Henry Clay ran for president 5 times and lost each time

He also served in the Senate before he was 30 (the age stated in the Constitution). However, he's an important American statesman. The Contenders starts tomorrow night on C-SPAN with the story of Clay.

C-SPAN The Contenders

Who's the genius on the staff who scheduled it?

I think Boehner did Obama a big favor by not accepting his jobs speech/campaign speech timing. It was an idiotic plan made by a troll. What politician (besides Obama) schedules a campaign speech opposite the other team's debate? He has nothing to say and chose a huge venue for its release. The bigger the venue the smaller the speaker. He was taking a chance that Republicans wouldn't even show up (then in addition to blaming Bush, the Tea Party, and riots in Muslim-land, he could blame the House).

“It is a big deal that the House said ‘no’ to the president from our end,” a White House source with intimate knowledge of what took place between the House and the president told me Thursday. “This confirms what we all know: They will do anything in the House to muck us up.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/62505.html#ixzz1XN2HVlhM

Thursday Thirteen--13 memorable music programs at Lakeside, Summer 2011

We have a summer home in Lakeside, Ohio--a Chautauqua community estblished as a Methodist campground in 1873 with educational and cultural programming every day. Here are 13 of the musical shows we really enjoyed. Lakeside has a large auditorium that seats over 2,500, plus a bandstand in the park, and a theater called "Orchestra Hall," but most musical events are in Hoover Auditorium. There are 2 hotels, several B&Bs, plus private cottages for rent. Lots of planned activities for children. Gated community. No alcohol.

1. On Aug. 27 Helen Welch provided a tribute to “ladies of song,” including Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Karen Carpenter and Patsy Cline. She is British, lives in Hudson, Ohio, and belts out some fabulous songs.

2. Shiloh Mountain Trio sang at the bandstand the Sunday night of the last week, Aug. 28. A Christian group, they are siblings and children of a Baptist pastor. They are named in honor of Mt. Shiloh Baptist Church in Cadiz, Ohio. We stayed for the whole concert and even bought a CD. YouTube of how they make their music.

3. Mike Albert is the Big-E (an Elvis impersonator) and very popular at Lakeside. He always puts on a fabulous show--this is probably the 8th time we’ve seen him.

4. Although it wasn’t billed as an evening program at Hoover Auditorium, Thomas Lloyd who is the band director at Columbus State (didn’t know they had one) gave an interesting lecture on the Music of the Civil War Era, and we in the audience had an opportunity to sing many of the songs with his leadership. This was the 8th Civil War Week at Lakeside.

5. The closing concert of the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra on Aug. 19 featured guest pianist Dr. Angelin Chang, professor of piano at Cleveland State. Our friends David and MaryAnn enjoyed the show with us.

6. Another winner with the Orchestra was Chad Hoopes on Aug. 16, a violinist who at 16 has a fabulous career ahead. I was enchanted. Instead of giving him a bouquet of flowers, he was presented with a print of one of my husband’s paintings (the orchestra).

7. Michael Shirtz, director of choral music and Arts at Terra State Community College in Fremont, played on Aug. 11 with his quartet. He’s so talented, and earlier in the season was also a presenter on history of American music.

8. We actually weren’t here on July 23 to hear the OSU Alumni Band, but if we had been, we would have heard a fantastic concert.

9. The Lakeside Symphony Orchestra opened its 48th season on July 27 with a program of “Light Classics.”

10. Carpe Diem String Quartet on June 21 originated at Ohio Wesleyan University and provides many educational programs, but they also can really wow an audience.

11. If you ever have the opportunity to hear the Raleigh Ringers Handbell Choir based in Raleigh, NC, don’t miss it. I’ve never seen such huge handbells!

12. And oh do we love Riders in the Sky who’ve performed in all 50 states, and here at Lakeside a number of times. They sing cowboy music.

13. Usually we don’t have secular music programs on Sunday evening, but this year on May 29 (Memorial Day week-end) the performers were Phil Dirt and the Dozers. This incredibly talented group can sing anything, but are particularly famous for their 50s and 60s music, and are great fun to watch and listen to.

