Snowden and Davis

We have strange heroes these days. Edward Snowden and Wendy Davis. Texas State Senator Wendy Davis, the woman they are cheering and admiring her shoes: "The law that Wendy Davis and her fellow “pro-science” acolytes so bravely stood against would have rendered it illegal to kill the child after this point [after 20 weeks]. And when I say kill, I mean kill. I mean break bones, rip apart limbs, crush skulls, drain fluids, still a beating heart, annihilate a brain that is capable of dreaming, and crush a nervous system. I mean: Kill. As David Freddoso put it yesterday, “Wendy Davis can now say, When the moment came to stand up for smashing the life out of a baby 6 mos into pregnancy, I was up to the task.” This is not an accomplishment of which she should be proud." http://www.nationalreview.com/article/352146/stand-death-charles-c-w-cooke/page/0/1

Paula Deen and the race card

"Yet, here is the reality: Deen told the truth about her past. Knowing everything: her empire, her contracts, and sponsorships were at stake–she told the truth. She was more honest under oath than at least 3 US Presidents, several dozen Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Non-Denominational preachers and countless business leaders. Unlike the Pope, Joe Paterno, or Donald Trump, she acknowledged she hadn’t always gotten it right but that she and her company was committed to doing it better and were doing better."

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/mariadixonhall/2013/06/saying-grace-paula-deen-progressives-and-race/

The SCOTUS DOMA Decision by the Numbers

Sharing this analysis of the SCOTUS decisions 'by the numbers':

50 The number of states whose marriage laws remain the same after the Court’s marriage decisions.

38 The number of states with laws defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. That includes California, where the scope of today’s Prop 8 decision beyond the specific plaintiffs will be the subject of ongoing debate and, most likely, further litigation.

12 The number of states that can now force the federal government to recognize their redefinition of marriage. The Court struck Section 3 of DOMA, which means that it must recognize same-sex marriages in states that redefine marriage.

1 The number of sections of the Defense of Marriage Act struck down yesterday (Section 3). Section 2, which ensures that no state will be forced to recognize another state’s redefinition of marriage, is still law.

0 The number of states forced to recognize other states’ redefinition of marriage.

Seen at Maggie Thurber’s Face Book page.

Saturday night program at Lakeside, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood

We had a great time at the opening program at Lakeside, June 23. Laughed ourselves silly. Sat with an OSU colleague from my library days, Lynda, and she took our photo. We’re really not that pale—the flash washed out what color we do have.

New Lakeside logo is wisely withdrawn

Although I'm not sure how a logo unveiled a few days ago became "iconic" (there are 3 buildings in Lakeside with a southwest mission style architecture from which the logo was drawn), but most didn't think it should replace the cross, which had 140 years history here. But this should save the expense of a copyright infringement case by Taco Bell.  Besides, “maize and blue” are not popular in Ohio.

 

For the coal miners union that supported Obama

I attended 2 Shakespeare lectures today by Ruth Gerrard Cole. Heard a great line for the coal miners who supported Obama. "Made I him king for this?"

“The only thing bold about a carbon tax is how much it would cost Americans and how little the environmental benefits they would gain in return. Even if America stopped all carbon emissions—no cars, trains, or planes; no factories, homes, or businesses that run on anything other than nuclear electricity; no manufacturing of plastics, which use oil as a feedstock, and so on—the global temperature would decrease by 0.08 degrees Celsius by 2050."

http://blog.heritage.org/2013/06/21/climate-change-the-cost-of-bold-action/

On DOMA

• If marriage isn't about one man and one woman, it is also NOT about two people--and this battle will continue for "equal rights and benefits." Could be 5 or more, or people related by blood (2 sisters and their first cousin), or people of a certain age (14 year old student and 32 year old teacher), or one person already being married wanting some legal status for the lover, or one or both having a serious disease, or anything that history has devised to protect the continuance of the human race. And then there's the divorce laws...imagine wife number 3 deciding she wants out of the clan and her share of the estate and the children she has birthed or cared for.

• There are thousands of laws concerning marriage and children. The GLBT community had an opportunity to go with something different without all those economic and political entanglements. But they wanted to be on the Me Too Train.

