Embracing change?

Pope Francis embraces his Jewish Rabbi (Abraham Skorka) and Muslim Iman (Omar Abboud) friends at the Western 'wailing' wall of Jerusalem. . . .”Father Rocky” Rev. Francis J. Hoffman - Priest, Author, Speaker, Ex. Dir. of Relevant Radio.

HIV/AIDS increasing among black gay men

"Published research does not provide definitive answers about why new HIV infections among young, black/African American gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) have increased. However, black/African American MSM of all ages experience racial disparities in health and are more likely than other gay and bisexual men of other races/ethnicities to encounter broader social and economic barriers. These and other factors place black/African American MSM at higher risk for HIV."  “In fiscal year (FY) 2011, approximately 41percent of the CDC’s budget was targeted to HIV prevention activities for MSM.” CDC fact sheet.

I am stunned that “research” is blaming racial disparities and homophobia for the increase in HIV at a time when gay sex is practically being pushed into the forefront of every news story, and everyone should be covered with Obamacare.

Here’s the score.  Anal sex is transmitting HIV, not poverty, not stigma, not society. And the more that is encouraged and normalized (by “safer” sex methods), the higher the transmission rate. Also, young people know there is treatment available if they develop HIV, so there is little reason to be cautious as men were becoming in the 80s.

New statistics from the New York Department of Health and Hygiene and the Centers for Disease Control show that, in New York City, the majority of 647 women who tested HIV-positive in 2012 acquired the virus through unprotected sex with bisexual men.

There is so much money being funneled into community based prevention and behavioral programs that recipients would be crazy to ever find a way to stop young men from having sex with each other an end the government gravy train. For example:

$111 million Expanded Testing Initiative (ETI)

$55 million to 34 states and cities  to support HIV testing services  for  minority at-risk populations.

$240,000 over two years to two organizations—AIDS Unitedand theCenter for Black Equity (formerly the International Federation of Black Prides) to increase awareness

NYC article

RCA congregation votes to leave and reaffiliate

On April 27, 2014, University Reformed Church (URC) voted 282-9 in favor of leaving the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and affiliating with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

This church is located at 841 Timberlane, East Lansing, MI 48823.

 http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2014/05/27/university-reformed-church-votes-to-leave-the-rca/

Death and the Civil War—PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/death/

The greatest loss of life of any U.S. war was the Civil War, where 1 in 5 Americans experienced the loss of someone they knew.  There was no system for burying the dead at that time as a responsibility of the government.  This film is fascinating history.  It is also on-line.

Napoleon Bonaparte Corbett

2nd great grand uncle, buried at Stones River National Battleground, died 1863 according to Find a Grave. Thanks to “cousin” Berta whose husband took the photo for sharing this. "Bonaparte was a Corporal in Company D 3rd Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry. His regiment was organized at Murfreesboro and Nashville, Tennessee and was mustered in for a three year enlistment on January 27, 1863 under the command of Colonel William C. Pickens."

Rhubarb dump cake

 

1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (between 3 and 4 cups)
1 cup white sugar
1 (3 ounce package) strawberry jell-o
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread the rhubarb evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb, followed by the jell-o, and finally the cake mix. Pour the water and melted butter over the top. Do not stir. Bake for 45 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender.

Looks yummy.  I have everything except the rhubarb on hand.

Plains, Georgia is the site of the newest Chautauqua

Today in church at Lakeside I learned that Plains, Georgia is one of our newest Chautauqua locations with the help and support of President Carter. Representatives of Lakeside Chautauqua were on hand for the opening. Almost a century ago, many towns hosted traveling Chautauqua which brought music and the arts to rural communities. My father as a child attended a Chautauqua in Dixon, IL which had permanent buildings, and my mother attended the Chautauqua in Franklin Grove, IL which had sites for tents. The one in Plains seems to be a revitalization of one like that, and not a whole season like we have in Lakeside, Ohio and Chautauqua, NY. http://www.plainschautauqua.com/

 

Eastern Illinois University has Chautauqua information in its archive.  "Chautauquas were retreat camps, primarily for adults. The Chautauqua movement can be traced to 1874 at Lake Chautauqua, New York when a group of Protestant ministers began a training camp for Sunday school teachers. Chautauquas grew in popularity and spread throughout the country. The actual format of chautauqua programming varied within each camp. Some were more religious based, while others focused more on entertainment. The chautauqua movement peaked in the 1920's but declined as radio and other new technologies created new forms of entertainment and recreation for Americans." http://booth.library.eiu.edu/archon/index.php...

http://ciweb.org/literary-arts?gclid=CIKokrbGx74CFahAMgodoWUANw

A message from our niece, Joanie

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/1413th-Engineer-Company-Deploys-To-Afghanistan-256922571.html

Déjà vu, but now it’s Syria

"But without U.S. involvement, the worst-case predictions are coming true: More than 160,000 people have been killed, more than 9 million have been displaced from their homes, and terrorists allied with al-Qaeda are establishing safe zones from which they can attack Europe and the United States."

Sorry, Washington Post, isn't this what we were told in 2003 about Hussein? Washington Post editorializes on how Obama has failed miserably in Syria. If Bush was so wrong about Iraq (had bi-partisan support and Clinton era intelligence) according to WaPo and other MSM, what makes them so sure about Syria?

Editorial

How do Democrats get away with these lies

Watchdog.org is reporting that 308,000 Virginia voters are also registered elsewhere, according to an analysis of 22 states’ election records. How many of the 308,000 voters cast multiple ballots in a single election is not known, but the group Election Integrity Maryland found 164 individuals who voted in both states in 2012.

