Now for today's project--painting the garage

Instead of buying off the shelf storage units for the garage, we had some new shelves and a tall closet built to hang out with the former kitchen cabinets. The bottom two shelves are stationery, the others can be moved. The cabinets won't be painted on the inside, so they are already jammed. I think we could have purchased gold plated cheaper, but oh well, the price you pay for living with an architect. We also have beautiful new hardware that doesn't match the hinges. Hate that. Here's Paul Miller and a few scenes from today's project--which will probably last 3 days. The last photo is stuff that needs to go either to a shredder, a technology dump, or back on the shelves. I wonder what people do who have a clutter problem? We're actually rather tidy people.

Paul is doing a lot of careful prep work--that's the key to a good paint job whether interior or exterior. Clean, sand, fill holes, etc.

Our new sidewalk

A home is not an investment. It is a money pit only slightly more practical than a boat. And you do have to live somewhere. Here's one of our recent adventures with our money pit which we bought in 2001--completed last week. We have a different one going on today. . .

This was our sidewalk--some sort of stone or slate with a variety of crumbling mortar. We repaired it in 2005, but it continued to crumble, shed, and disintegrate.

So here it is all chopped up, but oh, look at that, underneath part of it was the original concrete sidewalk, still in perfect condition, except for a few nicks and bumps from the ear splitting jackhammer. Oh well, too late, we'd already started. After he'd already started, he knocked on the door and said, do you really need this first step--I could just slope it a little (because obviously the new walk was going to be higher than the old, and the step up wouldn't be standard height. So we OK'd that, and now we're all set for wheelchairs.

This is the new concrete walk, installed over the old concrete walk, which we didn't know was still there. It has color, a pressed stone pattern, and joint cracks added. We also discovered upon removing the old slate, that there was a good size planting area next to the garage. We went around and looked at our neighbors, and they did indeed have that. But it just makes it harder to get in and out of the car, so we didn't reinstall that. Now, because it is the new sidewalk is so high, we'll have to have some new landscaping. But, you can't take it with you . . . so we're helping the local economy.

Ohio State to graduate nearly 10,000 on June 12

John Boehner, the 53rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, will deliver the commencement address during Ohio State's spring commencement on Sunday (6/12) in Ohio Stadium. A record 9,655 students will earn degrees. The graduates, who are among the brightest in the university's history, enter the stadium at noon.

From his website: Boehner, 61, is the 2nd oldest of 12 brothers and sisters and grew up in Cincinnati. He represents the Ohio 8th district. "Before he ever made his first run for elected office – a spot on his neighborhood homeowners’ association – John ran a small business in the plastics and packaging industry. His experience in the private sector – meeting a payroll, paying taxes, dealing with government red tape – prepared him well to be a reformer in the public sector."

The One state solution--in only 4 minutes--

There now, that was easy, wasn't it?

Now here's a shocker

Liberals, Democrats, Grad Students, Easterners More Likely to be Atheists.

Gallup: Liberals, Democrats, Grad Students, Easterners More Likely to be Atheists | CNSnews.com

Remember when the Republican gay Congressman was forced to resign?

There's a different standard for NY Congressmen who digitally diddle young women.

Obama inspired ship, Funded By Obama’s Pals, Sets Off to Join Jew-Hating Leftist-Islamist Gaza Flotilla II

Remember the Audacity of Hope--Obama's book--the title inspired by Rev. Wright's sermon? Rashid Khalidi, director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, is at it again.

OBAMA INSPIRED SHIP, Funded By Obama’s Pals, Sets Off to Join Jew-Hating Leftist-Islamist Gaza Flotilla II | The Gateway Pundit
Voice Of The Copts - Obama Inspired Ship to Join IHH Gaza Flotilla

Herbert Goldhor, 1917-2011

Professor Goldhor interviewed me when I applied for the Graduate School of Library Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana. I don't remember much of the conversation, except his asking me, "Have you ever worked in a library," and when I told him about the 3 libraries--Mt. Morris Public, Manchester College, and University of Illinois, he smiled with relief.
Many people think libraries sound good until they actually experience them.

This is one of the more personal and charming obituaries I've read--perhaps written by him (many people do) or a family member. Nice story about a second chance at love.

CHAMPAIGN – Herbert Goldhor, 94, died on Tuesday (March 29, 2011) at home in Seattle, Wash., where he had lived since 2004 after having spent most of his adult life in Champaign.

A memorial service will be held in Seattle for family and close friends later this spring.

Dr. Goldhor was born on Feb. 8, 1917, in Newark, N.J., the fourth child of Adolph and Dora Balshan Goldhor. In May 1948, he married Dr. Eleanor Cheydleur and they had four children (Jonathan, Richard, Beth and Barbara) and later 11 grandchildren, all of whom are still living.

After Eleanor died in 1988, Herbert rediscovered his childhood sweetheart, Ruth H. Schwartz from New Jersey, and married her. They enjoyed 15 wonderful years together living abroad in various different countries including England, France, Denmark, Canada and New Zealand until Ruth died in 2004.

