To think we all laughed at “community organizer” in 2008

It’s not ACORN—it’s Surdna (Andrus spelled backwards after a very successful businessman who came up through poverty). “New York’s Surdna Foundation used to focus on the usual left-wing causes: environmentalism and so-called smart growth, community development, and the arts.  Sensing an opportunity when Barack Obama became U.S. president, the charity changed its mission to promote community organizing above all else. Its benefactor would not have approved of its old mission statement or the new mission statement.”

https://www.capitalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/FW0114.pdf

Founded by a practical, hard-nosed,
free market-loving capitalist, over the
past century the Surdna Foundation
Inc. was transformed into a hotbed of revolutionary
radicalism. Created by legendary
industrialist John Emory Andrus, the New
York City-based foundation now adheres to
the Weltanschauung of extremist agitator Saul
Alinsky and Alinsky acolytes like Barack
Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Andrus
was no utopian, holier-than-thou dreamer or
activist. . . .

Surdna’s radical objective is to remake
America in the image of a European social
democracy and to minimize the traditional
forms of American self-governance. The
foundation prefers that freedom and individual
rights take a back seat to equality
and the sacred cow of coercive redistributionism
through the agency of the federal
government.

Thursday Thirteen--13 tips on getting fit without making a New Year’s Resolution

1. Sit up in your chair and visualize a golden thread running from your crown to the ceiling. Also good for depression.
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.   Take 2 at a time for extra challenge.
3. Get off the bus a stop early.
4. Park a block away from your destination or at the outskirts of the parking lot.
5. Invest in a pedometer to gauge how far you walk each day—try for 10,000 steps.
6. If you’re sitting at work, or blogging at home, get up and move around for 5-10 minutes every hour. I walk around when I talk on the phone.
7. Do some office yoga for stretches. (from pinterest)

               

8.  If your grocery bags have handles use them for impromptu weight lifting, one on each side, keeping your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles in a straight line.

9. I’m not sure this is because of exercise or what you eat (fresher, smaller portions), but people who go shopping every day live longer than those who shop only once a week.

10. Tone your buttocks by clenching them as tightly as you can for three seconds and releasing. Repeat 10 times, twice a day.

11. To prevent incontinence simply squeeze your pelvic floor muscles, then hold the squeeze for a few seconds and then release slowly.

12. Simply sitting up rather than lying down increases energy output by 25%, and standing up really ups the ante. Standing up burns more calories than sitting or lying down.

13. While watching TV lie down on the floor, slowly bring one knee up to your chest, pulling it in with your arms, and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times, then do the other leg. To firm your stomach, thighs and bottom all in one go, lie with your arms by your sides, lift your hips and clench your buttocks so you are in a straight line. Now raise one leg as high as possible, and lower it. Repeat 12 times and switch legs.

                             

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/11/get-fit-without-noticing-do-something-active

Helping churches and parents to help their children

La Verne Tolbert, Ph.D., is author of Keeping You & Your Kids Sexually Pure. She details her five-year tenure on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood, NYC when death certificates were required for all abortions.  Her research on school-based clinics—abortion mills in public schools—explains why condom availability encourages kids to become sexually active.  Written in everyday language, she urges pastors, parents, and teachers to teach teens why and how to save sex for marriage.

How I plan to use up the rest of the black beans

I made a huge crockpot of black beans today.  I mixed some with brown rice and we’ll be eating that forever, plus I have a lot left over.  I’m guessing I have 10-12 servings for $1.50.  Here’s an idea.

Black Bean Brownies

(gluten-free)

• 1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well) (250g after draining)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder- dutch or regular (10g) (add a little extra if desired)
• 1/2 cup quick oats (40g) (See nutrition facts link below for all substitution notes.)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave (Honey will work, but not for strict vegans.) (75g)
• 2 nunaturals stevia packs or 2 tbsp sugar (or omit and increase maple syrup to 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil (40g) (See “nutrition facts” link for all substitution notes.)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup chocolate chips (115-140g) (Not optional. Omit at your own risk.)
• optional: more chips, for presentation

Black Bean Brownies Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Really blend well. (A blender can work if you absolutely must, but the texture—and even the taste—will be much better in a food processor.) Stir in the chips, then pour into a greased 8×8 pan. Optional: sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Cook the black bean brownies 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. Makes 9-12 brownies.

