Obama is campaigning again

The President is on the campaign trail for his legacy talking about the economic recovery. This recession recovery has been the slowest on record, and we're still 2 trillion behind where we should be if it had been a normal recovery (recession was over in June 2009). The middle class has gone without a raise for 7 years. The big boost to the economy in 2014 was increased health care spending, now that's something to cheer, and the wallet fattening lower gasoline prices caused by fracking which all his supporters hate. The fat cats are loving the stock market. The rosy economic picture he is painting could continue if Republicans show some backbone, or other body parts, and the Keystone Pipeline gets passed (he's already announced he's going to veto it after 6 years of study) and they stop all the crazy regulations that are holding business and growth back.

http://www.wsj.com/video/obama-speaks-at-ford-motor-co-assembly-plant/E0B6F7C5-FFF2-4819-A466-B689AD5040B4.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/us/politics/obama.html?_r=0

Some factors about longevity are about race, not poverty or education

Hispanics on average live 80.6 years, non-Hispanic whites 78.1 years and African Americans 72.9. More education can add as much as 10 years to the life expectancy of blacks and white; but for Hispanics, it doesn't seem to matter. A high school drop out will still live longer than an educated white or black American.

http://newamericamedia.org/2012/12/latino-life-expectancy-exploring-the-hispanic-paradox.php

A 25-year old Latino high school dropout in 2008 is likely to outlast both his African-American and white gender counterparts by ten years. Actually, he will probably fall about three years short of the estimated mortality demise of very highly educated white males.

Je Suis Charlie (I am Charlie)

I'm finding this a bit hypocritical coming from Americans. In this country, you can't speak in favor of a discussion on traditional marriage without losing your tenured faculty position at a Catholic university or your bakery business or floral shop, and God forbid if you're a chef who used the n-word two decades ago. And in Canada, you can be put in jail if you are against “full inclusion.” Yes, it's not the same as being murdered, but it's also not freedom of speech and religion.

Also, the murder of those French cartoonists who insulted religious people of all faiths was terrible, and coverage has been from sunrise to sundown, but Africans are dying too at the hands of Muslim terrorists. Much of Nigeria is, or was, Christian, but Muslims and Christians lived peacefully together until a few years ago. Boko Haram is killing and kidnapping, and after a brief flurry of media interest in the summer, we heard nothing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30728158

Six things about Vitamin D, Harvard Medical School Health Beat

A number of factors influence a person’s vitamin D levels. Here are six important ones.

1. Where you live. The further away from the Equator you live, the less vitamin D–producing UVB light reaches the earth’s surface during the winter. Residents of Boston, for example, make little if any of the vitamin from November through February. Short days and clothing that covers legs and arms also limit UVB exposure.

2. Air quality. Carbon particles in the air from the burning of fossil fuels, wood, and other materials scatter and absorb UVB rays, diminishing vitamin D production. In contrast, ozone absorbs UVB radiation, so pollution-caused holes in the ozone layer could end up enhancing vitamin D levels.

3. Use of sunscreen. Sunscreen prevents sunburn by blocking UVB light. Theoretically, that means sunscreen use lowers vitamin D levels. But as a practical matter, very few people put on enough sunscreen to block all UVB light, or they use sunscreen irregularly, so sunscreen’s effects on vitamin D might not be that important. An Australian study that’s often cited showed no difference in vitamin D between adults randomly assigned to use sunscreen one summer and those assigned a placebo cream.

4. Skin color. Melanin is the substance in skin that makes it dark. It “competes” for UVB with the substance in the skin that kick-starts the body’s vitamin D production. As a result, dark-skinned people tend to require more UVB exposure than light-skinned people to generate the same amount of vitamin D.

5. Weight. Body fat sops up vitamin D, so it’s been proposed that it might provide a vitamin D rainy-day fund: a source of the vitamin when intake is low or production is reduced. But studies have also shown that being obese is correlated with low vitamin D levels and that being overweight may affect the bioavailability of vitamin D.

6. Age. Compared with younger people, older people have lower levels of the substance in the skin that UVB light converts into the vitamin D precursor. There’s also experimental evidence that older people are less efficient vitamin D producers than younger people.

