About that Scott Walker response

OK. I'm out of the closet. I don't believe in evolution, never have, and even in elementary school that was all I was taught. There are just too many holes in this theory and huge gaps, plus we'd all be up to our eyeballs in all the missing fossil links for all the species. It's not hard to learn this stuff and pass the tests and become an associate professor at a major university. One day at a coffee shop in Lakeside I was chatting with a stranger who was a high school biology teacher--and a good one. He told me he had never bought into the lie of evolution. A friend who has a PhD in engineering told me that with enough heat he could turn peanut butter into a diamond. He doesn't believe in evolution either, but now has 2 PhDs, both in the sciences. Most people couldn't even explain the various theories (there are more than one) of evolution, but love to point fingers at those who can look around and see what happened.

http://www.icr.org/article/1175/221

Model makes history

Too bad making history doesn't make it any safer to have an extra copy of chromosome 21 since about 90% are aborted.

http://mic.com/articles/110550/meet-the-first-model-with-down-syndrome-to-walk-at-new-york-fashion-week

Can Bradley Manning be a real woman?

Bradley Manning is going to get his wish to be transitioned to a female on our tax dollar. He's the United States Army soldier who was convicted in July 2013 of violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses, and in our non PC language, he's a traitor. What if he told the Army he's always believed he was a Chinese man trapped in the body of a Caucasian and wanted surgery and resurfacing to complete the job--eye lids, eye fold, nose, lips, genitals, skin color, oral cavity, bone density, body hair, etc. And since he's always heard that Asians are so good at math and science, he wants the military to give him a college degree in physics. Sounds silly doesn't it? So are hormone treatments for a man who has decided he is now a woman after many years of being a man; plus it's insulting to women everywhere to think that all he needs are larger breasts and an amputation to be a real woman.

Stop editing yourself is this blind painter’s advice

There’re so many people saying, ‘Well, I can’t draw a straight line,’ or, ‘I can’t do this or that,’ and it’s interesting how, if you stop editing yourself–if you stop judging every little thing you do when it comes to art–you end up invariably being able to do way more than you thought. It seems like it’s the same way in life. When I lost my eyesight, I really thought everything was over because I already had epilepsy and all; but then thankfully, with the painting, I stopped thinking about it that way. I stopped editing everything I did, stopped worrying about the past or the future and just focused on being in the moment. Things got a lot better after that. I wish more people would do that, because they don’t realize that what they’re capable of is incredible.” John Bramblitt

https://usodep.blogs.govdelivery.com/2014/08/06/artist-sees-painting-as-a-way-of-life/

 

http://bramblitt.net/

This film is 10 years old, but shows how he has developed his art and skill. https://vimeo.com/5497828

Questions about health

One in twenty questions for Google concern health issues. "So starting in the next few days, when you ask Google about common health conditions, you’ll start getting relevant medical facts right up front from the Knowledge Graph. We’ll show you typical symptoms and treatments, as well as details on how common the condition is—whether it’s critical, if it’s contagious, what ages it affects, and more."  http://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/health-info-knowledge-graph.html

“We worked with a team of medical doctors (led by our own Dr. Kapil Parakh, M.D., MPH, Ph.D.) to carefully compile, curate, and review this information. All of the gathered facts represent real-life clinical knowledge from these doctors and high-quality medical sources across the web, and the information has been checked by medical doctors at Google and the Mayo Clinic for accuracy.”

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Evolution of trade deals

George Will insists Scott Walker will need to answer Yes to believing in evolution. (A question he got from a British twit when he was there on trade business.) Really? Why is that? Because Wisconsin teachers' unions acted like troglodytes in trying to hang on to their cushy benefits that were destroying small Wisconsin communities?

