby - WSJ.com

Human rights and the UN

"Saudi Arabia now has a seat on the women's board at the United Nations. That's right, a regime where it's illegal for women to drive or leave the house without being accompanied by a male guardian, where girls were pushed into a burning building because they were trying to flee without covering their 'obscene' female faces... will be a key player in the international effort to empower women.

. . . Chilean leftist Michelle Bachelet, who heads up UN Women, praised Sudan for its commitment to gender equality in her opening statement. Yes, Sudan, a genocidal state which uses mass rapes as part of its ethnic cleansing campaign. And it's already clear that the focus of UN Women isn't to promote gender equality, but to intervene in conflict areas. Which means the odds are excellent that UN Woman will be used to crank out an endless stream of condemnations of countries that fight Muslim terrorists, while cloaking those condemnations in the name of the rights of women in the affected areas. And the Saudis are perfectly positioned to guide UN Women down that road."

George W. Bush freed more women (from the Taliban) than Lincoln did slaves, but that's not enough for the left. Will American Communists point out the inconsistency of Saudis on the women's board? American leftists don't actually approve of Islamic law and codes anymore than they do Christian, however, they are useful comrades in bringing down the common capitalist enemy--The United States.

Sultan Knish a blog by Daniel Greenfield

Eid al-Adha--no English class today

Today is an important holiday (3 days beginning last night) for Muslims. Just like our Easter gets overshadowed by Christmas, but is the more significant of the Christian holy days, so this one gets overshadowed by another Eid which follows Ramadan. Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham being willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael. That's a very different story than the one Jews and Christians see as the establishment of God's people Israel, the Jews, and in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Good works and service with the poor are part of this holiday, so there will be no English conversation class today.

ALA Banned Books Week Hoax

I just browsed through a very attractive on-line display of banned books at a college library website--NCSU--based on the ALA hoax. Yes, BBW, Banned books week is a hoax. You can get these books anywhere. What the ALA banned lie really means is someone complained about a book--it wasn't banned or burned. No American author in the USA was threatened--that's for Europe and the Middle East. We have the right to complain, too. We pay for our public libraries--should we be thrilled with every selection? Can we say, "Why so many Martha Stewart?" What about poor quality binding or illustrations? Is that OK to complain about? Or price? Or disrespect toward a race, gender or religion? Or new books on the occult outnumbering new titles for a religion a bit more common in the neighborhood, for instance, Christianity?

I complained about "Little Black Sambo" being read aloud to children (1970s) during story hour. Was told it was harmless. What about the not-selected, not-purchased books? After looking over the shelves, and finding more on the Amish than on Lutherans, I left a note that our Public Library's newest book on Lutherans was 40 years old. Then I sent a suggestion with author, title and ISBN. They bought it. Woot! One. And we may have the largest Lutheran church in Ohio in our community. If you complain or suggest, it's often "no demand" or "no money." Especially for conservative titles. So then it's off to the book store. Fewer requests are made; fewer people vote to pass tax increases to support libraries.

ALA | Banned Books Week

Don't Be Such a Wimp and don't try to be fair

Readers give the expert on finances advice on his parenting skills. And it's good--especially from the kids. I'd say throw out the word "fair" when parenting. It only creates jealousy. Plus it's a kid's weapon. What's fair for a social butterfly doesn't fit the geek, and what's fair for an A student without cracking a book won't work with one who hates school. My mother was a saint, but she put great stock in being "fair." What that meant was, if one of the four of us was really great at doing something, praise was soft pedaled because it wouldn't be fair to the others who didn't have that talent. We were all talented in different ways, and believe me, life isn't fair. If it were, everyone would have had my terrific mother!

The Readers' Advice: Don't Be Such a Wimp - WSJ.com

Her ears aren't pierced--big deal!

At her blog she wrote a very long entry about her non-pierced ears--longer than any of my stories about the government, about housing, about health, about family memories, about retirement, etc. And she got 46 comments. FORTY-SIX!!!

Well, I never had my ears pierced either, and probably couldn't write two sentences about it. So there. And yes, people have noticed. Comments anyone?

Left Greeting Bookstore Release of Bush’s ‘Decision Points’

It may be awhile before your local library has more than one copy of Decision Points by President Bush, and at the bookstore you might find Bush shelved in unusual places. The solution, of course, is to complain both to the library, and the store manager. They are there to serve you.

Michelle Malkin » Left Greeting Bookstore Release of Bush’s ‘Decision Points’ With Level of Maturity You Might Expect

No dog in this fight

"To hear librarians tell it, video games are high-church, intellectual endeavors. Today, nearly 2,000 libraries across America will host National Gaming Day, a massive video game tournament and celebration." Daniel J. Flynn

The library as amusement park

"Only those who haven’t checked out a book in the new millennium would be surprised that the public library is now making video games available. The image of the urban public library as a citadel of culture and quietude shielding patrons from the noisy, dumbed-down, digital world outside has taken a hit in recent years. Anyone who has logged significant time at the library has noticed an environment at odds with what Andrew Carnegie had in mind when he bankrolled the construction of 2,811 libraries—roughly 1,000 more institutions than will be participating in National Gaming Day on Saturday. It’s not uncommon to see Internet porn on library computer consoles, and for those not satiated by simply looking, library bathrooms have become popular rendezvous points. Most conspicuously, the library has been transformed into an unofficial homeless shelter during those daytime hours when the official homeless shelter shuts its doors. Libraries have become comfortable hosting many activities unrelated to the life of the mind."

