Busy, busy Mr. President

So much on his plate he has no time to think about the economy.

The blame game is killing people

"Unless improvements are made, more than half of all young black men who are gay or bisexual will be infected with HIV within the next decade, according to findings presented Monday at the 19th International AIDS Conference." I didn't even read the rest of it, because I know who will be to blame. Me. Society. Particularly anyone of European origin. 1% of the population has 25% of the new infections. Bisexual men are bringing this disease home to girlfriends and wives so it can become a problem in the heterosexual community. The rest of us are to blame, of course. When did infantilizing men never made them stronger?


http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/young-gay-black-men-at-high-risk-of-hiv/2012/07/23/gJQA445T5W_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

Time for a new computer

I'll be shopping this week. This one is about 7 years old; in the past 2 years I've spent more on repairs than the original price.

Week 4 at Lakeside, 2012

Week 4 had two well known acts as book ends--Vicki Lawrence on Saturday and America on Friday. America at the Hoover last night drew a huge crowd as did Ms. Lawrence and her side kick "Mama"--who more or less had to sneak out after the show due to her very unpopular, and shocking, potty mouth. We left about half way through America to protect our hearing. Since we’re old enough to have missed rock concerts, we still have some. During the Lawrence show I was squished in the middle of a row and couldn’t get out, or I would have left. It was so nice Friday to take a sweater along, but the heat plans a return performance. Plein air painters and wooden boat show this week-end and many started painting on Friday. The artists were displaying their work in a special tent gallery last night in front of Hoover. Wednesday night at Hoover Auditorium we enjoyed Verb Ballet. Unbelievable finish with "Bolero" done with capes, twirls and spins. Don't miss this group if you ever have the opportunity. They began with a Benny Goodman medley, went to Elvis from there, so they were a real crowd pleaser.

On Thursday we enjoyed Helen Welch from Cleveland who did music from the Silver Screen. The day time topics were the Great Lakes and Ethics. I did attend two of the Great Lakes lectures--learned about the Salt Mines under Lake Erie. Also attended a 3 day class led by our summer pastor, Irwin Jennings, Making sense of God’s Will. The Kids Sail on Sunday had to be post-poned due to weather, but almost 90 showed up on Thursday for the make-up date, and my husband loved it. He always has interesting stories to tell about what children say--when they aren’t with their parents.

Thursday night our neighbors had a party--Isobel is 95. The electric golf cart was decorated and the neighbors came in for cake and ice cream and a lot of laughter. I think she told me once that her parents brought her to Lakeside when she was 6 months old.

I spoke too soon

I was commending the main stream media for not jumping to the "right did it" meme like they did with the Arizona shootings. But now ABC is speculating about a Tea Party event where someone with the same name logged in, and also someone is blaming Rush Limbaugh. Really, it's impossible to ever give them them credit for straight thinking.

Friday family photo--learning the guitar

Stormy, windy day at Lakeside. A good time to practice the guitar.

None dare call it treason

Title: None dare call it treason (pb 1964)

John A. Stormer wrote this book in 1964. I picked it up at a sale today--vaguely remembered the title. Here are some of the chapter titles.

• The growth of world Communism
• How has it happened?
• Education
• Subverting our religious heritage
• The press, radio and TV
• The Organized labor movement
• The tax-exempt foundations
• Internationalism

Glancing through this nearly 50 year old book, I see some things haven’t changed much. Particularly, education, the media and tax-exempt foundations.

Revising textbooks to eliminate nationalism, taking history out of the early grades, belittling patriotism, and eliminating the Pledge of Allegiance were noted (quotes suggestions from UNESCO).

http://www.scribd.com/doc/52165577/None-Dare-Call-It-Treason-John-Stormer-1964

The topic is Ethics at Lakeside

The issue topic this week at Lakeside is "ethics." I haven't attended. Some things seem so clear to me, but others think "politics" or "personal choice" instead of ethics.

• Abortion.
• Removing DDT from malaria prone areas killing more Africans than the European slave trade.
• Testing drugs on women in developing countries and claiming the researchers have "informed consent" to exploit their ignorance.
• Crippling families with welfare and making Uncle Sam a no-good, abusive step-daddy-O.
• Destroying the hearing of teen children with rock concerts and ear buds so performers can live in luxury.
• Eminent domain for profit and cronyism and the building trades.
• Non-profits that are hugely profitable by any thinker person's definition of profit.
• College programs and faculty taking tuition from students to study for non-existent jobs.
• Keeping adult children dependent because you need to be needed.
• Not taking care of an animal you've agreed to own.
• Making a living legally from the addictions and pain of others--gambling, alcohol, pornography, etc.

