I was looking through a very dull book which I found could hold my attention if I just wrote down useless, parenthetical type phrases. Eventually, I could find one or two sentences that contained the core of the author's intention. The following is from ONE paragraph on page 185 of The freedom of a Christian, Chapter heading, "Why Remember."
Perhaps, therefore,
--though there is something to be said for that--
but, rather,
to be sure
perhaps, . . . or perhaps
but, in any case,
--in which, presumably--
at any rate
The few paragraphs leading up to this indecisive stew contain the phrases:
Clearly, the question is actually. . .
Whatever we may think of . . .
though, as we shall see
but it is clear
Or, to take a very different sort of. . .
nevertheless, we can think of instances
granting that these people should
perhaps we could argue
and, as it were,
and, more important still,
we have to ask
perhaps, therefore,
even granting that, however,
Quite often, to be sure,
--though there is something to that--
at least in part
Or, perhaps better,
it is not fitting, therefore,
if, on the contrary,
perhaps, in so doing,
Whew! Don't you just start looking for a buzz saw or hay mower?
I never voted for Ronald Reagan--I was a Democrat in those years, more by habit than by thought or investigation. I've since come to see my error. Interesting piece in Imprimis (Hillsdale College) by Phil Gramm.
"Ronald Reagan did not believe America was in decline, but he did believe it had been suffering under wrongheaded economic policies. In response, he offered his own plan, a program for creating economic freedom that came to be known as Reaganomics. Of course, most of Reaganomics was nothing new. Mostly it was the revival of an older understanding that unlimited government will eventually destroy freedom and that decisions regarding the allocation of scarce resources are best left to the private sector. Reagan explained these old ideas well, and in terms people could understand.
But there was also a new element to Reaganomics, and looking back, it was a powerful element and new to the economic debate. It was the idea that tax rates affect a person’s incentive to work, save and invest. To put it simply: lower tax rates create more economic energy, which generates more economic activity, which produces a greater flow of revenue to the government. This idea—which came to be known as the Laffer Curve—was met with media and public skepticism. But in the end, it passed the critical test for any public policy. It worked."
Listening to Jason Mattera on 77 WABC AM New York on the internet. He writes Human Events, conservative web site. First time listener. Discussions have been food vendor laws in New York City, concealed carry, and Al Sharpton and Obama's reelection campaign.
It's the end of a wonderful day. Beautiful church service, great sermon by Pastor Eric on Jesus asking Peter, "Do you love me," and greeting many old friends. Wonderful turkey tetrazinni for lunch with pumpkin pie (all from leftovers). The tree is up and decorated while a new Christmas CD from Nancy Sponseller played in the background. Then back to church at 2:30 for a very well attended art show reception--Pusecker 3 generation show. Then home for a nap.
Apparently, wordsmiths and experts don't agree. Some say "preventive" is an adjective; "preventative" is a noun. As in, "The doctor of preventive medicine suggested aspirin as a preventative."
Others, like WordMall, say it doesn't make any difference. Both have been around about 300 years.
The first instance of preventive given by the Oxford English Dictionary is by Francis Bacon in 1626. The first citation for preventative is from Roger Boyle Orrery in 1655.
The conclusion? Neither one is a corruption, but many contemporary grammarians favor the shorter version.
I don't have food allergies, nor an allergy to latex (that I'm aware of), but allergies are problems for others. I saw this in my newsletter from George Mateljan, World's Healthiest Foods website. His articles are long and detailed, and he carefully cites his sources in major, peer-reviewed journals (at the website). I personally have not studied this, but found the information interest--and didn't know trees had stress mechanisms.
"The only commercial source of latex in the marketplace is Hevea brasiliensis, the genus and species of rubber tree native to South America. When the gene stock for this tree was transported by the British to Asia, this tree began to express more of its "defense proteins" in response to the abrupt stress of a non-native environment. Included in these defense proteins were chitinase enzymes.
