Conservatives I follow

Wishing women well

I watched an interview with a young Cleveland woman competing in an invention contest at Wal-Mart. If she wins, thousands of Wal-Marts will be marketing her product.  It's a "table shade," and she has a patent.  She was quite excited about the opportunity.  I wonder how many corporate giants offer prizes for inventions.

Yesterday I was chatting with the woman who cleans the lobby and women’s restroom at the local hotel.  While she cleaned the floors and I used the stall, we discussed the early starting date for schools.  I asked about her children.  “My boy is getting his Master’s degree in Chicago, and my daughter will be a junior in college in Toledo,” she said.  I don’t know why she’s cleaning restrooms with that “pay it forward” genealogy, maybe she just wants some extra spending money for Christmas, or maybe she’s writing a novel about how people are treated in service jobs.

Although I don’t remember her name (many people we meet at Lakeside we see only a week or two in the summer), but we took a number of art classes together within the last decade, I recognized her coming into a lecture yesterday. I remembered our chats after class and how sweet and encouraging she always was.   Her husband was leading her and she had that recognizable shuffle of dementia.  So sad.  But his loving care and attention was even sweeter.  Another friend we’ve known perhaps 20 years and who is still doing things alone also has Alzheimer’s, according to her husband. Very talented and active in community affairs, her bright sparkling personality will be (is) missed.

I got my summer LAS News from the U. of I. today.  Interesting story about Christina Brodbeck, one of the 3 U. of I. students who developed YouTube. They sold it in 2006 to Google for $1.65 billion in stock.  Now in her early 30s she is an “angel investor” and has invested in 22 start ups. She came to the U. of I. to study history (AB ‘0l, History) and also studied Russian.  She picked up a book on HTML and taught herself web design.  Later she got an advanced degree in multimedia design at San Francisco State University.

Do not release balloons for your special event

Even those labeled “bio-degradable” can kill an animal, bird or plant.

This picture is worth a thousand votes

Another Father Dowling mystery solved

Father Dowling was a TV character in the late 80s early 90s.  A great show.

 

Born in Ireland, he’s now in prison ministry.  Whether he was a real angel or a real priest, he certainly saved the day for the injured woman.

Oprah is promoting her new movie with lies

Her comments comparing Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin were just absurd,  But the O has really gone overboard with misinformation. Oprah needs to brush up on history. In an interview with Parade magazine to flog her new movie, she put the figure for lynching in the U.S. at millions. The actual number of persons lynched, 1882-1968, was tallied by the Tuskegee Institute at 4,743, of whom 1,297—that’s 27 percent—were white. Does she know Republicans tried to stop lynching with laws at the federal level and they were voted down by Democrats? So is she that ignorant, or is she deliberately trying to drum up racial hatred among blacks? Why should I buy her products, read her magazine or watch her failing TV station (she's a billionaire) if she is this wrong about something very important?

And the Swiss clerk says Oprah lied about the hand bag incident. Given how she's moved thousands to millions, I'm inclined to believe the clerk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2389798/Oprahs-liar-Sales-assistant-Swiss-racist-handbag-row-denies-telling-TV-host-view-item-afford-it.html

The intention is to attack Christians, not build support for gays

When Christians are attacked for marriage sermons and beliefs on the sanctity of sex within marriage, it's "hate speech" from the left.  All cultures, societies, nationalities and religions for thousands and thousands of years have supported marriage between male and female. Yes, there are blips and problems along the way--it doesn't work for everyone. Likewise, there have been loving relationships and households under other names that have worked without marriage. As recently as 2008 President Obama and Hillary Clinton were running for the highest office in the land supporting traditional marriage.  Just because they saw a political benefit for caving into the pressure of the gay lobby, doesn’t make what they said in 2008 “hate speech.”  Same sex agreements and ceremonies have a track record of being recognized by the state less than a year.

I've read there are a thousand + laws about marriage (I assume they are counting states and federal together)—taxes, benefits, etc., which apparently brings this down to money. Gay men are the most educated and successful demographic in the country.  They are about 1.7% of the population.  It would be interesting to know how many have shared bank accounts, named beneficiaries on pension and IRA,  joint mortgages with right of survivorship, wills with the partner as beneficiary.  They won’t get those benefits with a marriage license.