So no, I don't want to discuss theory or the lastest author.  I would probably ask questions, or give an opinion.

The anti-life president and stem cell research

President Bush was pro-life from start to finish; but Obama is the most anti-life president ever, the only one endorsed by Planned Parenthood. He undid Bush's executive order to not expand gov't funding of embryonic stem cell research, and thus Obama came down on the wrong side of medical history. Even in Jan. 2009 it was known that the future was in adult stem cell research, at a fraction of the cost, and no loss of life and no ethical battles. Adult stem cell therapies have marched ahead and left him in the land of broken dreams of the anti-life, anti-Christian crowd.

"An analysis of scientific funding over several years suggests that morally acceptable types of stem cell research [using adult cells] offer the greatest promise for a wide variety of effective therapies and treatments.

Research on adult stem cells does not require the destruction of a human embryo and therefore does not pose the ethical difficulties associated with embryonic stem cell research. In addition, adult stem cell research has already contributed to advancing therapies for various diseases." EWTN News

Some Americans fret over where Obama was born. I wonder where his heart came from.  We may never know the real truth, but his mother was a 17 year old, unmarried American, impregnated by a foreigner.  His policies seem to speak out against his own mother who later turned him over to her parents to raise.

A memo to the president

Mr. President--no one makes it even several days without the help of others. In Columbus last week some were without power supplied by coal miners and the internet for over a week. They became painfully aware they didn't have food, water, communication or transportation in some areas where trees fell on power lines or over access roads. On the other hand, most of us could take billions from the federal government and never be able to create a useful business, compose a hit song, repair an appliance or automobile, or develop a retail store. And no one pops out of the womb as viable and independent, because someone has to help that little one grow up--for Democarats to age 26. So don't be downgrading other people's success just because you're smarting from your own failures.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM9sbQf9MQ4&feature=share

Seen at the coffee shop in Lakeside

This morning at Coffee 'n Cream as I browsed my "Real Simple" magazine that Bev was kind enough to leave for me, I saw two men about the same age and height order breakfast.  The slender, athletic one got the fruit/yogurt/granola cup (large) that is made on site.  The other one, pudgy, got a chocolate cream filled yeast donut and a chocolate freeze type drink.  True, they are on vacation and a few indiscretions are allowed, but the donut eater looked like he hadn't seen a nutritious breakfast in years.

In "Real Simple" I was reading an article on aging and beauty, and of course, the photos were of women 40-something.  That's what consumer magazines call "aging."  For aging, they should come to Lakeside where 80-somethings are still wearing shorts and riding bikes and sailing. For us, here are my tips, but I think most magazines will tell you the same thing.

• Good nutrition
• Stay out of the sun
• If you must, use baby sun screen
• Drink a lot of water
• Move as much as you can
• Don't smoke
• Avoid alcohol
• Go really light on the make-up because it collects in wrinkles and eyebrow hair, emphasizing them
• If you must wear make-up, get the right color
• Smile
• Take care of your teeth
• If you've been coloring your hair, go lighter--that's how God does it. 

Bicycling at Lakeside

At Lakeside I worry about the old geezers riding bikes--like me, but some in their 80s. While sitting on the porch this evening I saw an older man and teen going fishing, loaded up on their bicycles. Mama (or grandma, couldn't tell) was giving advice from the sidelines as the man wobbled past. Then the teen went kersplat in the street, really hard. People stopped, but he seemed OK. Mama helped him get back on, but the bike was toast. Last I saw him, he was walking it, carrying the fishing poles, tackle, back pack with food, etc. It's a rented bike. It's going to be an expensive fish dinner. Dad (or grandpa) was probably down at the lake by then wondering what happened because he didn't see him fall.

 

 

Putting all non-government social service agencies out of business--the HHS Mandate

$100/day, every day, per employee for each Catholic, Lutheran, 7th Day Adventist, etc. institution in taxes if they refuse to violate their religious beliefs. How long will we have religious schools, hospitals, food pantries, clinics, job programs, nursing homes, etc. under Obama's idea of "fairness." This, my Democrat friends, is "statism" where the state doesn't create or own the businesses, it just totally controls them through over regulation, taxes, and lies. It's the "total transformation" Obama told us about in 2008. In the Soviet Union (Communism), the government owned everything.  In Nazi (National Socialist) Germany the state ran everything.