When rubber trees are tapped for their sap, which in turn gets processed into latex, some of these chitinase proteins get carried over into the latex. One particular 3-dimensional section of these proteins is a fairly common trigger of antibody reactions in humans. This immune system reaction to a section of the chitinase protein constitutes a latex allergy.
Certain foods have what is called a "Hevea-like" domain in their proteins. In other words, they have a 3-dimensional section of their proteins that is identical to the 3-dimensional section found in the chitinase proteins of latex. The existence of this identical spot allows for cross-reactivity between latex and certain foods. This cross-reactivity is called latex-food allergy, or latex-food syndrome. The primary foods associated with latex-food allergy are: avocado, kiwi, banana, and chestnuts and to a lesser degree, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, passion fruit, strawberry, apple, fig, grapefruit, watermelon, pineapple, cherry. Pear, peach, mango, tomato, carrot, celery, sweet pepper, tomato, spinach, coconut, and paprika have at times also been associated with latex-food allergy.
We are not aware of any genetic modifications for the above food list that increase their Hevea-like protein domains. Although genetic modifications of food do introduce new proteins into those foods, we have not seen any research suggesting that these new proteins have any connection with latex cross-reactivity."
"News that two major labor unions will co-opt an “Occupy” protest in Washington next month solidifies two facts about the waning protest movement: it is an entirely ordinary function of left-wing activism, and it is wholly unserious about addressing special interests’ influence over the political process. The Washington Post reports that the Service Employees International Union and the Communications Workers of America will stage a protest at the Capitol next month in conjunction with occupiers."
Unions are the political shock troops for the Democratic Party. United Auto Workers, Teamsters, United Steelworkers, Transportation Workers, Industrial Workers, National United Nurses, and Laborers’ International. With AFSCME, the SEIU, and the CWA, those account for some of the largest and most politically active labor unions in the nation. And they are all backing (and financing) the Occupy movement.
On the way to the coffee shop this morning I was listening to the local NPR news and it was an interview about alternative energy sources in Ohio. It was an excellent presentation and very balanced. The guest (don't know his name) said 2 things worth remembering: 1) alternative energy production in Ohio now exceeds that of nuclear; and 2) by 2025 we are required by law to have a quarter of our energy from non-fossil fuel sources.
So this article in today's WSJ is timely.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently that the U.S. jobless rate remains a dreadful 9%. But look more closely at the data and you can see which industries are bucking the jobless trend. One is oil and gas production, which now employs some 440,000 workers, an 80% increase, or 200,000 more jobs, since 2003. Oil and gas jobs account for more than one in five of all net new private jobs in that period. . .
Good news? You'd think so, but liberals can't seem to handle this truth so they are now trying to discredit the jobs that accompany it. The American Petroleum Institute recently commissioned a study by the Wood Mackenzie consulting firm, which estimated that better federal energy policy would create an additional 1.4 million jobs by 2030. . .
The Office of Natural Resources Revenue recently noted that federal revenue from offshore bonus bids (from lease sales) in fiscal 2011 was merely $36 million—down from $9.5 billion in fiscal 2008. The Obama Administration has managed the nearly impossible feat of turning energy policy into a money loser, pouring taxpayer dollars into green-energy busts like Solyndra. The Washington Post reported in September that Mr. Obama's $38.6 billion green loan program had created a mere 3,500 jobs over two years. He had predicted it would "save or create" 65,000.
"This need for selflessness [in Alaska, American's last frontier] – and the blessings that come with it – sharpened for me almost four years ago when I was given the gift of broader horizons, clarified priorities, and more commitment to justice and compassion for my fellow man who faces challenges and fears. I was granted this through a gift that arrived in a tiny, six-pound, awe-inspiring bundle. We named him Trig."
More than 90% of Down Syndrome babies are aborted. This little survivor was ridiculed on late night TV shows, and if he'd had parents who didn't want him, our president would have favored killing him as he was in the birth canal.
Pro-unionists will see nothing wrong here with the exception it was on Fox News: she was caught on tape "mocking Arne Duncan, the education secretary; discussing her own Dartmouth College drug use; and deriding a Chicago Tribune editorial cartoon of her." Upset and pushed into an apology, she challenged people to watch the whole video, which James Warren did and then wrote about it.