Monday Memories—visiting Niagara Falls

Photo from FlyoverCulture.com

After attending my brother’s wedding in 1963 in Kalamazoo, Michigan we continued on east and visited Niagara Falls from the American side, and New York City.

Then about 40 years later we travelled with friends on a tour bus to do a Frank Lloyd Wright tour of Buffalo, New York, and we again saw the Falls, but from the Canadian side.  So many new buildings had been built (hotels and casinos) that they have blocked the winds that cleared the mist.  We couldn’t see much. Apparently Ontario has no zoning authority on lands owned by the Indian tribes that have the hotels and casinos.  And here we thought Indians were all OK with saving the environment.  Even taller buildings (40 stories, maybe) were being proposed. I blogged about this trip in 2009.

Rising cost of health insurance under Obamacare

The average price for the lowest-cost ObamaCare "bronze" plan in eight states [Ohio is one of them] is 122% higher than the cheapest plan currently available in those states, according to an IBD analysis of rate filings and a recent Government Accountability Office report.

Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/politics/080213-666235-cheap-obamacare-twice-as-costly-as-existing-plans.htm#ixzz2bgkoK4z1

September 11—a decade apart from Democrats’ point of view

Civilian deaths in Iraq rising—highest since 2008

More than 1,000 Iraqis were killed in July by al-qaeda type groups--Muslims killing Muslims. Car bombs ripped through markets, shopping streets and parks late on Saturday as Iraqis were out celebrating Eid, the end of the Muslim fasting month, killing 57 and wounding more than 150.  Attacks in Baghdad on Tuesday killed 50. The State Department boldly called these killers terrorists. Meanwhile, the Ft. Hood terrorist attack on our military is still called "workplace" violence.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/11/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE97A05H20130811

Meanwhile,  Obama continues to arm the Syrian rebels—we’ve learned nothing since arming al-qaeda and bin Laden back in the 1980s.

http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/06/15-arming-syrian-rebels-us-afghanistan-1980s-riedel

5th Dimension wows the Lakeside audience

We enjoyed a fabulous performance at Lakeside’s Hoover Auditorium last night by the 5th Dimension featuring Florence LaRue. They did many of the songs made famous by the group in their early years in the 60s and 70s, but also others well known to the baby boomer generation, and it's a great family show with a lot of audience participation. Ms. LaRue is a strong Christian, has a B.A. in Education and has been an active member of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, CA, where she sings in the choir, serves with the homeless ministry and missionary work. She also has a solo act. The other female singer in the group, Patrice Morris, is also a pastor and has sung with many gospel groups and is a featured speaker at many events, especially focusing on marriage. She is an active member of the praise team and ministerial staff of Cathedral of Praise International Ministries, Rialto, CA. Her voice is so powerful that must be some fabulous singing in her church! I’m going to look for her CDs.

They surprised the audience, and their band, by asking us to sing along with them—God Bless America. I thought perhaps that was the final number, but it continued.  Each member of the group had a chance to perform solo, and the richness and power of their voices were incredible.

 

Update: Both Florence and Patrice were at the 8:30 worship on the lakefront, and were introduced by Pastor Jennings. We also stopped and talked to them at breakfast at the Patio Restaurant. It was a real thrill.

Cheesy Bread Sticks

1 (10 ounce) can Pillsbury pizza crust dough
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Preheat oven to 425. Unroll pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet and brush with butter. Sprinkle cheeses and spices evenly over the dough.
With a pizza cutter, cut dough lengthwise into 12 long strips. Then cut those in half to make 24 strips. Do not seperate strips. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Recut along each strip and remove from cooking sheet. Serve sticks warm with marinara sauce.
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-cheesy-breadsticks-149066

I’ve never heard of Hugh Schwyzer who taught women’s studies at Pasadena City College

but I’ve certainly thought this about women’s studies in general and the men who advocate for them in particular.  I knew male students who thought these classes might be a good way to meet chicks.   It’s not a good career track.  Notes from the professor’s Twitter account in which he fesses up to the scam he’s pulled off for years .

“So the real story you all missed is that I talked my way into teaching women's studies on the basis of 2 undergrad courses only . . . The college knew that at the time, and since I had a history degree and wanted to teach it, they let me. . I then built a career as a well-known online male feminist on fraudulent pretenses. My mania let me talk a good game. . . But there was no there there. . . So with the clarity that comes from a shitload of anti-psychotics, I'm sorry I've been such a breathtakingly cocky fraud.”