Don’t see a link, but this is on their e-mail newsletter. http://www.health.harvard.edu/

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

Some people think you are a racist if you mention this

Pelosi—what part of Catholicism does she follow?

The Pelosi/Boehner smooch yesterday as he was reelected House Speaker reminded me of just how promiscuous she is. This story is 7 months old, but the history behind it is important. A "religious" 501c3 non-profit funded by Soros and promoting leftist causes. "The real story here is the betrayal of the bishops by those like John Gehring, formerly the Assistant Director of Media Relations at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who now works at the George Soros-funded Faith in Public Life/Faithful America. It is activists like Gehring who are providing the real power behind Pelosi’s threats. Faithful America is a 501c (3) organization that has been very involved in political activity during the past few years."

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2014/whats-behind-pelosis-attack-archbishop-cordileone

Faithful America was originally founded in 2004 by then Catholic Democratic congressman Tom Perriello. It was always a political organization—described in their literature as a “communications and organizing resource center dedicated to helping faith leaders reclaim the values debate in America for justice, compassion and the common good.” The reality was that Faithful America was created to help Perriello convince voters—especially pro-life voters—to move beyond what he called “divisive abortion rhetoric. . .

Faith in Public Life/Faithful American have implemented a strategy of attacking the teachings of the Catholic Church by directly attacking the authority of the bishops. Faith in Public Life has been flush with Soros money—although in 2010 Wallis refused to acknowledge the receipt of the funds.  Wallis finally admitted what he called “his error” when the funding was made public in an article called “Wallis vs The Truth” by World Magazine editor Marvin Olasky.”

Plane crash, war hero and God

No, this isn’t about Louis Zamperini, featured in the movie “Unbroken”.

In her 1944 book “The great answer” popular American author Margaret Lee Runbeck (1905-1956) writes about Eddie Rickenbacker’s 24 day ordeal in 1942 when the WWI hero was touring bases during WWII and the plane went down leaving the crew to drift for 24 days in the Pacific.  Runbeck writes about millions of people praying for him as a personal experience (very moving), “We waited and we did see.  Some of us almost gave up. But not the taxi-driver, nor the boy with the shoe-shine box, nor Joe who sells papers, nor Mrs. McGinty.  Nor Mrs. Rickebacker.  Nor I.”  She tells about the thrill and excitement when the newspapers reported the rescue and then reading down the column, “Four paragraphs down it was, in my newspaper, that word occurred.  “God.”  You don’t often meet it in a newspaper.  It gave you a funny feeling.  And more than that.  A strange excited feeling, as if something good had happened to all of us.”  She goes on to tell his story (with 6 witnesses) that Rickenbacker told of a gull lighting on his head, and his catching and killing it for the starving men to eat. 

"And this part I would hesitate to tell, except that there were six witnesses who saw it with me. A gull came out of nowhere, and lighted on my head -- I reached up my hand very gently--I killed him and then we divided him equally among us. We ate every bit, even the little bones. Nothing ever tasted so good."

She says everyone was talking about it, that gull and Eddie. Then after a few weeks he went on a speaking tour and something happened to the story. When it came to God’s part, or the millions praying, that had all been toned down and Rickenbacker had new, more sophisticated explanation for what had happened. Runbeck says she was very disappointed with the story that later ran in Life magazine. However, years later, after her death,  Billy Graham includes Rickenbacker’s story in his book Angels and says Rickenbacker became a Christian through the experience and told Graham God had sent an angel (p. 4).

Billy Graham also is featured in the Zamperini story, although not in the movie Unbroken.  The conversion story is left out of the movie.

From comments at a website selling old books, about The Great Answer by Runbeck.

“The Great Answer was a book that had come to me in a pile of books belonging to someone who had "moved on". I was riveted with the humility, the sincerity of each character in the book. This was a time when I was a pre-teen, and in the face of devastating bombing attacks on ships, on London, and on English country towns, people were saved from death and destruction by their simple trust in God. Their prayers and steadfast dedication in praying in the middle of the worst of the German attacks on England over a period of years, was very humbling. Sometimes the house the person lived in was reduced to rubble, to dust! But they walked away without harm. One woman walked out of concentration camp in Germany under the very eyes of the two guards on duty! People, clinging to pieces of planks,floated in the sea for three weeks before being picked up, but all were saved by the prayers of an older woman who had worked as a missionary. This book should be on the shelves of every home in every country.”