Not all churches have services on Thanksgiving, but Upper Arlington Lutheran does--7:30 last night at Mill Run, and 10 a.m. today at Lytham Road. We sang some wonderful hymns of thanksgiving and praise. Now thank we all our God; Come, you thankful people, come; We praise you, O God; O God beyond all praising; O beautiful for spacious skies; For the fruit of all creation. An inspiring sermon by Pastor Buff Delcamp on the 10 lepers who were healed and only one came back to say thank you. Our Senior Pastor Paul Ulring announced that it was Buff's 34th year with the church. Our son in law's father, Paul, attended with us, and because our congregation is so scattered over 9 services on Sunday, it is really great to see and greet people we haven't seen in maybe a year.
Then over the river and through the burbs to our daughter's lovely home and a fabulous meal. There was a huge turkey and honey baked ham, butternut squash, mixed vegetable salad (cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, onions with sweet dressing) stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, hot rolls, deviled eggs, cherry pie and pumpkin pie. Everything was yummy and we brought home many leftovers.
"What is the real point of "Occupy Wall Street"? The violence in Oakland offers the first clue. Now with politically connected union bosses and Acorn involved, it might just be worth looking at its links to Democrats."
Supporters: President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, United Steelworkers, Apollo Alliance, Teamsters (454 incidents of violence since 1991), New York Communities for Change (NYCC), various anti-Israel groups, SEIU, Acorn, Mayor Bloomberg, Communist Party of the USA, Socialist Party, even American Nazi party (which is also socialist). The point is not to get college loans forgiven, or foreclosures stopped. If that were the case they'd be picketing the White House. The reason for the "occupation" is to bring down the American government and replace it with some form of Communism/Socialism.
Some of us in Columbus are attending a study group called "Faith of our Fathers" produced by David Barton, Wall Builders. We watch one disc and then rearrange the chairs and discuss what we saw and heard. The first night he mentioned that most of us had read very condensed versions or sections of Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" in American History. I remembered it and even today you do hear it mentioned, so I bought the 2 vol. in paperback, c. 2003. What an amazing book! I'm not reading straight through--just nibbling certain chapters. Tonight I read the end of vol. 1 which is about the 3 races--European, Indian and Black. You can hardly believe this guy was only 26 when he wrote this. His grasp of what was happening to the Indians as Americans pushed them further and further west is incredible. Also, I had a peculiar sense that the American spirit and culture I was reading about of his 19th century travels was still true even 30 years ago, but not today.
We're used to Obama blaming Republicans for everything. Like the most recent failure of the super committee. The fact that Democrats could find no cuts (only slower growth) means nothing to him--only that Republicans wouldn't raise taxes. (He's running against Congress right now.) It's always someone else's fault--he's such a school yard bully. He comes to the support of his buddy Gates against the Boston police who were doing something lawful, but he praises the outlaw and lawless Occupiers.
But that's old news. The myopia of liberals is amazing and seems to know no end. On my blog and an e-mail list of my "homies" I've been blamed (because I'm a conservative) for what unionized state employees of California, the most liberal and most financially distressed state in the nation, did to their protesting occupiers, whom they've up to now coddled and praised.
Remember when Dan Quayle was unmercifully pilloried in the press for criticizing the fictional Murphy Brown for having a baby out of wedlock? Then a few years later the research came dribbling in, and there was a famous essay in Atlantic, "Dan Quayle was right" by Barbara Whitehead which was in turn followed up by people in the Clinton administration studying poverty in children. The figures are stunning. Only 8% of children of married parents grow up in poverty--compared with 56% of single moms.
Why the writers of Bones bring in a "baby makes 3" with no marriage in season 7 I don't know. Even if the star is pregnant, there are many ways to work around that. Not only do babies complicate plots, but most certainly kill the series. All research for the last 2 decades points to unmarried parents as the #1 reason for poverty among children. Actors, screenwriters, directors, investors and producers commanding thousands of dollars per episode don't care about poor children, only big bank accounts. And what do you want to bet they are all liberal Democrats supporting Obama?
