Our guest book—Monday memories

When we bought our Lakeside cottage in the fall of 1988, my mother bought us a guest book, where visitors could sign. Today I was looking on the bookshelf for something, and found that book.  I had used it until 2008 and then started a new one although there were many pages left.

The first names recorded in the summer of 1989 were our neighbors, Vanita, Margie, Betty and Mrs. Lowe; also friends we knew from Columbus, Rich and Julie Crabbs (now both deceased), Ken and Cean Hollenbaugh,  Rosalee, Ned, Jason and Brian Moore who I think were at the camp grounds, Laura Linquist whom I used to work with at OSUL, Don, Gail and Stacey Bren, and Mike and Linda Evans; also my husband’s parents came that summer from Indianapolis, as did Tom and Pat Moir. My husband’s partners from Feinknopf, Macioce and Schappa, and a group from Cursillo seem to be visiting in the winter.  The next summer I see Roger and Judi Gertz, who had a cottage one block over on Lynn, who now live in Marietta, and just arrived yesterday for a week with kids and grandkids. I see in the book our across the street neighbors Grace and Frank Sheidler (now deceased) visited—their cottage had a tree growing through the porch awning, now removed.  That summer my husband’s sister and husband came.  I think they got a call that baby Caleb (grandson) was ill and they rushed home—or was that the next summer?  He’s now in Afghanistan.  Bill Plate and his wife Kathy came to visit—he was one of my husband’s partners.  Our daughter visited that summer of 1990 (she may have been here before, but didn’t sign the book).  In August of 1991, my parents visited, but I think they were here also in the fall of 1989 to deliver some furniture because I remember watching with them the fall of the Berlin Wall. Marvin and Adrienne Zahniser came in the fall to spend some time, then Riitta and Martti Tulamo.  Bob and Jean were back in the summer of 1992 as were Debbie, Kim and Kari Rosenberg and my in-laws the DeMotts.  Summer of 1993 Paul and Marylyn Doncevic visited as did Nancy and Barb, two sisters we know from our church. In the summer of 1994 Donna and Mike Conrad came for supper (they later bought a cottage, but have since sold it, now live in Florida).  Our daughter and son-in-law and his brother Pete and wife Peg came for a week. The Fall of `1994 there were  a lot of folks we knew from Columbus here so we had a 6th anniversary party—Sowers, Shalters and Gatsches all signed, but I know there were many others—Boiarski, Steele, Conrad, etc.  It was a pretty fall week-end and many were here.

Rich and Julie Crabbs who came for the Methodist conferences signed many times—he was a Methodist pastor, as did some of our other regular Methodist visitors (whom we’ve never met).  Our daughter and son-in-law many times—usually a week every summer after 1993 when they married.  And Holly and Lindsey several times, who were part of the family then, but not now. Miss them both.  And many names I don’t recognize! And just so I wouldn’t forget, I noted in the guest book that the new roof and new heating system/AC were installed in 2002 and a new frig June 2002—seems like yesterday.  It all does.  But it has been 25 years.

 

Joseph Nye and soft power

Joseph S. Nye wrote in 2008:  “ . . as I have said before, it is difficult to think of any single act that would do more to restore America’s soft power than the election of Obama to the presidency.”  Soft power, Nye said, was the ability to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction rather than using the carrots and sticks of payment or coercion.  It’s difficult to think of any assessment of Obama that was more silly or misguided. Nye was commenting on the adulation and swooning of Europeans (they are good at that as history shows), not the desire for high priced reparations and absolution that American voters sought by electing a black man. Obama has messed up in so many foreign policies areas—Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Russia, Pakistan, etc. one doesn’t even need to go into the NSA, IRS, Fast and Furious, and his own “leave no Central American child behind.”

Have you noticed what color the children are?

