The “gotcha” question—get ready for it

Rubio's already answered the "gotcha" question the media will pose for all Republicans.  It's not on ISIS, EPA regulations, monetary policies, the deficit, Iran’s threat, Israel or did his dog ride outside the car.  It will be this one.  And he said, Yes.  Other candidates could mention 2008 and Obama's lie about supporting traditional marriage in order to get electeed and how he was outed just in time for the 2012 election so he lied again and said he evolved. If evolving is good enough for the president's supporters, then it should be good enough for Republicans replying to the Democratic media that they are evolving on the issue. Now that there are "throuples" wanting recognition of their marriages, perhaps it could be rephrased into something more trendy.

http://www.newsmax.com/US/Marco-Rubio-would-attend-wedding/2015/04/15/

We’ve already been through this some years ago in our family, and they’ve already split.

Look out.

America’s Best Architecture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zBG1xML8U0

I wouldn’t necessarily call the choices, “the best,” but they are certainly influential. The filming begins with the Salk Institute designed by Louis Kahn in La Jolla, California, moves on to Colorado and the chapel at the US Air Force Academy, Trinity Church in Boston,  the St. Louis Gateway Arch designed by Saarinen, various buildings in Columbus, Indiana, Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright in Pennsylvania and the architecture of Chicago.  It leaves out a lot, but is interesting.  Hosts are  artist Mame McCutchin & architect Charlie Luxton and their big van.

#1 man made tourist example in Colorado—Air Force Academy Chapel. 24,000 pieces of glass with colors representing leaving the world coming into the light of God.  The pews are designed to look like old propellers.  Stations of the cross use olive wood from Israel.

This is Henry Hobson Richardson’s Trinity Church in Boston which started a particular style, Richardsonian Romanesque. “Like walking into a painting.”  Next door is the John Hancock tower. I’ve seen these.

When we visited Fallingwater last year with a group from Columbus Museum of Art it was the earliest day in the Spring it was open, so we didn’t see the lush green in this film.  We’ve been on so many wonderful architectural tours with local groups—which is how we saw Columbus, Indiana--this was fun to watch. We’ve also been on a boat ride to see the Chicago architecture—I’ve been to the top of the Sears Tower twice.

I wasn’t familiar with the Reserve Channel, but will continue checking it out.

15 minutes a day with the Harvard classics

If I began on today April 18, it would be in Don Quixote, according to the guide and I would learn how the naming came about. So I would know 15 minutes more than I knew 15 minutes ago.

Here is the guide for reading 15 minutes a day.

And here is an English professor who tried it and found it quite useful.

A Year of 15-Minute Daily Doses From the Harvard Classics

“I discovered that a reading regimen, even if only 15 minutes a day, requires discipline. William James wrote that discipline is needed in the formation of any new habit. In this case, the habit was reading regularly and outside my comfort zone. I often had to fight against an inclination to skip a day. But the relative brevity of the selections kept me on track—a hint to teachers who assign too much and thereby encourage cribbing and cramming. With a 15-minute assignment, I could push on, knowing that the end was near.”  Paula Marantz Cohen, WSJ, Dec. 26, 2014

Save Nigeria

Nigeria is the wealthiest African country, and Nigerian-Americans also are at the top of the charts in education and income. Disagree if you wish, but in my opinion this is a result of Christianity and capitalism, just as in the USA. Sixty years ago, Christianity was only about 20%, outnumbered by Muslims, and now Christians outnumber Muslims. Christian missionaries were faithful and prolific, targeting education and agriculture along with the gospel. Other African countries which depended on foreign aid from the World Bank and their former colonial powers got 70 years of roller coaster failure (like our own War on Poverty the aid held them back). But aggressive jihad is threatening the Christian culture of Nigeria. It's a country in peril.