The last sunset

Summer for the Bruces is over on Labor Day week-end. We returned to Columbus on Sunday, so this last Sunset was either Friday or Saturday. Sunsets and sunrises this summer were not as spectacular as some--the heat and haze blocked a lot.

Obama's New Old Jobs Program

It's busy work Mr. President. The stimulus (ARRA) didn't stimulate--that one mile of sidewalk in my neighborhood didn't produce anything the community couldn't afford. And FDR's WPA didn't create jobs it was a relief program for able bodied workers. And no business can take a "tax break" if they don't have a product or a market--and you've killed both.

On a visit to Asia, the late economist Milton Friedman observed workers digging a canal, using shovels. He asked a government bureaucrat why they weren't using modern excavation machinery. The answer: "You don't understand. This is a jobs program." Friedman replied, "Oh, I thought you were trying to build a canal. If it's jobs you want, then you should give the workers spoons, not shovels."

Gov't Is Job Killer, Not Creator - Investors.com

Dear POTUS: If we can’t believe you on civility… | The Anchoress

The Anchoress writes:
"I have one question. When you get up there before the joint-session of Congress, with your “You-are-the-only-folks-keeping-the-barbarians-from-the-gates” Vice President seated behind you, and you tell us you have a plan, and that it is a plan for all Americans, knowing that the whole nation (and every man and woman in that chamber) is aware that Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa referred to “your army” and called for the opposition “sons of bitches” to be “taken out” while you said nothing, gave no correction, made no rebuke — not even by way of a later statement, how will you make them believe you?

Mr. President, we all remember your eloquence in Arizona last January, when you declared that irresponsible rhetoric had no place in public discourse. You said,

“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do – it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.”"

Dear POTUS: If we can’t believe you on civility… | The Anchoress

Whodathunkit?

"Single women are in much worse financial condition than other Americans, according to an analysis of the Federal Reserve Board’s most recent Survey of Consumer Finances." an OSU College of Education prof was quoted as being surprised. I'm not.

Labor On--his thoughts about "Labor Day"

"I have wondered how a nation so rich, so vibrant and so innovative could allow its wealth-creation mechanism to be controlled by elected career politicians and appointed bureaucrats. They are not creators or generators of wealth and value. They are parasitic blood-sucking consumers of the labor and inspiration of others." Charles Earl

Little Stuff-minoosha: Labor On

Illegal Immigration--where Bush and Obama were joined at the hip

However, whereas amnesty hurt Bush with his constituency, it helps Obama. So he just commanded it like any petty dictator who wanted cheap votes and even cheaper labor.

"Facing a difficult reelection climate, and frustrated by the inability of his party to move immigration reform legislation through the Congress, Obama has decided to simply ignore existing federal law requiring deportation of illegal aliens in custody. He has decreed that hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who would otherwise be subject to mandatory deportation, will be permitted to stay in the United States; including many illegals currently enrolled in schools."

Immigration Dispute Has Constitutional Undertones | The Barr Code

Today is G-Day

The last of my hair color will be cut off this morning. It was a shock to me when my mother, aunt, sister, etc. went for the natural look. I felt like I'd aged. My husband and daughter both suggested I go blonde, which brown fades to anyway, but I never really cared for that look. Deborah says she loves saving the money. So, we'll see--if I don't like it I can always go back to color.

Brown, 2007

Blonde, 2003

Brown, 1981

Brown, 1971

Brown, 1964

Ask Amy: Husband’s crisis throws wife a curveball

It's really naive for a wife left behind to assume "no other woman is involved" after the husband decides to leave after 30 years. Wake up and smell the coffee, lady. Or maybe it's another man. But something doesn't pass the sniff test here.

Ask Amy: Husband’s crisis throws wife a curveball - The Washington Post

Did you evolve from slime, ooze and sludge?

