Friday family photo—dinner with the Tulamos

This is a “selfie” with 6 people at dinner on Friday.  The Tulamos of Helsinki, Finland, became our friends 35 years ago when she was getting her master’s degree in veterinary science and he worked with my husband at Feinknopf, Macioce and Schappa. She is nearing retirement as an equine surgeon and he has passed his architectural practice on to his son.  We had a great time reminiscing about old times  1979-1981.  I told my husband his sweater looks like it’s from the old Bill Cosby show wardrobe closet, and he thinks it might be that old. They recently bought an off season home in Spain (much cheaper cost of living and lower taxes than Finland) and we’re hoping to visit in a few years.

Oops.

I didn’t double check to see if this was really on Healthcare.gov.

From zygote to you

Human development is a continuous process that begins when an ovum from a female is fertilized by a sperm from a male. Growth and differentiation transform the zygote, a single cell formed by the union of the ovum and the sperm, into a multicellular adult human being. Most developmental changes occur during the embryonic and the fetal periods, but important changes also occur during the other periods of development: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood... Although it is customary to divide development into prenatal and postnatal periods, it is important to realize that birth is merely a dramatic event during development resulting in a distinct change in environment. Development does not stop at birth: important developmental changes, in addition to growth, occur after birth... Most developmental changes are completed by the age of 25. (Moore, Keith, The Developing Human, Clinically Oriented Embryology, 1982, p. 1)

What the President didn’t know. . . Mark Davidson

I didn't know Jeremiah Wright gave inflammatory and anti-American sermons…
I didn't know Bill Ayers…
I didn't know Tony Resko…
I didn't know Benghazi was a terrorist attack…
I didn't know my Justice Department was intimidating and investigating journalists… ...
I didn't know what the IRS was doing…
I didn't know what the NSA was doing…
I didn't know the web site wouldn't work…
I didn't know you would lose your insurance…
I didn't know we had a spending problem…
I didn't know the uncle I lived with…

I don't know why ANYONE would believe this President.

Kanye West—outdoes himself

Not your insurance, not your doctor, not your drugs

Look what his substandard non-compliant insurance covered: "In August 2013 I became very sick with a strep bacteria poisoning my blood stream. The bacteria blinded my left eye, ate a hole through my heart, caused five strokes on both sides of my brain and forced the removal of my prosthetic left knee." A 12 hour surgery saved his life--he only had a few days to live without it. Now he's been notified that the insurance company will no longer serve his state, so he's losing his insurance. He's hoping he can keep the excellent medical team that saved his life, if and when he finds insurance. http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/12/please-pray-for-me-i-am-losing-my-insurance/#!

It’s now coming out that many drugs won’t be covered, or the co-pays will be 40%. An MS drug on the bronze plan will cost about $2,000/month—and that’s actually covered! Out of pocket costs for drugs will not be part of the cap. http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottgottlieb/2013/12/09/no-you-cant-keep-your-drugs-either-under-obamacare/

That’s a pretty big trade off for free birth control and pediatric dental coverage.

We’d better watch out. . .

How HHS spreads racism myths

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are more severely affected by HIV than any other group in the United States. The government infantilizes black men by absolving them of their responsibility 30 years after AIDS was recognized as a problem and how it was spread.   “Social factors such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to health care put communities of color at increased risk. Nearly half of all new HIV infections occur in African-Americans, for example, even though they comprise only about 12% of the U.S. population.” OPA fact sheet

Raise your hand if you believe men having sex with men rather than social factors spread HIV/AIDS.  The government’s own research contradicts this statement.

“Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are at alarming risk for HIV acquisition, demonstrating the highest rates of incident infection of any age-risk group.” Cite.

“Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are more severely affected by HIV than any other group in the United States.” Cite

“By race/ethnicity, black/African American transgender women [formerly men]  have the highest percentage of new HIV-positive test results. . . A review of studies of HIV infection in countries with data available for transgender people estimated that HIV prevalence for transgender women was nearly 50 times as high as for other adults of reproductive age.” Cite

“. . . there is one population in which the epidemic continues to grow in countries of all incomes: men who have sex with men (MSM) Cite

"The recent rise of HIV/AIDS ... is huge and it's not talked about because 'Gay Inc.' says nothing about it," he says Cite

The people he loves to hate

The top 40% of U.S. households paid 106.2% of income taxes; bottom 40% paid -9.1%, and received an average of $18,950 in 'transfers.  But it’s never enough, is it? CBO reports on the 2010 year. See p. 13

And it will get worse for high earners. New taxes for high-income taxpayers, enacted with the Affordable Care Act, took effect in 2013.