He has also  used racism in white-dominated feminist spaces to shut down and silence black women.

http://twitchy.com/2013/08/10/bad-boy-male-feminist-melts-down-i-used-sex-and-charm-and-whiteness-to-scam-you-all/

Hypocrites about education—for me not thee

Rich Democrats want everyone else's kids to go to pubic school, but they send theirs to private schools. And vote against charters and scholarships for poor children when they have the opportunity. Obama never attended a U.S. public school, sends his daughters to private school, and doesn't support charters for poor kids because he's beholden to the teachers' unions.

“When the avowedly liberal actor Matt Damon revealed in an interview last week that he was sending his children to private schools - despite his vocal criticism of education reform efforts and statements about his staunch public school support – it was catnip for conservatives. Damon’s choice also raised the question of whether it is hypocritical for education reform opponents to make choices they would deny to others through public policy.” http://www.hollywoodrepublican.net/2013/08/matt-damon-school-choice/

Hollywood liberals also think it is OK to take guns away from the general public, but to protect their own families and staff with security guards armed to the teeth.

Another day, another scandal?

Ho-Hum. Another scandal, or just the usual misuse of power we've come to ignore? "While the president of the United States can declassify top secret intelligence information on his own say-so, disclosing secret grand jury material is a different matter. Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure clearly states: “… no person may disclose the indictment’s existence except as necessary to issue or execute a warrant or summons.’’ Of course, he's not just a "no person," he sees himself above all laws. A bad case of Caesarism. Don't look for his buddies at the DoJ to look into this. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/08/09/in-misstep-obama-discusses-sealed-indictment-on-benghazi/

Noun 1. Caesarism - a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

dictatorship, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny, authoritarianism, despotism, absolutism autocracy, autarchy - a political system governed by a single individual

The next time I’m in Europe

and am treated rudely by a retail clerk, I hope I can get on national TV and get my face out there to flog my latest movie like Oprah.  The billionaire has probably gotten someone fired. That’s what fat cats do.  I don’t know what she was wearing on the shopping trip, but the paparazzi have caught her in sweat pants and no make up and published the photos, so possibly she didn’t look the part of  “famous diva?”  I’ve heard the purse was $38,000.  It’s her money, she can spend two years of college tuition for a worthy poor student on a purse if she pleases.

http://www.examiner.com/article/oprah-winfrey-receives-apology-from-swiss-tourism-office-after-racial-incident

The exemptions

Remember—it’s only legal because the Supreme Court said it was a tax. 

The death of pretty

"Young women today do not seem to aspire to pretty, they prefer to be regarded as hot. Hotness is something altogether different. When women want to be hot instead of pretty, they must view themselves in a certain way and consequently men view them differently as well." Men will cherish pretty; they regard hot as a commodity to be used. "The death of pretty" http://www.ncregister.com/blog/pat-archbold/the-death-of-pretty

Helpful hints—just try a few

1. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster!
2. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
3. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
4. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
5. To make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonsful of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
6. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic, and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic.
7. Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.
8. Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
9. Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
10. Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
11. Newspaper weeds away: Plant your plants in the ground, work the nutrients in your soil. Then wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch, and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
12. To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
13. Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.
14. Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip to eliminate static cling. It works; you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... Ta DA! ... Static is gone.
15. Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
16. De-fog your windshield: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
17. Re-opening envelopes: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.
18. Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
19. Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup an d gone forever!
20. Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
21. Wash your dryer filter: Did you know that cleaning your lint trap with a dryer sheet can ruin it? Dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free, and smell good. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box? Apparently that stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! You can test it by running the lint trap under water. If the water goes through you are good. If not then you need to clean it. The best way to keep your dryer working for a long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months.
22. Drop a small object on the carpet and can't find it. Place panty hose over the end of the vacuum hose and start vacuuming. The panty hose will trap anything too large to fit through the tiny hose and keep it from getting sucked into the vacuum.
23. Wearing a skirt or dress on a windy day. Cut open a few sections on the bottom seam. slip in some heavy washers or flat weights (anything small heavy and flat will work) then sew the seam back up.
24. Need to cut some corn off the cob. Use your bundt pan. Place the ear on the opening in the center of the pan, and as you slide the knife down the ear, all the kernels will collect in the main part of the pan..