Here's what the guys who think you did, think of you if you believe the Bible (In the beginning God. . .; In the beginning was the Word. . .; He is before all things. . . ; Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?. . . ):

"It is very troubling to think that with all the billions of dollars we have spent on "education" that we have so may uneducated people. It's even more troubling to think about how the trillions of dollars wasted on religious "stuff" (buildings and properties, salaries, lawsuit settlements, velvet slippers and gold chapeaux, etc., etc.) could have been better served invested in new technology, basic research, infrastructure construction and maintenance, "real" education, social services, etc.). Shameful foolishness."

Found at a "science" blog comment.

Late July Organic Dark Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I picked up two boxes of these dark chocolate sandwich cookies at Giant Eagle today. Oh my, they are just as good as I'd hoped they would be.

Ingredients: Organic wheat flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic palm oil, organic powdered evaporated cane juice with organic corn starch, organic whole wheat flour, organic cocoa, organic cocoa (processed with alkali), organic chocolate liquor, organic cocoa butter, organic brown rice syrup, organic evaporated cane juice syrup organic roasted barley, organic vanilla extract, sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin, sea salt and natural flavors.

Other bits of information from the box: We are family owned and operated and all our products are certified USDA Organic (Steve, Nicole & Family). Logos for USDA Organic (green and white), whole grain (gold) and Vegan (white).

On box: (Cardboard box, plastic tray and foil wrap.) Produced without dangerous pesticides. No trans fats or high fructose corn syrup. No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Kosher and Vegan. Antioxidants. 2 g whole grains per serving (3 cookies, 33 g).

The name (Late July): “Late July is a moment in time when life is simple, pure and good. It’s watching your child laughing and playing with his dog on the beach. It’s the middle of summer when you’re knee deep in sand castles and problems are a million miles away. . . A constant reminder that our ingredients need to be a special and pure as the moments they represent.

Remember ladies, dark chocolate is good for you!

Erie Spirit Sailing

If you like to sail, and didn't bring your sailboat, you can rent the experience with Captain Jim. captainjim at lakeeriesail dot com. My husband, his friends Jim and Eric, and Eric's brother David did just that earlier in the summer. Captain Jim was my husband's sailing instructor some years ago. I'd won sailing lessons in a pie contest, but wasn't interested, so my husband used them. He loved it!

English is a strange language

"Underserved populations" is the term used for groups for which researchers and politicians get government grants, so there may be lack of resources somewhere, but "underserved" they aren't. There are special programs to track them down to offer them more entitlements.

"Bloombito" is a Twitter acount which ridicules Mayor Bloomberg's attempts to woo the Spanish speaking population of NYC with the worst Spanish you've ever heard.

"Public servant" is a government employee who may earn 3x more than a private sector employee who pays his salary.

"Family balancing" is aborting the female fetus through sex selection.

"Intellectual disability" is a new term used by those wordsmiths who gave up on "mentally retarded" and "developmentally disabled," but the word intellectual used to have some snob appeal and usually meant people at the other end of the IQ spectrum.

"Current thinking" is a sloppy euphemism that usually throws out what was current 3-4 years ago, but it it used rather than citing the document.

"Adopt a pet" is something you do when you can't give birth to one.

"Reality TV" is completely unreal.

"Food insecurity" has replaced "hunger" because not enough people were hungry to fund 25 programs and all the government workers dependent on them.

"Food stamps"--we don't have them anymore, they are now SNAP, supplemental nutrition assistance program, and I think it's a plastic card.

Ratio Of Takers To Givers Reaches A Tipping Point

Minimum wage increases hurt blacks the most. Larry Elder

Economist Milton Friedman called minimum-wage regulations among the "most anti-black" laws on the books. Why? A disproportionate number of blacks are unskilled and, therefore, are disproportionately harmed when laws force employers to pay more than the market value of labor.

Ratio Of Takers To Givers Reaches A Tipping Point - Investors.com

Uncle Omar and Aunt Zeituni

President Obama has at least 2 relatives living in the United States illegally. When it was first revealed right before the election of 2008, President Bush, always soft on illegal immigration anyway, tried to play the nice guy, not that it was ever appreciated.