Racism and double standard at NBC

Brian Williams, white guy lies, hobnobs with celebrities and the president, and gets fired. Al Sharpton, black guy lies, causes riots and death of policemen, cheats on his taxes, hobnobs with celebrities and the president, and keeps his job.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2015/02/11/shouldnt-al-sharptons-lies-get-him-canned-msnbc-smoking-gun-asks

http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2015/02/11/will-nbc-suspend-al-sharpton-brian-williams-fiasco/

http://thesmokinggun.com/documents/investigation/al-sharpton-lies-657391

Legalizing pot

I don't understand la la land states and politicians. They legalize pot which destroys brains cells and the center of pleasure making people dopey and stupid, but they outlaw vaping (inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette with some nicotine in it) which from what I can see helps people wean themselves off cigarettes, but is more difficult to tax. Neither practice sounds beneficial, but pot has plenty of studies showing its harm, and there's very little research on vaping. I'm sticking with the tax theory.

50 shades of porn

For young adults and teens: "Fifty Shades of Grey is being released for Valentine’s Day, so you’ll think it’s a romance. Don’t fall for it. The movie is actually about a sick, dangerous relationship filled with physical and emotional abuse. It seems glamorous, because the actors are gorgeous, they have expensive cars and private planes, and Beyonce is singing. You might conclude that Christian and Ana are cool, and that even though their relationship is different, it’s acceptable.

Don’t allow yourself to be manipulated by a Hollywood studio. The people there just want your money; they have no concern whatsoever about you and your dreams." http://www.miriamgrossmanmd.com/an-open-letter-to-young-pe…/

President Obama’s big gay lie

There are several lies being told about Obama's gay lies (as revealed this week in David Axelrod's book). The big one (by Axelrod) is that it was justified because look at the progress gays have made during Obama's administration. Really? Reminds me of whites claiming the progress blacks made in the 60s was the result of their good will and beneficence. We'd be in the same place with McCain as president because this pot had been reaching a small boil for over 30 years. The next big lie is Obama was afraid he'd lose the support of black Christians if they knew he supported gay marriage. How many black men support marriage, period? The third big lie is that he "evolved" on the issue just in time for the 2012 election. I suspect he was going to be "outed" big time as some tried in 2008 if he didn't submit to the gay mafia.

http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/axelrod-obama-lied-nation-2008-about-his-view-gay-marriage

100 days

Our Conestoga, mid-winter, beat the blahs trip

We had a great time on our bus tour of Columbus today. The Columbus Historical Society offers this tour and can make special arrangements for your group.

"Travel through Downtown with its historical centerpiece, the Ohio Statehouse, and the new Columbus Commons; the Short North Arts District; German Village, the Arena District; Olde Towne East; the Discovery District; Franklin Park and much more. Listen to stories of national significance, international intrigue and local history and lore." http://columbushistory.org/bus-tour-2015

We had a great guide and I learned a lot I didn't know. For instance, in the 19th century, the finest homes and mansions were usually built on the east side of town (there are wonderful old houses on Columbus’ east side).  That’s so the sun was behind them when traveling to or from work.  We had lunch at the Governor's mansion, a delicious box lunch from Panera’s,  with a talk about its 70 year history and residents and visitors. President Reagan had been there (when running for president), as well as John F. Kennedy, and many other candidates seeking support from Ohioans.  Many interesting pieces are not original to the home, but came from the Mansfield Penitentiary storage facility where they’d been stored for decades because about 100 years ago it had a training school in woodworking.   One of the first ladies loved tag sales and one item she got for $500 is estimated to be worth about $15,000. Then it was back on the bus and off to Capital University to see a photography show about the Kennedys by Stanley Tretick, "Capturing Camelot" which will be available until March 25.

In the show about the Kennedys we saw at Capital University there was one photograph that noted the Nixon-Kennedy televised debate in 1960 and how Kennedy looked so tan (it was b & w TV) and Nixon who was recovering from surgery was so pale. What looked like a tan was Addison's Disease and Kennedy actually was abnormally bronze colored, and not a very healthy man, with other health problems. And it possibly won him the election, because it was neck and neck until that debate and Nixon looked so bad.