I don’t have a food processor, so I may have to try the unrecommended blender way.

41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Today, approximately 250,000 people will descend on Washington, DC in the annual March for Life--41st anniversary of legal killing the unborn. About 56 million. Pray for them--it's terribly cold and snowy. Also pray for abortion providers that they will leave their careers. Also I've seen about 15 seconds on Fox, but I doubt the other media will even give it that much. EWTN usually has great coverage if you can get that cable network. Right now I’m watching the closing mass at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., scene of the crime.

On this 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade when the Supreme Court invented a law roughly half of Americans now identify themselves as “pro-life,” and strong majorities support commonsense policies to protect women from abortion’s harms. Abortion harms all of us. It has created a culture that disregards the dignity of human life, endangers women, demeans motherhood, and denigrates men’s role as fathers. http://www.scribd.com/doc/201208788/How-to-Speak-Up-for-Life.

“Pro-choice” has certainly become a misnomer.  It is estimated that over 60% of the women and girls who have abortions do so because of pressure from boyfriends, husbands, parents, or peers.

http://www.publiceye.org/ark/reproductive-justice/articles/forced-abortions-america.php

Mythical sons

The President on marijuana, by Dave Perkins

“Dear President Obama--

Are you SURE marijuana doesn't harm you? Obama compares it to alcohol, to point out that the intoxicating chemistry of weed is not any more dangerous than that of alcohol. Fair enough.

But each joint, say researchers, contains the tar and toxins of a whole PACK of cigarettes. And aren't the same lefties trying to legalize weed also trying to push cigarette smokers off a cliff on health grounds?

Only the American left could be against cigarettes and for weed at the same time.

Cultural leadership is trickle-down. What is embedded at the top eventually finds its way into the mainstream.

Even if it's incoherent and cynical.”

From the FB page of Victoria Jackson, a very funny lady.

http://adai.uw.edu/marijuana/factsheets/respiratoryeffects.htm

Multi-millionaire chastises us about income inequality—a Democrat, of course.

This is what I just don't get about Democrats.  And I’m not talking fashion here.  Hypocrisy. Duplicity. Treachery. Deceitfulness.

"Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who is worth millions of dollars according to her congressional financial disclosure statement, says Congress needs to tackle income inequality because it “poses an existential threat to our nation and our way of life.” "

But what is worse, half the population will fall for this income gap nonsense. It’s Obama’s talking points to create class envy, which is supposed to help Democrats who are floundering because of Benghazi, NSA, IRS, and Obamacare. According to one site, she was worth only $5 million when she got Congress, and is now worth over $17 million—in just 5 years. I think that’s more money than the Clintons were able to stash away.

President Obama is campaigning on income inequality hoping you'll forget that "The wealthy took home a greater share of the nation’s income during the years following the recession, under Obama, than between 2002 and 2007, under Bush, according to a 2012 analysis from Emmanuel Saez, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley." (Huffington Post)

What does the Fox say?

http://www.today.com/video/today/53254690#53254690

Over 350,000,000 YouTube hits  and it was all a joke.  That’s how difficult it is to write a hit song at least for Bård Ylvisåker and Vegard Ylvisåker.

Hamilton Co. Ohio Abortion Clinic to close

From Ohio Right to Life, Columbus, Ohio--Today, the Ohio Department of Health affirmed its order to shut down abortionist Martin Haskell's Sharonville clinic, the Lebanon Road Surgery Center, for failure to meet Ohio medical standards. Specifically, Haskell's clinic operated without a transfer agreement with any area hospital and was unable to identify any doctors within the region that wanted assist his abortion business. Haskell's abortion clinic must cease all operations and close it's doors on or before February 4, 2014.

According to Ohio law, Lebanon Road Surgery Center exists as an Ambulatory Surgical Facility and because of this legal status, the clinic is not a full-service medical facility. To operate legally, Lebanon Road Surgery Center must have a transfer agreement with a full-service private hospital to handle all cases of abortion complications against the mother. In the case that an abortion facility is unable to acquire a transfer agreement, it can apply for a variance (exception). Lebanon Road Surgery Center failed to obtain either.