I noticed on the chart that the low income pay more of the excise taxes (percentage of income, I assume) than the wealthiest.

How to save $42 billion without cutting poverty programs

Eliminate duplicative and unnecessary Government programs. None of these are poverty programs (close to $1 trillion).  Many of these hide in place as “capitalism” or private sector help being boosted by the government. If these are private sector, let them support them. It’s inefficient for the government to do it. Planned Parenthood certainly doesn’t need taxpayers support—there are enough crazies out there willing to send them their tax deductible donation as a Christmas gift.

International affairs

• The Overseas Private Investment Corporation
• The Export-Import Bank

Energy—Dept. of

• Commercial Deployment and Technology Development
• The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Energy Frontier Research Centers
• Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer

USDA

• The Market Access Program
• The Foreign Agricultural Service

Transportation

• Return power to the states
• Amtrak
• The New Starts Transit Program
• Intercity Rail Subsidies

Economic and Regional Development –yes, some developers, electricians and contractors would squeal

• Community Development Block Grants
• Economic Development Administration

Education

• Competitive Grants Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• Head Start (note: this would be political suicide, even though after 40 years it has never shown results)

Cultural Agencies

Labor

• Job Corps
• Corporation for National and Community Service

Health (or death as it turns out)

• Title X Family Planning Grants (a lot of this goes to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country)

Administration of Justice (these mostly go to state and local governments which then are weakened if the support is withdrawn—huge number of employees)

• Community-Oriented Policing Services (the federal gov’t is not supposed to be policing our local communities)
• The Legal Services Corporation

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/08/federal-spending-by-the-numbers-2013

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/08/federal-spending-by-the-numbers-2013

A selfie at a funeral?

This man is such an embarrassment to our country. We have a first class narcissist as our president. Michelle doesn’t look too happy—probably was taught some manners.

Government workers who are paid less than minimum wage

The 2014 budget requested $1.061 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service, an increase of $12.2 million over the 2012 funding level. This is our tax money used for "unpaid volunteers." That means they work below minimum wage, but all the government workers in the agency above them get paid nice salaries with benefits. In true government double speak it is supposed to expand ...opportunity and embrace competition. ???? This is not to say people haven't had wonderful experiences in AmeriCorp or benefitted from being farmed out to a church organization that helps immigrants, but somewhere we need to let these organizations stand on their own and actually hire people to take their place in the work force.

I was in Brethren Volunteer Service as were my sisters in the 1950s. It can be done without your tax dollars. This is me showing off a pair of shoes after we went shopping in downtown Fresno. The washing machine (wringer) was in the shed. It was a great experience—many churches now offer volunteer opportunities at no cost to the taxpayer, except from her own pocket.

The Job Corps is a “Great Society” program, which offers job-training services to disadvantaged youths age 16–24 in 125 sites across the nation. The Department of Labor Office of Inspector General estimates each Job Corps participant who is successfully placed into any job costs taxpayers $76,574 (I don't know what the unsuccessful cost us). They are less likely to finish high school than those disadvantaged who don't participate, and when employed, make 22 cents more per hour than a control group. I'll bet McDonald's or Wendy's could have trained them and at least taken them to assistant manager, beginning at minimum wage.

I'm fine with internships and volunteerism; I'm fine with the minimum wage for entry level jobs for people who need to learn job skills, team work, and dealing with the public. It's the Democrats who scream about minimum wage not being high enough, and then pay their political lackeys at the Obama campaign (OFA) or fancy non-profits nothing. They have options: full time for nothing, or half time for nothing. I wonder if they get Obamacare?

Three years ago the Labor Department said it was going to do something about this—but in the for-profit sector only. Non-profits like the President's campaign arm is free to abuse employees, I mean interns and unpaid volunteers, any way they choose.