Save the girls of Chibok--you don't hear much now except from the tiny Church of the Brethren. It's lost 8,000 members to recent Muslim attacks on Christians in Nigeria. The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (160,000 members according to the World Council of churches website) is now over twice the size of its mother church.  I remember the COB missionaries visiting our little church when I was a child to raise support.  Now they need our help again, but this time to saves lives on this side of eternity.   http://www.brethren.org/nigeriacrisis/

http://www.cananusa.org/

Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans, CANAN, is calling on the US President Barack Obama to reinvigorate America’s support to the effort to rescue the over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls who were abducted exactly one year ago by Boko Haram terrorists.

As the whole world marks one year after the disturbing abduction, CANAN wants the US government to renew and upwardly review its military and technical assistance to the Nigerian government’s effort and those of the neighboring countries in confronting the terrorists. April 15, 2015

http://www.cananusa.org/index.php/campaigns/press-release.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2014/11/19/africas-50-richest-2014-worth-a-combined-111-billion-up-nearly-7-percent-from-a-year-ago/

http://www.forbes.com/profile/folorunsho-alakija/ Richer than Oprah.

The Three Hierarchs

When I ride my exercycle in the morning, I don’t find much on TV, but since my computer is directly behind me, I type a topic in Google and do a YouTube search.  I usually don’t have to see the person, but I can through the reflections of the painting on the wall.  I really like the writings of John McGuckin, (whom I found in The story of Christian spirituality) so I Googled him.  I found many men and interesting topics by that name, but I was looking for the theologian. I settled on a good lecture on the Three Hierarchs, Basil the Great (also known as Basil of Caesarea), Gregory the Theologian (also known as Gregory of Nazianzus) and John Chrysostom. I like to dabble in topics about which I know nothing.   McGuckin has written on Gregory, so that was his part of this three topic lecture. Lots of humor.  I guess Gregory was a funny guy.

https://youtu.be/xWhpQpbV1o8

These three are called “doctors of the church” by the western church and Hierarchs by the eastern church.

This particular lecture focuses on the Greek language and culture, the Roman social and legal system, and the Jewish moral teachings as the Christian basis for the role of the early, ancient church in social justice. The idea that God is in suffering changed civilization.

Dirty jobs pay well

Bernie the Socialist wants more money

The top quintile pays 84% of the income tax; the bottom two pay negative taxes.  That’s not good enough for socialists.  No one should be successful. Hillary has raised $2.5 billion; why is he worrying about $900 million?

Art field trip

State sponsored terrorism—Cuba and Iran

I understand why Obama lied about traditional marriage in order to get elected, but what does he have to gain from getting cuddly with Cuba and Iran? Both are top listed for state sponsored terrorism. http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/224826.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/world/americas/obama-cuba-remove-from-state-terror-list.html?_r=0

Regular exercise reduces falls and fractures—Harvard Medical School Healthbeat

“Your bone strength and size peaks by age 30. After that, bones tend to become less dense, making them more fragile and subject to breaks. Bone strength in later life depends upon your peak bone mass in youth. An active lifestyle in youth can increase maximum bone density.

Even if you're older, exercise is still a great way to protect your bones. The physical stress placed on bones during exercise stimulates the growth of new bone tissue. The type of exercise you do matters. To bolster your bones, you need to get regular weight-bearing exercise. This includes weight lifting and resistance training, as well as any type of activity that forces you to work against gravity by standing or carrying your body's weight, including running, walking, dancing, and stair climbing. Activities such as swimming or biking aren't weight-bearing and thus don't build bone. Generally, higher-impact activities (such as running) or resistance exercises (such as strength training) have a more pronounced effect on bone than lower-impact exercises, such as walking.

Only the bones that bear the load of the exercise will benefit. For example, running protects bones in the hips and legs, but not the arms. A well-rounded strength training plan can benefit practically all of your bones.

Because exercise improves your overall strength, coordination, and balance, it also makes you less likely to fall, which means less opportunity to break a bone.

Five quintiles, four races, four pillars of success

There are five quintiles the government uses to show economic groups in the U.S. The top quintile (incomes about $94,000+) pays almost 84% of the income taxes. The quintile figure doesn't provide number of earners in a household, and most in that quintile have two  earners, which lower the quintiles may not.

