Jose Rico will lead Obama's education efforts for Hispanics

Jose Rico is the new "executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics." He was named to the post on Dec. 7, 2011, to assist President Obama's efforts to improve the academic achievement of Hispanic students. He has been in the administration as an advisor since April 2009, and most recently served as the White House Initiative's deputy director since Feb. 1, 2010. He has worked for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant Rights and New Leaders for new Schools program. He is a disciple of Mike Klonsky who created the small schools movement. Rico was a principal at Multicultural Arts High School for awhile in Chicago in this movement, 75% Hispanic and 25% black, and failed. Or rather his school did--very poor rating. Rico has worked with La Raza, a racist organization promoting hyper-loyalty to Mexico and which advocates taking over a number of southwestern states.

Mike Klonsky is one of the reasons I won't contribute to the funds appeals at the University of Illinois. The other reason is Bill Ayers. These characters have never apologized or done jail time for their anti-American activities in the 1960s-1970s. According to Wikipedia (not always the finest source, but certainly the quickest) "The Communist Party (Marxist–Leninist)'s predecessor organization, the October League (Marxist-Leninist), was founded in 1971 by several local groups, many of which had grown out of the radical student organization Students for a Democratic Society when SDS split apart in 1969. Michael Klonsky, who had been a national leader in SDS in the late 1960s, was the main leader of the CP(M-L)."

If Rico had needed Senate approval instead of appointment by presidential fiat he wouldn't have passed the sniff test, but recently Obama has decided to by-pass Congress on virtually everything. Even the lefties are raising their eyebrows, knowing it's a bad precedent, and the next president could be a Republican and "do unto others" as they have done to you.

The man who would be FDR : Obama's Recess appointments

"When even a New Republic writer suggests that Barack Obama's Wednesday recess appointments to the Consumer Protection Bureau and the National Labor Relations Board are probably unconstitutional, you know we're in for a good fight… at least if Senate Republicans have the courage to take it on.

The left-leaning Politico also notes that "… President Barack Obama’s decision to jam the Senate and install three labor nominees and a consumer watchdog without a confirmation vote raises unsettled legal questions that could have a long-lasting impact past his presidency."

The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Obama's Tin Ear Returns

Santorum on abortion

From George Will's column today:

On Sept. 26, 1996, the Senate was debating whether to ban partial-birth abortion, the procedure whereby the baby to be killed is almost delivered, feet first, until only a few inches of its skull remain in the birth canal, and then the skull is punctured, emptied, and collapsed.

Santorum asked two pro-choice senators opposed to the ban, Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., this: Suppose the baby slips out of the birth canal before it can be killed. Should killing it even then be a permissible choice? Neither senator would say no.

On Oct. 20, 1999, during another such debate, Santorum had a colloquy with pro-choice Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Santorum: "You agree that, once the child is born, separated from the mother, that that child is protected by the Constitution and cannot be killed. Do you agree with that?"

Boxer: "I think that when you bring your baby home . . ."

Boxer Santorum exchange here so you can see how she tries to weasel out of a simple question.

I think there are two of Obama's czars (Sunstein and Emanuel) who believe that within one year of birth it would be OK to kill a baby born alive. Obama is the only (then) Senator, as I recall, who actually approved of partial-birth abortion as described here, but you can see from this account, how careless Democrats are with life and which why when carried to its logical end, having life totally under the control of the government is acceptable to them.

The story of Edgar Sawtelle

Our Book Club on Monday will be tackling this book.

Whether it is capturing every nuance of puppy behavior (“when she ran a finger along his belly fur he squirmed to keep sight of her eyes”), following Edgar through the dictionary as he picks names for his first litter, “Essay,” “Pout,” “Tinder,” “Opal,” “Umbra,” or delivering long sections of narrative that Mr. Wroblewski himself has named intriguingly (“Three Griefs,” “What Hands Do”), this rich and hefty book never flags. NYT Book Review June 13, 2008

Maybe the book doesn't flag, but I did. It may be the most boring of boring books I've ever read--but thousands love it. I'll cheat.

Worse economic analysis out there--today

Derek Thompson seems to think that married couples have children because of tax deductions. I've heard of welfare mothers having more babies because of the welfare check, the food stamps and housing allowance, but a deduction is hardly an inducement to go through 9 months of pregnancy and 20 years of dependency. Right now the tax code is quite anti-family--Thompson needs a lesson in history. You can tell Thompson is a Democrat--well, demographics tell us that, with 90% of reporters and journalists in bed with the party--but also, because the only way he can think to help the poor to to take more tax money from someone else, skim it for the politicians and government employees, and then look at a pie chart and feel good.

Atlantic opinion

Live simply that others may simply live

Saint Elizabeth Anne Seton was an Anglican with a large family who converted to Roman Catholicism after her husband's death. She founded the Sisters of Charity in the United States. This quote on living simply was featured today. I don't believe this.