See anything in this photo? Two white guys sending their brown and poor north to the U.S. No children this color are among the unaccompanied minors flooding our border. President Perez Molina of Guatemala has a reputation for brutality and genocide--so this is much easier and cleaner. President Pena Nieto is a former community organizer and Mexico's John Edwards. http://www.ijreview.com/2014/07/156005-mexicos-shady-deal-guatemala-sheds-much-light-influx-illegals-flooding-border/

Victor Davis Hanson asks: "Have immigration-reform advocates such as Mark Zuckerberg or Michael Bloomberg offered one of their mansions as a temporary shelter for needy Central American immigrants? Couldn’t Yale or Stanford welcome homeless... immigrants into their now under-occupied summertime dorms? Why aren’t elite academies such as Sidwell Friends or the Menlo School offering their gymnasia as places of refuge for tens of thousands of school-age Central Americans?"

Who are getting the jobs? Not native born Americans

In the first quarter of this year, there were 5.7 million more immigrants with a job than in 2000. But among native-born Americans, there were 127,000 fewer with a job in 2014 than in 2000 — 114.7 million this year compared to about 114.8 m...illion in 2000. Since President Obama took office, 67 percent of employment growth has gone to immigrants (legal and illegal).
(Center for Immigration Studies)   http://www.cis.org/who-got-jobs-during-obama-presidency

Support for the President among religious groups

More than 85 percent of Muslim-Americans voted for Obama, and although his popularity has plummeted among other groups, it's still about 72% for Muslims. Why any Jews or Catholics support him is beyond me. http://www.gallup.com/poll/172442/muslims-approving-obama-mormons-least.aspx?ref=image

College rate for Hispanics higher than whites or blacks

Black Americans who support Obama's amnesty and immigration policies might want to take a second look. Hispanic students graduating from high school now have a higher college enrollment than white students, and definitely higher than black... students. Graduation rates are still lagging, but I think that will improve too. And no one can catch the Asian Americans. College graduation rate for whites was 85% and 93% for Asian/Pacific Islander students; 76% for Hispanics and just 68% for black students. The term Hispanic is a made up word and covers Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Chileans, Jamaicans, etc. http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/amid-affirmative-action-ruling-some-data-on-race-and-college-enrollment-1328/

Mission Accomplished. . . oops

“As he precipitously pulled out all U.S. peacekeepers from Iraq, the president had his own “Mission Accomplished” moment when declaring the country “stable,” “self-reliant,” and an “extraordinary achievement.” “ VDH

But Obama showed himself to be a weak and confused leader after the war was essentially over and won by the time he took office in January 2009 with nothing left to do but stabilize the victories.  His supporters didn’t seem to notice, but the terrorists certainly took note.  Now that ISIS has overrun the region, he is looking around for someone to blame.  Bush and the Republicans, of course.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/381831/how-obama-lost-middle-east-victor-davis-hanson

Why Mexico doesn’t want its ex-pats to come home

Remittances sent by Mexicans living abroad, mainly in the United States, are the country's second-largest source of foreign exchange, after oil, and help cover the living expenses of millions of people.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/04/01/remittances-to-mexico-rise-715-pct-in-first-2-months-2014/

Mexico's emigration (to the U.S.) is a financially lucrative form of ethnic cleansing--moving those with the most indigenous heritage north, leaving Mexico for the mixed population with the most European blood. Until recently, the only immigration acceptable in Mexico was from Europe, which would “whiten” the general population. They are moving quickly to make sure the poorest people of Central America (who are also those with the most Indian heritage), make it across our border.

Raising the minimum doesn’t help the unemployed

Did you notice whose unemployment rate is going up? Teens. The under 25 and part timers are the bulk of Obama's latest minimum wage move to attract voters.
“Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult women (5.3 percent) and blacks (10.7 percent) declined in June, and the rate increased for teenagers (21.0 percent). The rates for adult men (5.7 percent), whites (5.3 percent), and Hispanics (7.8 percent) showed little change. The jobless rate for Asians was 5.1 percent . . . The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) increased by 275,000 in June to 7.5 million. . . In June, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 6 cents to $24.45, following a 6-cent increase in May.” http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

Both Hoover and FDR imposed policies that kept wages artificially high during the Great Depression, which was fine for those who kept their jobs but death for those looking for jobs. When the economy would start to recover, out would come another regulation, and boom, down it would go again, Same thing in smaller doses during this recession. Those who have jobs are doing well and "fat cat cronies" are wealthier than ever; those who don't, well, good luck.

