The wall of shame has 60 names

Sixty Democrats didn’t show up (may have been one Republican—not sure) to hear Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who had been invited by the House Speaker to address the Congress of the U.S. Democrats made up this yahoo charge that it was political and Israel was having elections. What a crock. What isn’t political these days? Since when have we cared about anyone else’s elections? Do we even know when Canada or Mexico is having an election, and they are our next door neighbors!

Why would any leader of a modern, non-Islamic country under threat of extinction refuse such an invitation? Why would he insult Congress by saying, “Well, I’ve got to run this past your president to see if it’s OK.” Or,  “Maybe I’d better wait until after the elections when Iran will be an even bigger threat.”

According to our 3 part system of government, the House is the most powerful part of Congress, and Congress is a bigger deal than the presidency. Yes, it’s become screwed up in the last 100 years, but that’s the way our Constitution is written. Article I, Section 1 starts with Congress, not the Executive or Judicial branch. Section 2 of Article I begins with the House, not the Senate. The idea of those crazy founders climbing out from under a Monarchy system was that the people, through their elected representatives from their communities, should have the biggest say in governing other Americans. They would originate the laws and apportion the taxes. The Senate was supposed to represent the interests of the individual states, so it was further removed from the people.

Through the leader of our most important branch of the government the people of the U.S. wanted to hear what the tiniest country in the middle east had to say about the threat to its existence. And wow. What a speech. It could make me cry (and almost did) to hear what a real leader sounds like.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31716684

Meeting Jesus, Matthew 25

At UALC this past month we’ve been meeting Jesus as he promised us in the Gospel of Matthew by feeding the hungry .

• Souper Bowl Sunday 2015; thank God for a successful event at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church that resulted in $5,716 in cash and 2,796 donated cans of food being collected for Lutheran Social Services food pantries. That translates to 242,868 cans of food for hungry people!
• Community Meal Packing Project;  thank God for anointing those who gathered last week to pack 763,320 meals for hungry people both locally and in Haiti, and for the opportunity we had to share Jesus with those who came to Mill Run to help pack food.

We worked in groups of 10-12, in 30 shifts, packaging, weighing and sealing 3 different types of meals that will be distributed by Meals from the Heart.   Close to half the meals will go overseas to programs like the Andrew Grene School near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The remaining meals will stay in this country to be distributed through the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, Lutheran Social Services and the Salvation Army. Each bag contains enough dried food for 6 meals.

“Meals from the Heart is a division of Mano Amiga, a 20-year-old 501c3 non-profit company organizing and facilitating mission trips for youth organizations from churches and schools is based in Minnesota. Mano Amiga works to help people in need. Homes get roofs, schools get built, lives get changed. Workers return from the trips with a new outlook on life.”

Spineless, gutless Republicans—a challenge for the electorate

I noticed this editorial comment in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (outspoken opponents of Obamacare).

“On Nov. 4 the electorate spoke and awarded the Albatross Award to President Barack Hussein Obama and his socialist colleagues in Congress who voted for “ObamaCare.” The midterm election was not just a referendum on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but a referendum on the President’s other harmful and failed policies, and the bureaucratic incompetence that is the hallmark of his administration.” Obviously, written before January and passing the baton.

Now that the Republicans have the House and Senate they are dithering as though they lost. I don’t know why they can’t take advantage of their win—it never stops the Democrats from playing dirty and smart. The Net has been neutered; the illegal gifts from Obama to the illegal immigrants are still in place; softening opposition to Obamacare; Hillary’s being given a pass on her illegal behavior and lack of a record; Keystone—on and on.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/us/congress-budget-debate.html?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/technology/path-clears-for-net-neutrality-ahead-of-fcc-vote.html?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/03/02/obamas-claim-that-keystone-xl-oil-bypasses-the-u-s-earns-four-pinocchios/?

http://poorrichardsnews.com/post/112342727813/repealing-obamacare-not-included-in-jebs-list-of

There are so many scandals and bad, anti-American policies in this administration, it should be a piece of cake, but instead the Republicans just have egg on their faces.

Buck v. Bell Supreme Court decision, 1927

Some of the most egregious moral errors in U.S. history have come through the Supreme Court. Dred Scott. Separate but equal schooling. Interracial marriage outlawed. Japanese internment during WWII. Sodomy laws upheld. Dirty words ruling. Roe v. Wade.  Obamacare is legal because it is a tax.  And then there is sterilizing people thought to be substandard humans—like Carrie Buck.