Living simply has its own rewards, but it is always relative. Compared to some of our neighbors in our condo complex, we live simply. I am buying coffee in the morning for $.95 instead of $1.89 and putting the difference in our Haiti fund, but I could make it at home for five cents and put $2 in the kitty instead of one. A friend returned from India last Friday. She said the poverty was so appalling she could think of nothing but getting home to a shower and non-spicy food. She was so grateful for what we have!

Nothing is a more oppresive slave master than materialism and always wanting more stuff. Maybe we're not those hoarders like we see on reality TV, but our belongings own us. But there's no way that the stuff I don't lavish on myself makes it to a victim of the Haitian earthquake or the child of a low caste family that cleans latrines in India. Even if I were to take the money I saved and send it to a trusted NGO or Christian charity, there are just too many salaries to be paid and too many palms to be greased. What changes the lives of people is honest governments and solid infrastructures. Dictators will take your donation for an improved well and if there are no roads and no working trucks, the foodstuffs will be eaten by rats before it is ever unloaded at the dock or airport.

You do what you can because it is the right thing to do, not because you will change someone else's life. Look through Matthew 25 and what Jesus says about the poor, the imprisoned, the thirsty, the ill. He never promises a changed world; only a changed you.

Running on his record--Obama

Obama can't be blamed for Europe's very serious economic crisis--they are socialists and they did it to themselves. I do blame him for his promises during the 2008 campaign, which so frightened America's business community, particularly smaller businesses, that you could see them shuttering their plans for expansion, hiring and investment as soon as he was chosen the Democrat candidate in July 2008. Add to that the hostile take over of Congress by the Democrats in January 2007, and we had 2 full years of weak investments and tightening of belts before he ever took office. The crazy mortgage crisis was bi-partisan--putting people into mortgages who couldn't afford them benefitted banks and politicians like Frank and Pelosi, and utopian fantasies that the left has saddled us with since the 19th century and can be credited to Carter, Clinton and Bush, not Obama.

Obama is a progressive (the popular word), a socialist (not so popular) which is just the foundation for communism, the word that's never spoken because it's so old fashioned and discredited these days. He hasn't been in power long enough to be blamed for everything that's wrong in Washington, but look at his Illinois record, his Senate record, his associates and his appointments, and you see a pattern; you see basic values (the government is the solution to everything) and crony capitalism. Philosophically and economically, he's the love child of Saul Alinsky and George Soros. In a way, it's unfair to make him run on his record, but he's the one who elevated the blame game to Super Bowl proportions, who never takes responsibility, who saddled business with an unworkable health bill that no one read, who's such a narcissist he actually thinks he's the 4th best President in our history!!!! He puts himself above Washington, Jefferson and Adams. OMG!! The man has a lose screw and even his most devout supporters realize this now. He can't be trusted with the economy.

What do Catholics believe happened at the Cross and Resurrection?

On the way home from the coffee shop this morning I was listening to a discussion of death and judgement by two Catholics. Frankly, I can't imagine why Catholics even talk about Jesus--the Christian life and faith seem to be one of pleading, pleasing, payment and purgatory. I'm not sure what they think happened on the cross, but whatever it was, it wasn't good enough to have the assurance in this life of eternal life. There is a rule for absolutely everything, and the church has written and defined the rule based on the flimsiest scriptural evidence.

A New Year's Thought

"We have only one life to live, only one. Think of this for a moment. Here we are in this world of time making the journey of life. Each day we are farther from the cradle and nearer the grave. Solemn thought. See the mighty concourse of human lives; hear their heavy tread in their onward march. Some are just beginning life's journey; some are midway up the hill, some have reached the top, and some are midway down the western slope. But where are we all going? Listen, and you will hear but one answer—"Eternity." Beyond the fading, dying gleams of the sunset of life lies a boundless, endless ocean called Eternity. Thitherward you and I are daily traveling."

Preface How to Live a Holy Life by James Orr (1844-1913)

I stood beside the open sea;
The ships went sailing by;
The wind blew softly o'er the lea;
The sun had cloudless sky.
Some ships sailed eastward, some sailed west,
Some north, some southward trend.
How can ships sail this way and that?
But one way blows the wind.
An old sea-captain made reply
(His locks with salt-spray wet):
"'Tis not the wind decides the course;
'Tis way the sails are set."