Late-term abortionist, Martin Haskell, who owns Lebanon Road Surgery Center, has performed abortions for more than 30 years. He is notorious for his advocacy of partial-birth abortion and is credited for popularizing the now banned and illegal procedure. With the closing of Haskell's clinic, only one abortion facility remains open inside the county with the third highest rate for abortion deaths in Ohio.

To view the adjudication order click here.

This is good news, but doesn’t explain why he and his wife were allowed to operate illegally. http://www.operationrescue.org/archives/late-term-abortionist-haskell-sues-city-for-denying-request-for-illegal-sign/

http://www.operationrescue.org/archives/woman-rushed-to-hospital-from-haskells-late-term-abortion-clinic-outside-dayton/

http://www.lifenews.com/2011/10/04/late-term-abortionist-martin-haskell-allowed-to-avoid-ohio-law/

http://www.sharonvilleclinic.com/martin-haskell.html

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake for one

My husband has really been enjoying the 3-2-1 cake because he can make it himself when he gets the munchies.  Here’s another quickie cake that’s made in the microwave.

Two Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

1 egg
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
a small handful of chocolate chips

In a small bowl, stir the egg, brown sugar, peanut butter, flour, cocoa and baking powder with a fork. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a greased ramekin or mug. Microwave for 1 minute. Eat straight from the ramekin or mug, or invert onto a plate. Serves 1.

http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/two-minutechocolate-peanut-butter-cake/

Since most cake recipes usually call for only 2 eggs, I’m a little surprised at the proportion of egg to dry ingredients, and also no shortening—unless the peanut butter fat takes care of that. See, I haven’t tried this yet—hoping you do and let me know.

Wendy Davis lied about her life and the life of the unborn

“Wendy Davis, the Texas state senator whose filibuster for abortion rights made her a Democratic superstar and launched her campaign for governor, has admitted to the Dallas Morning News that she lied about key events in her life, including her first divorce. Davis may even have lied under oath, testifying in a federal lawsuit over redistricting that "I got divorced by the time I was 19 years old," when in fact she was divorced at age 21.”

A pro-abort who lied? Shock and awe. All the stats about back alley abortions were fake too, but it got the legislation passed 41 years ago that led to 56 million abortions.  Lies have consequences.

Stay tuned for the spin she’ll put on this.

“She’s trying to market herself as a crusading truth-teller for women’s rights in a benighted state. It doesn’t help when your autobiography turns out to be as fact-challenged as Davis’ for that sales pitch. Her divorce from her second husband as he paid off her Harvard bill doesn’t look too meritorious, either, even if he’s still supportive of her as a person and candidate. Instead of being a crusading truth-teller, Davis looks a lot more like an untrustworthy opportunist … like many politicians.

Besides, Davis’ entire platform rests on the claim that abortion doesn’t kill human lives, an assertion rebutted by elementary biology and in opposition to science. Regardless of how one feels about the sanctity of human life, there’s simply no getting around the monstrous lie of abortion. That’s the most important lie of the Davis campaign, and the one that corrodes everything else it touches.”  http://hotair.com/archives/2014/01/20/wendy-davis-autobiography-under-went-some-revisions/

It’s not pretty when you run as a strong woman, but used a man to get there.

Basically, every country music song that’s ever come out of Texas was written about Wendy Davis.

Wendy Davis’s decisions are hers to make, obviously, and all political candidates couch their personal histories in a light most favorable to whoring themselves out to people to whom they can no longer relate. After all, it’s not like Wendy Davis in her current incarnation, sporting thousand-dollar suits and five-hundred-dollar shoes is going to be able to convince anyone in Texas that she understands anything about their lives. But Wendy Davis has built her entire campaign on being a demi-goddess of women’s liberation, a self-made masterpiece of female empowerment looking to take women’s rights to the next level whether she has to do it in a pair of pink sneakers or a Reem Acra pantsuit. And yet, the missing details and contextual omissions are what ultimately tank her carefully crafted life story. At her core, she’s a woman in power because she used a man’s money and influence to get her there. -

http://nakeddc.com/2014/01/20/wendy-davis-stone-cold-bitch-basically/

Easy Ham Glaze Recipes

For Christmas I did the real maple syrup and mustard glaze and it was just heavenly, but thought I’d save these for a future time.