“The plaintiff, Carrie Buck, a 17-year-old girl from Charlottesville, was the first person chosen for sterilization. Carrie had a child out of wedlock—likely as the result of a rape by a friend of her foster family. Since her mother was a prostitute, the Virginia Colony Asylum decided that Carrie should be institutionalized because she and her mother Emma shared the hereditary traits of “feeblemindedness” and sexual promiscuity. . .

“On appeal to United States Supreme Court, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., a student of eugenics, wrote the formal opinion for the Court:

Carrie Buck is the probable potential parent of socially inadequate offspring, likewise afflicted, that she may be sexually sterilized without detriment to her general health and that her welfare and that of society will be promoted by her sterilization…. It is better for the world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime, or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind. The principle that sustains compulsory vaccination is broad enough to cover cutting the Fallopian tubes. Three generations of imbeciles are enough.”18, p 208

School records prove that Carrie’s daughter Vivian was not feebleminded. Her first grade report card showed that Vivian was a solid “B” student, received an “A” in deportment, and had been on the honor roll.8, p 190 Sadly, she died at age 8 from enteritis—probably a preventable childhood disease. Carrie was released [from the asylum] and became a housekeeper and an avid reader, and she married a carpenter in 1932.

The Buck v. Bell precedent allowing sterilization of the “feebleminded” has never been overruled.”

Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Volume 19 Number 4 Winter 2014,  The ‘Science’ of Eugenics: America’s Moral Detour Marilyn M. Singleton, M.D., J.D.

Rasheed Sulaimon—where is the crime?

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, neither female student at Duke filed charges or talked to the police.  Sulaimon may be a scum bag, but aren’t there some rules to follow here?

Separate allegations of sexual assault by Sulaimon came from two female students in the 2013-14 academic year. Both students voiced allegations publicly, but neither filed a complaint through the Office of Student Conduct or took legal action through the Durham Police Department. The students declined to discuss their allegations with The Chronicle.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/03/02/duke-reportedly-knew-of-sexual-assault-allegations-against-rasheed-sulaimon-since-march-2014/

http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2015/03/02/rasheed-sulaimon-center-sexual-assault-allegations-prior-dismissal

Neither paper gives the names of the women who heard the allegations at a diversity retreat not the names of the women who said it happened.  In another life with fewer stakes we’d call that gossip or bullying. How does an employee of Duke report an assault that wasn’t reported?

Christianity by the numbers

Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians:  There were 981,000 of these souls in 1900; there are 643,661,000 of them today; and there are projected to be over one billion Charismatics and Pentecostals in 2050. In raw numbers, then, Charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity is the fastest growing phenomenon in world religious history.  And there are many more numbers in this First Things article.

Our aging brain—you’ll need about 70 minutes to watch this

Free radicals, anti-oxidants, mitochondria, effects of exercise, energy, toxins, role of stress, different nutrients and so forth. Dr. Russell Blaylock writes The Blaylock Wellness Report newsletter and has authored four books, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life, Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients, and his most recent work, Cellular and Molecular Biology of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49RRFs8qIVE#t=962

Writes a column for Newsmax.

Food additive excitotoxins and dementia

Kitchen sink spirituality

The new kitchen counter tops are in; the appliances are working after several false starts and installations; I’m planning on some different accessories and paintings.  We also had to do some kitchen repair at our lake house, which I haven’t seen yet.  We don’t have a dishwasher there, and we enjoy the time we spend doing dishes together (my husband likes to wash). And although I certainly didn’t appreciate doing dishes with my Mom when I was a child (a rotated task for 3 daughters), I look back on that time fondly now and the talks we had.   Now what? Perhaps some prayer and praise while cleaning up?

http://www.lisadeam.com/kitchen-sink-spirituality/

Asian students file law suits over affirmative action

Asians score higher than any other group, so colleges have to handicap them in order not to have a disproportionate minority group.

“In a tutoring center’s workshop on college admissions in the valley, Ann Lee tells Asian-American parents about a Princeton study on how race and ethnicity affect admissions. Being black is worth 230 SAT points, according to the study. Hispanics receive a “bonus” of 185 points. Asian applicants are penalized by 50 points, says Lee. “Do Asians need higher test scores? Is it harder for Asians to get into college? The answer is yes,” Lee says.” Joanne Jacobs

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/11/18/rejected-asian-students-sue-harvard-over-admissions-that-favor-other-minorities/

On time from Haiti

There goes our internet—along party lines, of course

The Democrats on the FCC did Obama’s bidding.