I volunteer at a free clinic in Columbus. I've yet to meet a client who didn't have ID--most are not driver's licenses but are provided by the state. They need it for government benefits. Why do Democrats lie about the importance of having an ID?

I know a dog that talks like this

The church is a hospital for sinners, and also cares for the sick

We know why the church takes care of the sick--Jesus commanded it and also miraculously healed them himself setting the example and commanded his immediate disciples (of whom we are heirs) to do the same. Over the centuries the Christian church, particularly the Roman Catholic church, has been the largest social service agency. But why does the government do it when it picks and chooses (over the centuries) the sinners and the winners? Governments have killed far more people than religious leaders could even consider, plus they use religious sects (of any faith) to do the dirty work. In the U.S. we have the push for government health insurance when 85% of the citizens already were satisfied with what they had and a large portion of those who didn't have insurance were eligible for a minimal care level already provided. That's an inordinate amount of power to hand to any entity. At the same time, 55 million have been put to death with the government's blessing and regulated abortion industry.

Summer reading for teens

Last night my neighbor asked me about summer selections for reading for her 15 year old grandson. He has a school suggested list with 2 books required. I have no experience in what teens read, but I was surprised by the list. Seemed awfully mature (and depressing). One was Killer Angels, an historical novel about the Civil War and is used in military schools; another was The Help, about black women who worked as household help in the South of the early 60s, but the narrator is white. The last runaway--an English woman and the underground railroad—which my book club read this year. I read a lot as a teen--mostly historical fiction, but probably not what adults suggested.

So I checked the Internet for summer reading lists. Although there were a few classics, many I found disturbing. Like the one about a boy who lives in a homeless shelter with his spaced out mother because dad is in prison; a 5 year old growing up in 1 room because his mother has been held prisoner for 7 years (like the Cleveland story); Devil in the White City (scariest book I've ever read). But then, Les Miserables and Uncle Tom's Cabin (also on the list) aren't a walk in the park

What are your children/grandchildren reading this summer?

Last federal land acquisition—Organ Mountains in New Mexico

Illegals use the Organ Mountains In New Mexico to smuggle drugs. It's a pathway for illegals to enter the country. Now the President has made this area a national monument. Good-bye local law enforcement. The push to nationalize this area began before the present administration.

 http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-05-20/public-lands-wilderness/obama-to-designate-organ-mountains-a-national-monument/a39495-1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/05/21/obama-declares-the-organ-mountains-desert-peaks-region-of-n-m-a-national-monument/

http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_25381121/town-hall-pans-proposed-u-s-senate-legislation

The Veterans Affairs medical scandal—or cover up--whichever

Just for the record--2 Columbus veterans (WWII and Korean War era) we know say our local VA facility is fabulous and they've never waited for care and have been treated very well. The current VA scandal--wait times particularly--has been known for years, or why else would Senator Obama have campaigned on it in 2008 as a way to blame Bush? But the truth is, and what will be pushed under the rug, a national health care system (we have 4--Medicare, Medicaid, VA and S-CHIP) run from Washington is just too big and bureaucratic--and he knew that going into his own push to nationalize health insurance for the rest of us. 

http://www.columbus.va.gov/

http://www.yellowpages.com/columbus-oh/va-hospital

I need one of these

Our vigilant free press is on duty. . . NOT

Can he save even one American?

Mr. President, you and your campaign staff blew the 9/11/12 attacks in Libya. Don't blow this one. If you can take in millions of illegals, you can free one American. Or can you?

This active Marine reservist is imprisoned in Mexico for taking a wrong turn.

The duping of Americans

If you look at the rationale for Electronic Medical Records, it was always about the data (which can be massaged, sold to the highest bidder and used for policy), because its value for health had never been decided. This should come as no surprise. It's the invention of Zeke Emanuel who said, "Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality of care are merely 'lipstick' cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change." JAMA, Feb. 27, 2008.

And now this. . . and it won’t be the only invasion of your private records.

The federal government is piecing together a sweeping national “biosurveillance” system that will give bureaucrats near real-time access to Americans’ private medical information in the name of national security, according to Twila Brase, a public health nurse and co-founder of the Citizens Council for Health Freedom.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response is currently seeking public comment on a 52-page draft of the proposed “National Health Security Strategy 2015-2018” (NHSS).

Read more here.

Eric Holder, racist in chief

Americans love special anniversaries. 60 years--1954 Brown v. Board of Education and 50 years--1964 Civil Rights Act and LBJ's Great Society. And of course, 2014 when Eric Holder and the Obama Administration prattle that America's made no progress and we're still just a bunch of racists (forgetting that the KKK, Jim Crow, and segregated education system belonged to Democrat policies).

So an 80 year old billionaire in a private conversation with his black mistress can undo trillions of dollars of government programs and transfers? Really an insult to our history and progress. But for the left, it's never enough, there's never progress for the progressives. Keep it churning or lose your jobs.

According to Eric Holder (who was allowed to speak at graduation) zero tolerance for violence in schools is racist and signifies resegregation. So, let's look at this. Little white boys in 3rd grade who are suspended for pointing a finger like a gun violate this policy and will be punished by a suspension, but a black child will get a pass for beating up a classmate on the bus? What is it called when Condi Rice is disinvited to speak at graduation? She probably would have given some inspiring advice to graduates; all Holder did was give a whiny political screed.