Friday Family Photo-Old Friends

Tina moved to Florida in 1956, but has returned to Mt. Morris for class reunions where we saw each other for our 55th. She met her husband in high school in Miami, and they've been married I think, 54 years. We met for lunch in Mt. Morris.

Week 3 at Lakeside, 2012

The week (always on Saturday) started out in the breathless heat. I wondered how I would enjoy the wonderful program planned for the Hoover, but around 7 p.m. the wind picked up and the temperature dropped at least into the 80s. I managed a trip to the laundromat on Saturday afternoon (our washer started smoking on the 28th and is no longer usable).

The Osmond Brothers, Merrill, Jay and Jimmy, performed Saturday night. Wow. What amazing, accomplished musicians, but then they’ve been performing together over 50 years, having had their 50th anniversary as a family group in 2008. Seven of the nine Osmonds are musicians and/or actors--one brother who used to perform with these three in recent years in Bransom, MO and on tour has had a stroke and another has M.S. Donny and Marie still perform together occasionally. All the Osmonds use their many talents in other areas of show business. They did a lot of interacting with the audience, and one more row and I would have been able to shake Merrill’s hand. The audience at the end (about 2-3 encores) rushed up to take photos, and they obliged. Some performers are very stingy with their time, but not this group. They also called Shirley Starey (who is program director) to the stage because it was her birthday.

The Archives and Heritage Hall has a new director of operations, Gretchen Curtis, who did our educational programming for years. Keith Addy gave some “behind the scenes” stories about the days he was in charge of the Hoover entertainment, 1988-2004. My neighbor provided a few additional ones. He said his wife was the driver from the airport when the Osmonds (5 of them) appeared here in 1985. Also he said when the Lennon sisters appeared here (1960s?), they took a break after about 30 minutes. The audience waited and waited, but they never came back on state. They’d left during intermission!

On Monday and Tuesday Frank Deaner, retired Ohio Newspaper Association, talked about future of newspapers and the sunshine law. He was hopeful about the future of newspapers, although the dailies are down (1902, 2600; 2009, 1392), many people report using a newspaper daily (59%) or on Sunday (53%). News websites get 113 million adult visitors. E-content (tablet, etc.) readers are increasing readership. Many websites are going “hyper-local.” I learned that the Cincinnati Inquirer is getting out of the printing business, and will be printed by the Columbus Dispatch. Also new is a less than 7 day schedule, like publishing 4 days, and the current stories appear only on blogs or the website. Lots of multi-media cross digitization--Scripps Howard now owns Food Network (cable), for instance.

On Wednesday and Thursday Meghan Harper, Assoc. Prof., Kent State talked on the future of libraries. She was very upbeat and positive. Two of my library friends, Andrea and Marian, and I compared notes at the Wednesday picnic. Our view from the trenches was not quite so positive. Of course, none of us were as enamored of technology as Ms. Harper.

A great genealogy workshop this week, 5 days at 3:30, by Derek Davey, who is an instructor in genealogy, and a private, for-hire, genealogist. Many of the points I knew (although I don’t always follow). Met a woman who also has a Church of the Brethren background and I told her about the Brethren genealogy listserv that has been so helpful for me in finding Wengers, Danners, Geigers, and Fetters. Because maiden names were often not included in older records, it is nice to have such a helpful group.

Thursday night was The Glenn Miller Orchestra. Powerful performance. The leader said they tour 48 weeks a year, 4-5 performances a week! This also included a seminar in the afternoon, although I didn’t attend. After all, one has to preserve some nap time!

Friday night Judy Collins is scheduled. She is my age and still does about 100 performances a year. So I guess I can walk 3 blocks to hear her. She is multi-talented, and is also an author.

It's only the largest tax increase in our history. . .

"There is no mandate, here, folks. There is only a tax. So don’t worry your little heads about our Constitutional structure, limited government, or individual liberty. As Roberts breezily puts it, “if one chooses to pay [the “tax”] rather than obtain health insurance, they have fully complied with the law.” We all pay taxes, after all, so we all should understand that the federal government gets to tax whatever it wants to tax, and in whatever manner it sees fit. Another tax, while we might not like it, raises no constitutional concern for any but crazy people."