A little humor

Dismal news on the Middle East

Yesterday’s Chautauqua lecture at Lakeside was on the Middle East, specifically the Arab uprisings of 2011. Although a liberal academic (but I repeat), Lebanese American professor at Case Western Pete W. Moore gave one of the best and most balanced presentations I’ve heard on the subject, and of course, two years have passed in which they’ve been able to evaluate Morsi of Egypt and adjust for religion, poverty, government control, etc.  He was excellent in pointing out the differences among the many fighting factions of Islamists.  Also, since the situation has now been Obama’s for almost 6 years, there was only one mention of Bush, and the unspoken blame for our role in the increasingly explosive middle eastern battles and civil wars was squarely on our current administration (which is Bush-lite if you are on the right, and Bush on steroids if you are on the left).  But he gave one interesting example of how irresponsible behavior higher up affects the young.  He said 80% of the male citizens of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) do not finish high school.  They are virtually illiterate in Arabic except for speaking it.  They have been coddled by both their parents and their government, which will provide them with a cushy, do-nothing government job.  The citizens are so wealthy that all meaningful labor is imported, and those people have no rights at all.  It is a mirror image of what the United States does to its low income and welfare classes. He showed genuine grief in what is happening to the Syrian culture, a country where he has spent some time.  He talked some of their minority populations, many different Christian groups that have lived side by side with Muslims for centuries, and how they support Assad and will probably be wiped out if the Islamists succeed. The income level and education level in all these countries differ as does the type of government ranging from elected, to monarchy to dictator.  But what has happened in recent years is “rising expectations,” and a growing sense of being humiliated by their leaders and the very wealthy classes.  He also posted the trillions we’ve spent since 1979 in the area for the military and aid, including aid to Israel. Today’s lecture will be on Europe.

Modern medicine confirms biblical principles, again

JAMA Pediatrics 2013; 167(4):217-222

One hundred six (106) 10th grade high schools students who were fluent in English and free of chronic illnesses volunteered weekly with elementary school aged children for 2 months vs. a control group that did not but were on a waiting list (so their hearts were in the right place, so to speak).  After 4 months, they were tested and their cardiovascular risk facts had been reduced, compared to the control group.

The study suggests that those who increased the most in empathy and altruistic behavior also decreased the most in negative mood, and thus improved their cardiovascular risk profile.

The only problem I have with the study is the concept of “volunteering” now used in public schools.  It is required in many schools and thus is hardly volunteering.

Proverbs 11:17;  A man who is kind benefits himself,  but a cruel man hurts himself.”

This will be my summer reading—The Greater Journey

For our first meeting in the fall, our book club group usually choses the largest one, and McCullough always writes whoppers. I love non-fiction, and this one sounds fascinating.

In The Greater Journey, he tells the enthralling, inspiring—and until now, untold—story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, and others who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900, hungry to learn and to excel in their work. What they achieved would profoundly alter American history.

Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in America, was one of this intrepid band. Another was Charles Sumner, whose encounters with black students at the Sorbonne inspired him to become the most powerful voice for abolition in the U.S. Senate. Friends James Fenimore Cooper and Samuel F. B. Morse worked unrelentingly every day in Paris, Morse not only painting what would be his masterpiece, but also bringing home his momentous idea for the telegraph. Harriet Beecher Stowe traveled to Paris to escape the controversy generated by her book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Three of the greatest American artists ever—sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, painters Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent—flourished in Paris, inspired by French masters.

Almost forgotten today, the heroic American ambassador Elihu Washburne bravely remained at his post through the Franco-Prussian War, the long Siege of Paris, and the nightmare of the Commune. His vivid diary account of the starvation and suffering endured by the people of Paris is published here for the first time.

Telling their stories with power and intimacy, McCullough brings us into the lives of remarkable men and women who, in Saint-Gaudens’ phrase, longed “to soar into the blue.”

                  

Some pro-abortion folks just don’t get it

"From the stage at the recent Women Deliver conference, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s daughter Chelsea revealed that her much-admired maternal grandmother was the child of unwed teenage parents who “did not have access to services that are so crucial that Planned Parenthood helps provide.”

Chelsea’s grandmother was born of an unintended pregnancy. And new research shows that her family is not alone in treasuring a person who – if Planned Parenthood had been successful – would not have been born."

Seems like she hasn't put it together that if her maternal grandmother had been aborted that she, and her mother too, wouldn't be here. Wonder if NBC is proud of their 'Rock Center' "special correspondent" now? Actually, they probably are.

http://www.lifenews.com/2013/06/20/chelsea-clinton-laments-my-grandmother-did-not-have-access-to-planned-parenthood/

Oven baked chicken breasts

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH CHICKEN

1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Greek yogurt -plain
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Spread mixture over chicken breasts, bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes

Oven baked Tacos

It looks like you have to guess at the amounts. 

(from Facebook)

Brown your ground beef and drain completely - then add refried beans, taco seasoning and about half a can of tomato sauce. Mix together and scoop into taco shells, (stand them up in a casserole dish).

Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

The Gang of Eight plan

Any immigration plan the Republicans come up with that is enthusiastically accepted by Democrats, and especially the President is a trick. Democrats are not necessarily smarter than Republicans, but they certainly are sneakier, and have a bigger bag of tricks. They have been pulling this scam about how they care about the little guy and the poor for so long, while lynching blacks, passing Jim Crow laws, aborting babies that could live outside the womb, keeping the poor out of their neighborhoods with strict zoning and EPA, and condemning generations to live the welfare plantation, that one could assume we have a very dumb electorate. One of their favorite heroes is FDR who kept the country in a Depression for almost a decade and imprisoned Americans according to their race.

Ask yourself why Democrats want lax border security, or no borders. Who benefits? Unions? Big business? Mexico? Democrat voter rolls? Why are rules or fences different than check points that currently exist between all countries?