There are four groups tracked--Asian households have the highest income, then white, then Hispanic, then black. There are four pillars holding up the higher and upper middle earning groups--1) marriage, 2) higher education, 3) social capital by which they contribute to their community--local clubs, politics, sports, and 4) organized religion.

There are a lot of sources to check for this information:  The CBO, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/49440 and Charles Murray "Coming Apart" (2012) and  The Heritage Foundation to name a few. http://blackdemographics.com/households/marriage-in-black-america/  The Wikipedia article has a good bibliography, but is about 6-7 years old.

Arrest-related deaths among whites

Among reported arrest-related deaths, 42% of persons were white, 32% were black, and 20% were Hispanic. (DOJ NCJ 235385) That might sound reasonable considering the percentage of the population that is white, however, the rate of crime among blacks is much higher; the offending rate for blacks is almost 8 times higher than whites, and the victim rate 6 times higher (most victims are also black). This would mean the rate of arrest related deaths for whites is higher than black . (http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htius.pdf)

Natural and organic is big business, government supported

USDA is heavily involved in “natural” and “organic” farming  (certification, regulation, promotion, collecting economic data, lending, etc.) As in all things big government, when it gives you money to do something, it wants something in return. A few years ago I could buy unrefrigerated eggs at a farmers market (they’ll keep for weeks and taste completely different—like when when you were a kid), but last time I asked I was told they needed to follow regulations and refrigerate them before marketing. Perhaps it had been that way much longer, but the little guy I purchased from didn’t know the regulations.

Also, many people who donate to food pantries think these are church run (and they do provide that service for the government), but almost everyone along the way from farmer, to harvest, to processing, to storing at your local “food bank” is all government paid. It’s a massive loop, employing millions of people. It’s an all-growth industry feeding the poor.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/farmersmarkets

The government controls competition:  http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5094336

USDA provides funds to publicize Farmers Markets: http://www.nutrition.gov/farmers-markets

http://www.foodpantries.org/

http://stmarysdorchester.org/food-pantry/

This is an interesting article in that it doesn’t really explain the role of the federal government in food pantries. http://www.foodbankrockies.org/wp-content/uploads/Tips-for-Organizing-and-Operating-a-Food-Pantry-Program.pdf

National Library Week

Nice to know we’ve always done something right

Although I’m not so sure we’ve changed the world. . .

Today is Tax Day

I was going to say this, but he already did.

"I’m probably in the minority, but as Tax Day approaches and as we analyze and compare tax burdens, I would like to personally express my sincere gratitude to: a) the 3 million Americans in the top 1% with incomes above $615,000 for shouldering almost half of the total US income tax burden with only 17% of the total income,. . ." http://www.aei.org/pu…/tax-day-approaches-lets-thank-top-20/

She defines dysfunctional politics when she speaks and acts

“We need to fix our dysfunctional political system and get unaccountable money out of it once and for all, even if that takes a constitutional amendment,” Clinton said at the first event of her 2016 presidential run. This she said while her foundation was taking donations from countries with which she was negotiating while Secretary of State. Wants to change our constitution to suit Democrat political dynasties which are not held accountable even by the laws we already have on the books that make their behavior illegal.

$422 SNAP allotment for mother and 2 children—food bill; eat your heart out Gwyneth Paltrow

This is a wild estimate using this week’s flyer for Marc’s in Columbus, OH. It’s a lower price, discount store.  I haven’t included taxables in this list—just food.  The USDA allows $89 contribution from cash for this family of 3—so I would use that for the taxables of soap, cleaning supplies, pop, etc. I’ve got a balance of about $40 which I can use for what I’ve forgotten, or for a treat at McDonald’s (love those sausage biscuits).

School age children receive breakfast, lunch and after school snack at school.

