The President proposed 29 new programs in the SOTU

And he’s running around campaigning for gun control.  Well, I might be trying to deflect the damage too because:

“On Jan. 20, 2009, when Obama was first inaugurated, the total debt of the federal government was $10,626,877,048,913.08, according to the U.S. Treasury. As of the close of business on Jan. 17, the last day reported by the Treasury before Obama’s second inauguration, the total debt of the federal government was $16,432,631,489,854.70.

Thus, from Obama’s first inauguration to his second, the federal government’s debt grew by $5,805,754,440,941.62.

Given that the Census Bureau currently estimates that there are 114,916,000 households in the United States, the $5,805,754,440,941.62 debt increase under Obama equals about $50,521 per household.”

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/first-term-obama-increased-debt-50521-household-more-first-42-presidents-53-terms

Suggestions for Oscars 2014

“First, environmentalists that you are, arrive next year in Chevy Volts instead of gas-guzzling limos. Secondly, since you love to preach about gun control, ban all security and designate the surrounding area a gun-free zone. If it’s good enough for schools it’s good enough for you. Finally, since you’ll want to help the President you love so much, insist upon no more tax breaks for any of your productions. Do all this and you can proudly call yourselves Obama loving, Hollywood liberals!”  Paula Priesse

Les Paul and Mary Ford, Monday Memories

           

Metal Recommendations is giving away Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty 1957 2 PU VOS on Facebook.

I don't need a Les Paul Black Beauty, but can think of others who might. I remember listening to Les Paul and Mary Ford in the 1950s on 78 records in the family "music room" in our house at 4 South Hannah. In the back of the house overlooking the pine trees, the music room held the family piano, Carol’s saxophone, my trombone, Mom’s cello and the children’s record player.  In the evening the room doubled as my dad's office.  It also had a closet with built in shelves where books were stored.  Our piano was an upright, purchased used when we lived in Forreston, with a black varnish on it.  My mother refinished it to a lovely light walnut, I think.    Carol’s sax was originally my Uncle Clare’s as I recall, but was probably traded in later for one with better pads. One of my niece’s now has the cello, although a great-grandchild plays cello.  My trombone was sold in the 1960s before we moved to Columbus, although I do have one of much lower quality now.

           

But back to guitars.  We do have a guitar in our house.  My husband got one for Christmas 2011, and is teaching himself not only guitar, but how to read music.  He says he want to be better before he takes lessons.

            

Haitian Creole—a brief history

“Kreyòl, or Haitian Creole, is the major language of Haiti, spoken by nearly all the 10,000,000 people who live there, plus those in the widespread Haitian diaspora. Its vocabulary (but not the grammar) is primarily based on 18th-century French, with admixtures from African languages, English, and others. Although it is now an official language of Haiti, it has historically had second-class status to French, which was spoken only by the elite and educated, Kreyol being spoken by everyone else. Likely because its use was (and still is) strongly related to social class, the first texts in Kreyol did not appear until the 1920's; orthography (spelling) was finally standardized in 1979.”

The above is from the Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal)

My husband doesn’t speak Creole, French, or Spanish, but by the time his students graduate from Institution Univers located in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, they know those plus English.  Usually a senior is appointment to translate for him, although most of the students can understand, if not speak, English.

NASA Johnson Style (parody)

Brian Schwing, a 22-year-old Ohio State University intern from Cincinnati at NASA in Houston, directed NASA Johnson Style, which shows his fellow interns and astronauts at Johnson Space Center dancing like Gangnam Style singer Psy and singing altered lyrics about the space agency, written by Schwing.  Writing it was the easy part; it took 200 hours to produce and edit down 15 yours of footage to 4 minutes.

Ohio keeps some adults forever children

Ohio House Bill 61 introduced by Antonio and Pelanda will permit people who were adopted between the years of 1964 and 1996 to access their original birth certificates once they reach the age of 18. Adoptees who were born before 1964 and after 1996 have nearly unfettered access to their original birth records, while it is nearly impossible for adults adopted between these years to obtain the same documents.

I have no idea why this law was ever passed, but it was not for the good of the person whose birth information was fictionalized and falsified, signed and notarized. I suspect someone in the legislature or with great influence in the state of Ohio in the 1960s preferred not to be found out. It's the only thing that sounds logical in this completely un-American law.

If liberalism worked, Detroit would be fabulous

What if good people do bad things?

Abby Johnson writes:

You know, I'm a pretty good person. And I do lots of nice things. We give to dozens of prolife charities. We are active in our church. We volunteer for many different organizations. So what if I decided to go on a killing spree and murder 10 people? I mean, I do good things...so certainly I can get a pass!!