Imus in the Morning

I don't think I've ever watched Imus in the Morning, but I am today. The non-stop Obama coverage (Mandela) is too much. Mandela could have left prison any time in those 27 years if he had renounced terrorism. He was a Communist who soon learned that in order to lead he had to put that aside to lead his country to prosperity. In fact, if you look at the Communist leaders in today's world, only North Korea and Cuba have not cozied up to capitalist investment, so they are totally failing and are violators of human rights. The 20th century Communist/socialist governments killed more of their own citizens (about 100 million) than all the old time cruel monarchs, Kaisers, petty princes, caliphs and czars of the previous centuries. And yet we still have Americans who think MORE government is the answer.

Obama offering below minimum wage—no wage at all

Organizing for Action (Obama's campaign arm which was fast tracked for its non-profit status while Tea Party groups waited years) is advertising for 14 unpaid interns. How's that for below minimum wage, way below? Full time below, and part time below.

"OFA is now accepting applications for full-time and part-time HQ Interns for the Spring 2014 and Summer 2014 HQ Internship Programs in Chicago, IL.... HQ Interns will have the unique opportunity to work closely with staff in advancing the President's agenda. Departmental placements available include Grassroots Organizing, Training, Issue Campaigns, Digital, Press and Finance. Please include your departmental placement preferences in your cover letter. Accepted HQ Interns will be paired with departments based on their stated interest, qualifications and availability. This is a 14-week, unpaid internship program." (from the OFA website)

Farmers line up to pay tribute to one of their own who died of cancer

http://modernfarmer.com/2013/10/breathtaking-tribute-fallen-farmer/

What is the collective noun for crooks and liars?

• squad
• bevy
• clutch
• murder
• team
• association
• stalk
• staff
• band
• crew
• ?? suggestion??

A Californian visits the United States

The nose knows and remembers—Monday Memories

When I walked into Panera’s this morning something smelled like creamed chipped beef. That transported me back about 60 years when Mom used to take about 4 oz. of chipped dried beef, mix it into a white sauce and serve it on toast, usually for lunch, for four hungry children. I made it a few times when I was first married, but I don’t believe it was a hit.  I guess you have to have been there to appreciate how wonderful that tasted. Or Mom’s magic fingers.

That started me down memory lane (which has gotten rather short lately after blogging for 10 years) thinking about other smells/odors that dredge up long forgotten memories in no particular order.

Cigarette smoke mixed with Dad’s Old Spice after shave.  My father stopped smoking in 1949, which enabled him to live to 89, much longer than 2 of his younger brothers who developed cancer, but it was not an unpleasant smell, although hearing him cough in the morning wasn’t nice.

Fresh sheets dried in the open air clothesline in the back yard. No artificial laundry softener can match this.

Wet puppies/dogs.  We didn’t have inside pets, so the dogs needed to be towel dried even to come on to the back porch.  Face licks went along with this as did doggie breath in the face.

Leather saddle being pulled off a sweaty horse. It’s like perfume if you like horses.   Closely related to the manure/fresh straw smell at Ranz’s horse and cattle barn where I played.

New school books, tablets and pencils in the fall.  I’m not sure what happened when all our books started being printed in China, but they just don’t smell like they used to.

Mom canning green beans. I sure didn’t like to pick or snap them, but the cooking and canning and the beautiful arrangement on the shelves are sweet to remember. She was safety conscious and we children did not do the hot, dangerous jobs.  No accidents that way. I was about 18 before I canned anything (watermelon pickles).  Did it once, and decided that was enough.

Fresh lumber from one of Mom’s projects.  My dad didn’t know which end of the hammer to use, but my mother was very handy and did a lot of shelf building and remodeling. We children got the scraps to play with and build things in the basement.

Fuel oil. My father was meticulous about his appearance, and immediately would take off his cover-alls and bathe and shave when he got home from work.  If we said his work clothes smelled bad he would say, “Smells like money to me.”

A new box of crayons.  I don’t know what made them smell so good, perhaps the anticipation of a new art project. Or perhaps something illegal now?

Musty smells of packed away toys (from an earlier generation) at my grandparents’ homes. My mother’s parents had a specially designed window seat for toys from the home Grandma designed around 1910.  According to Mom, she was rather lax about housecleaning and her children were allowed to keep their projects on the floor for weeks. We weren’t.