(Some sources attributed this poem to Edna Wheeler Wilcox, but hers is different but similar, and Orr died before hers is dated)

Case 39-2011 — A Woman in Her 90s with Unilateral Ptosis

Until I read this article in the Dec. 22, 2011 New England Journal of Medicine I didn't know what ptosis was--it means drooping eyelid. What interested me about this story was that the patient who woke up one morning with a drooping eyelid was in her 90s. She was living independently, and walking 50-60 minutes a day, but she also had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and a number of ailments known to the elderly plus a pace maker put in 5 years earlier. She was taking a long list of medications plus vitamins. Then she was started down a long road of tests, more medications, hospitalizations and rehabilitations for 8 weeks. Several CT scans, fluid restriction, lab tests, physical tests, ECG, chest radiographs, special diets (she was having difficulty swallowing), supplemental oxygen, a neck collar (for muscle weakness), intravenous administration of 5 drugs and 2 more with a nebulizer. Mercifully, after eight weeks of being a lab animal, she and her family decided for comfort measures only, and she died in 3 days.

After ruling out various things with the CT the doctors had pretty much settled on myasthenia gravis with a thymoma (tumor) which was confirmed in the autopsy. I read a few articles on the internet and thought her symptoms (even with no tests) sounded like MG. There's even a blood test for it, but I didn't see where she had that one--but maybe I missed it in the long list of other tests. There is no indication in the article if all this was done because she insisted, or whether doctors just keep going until they run out of options.

Surely, there must have been a better way for her to spend the last eight weeks of her life. I don't think we want death panels set up by the government deciding our fate, but would it have been unethical for someone to have had a talk with her about how she wanted to live her final days?

Don't throw away the stems. . .

"We all know broccoli is good for us, but did you know that the different parts of the broccoli plant make their own distinctive contributions to its overall nutritional value? Broccoli stems have a wonderful mild sweet flavor and are much higher in fiber than the florets; they are renown for the amount of extra fiber they can add to your diet. While the florets contain more beta-carotene than the stalks, the leaves actually are a richer source of beta-carotene than either the stems or florets. And remember when selecting broccoli florets that the dark green, bluish-green, or purplish-green color contain higher concentrations of beta-carotene than pale green or yellowish-green florets."

World's Healthiest Foods Newsletter, George Mateljan Foundation

"Place broccoli in a plastic bag, removing as much of the air from the bag as possible. Store in the refrigerator where it will keep for 10 days. Do not wash broccoli before storing because exposure to water encourages spoilage. Partial heads of broccoli should be placed in a well-sealed container or plastic bag and refrigerated. Since the vitamin C content starts to quickly degrade once broccoli has been cut, it is best to use it within a couple of days. Broccoli that has been blanched and then frozen can stay up to a year. Leftover cooked broccoli should be placed in tightly covered container and stored in the refrigerator where it will keep for a few days."

Glad to see that about purplish-green--I always thought that meant there were bugs.

Update: I was so inspired by this entry, I had broccoli and little cut up Hillshire Farms Cheddar 'lil Smokies.

On reading Hegel and Marx

After struggling through Julie's manuscript to Chapter 8 (she's writing a book), I've decided that if you read and understand nothing but 18th and 19th century philosophers, historians, theologians, and educators--looking back to who influenced them and forward to whom they influenced in the 20th century--you'd pretty well understand the mess we're in today and the causes of WWI and WWII, and the pervasive weakness in the churches who subscribe to "social justice," which sets them up to be helpless to confront Islamists. Not sure who the big name thinkers of the 20th-21st centuries are, but they mostly seem to be scientists and not people in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Yesterday as I noted below, I was reading ScienceHeroes website about the 2 guys who invented chemical fertilizer in 1909--credited with "saving or creating" 3 billion lives.

Anyway, we got to all the 'isms of today--progressivism, liberalism, communism, materialism, environmentalism, Darwinism, multiculturalism, fascism, fundamentalism, conservatism--with the help of Kant, Fiehte, Schelling, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Strauss, Nietzsche, Feuerbach, Marx, Darwin and Dewey. What is it about the Germans. . .

Jalen Rose Leadership Academy

This is an inspiring story of a famous athlete returning home to save the children by starting a charter school.

Every weekday, 120 high-school freshmen from these neighborhoods attend Mr. Rose's academy, some arriving after two bus trips and all before 7:30 a.m. Located in a former public school building, the school has spartan facilities—a science lab with almost no equipment, cracked windows—and few modern frills, though every student is given a computer. . .

Mr. Rose plans to start with this freshman class and add a new grade each year until there are some 500 kids in grades 9-12. "This is college prep. We expect 90% to 100% to go on to college"—no mean feat when many students are entering ninth grade with only fourth-grade levels of reading and math proficiency. . . .

At the Leadership Academy, "we have a 20-to-1 student teacher ratio and 10-to-1 in math and English. We want to invest in every young man or woman who comes here." That means tailoring achievement standards for every student. "There may be a kid reading at a fourth-grade level [when he enters ninth grade] who when he graduates is reading at a tenth-grade level. That's a victory."