No? Well then, why do we give a pass to Planned Parenthood? Yes, they may do some good things...but they kill over 300,000 people a year.

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Now why would he lie?

http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/obamas-inflated-jobs-claim/

• Viewers would need to pay close attention to the on-screen graphic to know that the ad refers only to employment gains starting in March 2010, omitting the 4.3 million jobs that were lost in the first year of Obama’s term.
• And there’s no way a viewer would know that the total counts only private-sector jobs, omitting continuing losses in government employment.

According to the most recent employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy has eked out a net gain of 325,000 jobs since January 2009, when Obama took office. And that’s giving credit for roughly 386,000 jobs that the BLS has announced, on a preliminary basis, that it will be adding to this year’s employment totals next year, as a result of its routine annual “benchmarking” analysis.

She will grow up to fight injustice, unless. . .

Where are the sad faces, outrage and body count for Obama’s wars?

At it again: our peace prize prez. "President Obama announced Friday that about 100 U.S. troops have been deployed to the West African country of Niger, where defense officials said they are setting up a drone base to spy on al-Qaeda fighters in the Sahara." [Washington Post]

In 2011 he sent troops to Uganda. In 2012, Mali. Somalia. Tunisia. Pakistan. Then with the Benghazi bumble we found out he was gun running tons of weapons to Syrian rebels. He sent back up troops to Jordan and Turkey for the Syrian Civil War.  Who has approved this? Certainly not Congress.

Remember how outraged Democrats were when Bush got Congressional approval for a war, named that or not, because of WMD intel from the Clinton years?

Remember how the press was right on top of every coffin or body bag that came home during the Bush years? Obama lost 2,000 American military in Afghanistan in 2.5 years; Bush 2,000 in 6 years. Where are the sad faces and sighs from the MSM reporters and Sunday panels?

Gallant, Goofus, and Highlights

              

My cousin Jodie Strickland of NC posted this “remember when” photo on Facebook today.  If you're from Columbus, you probably know it was published here--I think it was on Rt. 33 near 5th Ave. Garry C. Myers III, the CEO of Highlights, was the child model for Gallant of the cartoon panel, Gallant and Goofus of Highlights. His grandparents Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers founded Highlights in 1946. He died January 26, 2005. The parents of young "Gallant" were killed in a plane crash and he and his siblings were raised by an aunt and uncle in Texas. He joined the board of Highlights when he was 24, went to work there when he got out of the Army and worked up through the ranks and became CEO in 1981. Gallant and Goofus appeared also in many sermons. The only reason I know any of that is because I wrote a blog about him in 2005.

WHY DO DOGS LIVE LESS THAN HUMANS? ANSWER OF A 6 YEAR OLD

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued, ”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Although I’m not sure this is the original source, it can be found here.

Patch, pill or hypnosis, how did you quit?

I'm still waiting to meet a former smoker who quit permanently as the result of a government paid for program in their health plan, a work sponsored program, a drug patch or pill, hypnosis, talk therapy, etc. And I don't mean the 3-6 month quitter that the research reports in a clinical study so they get another grant from the NIH.  I'm sure they are out there, or why would we be spending so much money on them? [sarcasm].

Just Google "Smoking Cessation programs" (about 4.5 million hits).  Mayo Clinic claims it's had 45,000 participants in its program to stop using tobacco (smoking and chewing), with 110 randomized clinical trials involving more than 25,000 research subjects.  Where are the success stories?

When I see reports on what percentage of income the poor spend on cigarettes, there is usually a follow up appeal on why we should be spending more money on helping them quit.  Put where is the research that pills, patches, hypnosis and counseling actually pay?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/nyregion/poor-smokers-in-new-york-state-spend-25-of-income-on-cigarettes-study-says.html?_r=0

Why the scare tactics from the White House?

There are no cuts; it only slows down the spending. The 2012 federal budget was 3.53 trillion. The projected 2013 (by  CBO)  federal budget (WITH SEQUESTER)  is 3.55 trillion;  2014,  3.6 trillion;  2015,  3.8 trillion;  2016,  over 4 trillion.  So you see, he got his tax hikes and the GOP got no cuts.

Mr. Obama, you are an embarrassment.

There's no doubt President Obama is using the so-called Washington Monument maneuver in the fight with Republicans over sequestration budget cuts. It's a time-honored tactic of bureaucratic warfare: When faced with cuts, pick the best-known and most revered symbol of government and threaten to shut it down. Close the Washington Monument and say, "See? This is what happens when you cut the budget." Meanwhile, all sorts of other eminently cuttable government expenditures go untouched.