Ingredients

Honey and Brown Sugar Ham Glaze

• 2/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 3 tbsp HONEY
• 1 tbsp Prepared Mustard

Orange Glaze

• 1 cup Orange Juice
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 2 tsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Grand Marnier (optional)

Baked Ham Maple Glaze

• 1 tbsp Mustard
• 2/3 cup Real Maple Syrup

Brown Sugar Glaze

• 1½ cups Brown Sugar
• 1½ tsp Dry Mustard Powder
• 3/4 tsp Ground Cloves

Marmalade Glaze

• 1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
• 1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp Flour
• Pineapple Juice (enough to create a thick paste)

Pineapple Glaze

• 1½ tsp Dry Mustard
• 1½ cups Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Crushed Pineapple, well drained

Ginger Glaze

• 1 tsp Dry Ginger
• 1 tsp Dry Mustard
• 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
• Canned Pear or Peach Syrup (to make thick paste)
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice

Chili Glaze

• 1/2 cup Thick Chili Sauce
• 1/4 cup Corn Syrup

Instructions (For All Recipes)

• First of all, you need to make a slit in the rind of the ham.
• Trim the rind and fat at the same time, leaving 1/4 inch layer of fat on ham.
• Make diagonal cuts along the surface of the ham, on the fat layer, making sure not to penetrate the meat.
• Now, make diagonal cuts in the opposite direction, forming diamond shapes in the fat layer.
• Take a bowl and put all the ingredients in it (this works for all the above mentioned recipes)
• Mix the ingredients well and brush over the ham.
• As the ham cooks, occasionally brush it with the extra glaze.

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/how-to-glaze-a-ham-4254.html

What will you want?

Mini Tortilla-Crust Pizzas

 Ingredients

3 Whole wheat flour tortillas, 1 (15 ounce) can pizza sauce 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 3/4 cup mini pepperoni (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Open the can of pizza sauce, empty the sauce from the can, and rinse the can out.

2. Using the cut edge of the pizza sauce can, cut four rounds from each tortilla. Press each round into a lightly-greased muffin tin.

3. Place a tablespoon of pizza sauce into the center of each tortilla round.

4. Sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce on each tortilla round.

5. Top each pizza with mini pepperoni rounds.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Remove and cool before using a fork to transfer mini pizzas from muffin tin to a serving plate.

Serve and enjoy!  This was on cousin Sarah Strauss’ FB page which found at the Almost Perfect FB page (A Canadian firm).  She finds the neatest things.

Adults behaving badly (Democrats)

Gov. Cuomo was using code words for conservative Christians in telling half the population to get out of New York. These days, "anti-gay" means people who believe in traditional marriage--which would make Obama anti-gay the first 4 years of his reign. Pro-gun means anyone who can read the Constitution's Bill of Rights. Right to life-ers means the Catholic church and evangelical Christians. Since when does a Governor get to decide who resides in his state? Those Democrats are certainly a big hate group. Eric Metaxas says, "Such contempt from a "public servant" is UTTERLY inexcusable. Gov. Cuomo should apologize & resign. Period."

… You’re seeing that play out in New York. … The Republican Party candidates are running against the SAFE* Act — it was voted for by moderate Republicans who run the Senate! Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are.

Children are learning bad and harsh lessons from the Democrats in power, like the President who flipped on marriage to make his candidacy look better, who demonizes the rich he cavorts with who pay for his campaigns, this NY governor who demeans the Bill of Rights both first and second amendments, lying Wendy Davis in Texas claiming she was a teen single mom when she wasn't, and the lying Indian Princess Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts.

                 

*The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013 commonly known as the NY SAFE Act is a gun control law in the state of New York. The law was passed by the New York State Legislature on January 15, 2013, and was signed into law by Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo on the same day.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/12/new-york-safe-act/4430741/

Monday Memories—We move to the condo

One of the advantages of having an artist/husband is the wonderful homemade cards. This is the 12th anniversary of living here—January 20. I think he was at the closing and I was in the ER. So the details are a bit fuzzy, but he remembers. We have loved it here--beautiful site and wonderful neighbors, and people to mow the lawn and remove the snow.