 

Vegetables

10 lb. potatoes $3.00; 2 lb. onions $7.00; 5 sweet corn ears, $2.00; Broccoli heads (2) $3.00; cauliflower (2) $3.00; Red pepper (1) $.70; Green beans 2 lb. $3.00; Frozen peas (2-1 lb) $2.00; Frozen mixed veg. (2-1 lb) $2.00; canned black or red beans 16 oz (4) $3.60; Canned vegetables 6-23.5 oz  $18.00; mixed greens for salad $3.00; baby spinach $4.00; lettuce (3) $3.00

Fruit

Strawberries 4 lb.  $6.00; Apples Jazz 8 lb.  $7.00; Oranges (10) 8 lb. $4.00; Pears 5 lb. $5.00; Canned fruit 6-23.5 oz  $18.00; juice 59 oz (3) $10.00; tomato sauce (pasta) 66 oz. $4.00; Canned tomatoes (8) $10.00; golden raisins 16 oz. (2) $5.20; bananas 18  $6.00

Meat

Chicken leg quarters 10 lb. $4.90; Chicken thighs, bone in  $14.00; Lean ground turkey 2 lb. $4.60; Bacon 2 lb. $5.00; Tuna 5 oz. (4) $3.00; Chicken sausage, 1 lb $3.30; Lunch meat 8 oz (2) $7.00; Ground  sirloin, 2 lb. $10.00; Ground beef, 2 lb. $8.00; Cheese-franks, bun size $1.35; pork sausage 1 lb $4.00; Bratwurst $6.00; Ham, shank in $10.00; Beef roast $12.00;

Dairy

Sour cream 16 oz. $1.50; eggs, grade A large, 18, $3.30; Milk 4 gal. $12.00; block cheddar 24 oz. $5.00; yogurt, plain 16 oz. $3.00; butter 2 lb $6.00; Pepper Jack cheese 1 lb $5.00;

Miscellaneous

Peanut Butter, 2 lb. natural, $5.80; jelly 12 oz (2) $5.60; Coffee 33 oz. $6.70; tea bags $2.00; salad dressing (2) $3.00; soup 4 cans $5.00; walnuts $6.00; Almonds $7.00;  condiments and spices $15.00; Sugar 4 lb $5.00; Flour 5 lb $4.00; Bisquick  $3.60

Grain based  

egg noodles, other wheat pasta 16 oz. (4) $5.00; rice 2 lb.$2.00; bread 20 oz. (4)  $4.00; English muffins (2) $4.00; Crackers 16 oz (3) $9.00; frozen pizza  12 in. (2) $9.00; frozen pierogi  $2.50; oatmeal $4.00

Dessert

cake mixes 3, $3.60 (used to make cookies); ice cream 1.5 gal. (2) $6.00; pudding mix (4) $3.60

Oops. Forgot carrots and cabbage. $5.00
----------------------

$384

Free range kids, over protective parents, and overstepping government authority

I listened to the free range mom on Glenn Beck this morning. Although I was a helicopter parent before the term was invented, my own generation as children was certainly "free range." I did things like riding my bike to the next town on the highway, or galloping on a blind horse. When I was 11 I was babysitting for infants--didn't even know how to change a diaper. When I was 13 I was a corn detasseler (removing tassel to cross or hybridize corn plant) either walking the rows or riding equipment with a teen driver for supervision.

Pinky, the blind horse who was also a family babysitter.

Children under 5 are in danger, but it's their parents, not strangers or neighbors. Particularly their mothers and their boyfriends, and it's not guns either. Homicide has drastically gone down in all age groups the last 25 years, but has gone up in that one, and black children are way out of proportion to their population. When was the last time you heard of a black parent being arrested for allowing a child to play unsupervised in the park or street? http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/homicidechildrenyouth.pdf

I don't know why homicide in young children is going up, but my suspicion is it has to do with abortion and the devaluing of young lives.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/13/parents-investigated-letting-children-walk-alone/25700823/

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/31/living/florida-mom-arrested-son-park/