Someone needs to look into this Asian unemployment rate to see why they are in such demand for American employers. They are working hard, staying in school, have a high marriage rate and only 2.4% of welfare recipients are Asian (5.1% of the population) compared to 38.8% of recipients who are whites and 39.8 % blacks, and so they have a leg up on staying employed and moving up the ladder of success. Is that fair? The good news is they are the fastest growing minority in the U.S.

This is what I want, but it is disappearing fast

Every one wants neon green or Wendy Davis pink, or electric blue.

Friday Family Photo

Last Thursday evening the program at Lakeside in Hoover auditorium was The Buckinghams, and they were really excellent musicians.  We enjoyed their talents and had a family selfie photo.

Out and about on the Marblehead Peninsula

I was at a local bank next to a McDonald's today. Noticed the sign for workers at McDonald's. $10/hour. Ohio's minimum is $7.95/hour, higher than the federal. During the Bush years when it was very difficult to get Americans to work in the leisure industry (seasonal), we had a lot of East European and Baltic college students working in Lakeside. After a full shift they'd ride their bicycles several miles to McDonald's and work another shift. Their ambition was impressive, but after traveling when their 10 weeks were up, they went home--with their money.

The bank drive-through had a video camera, so the employee could see everything I was doing.  Well, I was eating potato chips, so I turned my head away from the camera.

We also have a Wal-Mart Super store about a mile from the bank, from which I can’t leave without having spent $40 when I only needed a few items.  Today I was there sort of early, so in the back of the store where I was browsing bikes I will never buy, the employees were having a pep rally of sorts.  Later when I was checking out, I mentioned it to the cashier.  She smiled and said that those at the register weren’t there.  Then she noted that they are only allowed 2 minutes to get from the back of the store to their registers! (It’s a long walk.) The staff there are well trained, polite and helpful.  Instead of pointing if you ask about something, they walk with you to the right location. Also, as is typical at a Wal-Mart, the merchandise is selected to meet the needs of the area, which in this case, is vacation land with a lot of boats and cottages.

Golf carts are very popular in Lakeside. So are cell phones. Unfortunately, many people my age and older are doing both.

The next time you plan to freeze some hamburger

Put it in a zip lock bag, flatten, and score gently so pieces can be broken off for your recipes or sandwiches.

Silence in the face of evil

“One of the things that I noticed when touring Daucau and Flossenbürg concentration camps was that there were many more non-Jewish German citizens who had been imprisoned and died in those camps than I ever realized (along with Jews, Gypsies, those deemed socially unacceptable, Russians, etc). They were, of course, those who took a stand against the Nazis and/or spoke out about the existence of the camps. It helped me to understand how those camps could be so close to the towns (or in the case of Flossenbürg, in the town) and the towns people 'didn't notice them'. Intimidation and fear work wonders to keep people blind, justifying and silent. It could happen anywhere. Anyway, just an insight I gathered from my observations there that may or may not be accurate on my part. In memory of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” Beth Shaw at Facebook

http://blog.speakupmovement.org/university/thought-reform/dietrich-bonhoeffer-subversive-religious-freedom-advocate/

True the Vote vs. GOP in Mississippi

Last week, True the Vote sued the Mississippi Republican Party and several other defendants over their wrongful denial of access to election documents in the primary and run-off between US Senator Thad Cochran and MS Senator Chris McDaniel.
Now,  the Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party has gone on full attack.  MS GOP Chairman Joe Nosef told Breitbart that True the Vote has an "awful reputation" and even went so far as to threaten his own voting base with "sanctions" because they were plaintiffs in the suit to shed light on this clouded election for the United States Senate. The challenge is to review what should be publicly available documents related to absentee ballots.