A room after it was freshly wallpapered by my mother. She was very good at this, and after watching her do it many times I decided I never wanted to work that hard.  Although I did wallpaper my daughter’s bedroom when she was a baby.  I put her in the playpen so she could watch me.

Freshly baked cinnamon bread on Sunday morning. Both my parents grew up with home baked bread and lots of real butter, and thought store bought was better, but occasionally we would be treated with the “real thing.”

Chlorinated water at the swimming pool in Rock Falls.  When we lived in Forreston we were bussed to Rock Falls in our summer recreation program for swimming. We rode home on the bus wrapped in wet, smelly towels.

The space heater warming up the bathroom for bath time. As it heated up, there was always a pleasant burning smell; the bathroom was toasty.

Apple sour cream pie for my birthday.  Actually, it always smelled wonderful, but we children chose what dessert we wanted for birthdays, and this was, and is, my favorite. No one, not even me or my daughter or nieces (who all make fabulous pies) can match my mom’s pies.

Garden soil on freshly pulled carrots or potatoes. Again, my mother was a gardener; I watched and decided it was way too much work, although I did have a small garden one summer when we lived on Abington Road.  My son is a wonderful gardener and even cans salsa, pickles and tomato sauce.

Sweaty football and basketball players as we in the stands rushed to the field/floor after a victory.

Basement with damp laundry hanging to dry.  We children did the hanging, not the laundry. I was about 13 when Mom got a clothes dryer.

Hot sheets from a mangle.  We didn’t have one, but JoElla’s mom did and I used to watch.

S’mores around the Girl Scout campfire.  Possibly the finest tasting dessert for a kid.

Mom’s Cody face powder. When I opened her dresser drawer after her death, there she was.  I asked Dad if I could have it, and he gave it to me.

My trombone.  Closed case odor can get a bit strong.

Turkey/gravy on mashed potatoes in the school cafeteria.  There wasn’t much turkey, and in those days schools used government surplus.

Pine tree needles and damp earth at Camp Emmaus (Church of the Brethren) and White Pines State Park (both in Ogle County, Illinois)

Wet homemade mittens with wool linings. The outside fabric was a heavy red fabric, like sail cloth.  The inside was my father’s cut up wool Marine uniforms.

Burning leaves at the curb in the fall.  Most communities don’t allow that today, but nothing smells more like fall than burning leaves and everyone did it.

Mom’s coffee breath and wool bathrobe.  This was only on Sunday.  All other days she was up, dressed and buzzing around by the time I got up. Sunday she would be sitting at the table reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, and munching her favorite breakfast—sharp cheese on toast.

Inexpensive and versatile—Epsom salt

I had no idea that Epsom Salt had its own association. Click on the "beauty" link or "health" link for some ideas. I wonder what they do for a Christmas party? http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/about/

Epsom salt is a pure mineral compound (magnesium sulfate) in crystal form that gently exfoliates skin and smooths rough patches. Regularly used by a growing number of models and actresses, it's a popular natural choice for beauty enhancement. Mix it with your favorite deep conditioner to add body to your hair or dissolve in a bath to replenish the body's magnesium levels. A relaxing soak in Epsom salt can help relieve stress and leave you feeling revived.

Doctors and researchers say that soaking in an Epsom salt bath is a safe, easy way to increase the body's levels of both magnesium and sulfate.

Article in Wall Street Journal

Bath soak. The Epsom Salt Council, a trade group of manufacturers, recommends a warm bath with 2 cups of Epsom salt for at least 12 minutes. Dr. Waring says the magnesium ions act as a pain reliever. An Epsom salt bath can also help fade bruises.

Splinter removal. Epsom salt increases osmotic pressure on the skin, which draws foreign bodies toward the surface, Dr. Waring says. Dissolve about 1 cup of Epsom salt in a tub of water and soak the affected area.

Bee stings. Osmotic pressure works here, too, to draw the stinger to the surface of the skin. Lift out using tweezers, then apply a compress of an Epsom salt-water solution to reduce swelling.

Sunburn. A cool bath with 2 cups of Epsom salt reduces pain and has mild anti-inflammatory properties.

Skin exfoliation. Blend Epsom salt with enough baby oil to create a paste. Gently rub it on your face for deep pore cleansing, or use it on heels, elbows and other rough areas. Rinse and pat dry

Almost makes me wish we had a bathtub.

Don’t know the numbers on either one