Music to study by

I know that my smart nieces like Lindsey,  Aliyah,  and Joanie take advantage of on line courses for college, but I think it's an age thing. I can't even get past registration for free sites, let alone stay awake to read that much on a screen. Hurts my eyes. But ladies, and anyone else studying hard, here's some piano music to study by. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVP3fUzQHcg

Al Sharpton’s Huckster diet

Low expectations

The liberals' racism of low expectations--absolving a  shakedown artist and presidential buddy, Al Sharpton. "Despite such racism [by Sharpton], President Barack Obama has made Sharpton his go-to guy on matters of race. But not to worry. Obama himself spent 20 years listening to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s anti-Semitic and racist sermons. The news media and intellectual elite don’t condemn Sharpton or Obama, because they have two standards of behavior: one for whites and a lower one for blacks." Walter E. Williams

http://blackcommunitynews.com/liberals-use-black-people-part-ii

http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/01/06/report-al-sharpton-shakes-down-corporations-to-make-racism-claims-disappear/

http://nypost.com/2015/01/04/how-sharpton-gets-paid-to-not-cry-racism-at-corporations/

http://nationalactionnetwork.net/

http://joeforamerica.com/2015/01/al-sharptons-money-train/

I wonder what he’s got on Obama?

Sorting through old recipes

The painters have finished; bookshelves are put back. I'm going through some loose recipes, pitching most, especially if they need cans of concentrated soups to make them taste good or I haven't tried them in 15 years of saving.

Here's a keeper. I made it for Christmas Eve 1996, "Light Baked Potato Soup." It's called light because the original had about 1100 calories a bowl, and this is 385. Best potato soup I ever ate and very hearty. The chef's index is still up on the web, so here it is. http://www.cafecreosote.com/recipe1.php3?rid=269

This is supposed to be similar to Houlihan's potato soup--which I've never tried and don't know if it is still on the menu. But if it is, it's over 1000 calories and you can't have dessert!

Some are just too cute to pitch. Like my daughter's hand printed (maybe 7th grade?) recipe for Chocolate Delight with a French Christmas carol. A recipe typed (manual) on Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy's note stationery given to me by Lynne Wilburn for Chocolate Cake (I'm seeing a theme). A hand written recipe on yellow lined paper for “Pumpkin Pie Squares” with a "to Olive from Meredith" note. "Refrigerator Pickles" recipe dated 9-4-96, probably my mother's on my dad's note paper. A pre-1989 Thanksgiving card from my sister with a Cranberry relish recipe in it. "Bus tour casserole" hand written by me from my mother's collection which I think was from a tour she and my sister took to New England. And a few from my "crunchy" days in the 1970s when my family was forced to eat a FLOTUS type menu.

This wasn’t in the pile, just like seeing Mom’s handwriting.

How the non-employed spend their time—men and women

I did a survey like this of my own life about 40 years ago when I was a SAHM and the children were in elementary school. I counted their time at school as "work," my husband's time including travel as "work," his home maintenance chores and outdoor yard care as work, and tracked what I did that could conceivably be called work--house cleaning, cooking, laundry, organizing, transportation of the children, supervising play groups, doctor's appointments, helping with school projects. I lost big time. Everyone in the family, including the children, was working harder and longer hours than I was (I had a nap every afternoon). The meme is how hard women at home work--nonsense. Many women I know make up work, both those who are employed and those who work at home. Being busy is a compulsion with many women, and a lot is just wasted time. My great great grandmothers Williford (TN) and Wenger (OH) worked hard--had no electricity or running water, helped with the farm, slaughtered animals for food, baked their own bread, made clothes and quilts, raised their own food, fed the hired men, nursed the sick, took in less fortunate relatives, and birthed 10+ babies. Now that was work!

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/01/06/upshot/how-nonemployed-americans-spend-their-weekdays-men-vs-women.html

Snow Day for schools in Columbus and suburbs

I don’t think it will amount to much—4 inches will do it here—or extremely cold.  AZ and I decided yesterday after hearing the forecast not to meet for coffee today, but I do have a dental appointment.  Maybe the roads will be clear by then.