Not all supplements are good for you

Pay attention to your supplement suppliers. They are not regulated, and could be harmful. DNA testing of the product showed ". . . five out of six products tested did not contain the herb on their label, and that many contained cheap filler, like powdered rice, beans and houseplants, not listed. Some products even showed powered legumes, a plants class that includes peanuts and soybeans, which could harm people with allergies. " Good to know those retailers are removing them.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-avoid-buying-fake-herbal-supplements.html

A.G. Eric Schneiderman has sent “cease & desist” letters to four major retailers – GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreens – ordering them to stop selling certain popular products, including Echinacea, Ginseng, St. John’s Wort, and others until they could “provide detailed information relating to the production, processing and testing of herbal supplements sold at their stores, as well as set forth a thorough explanation of quality control measures in place,” a statement said.

The role of nutrition in Alzheimer’s Disease

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393525/

It’s coded so I can’t copy the highlights, but the manuscript is available online.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4147716/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23696698

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20381316

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3385589/

http://www.biostat.jhsph.edu/courses/bio621/misc/Chocolate%20consumption%20cognitive%20function%20and%20nobel%20laurates%20(NEJM).pdf

Correlation isn't causation, but consuming chocolate closely correlates with the number of Nobel laureates in each country in this study. "Chocolate Consumption, Cognitive Function, and Nobel Laureates" NEJM occasional notes, October 10, 2012. http://www.biostat.jhsph.edu/courses/bio621/misc/Chocolate%20consumption%20cognitive%20function%20and%20nobel%20laurates%20(NEJM).pdf

Five shades of Grey—a Pastor’s viewpoint

“Rick McDaniel, senior pastor of Richmond Community Church, 11801 Nuckols Road, Glen Allen, Virginia 23059, says that while human sexuality is certainly a normal phenomenon, we need to understand it through the lens of God’s morality. McDaniel says Fifty Shades of Grey, with its explicitly erotic scenes that feature bondage, dominance and sadism, is dangerous, destructive and against the teachings of God’s promise of marriage. So he is planning a sermon series titled 5 Shades of Grey, in which he will tackle the five topics of adultery, divorce, cohabitation, pornography and gay marriage.”

Banks forced to fund left wing groups that helped create the mortgage problem

Don't know why this is on the news today, because it was a story last fall--banks forced to give money to the very left wing activist (like ACORN) groups that helped create the crash in mortgage values. Shouldn't that money have gone to the homeowners who believed their lies? http://www.wsj.com/…/bank-of-america-reaches-17-billion-set…

http://news.yahoo.com/doj-money-bank-america-settlement-liberal-activist-groups-212007619.html

“La Raza, Operation Hope, National Community Reinvestment Coalition, and Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America have all intimidated banks to give loans to minorities, even if they can’t afford to pay them back.”

Rana mushroom ravioli

This is not a paid product placement, just wanted to mention a product I tried and liked. I've never made ravioli, and not sure I've even ordered it in a restaurant, but this was very good. All natural, stays fresh in the bag. Cooks in 3 minutes in boiling water. http://www.giovannirana.com/products/mushroom-ravioli/

Last night I served it plain, from the pot, and it was excellent.  Today I served it with some tomato based sauce.

There are a number of products—check product on the web site.

Washington Post Marcus Opinion piece—the right is being too hard on Obama’s remarks to Christians

I’ve never heard of the writer, Ruth Marcus—works for Washington Post. “The right’s crusade against Obama” she called her column.  Her theology and grasp of history is almost as bad as the man she is defending. Maybe she’s fooled by his “yes, but…” style of speeches, but I’m not. Two can play that game.  Democrats say they are no longer that racist group that joined the KKK or supported Jim Crow, which was in my lifetime, but Obama had to reach back a thousand years.

This commenter, bingham60, nailed it:

Did Obama actually mean: “People Committed Terrible Deeds In The Name Of Democrats”

Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other party, remember that from its founding, people committed terrible deeds in the name of the Democratic Party. In our own party, slavery and Jim Crow all too often were justified in the Democratic platform and even today support the cradle-to-grave welfare state ensuring democrats of generations of dependent poverty stricken democrat voters doomed to a life of poverty, misery and slavery to a gluttonous democrat government.

Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, possibly the first grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, spoke at the 1868 Democratic National Convention. Most Klansmen were Democrats. The party refused to condemn the Klan as late as its 1924 convention, a gathering wags called “the Klanbake.”

Woodrow Wilson, a progressive Democrat, was a white supremacist who re-segregated the federal workforce. Segregationists were part of the New Deal coalition and were running mates even to liberal Democratic presidential candidates into the 1950s. In 1956, 99 of the 101 politicians who signed the racist “Southern Manifesto” were Democrats.

The major civil rights legislation of the 1950s and 1960s were all filibustered by democrats and supported by a much lower percentage of Democratic members of Congress than Republicans. This included J. William Fulbright, who was a mentor to Bill Clinton, Al Gore Sr., who was father of the future vice president, and Robert Byrd, an ex-Klansmen who was the Senate Democratic floor leader until 1989 and an elected Democrat until his death in 2010. And then both Obama and Clinton and provided eulogies at his funeral.

George Wallace, Bull Connor and Lester Maddox were all Democrats… By now you get the point.

This shouldn’t be tit for tat, but really, the President was insulting.  It’s like a school kid saying, “well, he did it first,” and even that wasn’t accurate.  The Crusades were in response to hundreds of years of Muslim warfare, oppression and slave taking. The Crusades are over; jihad isn’t.

Six ways to prepare to age well

Well, when I saw that heading, I said, “Too late.”  But these are good reminders published in Health Beat, Harvard Medical School.

1. Adapt your home. Stairs, baths, and kitchens can present hazards for older people. Even if you don't need to make changes now, do an annual safety review so you can make necessary updates if your needs change. [When we remodeled out bathrooms we put in taller base cabinets and “comfort height toilets. Some recent changes in the kitchen, although not sure those will make any difference.]

2. Prevent falls. Falls are a big deal for older people - they often result in fractures that can lead to disability, further health problems, or even death. Safety precautions are important, but so are exercises that can improve balance and strength. [I’m nagging my husband a lot about the ladder and yard work.  We have hired a service for our lake house. We’re both in exercise classes and balance and strength are part of the routine.]

3. Consider your housing options. You might consider investigating naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs). These neighborhoods and housing complexes aren't developed specifically to serve seniors - and, in fact, tend to host a mix of ages - but because they have plenty of coordinated care and support available, they are senior-friendly. [We’ve been living in a NORC since 2002 and love it. We wanted a one floor plan, but have 3, and so far it hasn’t been a problem.  The grounds are gorgeous, and the neighbors the best.]

4. Think ahead about how to get the help you may need. Meal preparation, transportation, home repair, housecleaning, and help with financial tasks such as paying bills might be hired out if you can afford it, or shared among friends and family. Elder services offered in your community might be another option. [I have some friends in their 90s, and am watching carefully. Elder services seem to be quite good in our area. The kitchen repainting was done by professionals this winter.]

5. Plan for emergencies. Who would you call in an emergency? Is there someone who can check in on you regularly? What would you do if you fell and couldn't reach the phone? Keep emergency numbers near each phone or on speed dial. Carry a cellphone (preferably with large buttons and a bright screen), or consider investing in some type of personal alarm system. [We recently got new phones; bigger numbers, but I still like phones with a little heft.  These feel like they’d break if dropped, and the sound quality isn’t that great. We aren’t in the habit of carry cell phones.]

6. Write advance care directives. Advance care directives, such as a living will, durable power of attorney for health care, or health care proxy, allow you to explain the type of medical care you want if you're too sick, confused, or injured to voice your wishes. Every adult should have these documents. [We’ve got the funeral/burial stuff purchased, and wills, and power of attorney, but best of all, our children live close buy.  A family is the best safety net.]