Joyce is unhappy her daughter doesn’t have a job, and is mad at people who don’t show enough sympathy (at a discussion about jobs) which had posted a job search story tongue in cheek:
Okay I know this write up is absurd and makes fun of something that is NOT funny. I have posted many times. My daughter graduated from a real library school. She has had library internships, and worked for a college archivist while an undergraduate. She has put out a tremendous amount of applications. Had a librarian help her with her resume. Had an expert help her with her resume. Taken 15 extra credits toward archives. Is now working on a certificate for web design. Is willing, and has applied to anywhere, anyplace. I do not find this amusing. This is bullying and elitism. There are bright motivated people who cannot find work. I think you all need to be ashamed and annoyed and think you are annoying. She is currently working as a paraprofessional. It is not funny. And you should all look in the mirror and ask yourselves what kind of people you are and what are you…your attitudes mirror your souls and your souls are empty.
And an unidentified, unemployed library student lets her have it:
Joyce, the truth is that no one owes your daughter a job. From your description she sounds motivated and qualified, but the market is so glutted with librarians right now that she is indeed lucky to be working in a library at all. Furthermore, the post is indicative of the moronic and anti-social behaviour that a lot of library school students (and librarians!) exhibit. This kind of behaviour and attitude has no place in a professional work environment. It ain’t elitism if it’s true. Also, your comment loses all credibility with the “your souls are empty” bit. Calm down, helicopter parent.
And Jean levels another plan for Joyce's daughter:
Hi Joyce – your frustration about pursing librarianship after the arc of the profession began to descend is clear. My concern for you and your daughter is that in pursuing a certificate in web design there’s a high chance you’ll be disappointed again. I’ve worked in the tech field for 30 years and have seen many trends and technologies come and go. Anything termed “web design” and offered at a certificate level is already passe. Web development today involves sophisticated platforms and rich systems/business process integration — and while there are jobs within this ecosystem, introductory training in markup languages, scripting and graphics probably won’t be enough to position someone for a job with stability and growth potential. Another thing to be aware of is that the job market is so horrible that loads of experienced, unemployed tech folks are taking lower level jobs and they’ll also be competing with your daughter.
The fact is, all college professors from law to library school to social work, have to suck in more students to keep their jobs. Only when they graduate do they discover the difficult truth. . . there are no jobs where the students want to be. Maybe there's something in Bucyrus, Ohio or Jefferson County Tennessee . . . but don't count on it. Library Science has the fourth highest unemployment rate at 15% and the fifth worst median salary at $36,000.
This is from Annoyed Librarian, who was a lot more fun before she went over to the dark side (Library Journal).
My husband's been at an art show most of the afternoon, and it's raining, so I'm listening to the music channels on cable. I worked my way through Christmas for about 30 minutes and decided it's just a little early with Thanksgiving being next week. Then I did some blues and jazz and Christian gospel. Now I've settled on Classic Country, which seems to be the 70s through about 1985 before country went to town with bling and pop. I didn't know there was a song about a 1957 Chevy. Sung by Billie Jo Spears--hadn't heard about her either. She's probably doing the retirement home circuit now--born in 1937. Also enjoying the Statlers, George Strait, Johnnie Cash and George Jones.
We've had a bedbug scare in Columbus. I think 2 were found in a school and they sent notes home, closed it and sprayed. Bedbugs don't kill or even spread disease. But sometimes treatment is lethal. Like that NC woman who had renal failure, diabetes, hypertension and depression and was taking 10 medications when she and the hubby decided to treat the home for bedbugs with 9 cans of an insecticide NOT for bedbugs, and 9 cans improperly used. Then she put it in her hair and applied a bedbug and flea insecticide to her arms and sores on her chest. She died 9 days later in the hospital. I just don't think bedbugs were her biggest problem. JAMA, Nov. 9, 2011
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I don’t put anything in my mouth or on my skin that isn’t a product of the USA or a territory, or Canada. For olives I make an exception--Spain or Italy. We pay a lot for USDA and HHS, so I want that protection. Imagine my surprise today when I picked up a 4 oz. Johnson’s baby powder and it was product of Indonesia! I looked at the large bottle, and it only had “distributed by” and nothing about country of origin. Hey! Baby powder is basically corn starch. Are you telling me there is not enough corn in the USA (even with turning it into fuel to be “green”) for baby powder? My empty container says “Made in USA.” READ ALL LABELS.