Talk about privilege!

There was thin privilege.  And now White privilege.  But Asian Americans make the most money of any group.  Is that Asian privilege?  A married couple with children has a median income in the mid 80s compared to a single mom with children in the mid 20s. They are also healthier and better educated.  Is that marriage privilege?  And what about those educated people who are earning more than those with a GED or high school degrees?  Is that higher education privilege? Government employees make more money and get better perks than civilian.  Employment privilege?  And lobbyists make more and have more influence than the industries they represent.  Is that lobby privilege? The cost of living in Columbus, OH is 32.0% lower than in Long Beach, CA . Is that Buckeye privilege?

Bootleggers and Baptists

Regulations make strange bedfellows. Baptists may be pleased that liquor stores are closed on Sundays, but so are bootleggers because their competition is closed down. And this happens in all areas of the economy. Restrictions on some mean more profits for others. You really need to look for this in environmental regulations which sets up a new, lucrative cartel. http://www.learnliberty.org/videos/bootleggers-and-baptists/

Morning chuckle

Would a new law make a difference?

Most articles about immigration, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian and Communist, including this one, begin with this as a given, "The United States immigration system is broken." But when you look through the 10 points, you see the current law isn't being followed or enforced, so why would the next one?

An Immigration Checklist: 10 Areas of Reform that Congress Should Demand of the President

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/11/an-immigration-checklist-10-areas-of-reform-that-congress-should-demand-of-the-president

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/11/ten-step-checklist-for-revitalizing-americas-immigration-system-how-the-administration-can-fulfill-its-responsibilities

1. Overriding and removing existing executive orders, agency memorandums, or other executive policy directives that ignore or contradict existing law;
2. Allowing immigration agencies to enforce and apply the law without workplace interference, political pressure, or procedural obstacles;
3. Providing the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency with a fully operational system of sensor and camera technologies and infrastructure on the southwest border to multiply the efficacy of their efforts;
4. Using the appropriate judicial and administrative tools efficiently to remove and return unlawful immigrants to their home countries;
5. Increasing enforcement against businesses that knowingly employ unlawful labor;
6. Engaging with international partners and remaining committed to citizen security and democratic governance in the Western Hemisphere;
7. Making U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), more efficient and effective;
8. Reporting accurate immigration data to Congress and the American people in a truthful, consistent, and complete manner;
9. Soliciting the assistance and support of the states in enforcing immigration laws and limiting the effectiveness of those governments that attempt to frustrate enforcement with sanctuary policies; and
10. Verifying the success of these actions through honest and accurate Census survey data of the unlawful immigrant population.

“Under President Obama, immigration laws are unilaterally ignored, waived, or changed. The rule of law suffers and more illegal immigration is encouraged, imposing large financial and security costs on the U.S. Indeed, the U.S. immigration system is broken because of the executive branch’s decision not to execute existing immigration law. The U.S. is a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. There is no need to sacrifice either of these principles in pursuit of the other. “ David Inserra

Marriage and poverty

Marriage drops the probability of child poverty by 82%. U.S. Census Community Facts reports the median family income in married couple households with their own children is $82,163; for a male headed household with children it is $37,127; female headed household with children is $24,349. These figures do not reflect wealth transfer gov't programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, public housing, day care, and TANF. Marriage is a much greater fighter of poverty than adding years of education to a single parent.

"CHILDREN CHARACTERISTICS more information 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates" http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF

I took the Viet Nam War trivia quiz. . . and got “War Historian”

I'm sure I didn't get them all--wish they would show what was missed. I won't identify what high school student I was talking to in the 1980s, but of course, Viet Nam was ancient history then. The student didn't know which came first, WWII or Vietnam. It had become popular by then to think teaching facts was just boring and unnecessary. When I watch Watters' World (Fox) I'm not surprised when college students think Lincoln was a founding father, or don't know the name of the current vice president. They can name all the Kardashians, though.

Quote of the Day

"You don’t get to hang out with Sharpton, endorse protesters calling for the death of cops, and then put on your fake mourning act at a police funeral." Daniel Greenfield reporting on the funeral of Detective Wenjian Liu.