TTV says it has uncovered evidence of possible criminal misconduct involving the destruction of relevant election documents, double voting,  and crossover voting, whereby voters' rights are being sacrificed in the interest of political gamesmanship.
Wednesday, True the Vote asked the federal court to place a temporary restraining order on both the State and the Mississippi GOP to ensure no more documents are destroyed.  From True the Vote e-mail.

Why should we care who represents Mississippi in the U.S. Senate?  Take a look at the votes.  They control and represent all of us.

Rape statistics are inflated, but why?

It's in the news again today--the alarming college rape statistics and those schools that don't report them. Possibly this is why--the numbers have been politicized. The White House says 1 in 5 (20%) of women on college campuses are sexually assaulted; the government agency charged with statistics collection says 1.8 per 1,000 (.18%) of all adult women in the U.S. and that has dropped dramatically in the last 5 years. One reports a number that is higher than the most violent third world country, higher than prison rapes, in highly selective communities with no poverty, no wars, and well educated residents; the other reports 270,000 rape or sexual assault victimizations in a country of over 300 million, half of whom are women. Even if you take into consideration that many assaults are NOT reported, someone is assaulting the WH numbers for political gain. The question is why are we being lied to about this?

Even accounting for all those assaults not reported, the numbers are inflated.  Just multiply the undercount by 5 or 6 times and you still only get 1%, not 20%. Otherwise, no parent would send her daughter to college--it would be safer in Honduras from which people are fleeing for the U.S. to get college benefits.

 http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/press/fvsv9410pr.cfm

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sexual-assault-20140709-story.html

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/07/alarming-stats-from-congressional-campus-sex-assault-report/

1300 more pages for ACA aka Obamacare

Mike Huckabee writes on July 8:

Friday was Independence Day…unless you’re a doctor… While Americans had their eyes on fireworks, the Health and Human Services Department quietly released the latest batch of new Obamacare regulations. If you thought the original 2,000-page bill was long, that was just the blueprint for how to make MORE regulations. This time, HHS unleashed nearly 1300 pages of new regulations. Former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey has actually been reading all this bureaucratic gibberish. She says the first 600 or so pages place new requirements on doctors who see Medicare patients. They not only intrude on the care doctors give, but experts estimate that it will take a doctor up to an hour and 48 minutes per patient to comply. That adds up to about 5.4 million MORE hours a year that doctors will have to spend doing paperwork instead of seeing patients. So if you want to find a doctor who’ll take Medicare patients, better start looking now. Even if you’re under thirty.

Political posturing on the left

James Taranto writes in the WSJ:

“Senate Democrats appear to have concluded that scapegoating religious minorities is good politics. "Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Mark Udall of Colorado are expected to introduce legislation on Wednesday seeking to prevent companies from relying on a religious freedom law to avoid complying with the Affordable Care Act's requirement to cover all forms of contraception approved by the government without charging workers a copayment," The Wall Street Journal reports.

The bill, a response to last week's Supreme Court ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, would foreclose employers from conscientiously objecting to ObamaCare coverage mandates under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It has no prospect of being enacted into law this year, given that Republicans control the House. National Journal last week quoted Speaker John Boehner, who praised the decision as "a victory for religious freedom and another defeat for an administration that has repeatedly crossed constitutional lines in pursuit of its Big Government objectives." (Actually, in this case the line it crossed was a statutory one.)

Thus the introduction of the legislation is an exercise not in lawmaking but in political point-scoring.”

So the illegal mandate is going to generate more legislation. Obamacare was declared a tax by SCOTUS and the ACA originated in the Senate instead of the House where those things are required by law.  What a bunch of clowns and crooks.

Is this a man cool under pressure or what?

During an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Wednesday, Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas criticized President Obama as “aloof” and “detached” for refusing to visit the southern Texas border and witness the massive immigration crisis firsthand.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/09/dem-congressman-frustrated-with-aloof-obama-video/#ixzz370Jgw100

Maybe a wig?

I saw a woman yesterday wearing this type of wig and I liked it.  It would certainly solve some sticky hot hair do days.  In the 70s I had several wigs—different colors and styles, and I liked it.  Many women wore wigs then.  Now you mainly see them on women who have had some sort of therapy that has caused hair loss.