Governor-elect Scott Walker, Wisconsin

"Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker urged the federal government Tuesday to give up on high-speed rail and instead use the money to repair roads and bridges he said were "literally crumbling." "

I thought Obama promised ARRA funding would repair our crumbling infrastructure--it was supposed to be shovel ready funds, right? What happened? I saw a lot of torn up roads and streets in Ohio with those bright orange ARRA signs. In fact, it looked as though ARRA street repair was going to ruin every business in downtown Bucyrus!

I didn't know Wisconsin had elected a Republican--but he's strongly pro-life and small government, he's against rail boondoggles and embryonic stem cell research, so I guess that's what they've done.

And justice for all

Last night I recited the Pledge of Allegiance at a political meeting in my community. Can't remember when I last did that. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Now in an unrelated, but related story . . .

"The USDA Special Milk Program started in 1955 [when I was in school I think we paid two cents for a carton of milk] with the purpose of providing milk to children in schools, child care institutions, and summer camps that do not participate in other Federal child nutrition programs. The program reimburses sponsors for the milk they serve."

Believe it or not, this program is still going, but buried in the updated rules is the requirement that where the milk is distributed there MUST be a poster that states, "and justice for all".

The original pledge was much shorter and didn't specify the United States and didn't include God. "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." And I have no idea what the original milk program was for!

Buried on p. 12--Muslim killing Muslim in Karachi

The Pakistan Taliban strikes again--blew up a very secure area in Karachi, Pakistan, of top government officials and 5-star hotels, according to the Wall Street Journal today on p. 12. So I dug a little further and found Al-Jazeera's account:

Around 3,800 people have been killed in suicide attacks and bombings, blamed on homegrown Taliban and other armed groups across Pakistan, since government troops stormed the Red Mosque in Islamabad three years ago.

The Karachi bombing came less than a week after a suicide bombing on a mosque packed with worshippers killed 68 people in northwest Pakistan.

Karachi has already suffered its most serious bout of political violence in years, with 85 people killed after a politician was shot dead in August.

The city is Pakistan's economic capital, home to its stock exchange and a strategic port where Nato docks its supplies ready to be transported overland to support the war in Afghanistan.

Although I don't believe George W. Bush's nation building ideas worked in 7th century Islamic countries, I think the American leftists, and that would include our President, are blind and deaf about who is killing whom in the Middle East and the Asian continent which is home for millions of Muslims, adherents of the religion of peace.

Labeled an extremist for common sense

Minnesota State Representative-elect Glenn Gruenhagen offered this at a statewide school board association meeting and the blog writer Hal thinks he's an extremist. The school board reps didn't like it (doesn't surprise me), but apparently voters saw something in him they liked.

Resolutions:
Stop labeling and drugging students - 2 for; 103 against.
Emphasize rote learning - 2 for; 130 against.
Implement phonics reading - 8 for; 94 against.
Teach principles of patriotism - 13 for; 88 against.
Implement abstinence - 7 for; 95 against.
Separate classes by gender - 16 for; 86 against.
Teach fallacies of macro evolution - 7 for; 100 against.
All children are gifted - 12 for; 89 against.


Hal's Blog

Christians and George Soros

Many Christians refuse to watch Glenn Beck. They think he's an alarmist, a kook libertarian, or don't like his Mormon faith.  In recent weeks, there are two very good reasons to be watching and listening--his story about inflation (read articles on today's WSJ on inflationary prices on A5 and C7*), and his story about George Soros infiltrating many Christian organizations and the media, essentially buying them up. 

The Christian Left, and even many evangelicals who have become really sloppy in aligning themselves as "emerging" or "emergent" are involved in promoting pro-choice, illegal immigration, gay marriage and anti-Israel movements. Last night, using his typical high-tech, high touch methods to illustrate a point, Beck rolled out an enormous sheet of brown butcher paper on which were written the names of all the "charities" George Soros, an atheist, supports, most of which are the antithesis of the Gospel and the basic concepts on which the United States was founded.  Soros is working hard behind the scenes to get Beck off the air.  However, there are many Christians now wise to his tricks and are providing some balance and research to fight him. Even a little blog like mine gets the hit and run socialists posting in my comments or sending me e-mails(removed if they get nasty) if I speak out about Soros.

Jim Wallis is probably the best known of the Evangelical Left (although the evangelical part of him has certainly been starved  as the left of him swells and gets ever more pompous) who has taken Soros funding to support his left wing agenda.  Two years ago our Vineyard Church here in Columbus invited him as a major speaker at its rally for peace and justice (I'm paraphrasing here), and I suspect this would not happen today as Wallis' links to radical movements and marxism become more clear to even the most obtuse, warm and squishy Christian.  Also, the Christian left has been quite alarmed by the Tea Party strength, as it eats away at its own power base, so it is fighting back.

How far left have the Evangelicals swung?  Richard Cizik, the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals, now works for George Soros funding organization called the Open Society Institute.  This is beyond teetering on a cliff--he's completely fallen off the mountain top.

It's time to not only carefully read the "we believe" statement, but the mission statements, and the board of directors or trustees of any Christian organization you've been supporting or plan to support. We are at war.

*A5--11/11/10 article on new method to figure inflation--19.7% since last October; C7--article on commodities volatility, cotton, silver and soybeans.

Bush book, Decision Points, flying off the shelves

At least in book stores. It will take much longer in public libraries, whose librarians vote 223:1 for Democrats. Random House says it's the highest first day sales in 6 years, and that doesn't count independent book stores or grocery stores like Meiers or Krogers. (It's $21 at Meier's.) I live in a heavily Republican suburb, but our UAPL has carefully taught us that if we really want to read something with a right of center viewpoint, we'd just better go out and buy it. Then with fewer requests in hand, it can justify not purchasing in a timely fashion the books we'd like to read.