Dr. Goldhor's career as a librarian began in 1943 when he received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago's Graduate Library School. After serving in Europe during World War II, he joined the Library School faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he remained for six years (1946-1951).

In 1952, he moved to Indiana to become the chief librarian of the Evansville and Vanderburgh County Public Library, a job that he thoroughly enjoyed for 10 years.

Dr. Goldhor then returned to the twin cities to direct the Library School at the UI from 1962-1978, during which time he also taught graduate courses and published numerous articles and two books. In 1975 he became director of the school's Library Research Center, a position he held until his retirement in 1987.

Throughout his career, he believed strongly that public libraries, access to information and ideas, and continued learning were essential to a democratic society.

Dr. Goldhor enjoyed health and strength for most of his 94 years. When he was 84 years old, he and his wife Ruth hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, spent the night at Phantom Ranch, and hiked out the next day. To train for this endeavor, they walked up and down the stairs of the Century 21 building in Champaign. Dr. Goldhor was still working out at the local gym up to a few weeks before his death.

He had a positive, open attitude towards life and was interested in learning and experiencing new things. He had a great sense of humor including the saying in later years, "I am always quite relieved when I read the obituaries in the paper to NOT find my name there!" Well, now his name is here ... Yes, Herbert Goldhor's life on earth has ended and he will be greatly missed. However, his love for books and his positive influence at both the personal and professional level will live on, and in this way his name will be remembered fondly by many.

Memorials may be made to the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Illinois (www.lis.illinois.edu/giving) or to the American Friends Services Committee (afsc.org).

Gay teens have riskier behavior

A CDC report released today and carried through AP to many major newspapers is sure to create a flurry of new grant money and programs to 1) create guilt in the non-gay population because the stigma must be their fault, 2) excuse sexual behavior teens know they shouldn't be doing, and 3) pay the salaries of researchers and social workers for many future studies.

Students who report being gay, lesbian or bisexual and students who report having sexual contact only with persons of the same sex or both sexes are more likely than heterosexual students and students who report having sexual contact only with the opposite sex to engage in unhealthy risk behaviors such as tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual risk behaviors, suicidal behaviors, and violence, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This report should be a wake-up call for families, schools and communities that we need to do a much better job of supporting these young people. Any effort to promote adolescent health and safety must take into account the additional stressors these youth experience because of their sexual orientation, such as stigma, discrimination, and victimization," said Howell Wechsler, Ed.D, M.P.H, director of CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). "We are very concerned that these students face such dramatic disparities for so many different health risks."

CDC Media Relations - Press Release: June 6, 2011

The problem with this whole victim excuse is that many straight teens also engage in risky sexual behavior--maybe a lower percentage, but in numbers far higher. How successful have government health programs been in reducing or eliminating that, and is their reason also stigma, victimization and discrimination?

I would have said it differently, but here it is. . .

"It's hard to avoid the conclusion that the threat of tax increases and increased regulatory burdens have produced something in the nature of a hiring strike."

Yes, Michael Baron, you sound like you are blaming the American business community for Obama's failures.

Eventually, though, he does get around to cheap political rhetoric, ignoring his own budget commission, his incessant campaign mode, launching war against Paul Ryan, and cronyism with banks and lobbyists.

Barone did miss Libya and his anti-semitism, however. Well, maybe next time.

Dan Quayle right again--Single Moms at Midlife have more health problems

Remember Dan Quayle--how he was ridiculed for taking on the Murphy Brown single mom story line about 20 years ago? Oh, the press had a ball with that--said he was too dumb to know she was fiction. Then a few years later, the research shows that despite the income and social class of the mother, children of single mothers didn't thrive as well as children in two parent homes with a mom and a dad. It turns out that Uncle Sam can't be a step-father--even for those kids who don't need any financial assistance and have educated moms.

According to a growing body of social-scientific evidence, children in families disrupted by divorce and out-of-wedlock birth do worse than children in intact families on several measures of well-being. Children in single-parent families are six times as likely to be poor. They are also likely to stay poor longer. Twenty-two percent of children in one-parent families will experience poverty during childhood for seven years or more, as compared with only two percent of children in two parent families. A 1988 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found that children in single-parent families are two to three times as likely as children in two-parent families to have emotional and behavioral problems. They are also more likely to drop out of high school, to get pregnant as teenagers, to abuse drugs, and to be in trouble with the law. Compared with children in intact families, children from disrupted families are at a much higher risk for physical or sexual abuse. Link to Barbara Dafoe Whitehead's article.

This study done at OSU shows that later marriage doesn't reverse some of the negative health affects of single motherhood. It "was beyond the scope of this study to determine why unwed mothers in general had poorer health than others. But other research suggests it may be related to the high levels of stress and the poor economic conditions faced by single moms." Or maybe women who don't take care of their bodies when it comes to sex, don't take care of it in other ways?

Single Moms Entering Midlife May Lead To Public Health Crisis

Seems God was on to something when he created marriage for man and woman.