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97.6% of the pregnant women who go to Planned Parenthood for help are sold an abortion. In 2009 332,278 surgical abortions or RU 486 were delivered, or 27.6% of all abortions in the U.S. (1.2 million). Defund Planned Parenthood--they lie about their services for pregnant women. PP is a killing machine using our tax dollars. Planned Parenthood 2009 Annual Report
"The Occupy Wall Street movement has shown a lack of understanding of how the market capitalist system works. They appear to think that the cell phones they use, food they eat, hotels they stay in, cars they drive, gasoline that powers the cars they drive and all the myriad goods and services they consume every day would be there under a different system, perhaps in more abundance.
But there is no evidence this could be or ever has been the case. The reason is that only market capitalism solves the two major problems that face any economy-how to provide an incentive to innovate and how to solve the problem of decentralized information. The reason there is so much innovation in a market system compared to socialism or other forms of central planning is that profit provides the incentive for innovators to take the risk needed to come up with new products."
I read in the November Columbus CEO that business owners/executives scored only 38% on tests of financial literacy. So that got me to thinking. How would the rest of us score? So I decided to look into starting a book discussion group that would read a title (I made this up--doesn‘t seem exist) “Basic economics for Christians.”
We know the "Occupiers" know diddly squat about economics, but what about educated conservatives? I think most people who identify themselves as conservatives or Tea Party supporters and who want the government shrunk don’t realize how dependent they’ve pesonally become on the federal government through block grants to states for housing, mandated education standards like NCLB, and churches that accept government money for their “social justice” programs. Maybe they know the Federal Reserve System is not a government agency, but I’m guessing they don’t. Do they know the government has been involved in housing since the Royals were handing out land grants and charters (original colonies mostly named for royalty--North Carolina, Virginia--west of that for Indian names).
Socialism and Keynesian economics might be terms Conservatives have heard of, or even disparage, but do they know they are both anti-Christian and anti-saving for the future? John Maynard Keynes was a homosexual who had little use for families or Christian values--especially not providing for them in the future. He thought money should be spent today and not taken out of circulation for future needs. Do conservatives realize that both GW Bush and Barack Obama are Keynesians? They say they understand what it means that Obama’s advisors at the highest level are Socialists--but so were FDR and his advisors, an era that many revere?
Do they know that for the first two hundred years of the United States our history was taught with a moral and ethical base in public schools, and that since the 1920s God has disappeared from textbooks and in his place is an economic view of history? Do they know what has happened to manufacturing, transportation, and technology just within their own lifetimes? Do they even realize what their own consumerism and desire for more stuff have contributed? Do they know there didn’t used to be an income tax, or how many pages the current code is?
Do conservatives really understand the words million, billion and trillion? When conservatives complain about the cost of federal government do they know that from one dollar in taxes 21 cents go to Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP, 20 cents to Social Security and 20 cents to defense? Medicare, Social Security, and Defense are HUGE issues for conservatives, and a huge drain in a bloated government. Franklin County, Ohio, where I live gets $1.2 Billion in defense contracts. Want that cut? Even if we could reduce fraud, graft and waste, there would be a lot even with a squeaky clean payout.
What we understand and how we vote might be easier if we all understood consumer price index, gross domestic product, corporation, dividends, Laissez-Faire, Marx, Adam Smith, deficit, human capital, price controls, non-profits, for profits, etc. Time to get informed.
Preferring truth to custom, the better to the good, adapt to adopt, reform to revolution, solutions to goals, knowledge to awareness, faith to spirituality. The rules.
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