His school also doesn't have tenure for teachers. "I hate tenure. Tenure allows teachers to put their feet up on the desk and possibly have a job forever. That's why I got turned on to charter schools. It's a business model. Every employee and every teacher will be monitored by performance."

The Weekend Interview with Jalen Rose: From the Fab Five to the Three Rs - WSJ.com

30-40% of the world’s population would not be alive without their invention.

"Humankind is largely fed by food grown with synthetic chemical fertilizer. Because synthetic fertilizer requires a plentiful supply of nitrogen, inventing a process to fix it in ammonia was daunting. Attempts were made for over 100 years. Then in 1909 Fritz Haber, a German chemist, solved the problem in principal. In 1910, Carl Bosch, pioneering new engineering methods, commercialized the process. Known as the Haber-Bosch Process, it is now responsible for growing about half of the world’s food. It was one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. Without it, 30-40% of the world’s population would not be alive."

Science Heros

Unfortunately, it's what they did AFTER this invention that is controversial. They participated in chemical warfare development which killed over 1.3 million people in WWI. Compare that to almost 3 billion lives saved with the fertilizer.

Quietly bringing in New Year 2012

A very lovely New Year's Eve. First we attended a wonderful jazz concert at UALC which featured the works of Henry Mancini--always a nice walk down memory lane since he did so many movie and TV themes. Then a worship service with communion led by Pastors Dan Clark and Brodie Taphorn. We saw many friends from years ago that we miss now that there are three campuses.

Then we came home, put on some quiet music, had dinner, and I set out the little cardboard mailbox with all the Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year cards and letters and we took turns reading through them aloud--it took about 90 minutes. We had, of course, read them when they came through the mail slot or were handed to us, but this time we actually discussed them and noted things we'd missed. Usually I tape the return address to the card if the names are rather common or duplicative, but I missed one. Neither of us seem to know which "Jim and Becky" sent that card. . .

Wayne and Marie (housemate from the U. of I. in the 1950s) still get the prize for most travels and activities, but I think Marilyn Ford won for biggest family photo--almost 40 children and grandchildren in her photo. I got out the church directory from 1978 and she and Jack had 4 children in that photo. Gayle's Thanksgiving letter usually leads the pack, and we think there will be a few yet to come this week. My brother called instead of sending a card--they've gone to e-mail, which is difficult since my husband doesn't do computer stuff. We really treasure the hand made and artistic efforts--we seem to know a lot of artists. I didn't do a Christmas letter this year--maybe this will inspire me. . .

Week-end plans to bring in the New Year 2012

It's the end of the year. Not to be original, but time sure flies. Tonight we're going out with Ron and Jane to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary. I'm thinking of baking a cake and then coming back here after the Rusty Bucket--but maybe if I wait the urge and ambition will go away. We met when we were all members of First Community Church in 1968. The guys met in a men's breakfast group, Jane and I met at a funeral, and the guys still see each other weekly for a Wednesday morning group which Ron teaches.

Then tomorrow evening we're going to the New Year's Eve Jazz Concert and Worship at the Mill Run campus of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church at 5:30, then worship and communion at 6:00. Sunday there is a reduction in the number of services because of Saturday worship so we'll go at 10 a.m.

Always take off your apron before photographs

Blogger's stats

I've recently switched over to a new Blogger template, and although it takes some getting used to (I guess they have to have something for the younger employees to do), I am paying more attention to the stats feature. Today for the first time I looked at country of origin for my visitors (for December 2011).

USA -- 1,789
France -- 283
Russia -- 152
Switzerland
and Germany -- 101 each
U.K. -- 81
Taiwan -- 71
Canada -- 68
India -- 50
Turkey -- 19

Of course, my all time big winner is a HGTV story on Tony Chau moving to Las Vegas. 534 page views since Oct. 15, 2010. So many people want to get rich on the internet.

Civil dialogue

Some readers of blogs say anything. I saw this at Frugal Cafe. A Blogger shouldn't have to explain how to be polite and non-threatening to commenters, but this is the world we live in.

Because of the onslaught of attacking comments against Sarah Palin and/or her children (often with the F-word or other vulgarities) , anti-Palin comments are no longer accepted for posting. Don't waste your time trying. There are plenty of liberal blogs and Obama-run media articles out there bashing Palin... post your hate-driven criticisms on one of those sites. My blog, my rules.

The 1% today were the 99% yesterday

Mobility is the unique feature of our economy and culture. That's why people want to come here. The Occupiers are not only wrong, but they dumb, uninformed and anti-American.

Holder needs to go

The empirical evidence shows that voter ID laws do not suppress minority voting. In Georgia, black voter turnout for the 2006 midterm elections was 42.9%. After Georgia passed its photo ID, black turnout in the 2010 midterm rose to 50.4%. Black voter turnout also rose in Indiana and Mississippi after enactment of their voter ID laws.