Flavonoids found in many foods

Flavonoids are a group of plant metabolites thought to provide health benefits through cell signaling pathways and antioxidant effects. These molecules are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. The abundance of flavonoids coupled with their low toxicity relative to other plant compounds means they can be ingested in large quantities by animals, including humans. Examples of foods that are rich in flavonoids include onions, parsley, blueberries, bananas, dark chocolate and red wine.

http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-are-Flavonoids.aspx

Quercetin and epicatechin are examples of flavonoids, essential pigments found in many fruits and vegetables.

Quercetin is the aglycone form of flavonoid glycosides such as rutin and quercitrin which are found in buckwheat, citrus fruit and onions. Quercetin is thought to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and to protect against some forms of illness such as cancer. However, the clinical evidence to support this claim is not yet available, despite promising initial research findings. Quercetin is found in various types of fruits, vegetables, teas, wine and many other food items.

Catechins are important flavonoids abundant in the leaves of the tea plant.* Examples include epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate. When oolong tea or black tea is prepared, the leaves are allowed to oxidize. This causes conversion of some or all of the catechins to larger molecules and reduces the flavonoid content. White tea is tea that has undergone even less processing than green tea and therefore provides the highest catechin content.

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Quercetin-and-Epicatechin.aspx

http://www.ihealthdirectory.com/flavonoids-rich-foods/

*All teas from the Camellia plant are rich in polyphenols, antioxidants that detoxify cell-damaging free radicals in the body. Tea has about eight to 10 times the polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables, and the longer you steep the tea, the more flavonoids you'll get in your brew. Some believe white tea can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure and acts as a blood thinner and contibutes to bone density, all because of the falconoids (there are thousands of falconoids, and it’s a great word for Scrabble).

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/health-benefits-tea
http://www.whiteteaguide.com/whiteteahealthbenefits.htm

DIY decaf white tea (because it can have a lot of caffeine): "Just brew a cup as normal, leaving the leaves in the hot water for about 30 seconds. Then drain the tea leaves and rebrew... The caffeine content is almost completely lost with the first brewing (in fact, just as much caffeine is equal to any commercial decaf!)." From a non-working website.

http://directorsblog.nih.gov/2014/11/04/could-flavanols-reverse-age-related-memory-decline/

Green tea extract and cognitive functions

Cocoa Sustainability—what is that?

This is Hershey’s statement about its farmers who grow the products:

Hershey’s 21st Century Cocoa Sustain ability Strategy seeks to modernize cocoa farming to increase farmer incomes, attract new farmers and improve cocoa growing communities. The 21st Century Cocoa Sustainability Strategy will also help accelerate Hershey’s commitment to purchase 100 percent certified cocoa by 2020 for all chocolate products around the world.

Hershey is currently focusing its initiatives in West Africa – Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana – because cocoa farmers there have the greatest need to improve their farms and raise living standards for themselves and their families. Hershey is working on similar farm improvement projects in Indonesia and Latin America, including an innovative project in Mexico to restore the disease-ravaged cocoa crop. . .

Hershey has already committed to source cocoa through three of the world’s most recognized cocoa certifying organizations: UTZ, Fairtrade USA and Rainforest Alliance. As Hershey’s buying volume increases, the company will be working with other well-established certification organizations to expand their capacity to certify more cocoa farmers globally.
Hershey-supported sustainability and certification programs will benefit more than 750,000 cocoa farmers by 2017.”  (statement originally reported in October 2012) http://www.thehersheycompany.com/pdfs/21st_Century-single_page_final.pdf

http://3blmedia.com/News/Campaign/Hersheys-21st-Century-Cocoa-Strategy

Some background: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/activists-protest-hershey-times-square-calling-chocolate-giant-stop-child-labor-article-1.127762

http://3blmedia.com/blog/Larry-Graham/CSR/History-Commitment-West-African-Cocoa-Communities

Watching Grease on a Saturday morning

I’m watching Grease (1978).  Hard to believe it’s been almost 40 years. Of course, the stars are all much older than the characters they portray—Stockard Channing was 34!  I’d forgotten how campy it was.  Goodness that dance scene was incredible.  Beautiful clothes too.  Not exactly 50s, but close. How about those pink socks on Travolta.

Last night I watched Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, also a really good movie.

More brain volume shrinkage with aggressive blood pressure treatment

People with type 2 diabetes may lose more brain volume than is expected as they age, new research indicates, but treating for cholesterol and blood pressure didn’t benefit diabetics with cognitive problems, and the aggressive BP treatment actually is linked to more brain atrophy. This study suggests that chronic high levels of insulin and sugar may be directly toxic to brain cells.