Imaginative Conservative

Transfer of health

President Bush is in Zambia this week.  The photos of him and Laura with adorable babies are very touching.  Not sure, but I think they are there to support a cervical cancer clinic.  PEPFAR, a Bush program to save people with AIDS, was probably the single most successful program for Africa since the days of DDT.  When Obama came to office he decided to tweak it by expanding it to TB and malaria, which are bigger killers than AIDS, but with not enough funding to do all 3 major killers.  And now even the modest increase it got from the U.S. in the early Obama regime has been frozen for 2013. Even JAMA, or at least its writer on global issues, is calling it a crisis.  Diseases, researchers, doctors, nurses, clinics, medications, etc. are not mix and match.  Each is very special.  By spreading the wealth, he didn't spread the health.

Diet and exercise myths and studies

Diet and exercise. Everyone seems to be over weight these days, including me. If you pick up a consumer magazine or health journal, obesity (or obesity links to poverty and crime) seems to be the meal ticket (pardon the pun) for social workers, nutritionists and medical writers.

Losing weight is no problem. Maintenance is. Most medical reports only go to 18 months for “success” stories. I lost 20 lbs. In October 2006-March 2007. Travel is broadening, and in 2006 we went to Finland, Russia, California, an architectural tour, and to Michigan. We ate a lot of good food. I gained a few pounds back in Ireland that fall, a few pounds in Italy the next year, and a few in our Holy Land tour in 2009. Since 2010 it’s been a hopeless climb back to my 2006 weight. In fact, I’d be happy to weigh what I did in 2009.

The June 27 issue of JAMA has another comparison of plans, and STEP, or a stepped care weight loss program does better than the standard behavior mod plan. However,  “The findings do not answer the question of how to achieve weight loss in a manner that will be appealing enough to the participants in long term sustained weight loss." (p. 2641). Really? Who knew?

Eat less, move more. It always works.



.

Diet and exercise myths and studies

Diet and exercise. Everyone seems to be over weight these days, including me. If you pick up a consumer magazine or health journal, obesity (or obesity links to poverty and crime) seems to be the meal ticket (pardon the pun) for social workers, nutritionists and medical writers.

Losing weight is no problem. Maintenance is. Most medical reports only go to 18 months for “success” stories. I lost 20 lbs. In October 2006-March 2007. Travel is broadening, and in 2006 we went to Finland, Russia, California, an architectural tour, and to Michigan. We ate a lot of good food. I gained a few pounds back in Ireland that fall, a few pounds in Italy the next year, and a few in our Holy Land tour in 2009. Since 2010 it’s been a hopeless climb back to my 2006 weight. In fact, I’d be happy to weigh what I did in 2009.

The June 27 issue of JAMA has another comparison of plans, and STEP, or a stepped care weight loss program does better than the standard behavior mod plan. However,  “The findings do not answer the question of how to achieve weight loss in a manner that will be appealing enough to the participants in long term sustained weight loss." (p. 2641). Really? Who knew?

Eat less, move more. It always works.



.

Week 2 at Lakeside--hot in so many ways

The storm that blew through the mid-west to the Atlantic coast leaving millions without power on June 29, missed Lakeside.  Our daughter called us from our Columbus home describing the downed trees and wind where she took refuge in our basement.  Saturday evening Lakeside hosted the Coasters, Drifters and the Platters, but the lead singer for the Platters didn't get to the airport until 5;15 because all flights out of DC had been grounded.  Fortunately, he had time to change clothes and make it to Hoover Auditorium for a great Show.  Many years ago my nephew David was in the band that travelled with the Platters.  Of course, the performers in these groups change and evolve depending on age and abilities.

We left early Sunday morning for Illinois, arriving in time for our family reunion, so I can't speak to the programing on Monday and Tuesday except it was on art and literature.  I know on Monday night there was a lovely theater production at the hotel because Bev, who was attending our cat, said it was great.  Thursday night's Hoover program was "The Magic of John Denver" performed by Rick Schuler. In the middle, he told us about archealogy digs in Israel he's participated in, and sang the Lord's Prayer in Hebrew.

Tuesday and Friday are farmer's market, so I'd better hurry.  Saturday (week 3) is the Osmond Brothers--the real thing.

Update:  Friday's program, Rhythmic Circus, a group of tap dancers and ensemble musical group, was outstanding.  I've never seen anything like it--although they were here last year (I must have not attended, because you'd remember these folks). My feet, knees and calves were aching in sympathy after the first number, yet they continued until 10:30!  Hoover was packed--unusual for a non-name group, so they must have a following. The new "cooling" system, huge ceiling fans, couldn't make a dent in the heat, and at intermission many left to go get ice cream.  But, oh my, they were fabulous.