          

Caring for 2—a federal program for mothers and infants at risk

It gives me pleasure to report on a federal health/poverty/race program that actually is meeting its goals—Caring for 2.  I’d never heard of it, but came across the name on the list of referrals we use at the Pregnancy Decision Health Center where I volunteer.

http://publichealth.columbus.gov/uploadedFiles/Public_Health/Content_Editors/Maternal_Health/Caring_for_2/Caringfor2_update_1pager_2011.pdf

Caring for 2 began in 1991 as part of Healthy Start with 15 test sites, and now has 105, two in Ohio, Columbus and Cleveland. Although I don’t believe it began as a race based program, it is now limited to African Americans, and in Columbus to specific zip codes. The mission was to reduce the high infant mortality rate; in Columbus this has certainly been successful (for those enrolled) with the infant mortality rate below the national average.

There seems to be a recent push to include fathers in the program (NHSA’s Where Dads Matter fatherhood program begun in 2007).  Who knew?  Actually the number one advantage for a poor or low income child is to have married parents. That and a job for dad, any job, will provide those parents with the opportunity to leave poverty behind.  No government program makes that kind of promise.

I can’t find anything current under Healthy Start that specifically funds promoting fatherhood, but did find a page of links.  It is mentioned in the national annual report, but is definitely a step child added during the Bush years. http://fatherhood.gov/for-programs/federal-programs-and-resources

California’s program includes a piece specifically for “dads” but marriage doesn’t seem to be a part of that. In fact, it’s not even mentioned as the biggest guarantee that a child won’t grow up in poverty. http://www.healthycal.org/archives/10425

Here is a state by state update on what is happening. Despite the success rate, or perhaps because of it, I was disappointed to read how some programs are being watered down with other issues, like fighting racism, because there are so many other avenues for that, and success has been dramatic by focusing on health and coordinating community resources already available.

http://www.nationalhealthystart.org/site/assets/docs/NHSA_SavingBabiesPub_2ndED.pdf

Healthy Start is currently funded at just under $105 million and authorized through 2013. Healthy Start was first established as a pilot program by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. The last reauthorization of the program passed Congress in 2008 and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 3, 2008. The fatherhood component was added under GW Bush.

Now I’m a capitalist

                       

I was looking at a red t-shirt that said, "Capitalist."  Most of my professional life I worked for the government: University of Illinois, Ohio State University, State of Ohio, and OhioNet ( state and federal grant money). I had a few jobs working in the free market economy when I was between "real" jobs, and of course, I was my husband's only staff for 20 years. So I have a state teacher's pension (not Social Security--can't have both). That sort of qualifies me as a capitalist, because pensions are invested in businesses/stock market/ real estate/ etc. While I was working, I socked away as much as was allowed in TIAA-CREF and IRAs (the stock market). For now those businesses and fat cats that are regularly maligned by this administration are doing well and paying me for investing my money—as a capitalist.

http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/pension_fund_capitalism.html

http://www.statecapitalist.org/category/pension/

http://www.giaging.org/documents/NIRS_Report_12-10-13.pdf

Dirty deals on the IRS scandals

Neither the Democrats who fear their growing power, nor the Republicans who fear the same thing are going to take any action about the IRS criminal behavior against the Tea Party.

“President Obama and Democrats have been at great pains to insist they knew nothing about IRS targeting of conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofits before the 2012 election. They've been at even greater pains this week to ensure that the same conservative groups are silenced in the 2014 midterms.

That's the big, dirty secret of the omnibus negotiations. As one of the only bills destined to pass this year, the omnibus was—behind the scenes—a flurry of horse trading. One of the biggest fights was over GOP efforts to include language to stop the IRS from instituting a new round of 501(c)(4) targeting. The White House is so counting on the tax agency to muzzle its political opponents that it willingly sacrificed any manner of its own priorities to keep the muzzle in place.”

Kimberley Strassel at the Wall Street Journal—much more to read