“Both heart disease and diabetes are closely linked to cognitive problems (see Jan 2014 webinar; see AlzRisk analysis). To learn what is gained from treating these disorders, the ACCORD trial recruited more than 10,000 older people with Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors. Nearly 3,000 of them participated in the MIND substudy. Their average age was 62 and they had struggled with diabetes for about 10 years, with poor control of blood sugar and blood pressure. The researchers split the cohort in half to test two interventions, one targeting blood pressure and the other, cholesterol. In the hypertension study, half the participants received high-dose medication that dropped systolic pressure below 120 mm Hg, while the other half received standard treatment aiming for the 130-140 mm range. In the cholesterol study, the control group took statins while the rest took statins plus fenofibrate, a drug that further lowers cholesterol and other fats in the blood.

After 40 months of treatment, all participants performed worse on cognitive tests than they had at baseline. There were no significant differences between standard and treatment arms in either study.

More than 500 MIND participants volunteered for MRI as well. These scans showed that whole brain volume shrank over 40 months in all participants, but the intensive blood pressure-intervention group had significantly more atrophy. Although treatment has since ended, the researchers continue to follow the cohort to see if cognitive differences between arms will show up over time, and if such changes will reflect the alterations in brain volume. Participants recently completed 75-month follow-up cognitive tests and brain scans; those results may be available within the year, Williamson told Alzforum.”

http://www.alzforum.org/news/research-news/aggressive-hypertension-treatment-accelerates-brain-atrophy-diabetics

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2085525

32,000 “lost” e-mails found

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20150227_Investigators__32_000_IRS_e-mails_found.html

Of course, the election she was trying to swing for Obama is over.

WASHINGTON - Investigators said Thursday that they have recovered 32,000 e-mails related to a former IRS official at the heart of the agency's tea party scandal.  But they don't know how many of them are new.

The e-mails were to and from Lois Lerner, who used to head the IRS division that processes applications for tax-exempt status. In June, the IRS told Congress it had lost an unknown number of Lerner's e-mails when her computer hard drive crashed in 2011.

At the time, IRS officials said the e-mails could not be recovered. But at a congressional hearing Thursday evening, Timothy Camus, IRS deputy inspector general, said investigators recovered thousands of e-mails from old computer tapes used to back up the agency's system.

I wonder is anyone will be prosecuted?  Probably not.  They are Democrats.  They get to lie with impunity.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2015/02/27/investigation-into-irs-scandal-now-a-criminal-probe-n1963260

Not surprisingly, in order to stonewall the congressional investigation into the targeting of conservative groups, IRS officials never asked IT professionals to look into gathering back-up tapes or recovering emails requested by Congress.

Despite IRS Commissioner John Koskinen repeatedly saying under oath in previous hearings that Lerner's emails could not be recovered, Camus and investigators have been successful in recovering nearly 33,000 emails relevant to the IRS investigation.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/lois-lerner-irs-emails-113124.html

It was actually reported in November. But I’m guessing it was known before the election, and news was put on the back burner by media.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2014/11/21/irs-inspector-general-finds-up-to-30000-of-lois-lerners-e-mails/

The GOP-controlled House oversight and ways and means committees have sought the e-mails as part of their investigations into the IRS targeting scandal, which involved screening nonprofit advocacy groups for deeper review based on their names and policy positions. Most of the affected groups were conservative, although a small number of them were left-leaning.

Republicans have alleged that the Obama administration used the IRS and other enforcement agencies to silence conservative critics during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles, when the targeting occurred.

And to this we add pot

I've had conversations with people whose brains were damaged by alcohol and those who have Alzheimer's, and trust me, there's very little difference. Why are people (usually liberals and libertarians) so eager to see the population further downgrade their intelligence?

http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/news/2014/11/long-term-marijuana-use-affects-brain-function-structure

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201403/heavy-marijuana-use-alters-teenage-brain-structure

The number one song the day I was born

What about you? http://playback.fm/birthday-song

Bad news for smokers—it’s worse than you thought

The study of more than 200,000 people, published this week in BMC medicine, found about 67 percent of smokers perished from smoking-related illness. That rate is higher than doctors previously estimated.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/26/the-terrifying-rate-at-which-smokers-die-from-smoking/

Besides lung cancer, smoking also increases the risk of at least 13 other cancers including cancers of the larynx (voice box), oesophagus (gullet), mouth and pharynx (throat), bladder, pancreas,  kidney,  liver,  stomach,  bowel,  cervix, ovary, nose and sinus, and some types of leukaemia. There is also some evidence that smoking could increase the risk of breast cancer.

Rudy was right

“There is very little that a man with Barack Obama’s views and proclivities should love about the country, beyond the fact that its people are so vulnerable to insipid sentimentality that they twice elected him president.”

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/414112/rudy-right-kevin-d-williamson