Monday Memories--John Stolzenbach

John is retiring and Sunday June 26 will be his last Sunday to preach at Lytham Road campus of UALC where he pastors the two traditional services. When we began attending UALC we met John and Sue in the new member's class. They had started attending at the invitation of his brother Jim (now deceased), and we came because I had attended a women's event at UALC and met a number of women who formerly had been members of the church we were attending. Four couples in that class formed a small group Bible study, and four years later John who was a school teacher when we met him, became a Lutheran pastor. There are several fare-well events for John, and there will be another one on June 26. We attended one on May 26.

John's special gift from the Lord is a Servant's heart for the hurting Servants--like those grieving, divorced, addiction/recovery. He sees the many funerals he does as an opportunity to reach the lost as well as the family. He's also known for his sense of humor. After our daughter's wedding a Jewish friend said, "I don't think I ever had such a good time at a Christian wedding."

Our Savior, the Democrats | The Weekly Standard

"How does Wallis—the old Students for a Democratic Society agitator who touted the Vietcong in the 1970s and the Sandinistas in the 1980s, who denounced welfare reform in the 1990s as a betrayal of the poor, and whose funding by George Soros was exposed last year—enlist Catholic bishops and mainstream evangelicals in his endless political campaigns?"

Jesus can forgive the SDS stupidity, and he died for Wallis' sins against the poor and lying about Soros funding, but enlisting Christian leaders for a "circle of protection" around federal programs that primarily line the pockets of the well heeled government staff? Um, no. Even Jesus has his limits.

Our Savior, the Democrats | The Weekly Standard

Palin’s End Run

Canada Free Press: "The mainstream media have indignantly reported on Governor Sarah Palin’s barnstorming “One Nation” bus tour across the Eastern United States with sputtering speculation, crafty criticism, risible ridicule, and, as usual, insufficient insight. The reason for the media apoplexy is simple. Palin is the first potential national candidate to successfully demonstrate that today’s news organizations are yesterday’s news."

But that's not all. She's a woman who didn't ride into town on her husband or father's coattails, and the media just can't or won't accept that. They are very 20th century.
Palin’s End Run

School Application Criticized For Birth Questions

What is going on in California? Limits to the number of straight guys (2) on a soft-ball team and the judge says it's OK. Anti-semitism reeks in the anti-circumcision literature. Now a school asking for birthing delivery information?

School Application Criticized For Birth Questions « CBS Sacramento

81% of US Mosques Promote Jihad

"The minarets are our bayonets, the domes our helmets, the mosques our barracks and the faithful our army." Turkish nationalist poet Ziya Gokalp, 1912

Interesting survey which includes extensive links to sources on how American Moslems perceive themselves in a non-Islamic culture.

81% of US Mosques Promote Jihad

I didn't have a recipe, but. . .

I decided make mushroom soup. I knew I didn't have all the exotic ingredients chefs call for, but I did have chicken broth, olive oil, onions, celery, some butter and flour and ordinary not-so-wild mushrooms. Then as I was tasting it I thought, Hmm, a little wine might pep this up. But all I had was Merlot. After a few tablespoons I could see we would have pink soup, so I stopped there. However, a few hours later, it's just a nice taupe. I don't think it makes much difference in the flavor. I checked my blog and the last time I used beef broth and did use Merlot, but since it was darker, you couldn't see the color.

Unintended consequences again--hookworm

It seems a little might be good for you.

The Smart Set: Take Two Hookworms and Call Me in the Morning - May 6, 2011

Why we need legal immigrants

This morning I was shopping at a small center near Kenney Road and Old Henderson Road, the northern boundary for Upper Arlington, an up-scale suburb of Columbus, Ohio, where I live. As I looked around the stores, I decided over 50% are probably owned by immigrants. There were 4 or 5 hair and nail salons with English names, but Asian writing on the windows; a Turkish bakery; a Thai restaurant; an Indian restaurant; a belly dancing studio; a martial arts studio, a photography studio and some others I couldn't identify.

Owning your own home is not "the American dream," that's shelter and a hole in the financial boat, but owning your own business with the chance to become wealthy or have something to pass on to your children has been a dream of just about every immigrant group that has come by ship or plane, or on foot. I think Americans are sitting on their hands and wallets waiting for the government to do something about the economy, but immigrants are not waiting. They've escaped dictators, Communists, Socialists and anarchists. They've struggled and sacrificed and are willing to work 18 hour days, 7 days a week just for the opportunity to be in business.

I welcome these immigrants to my neighborhood.

Misquoting Republicans is a cottage industry for the media

Sarah Palin never said she could see Russia from her house. So who did say it?

It was actually comedian Tina Fey, who was impersonating Ms. Palin on Saturday Night Live who uttered this line that is now widely attributed to the former Alaska governor.

The basis for this line comes from a September 2008 interview with ABC News's Charles Gibson, who asked Palin what insights she had from her state being so close to Russia. She responded: "They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." Christian Science Monitor

But never mind the truth--ridiculing Republicans, especially if they are women, gets more sales.

The same article, however, really splits hairs about Al Gore's famous, "I invented the Internet." He used the word "created." Well, that's a short stretch isn't it?