So now Obama is warning of drastic cuts in food safety, air traffic control, police and fire protection -- in all sorts of services that will allegedly be slashed if the rate of growth of some parts of the federal budget is slowed.

But perhaps the biggest example of the Washington Monument maneuver is coming from the Defense Department, where it goes by another name. Over many decades of defense budget battles, the Pentagon has often used a tactic known as a "gold watch." It means to answer a budget cut proposal by selecting for elimination a program so important and valued -- a gold watch -- that Pentagon chiefs know political leaders will restore funding rather than go through with the cut.

Byron York

Proverbs 3:26

EO Employer only wants. . . a

very creative, broad-based researcher who interacts well with others and who will utilize the extensive resources the museum has to offer in the way of collections, instrumentation, teaching and mentoring, and exhibition.

The American Museum of Natural History (NY, NY) is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. The Museum encourages Women, Minorities, Persons with Disabilities, Vietnam Era and Disabled Veterans to apply. The Museum does not discriminate due to age, sex, religion, race, color, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other factor prohibited by law.

However, in order to be considered for this job. . .

Candidates need to be outstanding, and interested in almost any facet of Invertebrate Paleontology, including (but not limited to) systematics, paleobiology, evolutionary development, and environmental change. Oh yes, and exemplary research is required. And s/he is expected to conduct field work.

The successful candidate will use paleontological methods in combination with other approaches (for example isotopics, ct imaging and molecular techniques) to study the evolution of life in relation to earth history.

Can’t just be an egghead, either.  Must be able to play well with others---communicate effectively within the scholarly community and to a larger public is important.  No sluggards either. The appointed person is expected to maintain a high level of productivity in original research, to provide curatorial oversight of relevant collections.  Writing grant proposals that bring money home to papa institution is also critical, i.e.  seeking extramural funding.

And don’t forget the scut work--serving on committees and participating in Museum-sponsored exhibits and educational programs, and in the Comparative Biology Ph.D. program at the Richard Gilder Graduate School. Right out of grad school, you could expect to pay your dues.

No salary was mentioned in the ad (I suspect they have in mind a candidate from their graduate school), but when I checked a general site for this type of degree (nothing specific for museum work), it was respectably high—like between $80,000-$100,000, however, that would include in the mix those paleontologists who work in industry, especially fossil fuels. So I checked that and found for 2011:

“In universities the starting salaries for beginning assistant professors straight out of graduate school with a Ph.D. in hand range from $40,000 to $60,000 for an academic year of nine months. In industry and government, holders of doctorates can expect to earn $50,000 to $80,000 over a 12-month period. http://www.fallsoftheohio.org/ACareerinPaleontology.html

Raise the minimum wage—put more young and low skill people out of work

January 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics:   “Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.3 percent), adult women (7.3 percent), teenagers (23.4 percent), whites (7.0 percent), blacks (13.8 percent), and Hispanics (9.7 percent) showed little or no change in January. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.5 percent (not seasonally adjusted), little changed from a year earlier. . . In January 2012, the unemployment rate for Blacks was 13.6 percent; down 3.1 percentage points from the peak of 16.7 percent in August 2011.

The state of statism

In our largest cities we have one party control.  That’s statism on a smaller scale--the belief that a government should control either economic or social policy, or both.  Arlington County where all the DC politicians and worker bees live has a 100% Democrat city council and they are asking for more taxes while promising to cut 20 jobs and give up one holiday, but still want a raise for government employees.  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  Tiny cuts (which usually don’t materialize for 10 years), big tax increases (which begin right away).  It’s the one party way. Protect your folks, the public service unions.

Also left of center, and siding with the Democrats, is our “free press.”  We don't have a watch dog for the public, so in the largest one party cities like Detroit and Cleveland (Columbus has a Democrat mayor, but has not yet gone completely under due to the state government offices which are more balanced) schools will not educate, the streets and bridges will be unsafe, the crime rate will be high, fathers will not be in the home because mothers are paid to keep them away, and children have no role models.

It is a serious thing to want no conflict between philosophies and parties, or to say "they are all the same." Once upon a time the black man had to go to the back of the line for a job or education. How much better off is he if there is no line at all--which is what Obama's "recovery" has given us by passing out the stimulus money to the unions, banks and weak companies that needed to go bankrupt.  Blacks went to the polls in November with the October labor report showing 40.5 percent unemployment for young blacks, rising from 36.7 percent in September. But none of that mattered to them.  It is a one party system for American blacks, and they’ve got a man, working against their interests, in the White House who promises free stuff without working.

Another Sheeple photo

Obama’s sheeple holding up the economy?  No, it’s a tourism photo from Ireland.