Reread the 1986 immigration law that they say doesn't work. Enforcement is the key. It provides for guest workers, border security, rules for employers so American labor doesn't suffer, amnesty for "3 million" and guess what the Democrats got--amnesty for those already here.

Shopping for summer clothes

I found some bargains at Volunteers of America yesterday.  I bought two colorful summer skirts and three tops that will work with both skirts.  The tops all have sleeves, which is important for 2 reasons—upper arms aren’t what they used to be, and many restaurants and meeting rooms run the AC too high (also nice for walks at night along the lake.

                       

This outfit cost under $4.00. The sandals, however, are new—Sears, and will only work if I don’t plan on a lot of walking.

I also found a pretty Longaberger plate of a little girl looking for shells on the beach for $2.92.  I’ll keep that at the lake house.

               

Friday family photo—Lakeside

Nice article in the WSJ about Lakeside and the other Chautauqua communities. When my parents were young children, there were traveling Chautauquas that settled for about 2 weeks at camp grounds near their homes. There was one in Franklin Grove, IL, and one in Dixon, IL (with permanent buildings), and although my parents didn't know each other then, they both attended the one closest to their home. The photo with the hollyhocks is from the end of our street.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323393804578555481007477890.html?utm_source=The+Wall+Street+Journal+2013&utm_campaign=Wall+Street+Journal+2013&utm_medium=archive

The one in Dixon: “Rock River Assembly was formed in 1887 to train Sunday school teachers in an outdoor education format. The first, formed in 1874 at Chautauqua Lake in New York State, was the model for many Chautauquas throughout the United States. Classes in art, bible study, gymnastics and oratory were included in the curriculum along with games and outdoor activities.

Visitors enjoyed a large hotel, a Bible hall, a Sunday School and a bath house. Many rented tents for their stay. World renowned speakers and star performers both enlightened and entertained large audiences.”

The peak year of the traveling chautauqua was 1924 when over 10,000 little midwestern towns hosted over 40 million people who came to be educated, entertained and uplifted. (American Midwest, 2007, p. 692). In fact, this is where I first heard of the Chautauqua movement because my grandparents had helped with the local organization. I didn’t know there were permanent Chautauqua sites like Lakeside, Bay View, Boulder, and Lake Chautauqua, NY until we first visited Lakeside.

Did you help reelect Obama?

An Associated Press article said: "Since World War II, 10 U.S. recessions have been followed by a recovery that lasted at least three years. An Associated Press analysis shows that by just about any measure, the one that began in June 2009 is the weakest.  Economic growth has never been weaker in a postwar recovery. Consumer spending has never been so slack. Only once has job growth been slower. More than in any other post-World War II recovery, people who have jobs are hurting: Their paychecks have fallen behind inflation."  According to Wall Street Journal economist Stephen Moore, "We've had the worst, by far -- not by a little bit, by far -- the worst recovery from a recession since the Great Depression."

Thanks, Democrats.

If they won’t tell you the risks, I will

The National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and other cancer non-profit/research organizations won't tell the public about the high risks to women for breast cancer, hormonal changes that affect their immune system and sex drive, and suicide caused by abortion and contraception. They won't tell the public about the risk for premature babies with altered health outcomes.

But I will.

Hormonal contraceptives affect women’s preferences in men and their children’s immune system. http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/275/1652/2715.full

Early, pre-term babies http://www.jogc.com/abstracts/full/201302_Obstetrics_5.pdf

Increased health risks for  babies

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22933527

Triple negative breast cancer risk

http://authors.fhcrc.org/236/1/MaloneKCEBP030909.pdf

The Democrat policy of pushing contraception and abortion even on very young girls is not only a war on the unborn, particularly African Americans, it is also a war on women's health.

Obama again dabbles in someone else’s business—Irish education this time

The best schools in Ireland are historically Catholic, and their Constitution supports "choice" by also funding Protestant schools.  At the rate Irish Catholics are abandoning their roots, I don't think Protestants need to worry if they send their kids to a Catholic school.  Obama needs to stay out of local affairs, whether it is his buddy and the Boston police, or schools in Ireland, or squabbles between a Muslim dictator and Muslim al-qaeda rebels.

If Obama thinks it is divisive for Catholics and Protestants to have separate schools, does he also think private schools like where his daughters and the children of other politicians attend because of their parents' wealth are divisive?

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2013/06/obama-calls-for-end-to-catholic-education-in-northern-ireland/

“If towns remain divided,” said the U.S. President, “if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can’t see ourselves in one another and fear or resentment are allowed to harden—that too encourages division and discourages cooperation.”

Obama, who arrived in Northern Ireland this morning to attend the two-day G-8 Summit at the Lough Erne resort in Enneskillen, made the disproved claim on Monday, speaking before an audience which included many Catholics. -

In the Irish constitution, “State aid for schools cannot discriminate between schools of different religious denominations. Every child has the right to attend a denominational school receiving State funding without having to participate in religious instruction in the school.”

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/irish_constitution_1/constitution_fundamental_rights.html