Bush administration officials ordered immigration authorities across the country to halt all deportation enforcement actions until after the campaign season was over. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) source familiar with Western field offices told me at the time: "The ICE fugitive operations group throughout the U.S. was told to stand down until after the election from arresting or transporting anyone out of the U.S. This was done to avoid any mistakes of deporting or arresting anyone who could have a connection to the election, i.e., anyone from Kenya who could be a relative. The decision was election-driven."

Now, we know there was at least one other Obama deportation fugitive hiding in plain view who benefited from the freeze.

More damningly, we know that both Republican and Democratic administrations continue to play politics with homeland security while paying lip service to the 9/11 dead.

America's Uncle Omar Problem - Page 2 - Michelle Malkin - Townhall Conservative

Kurt Cobain lunchbox

It's in the 90s today, but I decided to bike up to the train station (Lakeside, OH) for the Archives sale. On my way there I looked at the last hill and decided it was too hot, so I turned around, and as I did, I saw the sign that said it was at South Auditorium rather than the Train Station, so I was already there. Nothing much to interest me, but maybe the good stuff was gone. I thought everything was over priced, using the Volunteers of America store as my guide. I did see a Kurt Cobain lunchbox ($3.00)that really puzzled me. I tried to imagine who in the 1990s would have bought a kid a lunchbox like that. When I got home I googled it (mainly to see what the going rate was). It wasn't issued until 2006 or 2007 when his widow, Courtney Love, sold the rights to some songs and his image. Probably only women bought such an item, and showed it off at work once or twice then put it away.

So I read through his biography. What a sad, sad, empty life. Proof, if you needed it, that money can't make a person happy who's taken a bad situation and made it worse with drugs.

On e-bay someone wanted $50.00 for a Kurt Cobain lunchbox. Good luck--it's going for $3 in Lakeside, and even then, had no takers.

We love Brenda as The Closer

We've been fans of TNT's The Closer since it began in June 2005. It's now in it's 7th and final season, and we're watching the first season on DVD on our new digital TV at our lake house. We don't have cable here, so we're watching one episode an evening, and on Monday nights we go to a neighbors to see last week's and this week's episodes. I've seen some of these episodes several times, and now I can just watch for the humor and team building, watching Brenda's team come together after first resenting her. In the first season we get to watch her and Fritz fall in love; how she got her crazy house; how she came to acquire kitty; why she is always lost; and her addiction to junk food.

Unfortunately, Mr. James Duff (story coordinator), we also see certain themes from the very beginning--favorites of Hollywood: 1) anti-religion, particularly Christianity, but there's nothing kind about Muslims either; 2) sensitivity to gay issues, but with almost vicious reality about gays being the perps as well as the victims; 3) guys as slime balls (except Fritz) when it comes to sex, and women being powerful and smart; 4) southern stereotypes from Brenda's oozing "thank you," to her mother's solicitous, hovering behavior; presenting the right political spectrum in the most unflattering roles possible while not making them either the perp or the victim--just hauling them in for questioning so they can be mouthpieces for the hostility of the writers and producers (nothing similar for the left or socialist view--afterall, that IS Hollywood); people within the legal system, lawyers, police, DAs, private investigators, etc. as criminals. Much of this we'd come to expect on Law and Order--which was particularly hostile to conservatives and Christians, but had good story lines.

Still, even understanding how Hollywood sees those of us in fly-over country as soggy Tea Bags, I'd like to see a little respect once in a while. We pay cable bills too, and buy advertised products. Brenda Leigh Johnson and her crew are great--just too one dimensional and predictable in their dislike for American values.

Get over it!

The VFW is miffed that neither Obama nor Biden were going to attend their convention--they agreed to send "second tier" officials. Really? They did come in 2009 and 2010 as I understand it. How often do you think the guy can leave his golf game? Besides, you don't like him, and he doesn't like you. He's just not that into you. Get over it and move on. Be the big boy he isn't.