ISIS doesn’t just have a target on Pam Geller’s back

This will come as a shock to liberals and progressives, and even some conservatives who have criticized Geller, but ISIS doesn't just dislike conservatives who draw Mohammed, but they hate the liberals too for their belief in the first amendment (which includes religion). You know the one--allows them to ridicule and criticize Christians, stomp on the American flag and attend Michael Moore movies that insult our intelligence. Most of the people they've killed have been Muslim, but they're coming for you, too.

Pam Geller’s abuse of free speech

“I take a back seat to no one when it comes to defending free speech — even that of the worst sorts. We let neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan march and protest because the true test of free speech is that unpopular speech is tolerated. “  But for Pam Geller, she’ll hide in the trunk.

Our kitchen counter top

The news is good--and if it actually happens and I find out the name of the supplier, I'll certainly give them a plug. At the end of February the final touch on our kitchen after months of hassle about 3 new appliances, and a mishap on paint color choice, was new quartz counter top. I'd had marble (don't ever chose that), and granite requires too much care, so quartz seemed the perfect, if expensive, answer, for worry free cooking. After it was installed we found tiny imperfections in... about 6 places. The contractor was mystified; said he'd never seen it before. The supplier sent out an inspector. Now the supplier to that supplier has said they will reinstall, at no cost, not even for the first one, and will reimburse the contractor. So essentially, we'll have a quartz counter top free. . . assuming this all happens. . . and we have been waiting 2 months for it to be resolved.

This kind of bully has approval all the way from the White House down

For years, gays (except librarians, stage actors, ballet dancers, male models, some female athletes, women's clothing designers, and hair dressers) thought they needed to hide their sexual preferences. Despite their fear and self-loathing, gays are the most educated and wealthiest demographic in the country. Again, except librarians.  They weren’t loud, or rich, but they were very out, proving it can be done—even in the 60s and 70s.  But that's all changed now--the president finally came out in 2012 against traditional marriage and the entertainment industry particularly has been relentless for four decades in providing gay themed and gay story line and gay actors for TV and movies--far beyond their 2% representation in the population. So now they are popping out of closets like they've run out of moth balls--professional athletes, news anchors, authors, etc. The response? To demonize Christians who have a biblical view of marriage. So I guess it isn't about sexual preference or love or marriage at all, but about power and bullying, very human traits and behaviors that transcend gender, race, ethnicity and religion.

Maybe a tasty discovery

A concentrated extract of maple syrup makes disease-causing bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, according to laboratory experiments by researchers at McGill University.

https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/could-maple-syrup-help-cut-use-antibiotics-246929

"Polyphenolic Extract from Maple Syrup Potentiates Antibiotic Susceptibility and Reduces Biofilm Formation of Pathogenic Bacteria," by Vimal B. Maisuria, Zeinab Hosseinidoust, and Nathalie Tufenkji, is scheduled for publication in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Volume: 81 Issue: 11. To view the accepted manuscript: http://aem.asm.org/content/early/2015/03/23/AEM.00239-15.abstract

Anti-inflammatory diets

They are all similar, and they all sell books.  This article from 2008 in WebMD lists the components. These articles all have enriched links (for making money to support the website).

Specifics vary from diet to diet, but in general anti-inflammatory diets suggest:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Minimize saturated and trans fats.
• Eat a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish or fish oil supplements and walnuts.
• Watch your intake of refined carbohydrates such as pasta and white rice.
• Eat plenty of whole grains such as brown rice and bulgur wheat.
• Eat lean protein sources such as chicken; cut back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods.
• Avoid refined foods and processed foods.
• Spice it up. Ginger, curry, and other spices can have an anti-inflammatory effect.

From Molly’s Fund in 2013: Here are the basics of the anti-inflammatory diet (all versions vary, but this is the general proposal for all:

• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
• Minimize saturated and trans fats.
• Eat a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish or fish oil supplements and walnuts.
• Limit your intake of refined carbohydrates such as pasta and white rice.
• Eat lots of whole grains such as brown rice and bulgur wheat.
• Choose lean protein sources such as chicken; cutting back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods.
• Avoid refined foods and processed foods.
• Use spices like ginger, curry, and other spices that have been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Reading through the paleo diet, I think one could starve in place. You’d at least have a problem at restaurants and parties.

Carrot Cake Smoothie
Serves 1

1 cup chopped carrots
1 frozen banana
6oz cup Chobani Pineapple Greek Yogurt
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice )
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add almond milk as needed to acquire your desired thickness.
Note: For a vegan option, omit the Greek yogurt (and almond milk) and sub with 1 cup of coconut milk instead.

I haven’t tried this—just using it as an example of something on a Lupus page.  I like making smoothies in my blender—have never tried adding oats.

The China Study has been around a long time—about arthritis and plant food.

A new meaning for “social media”

The internet is allowing more hookups for sex. The appearance of Craigslist in a given region was associated with a 15.9% increase in HIV incidence. More than 6,000 new cases of HIV infection could likely be attributed to the site each year. Most are for young gay and bisexual men, especially minorities. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2035585

Sounds like my diet—but never fewer words

Pause and learn a lesson

She waits at a stop light and is refreshed with the Lord’s presence.

http://mqcorner.blogspot.com/2015/05/observing-and-learning-from-toddler.html

“Focus on the things around you. There are exciting things happening right here in this place. You need to learn from these things to grow, to learn, to develop as I need you to.”

Ben Carson’s mother

"Baltimore moms can wait on the government to act and fail, or they can do what Ben Carson's mother did. She refused to accept excuses for failure, and instead taught Christian values of right and wrong and personal responsibility. The government cannot solve your problems-- they most likely created the problem in the first place." Star Parker

Book Club schedule 2015-2016

Our group met Monday and selected titles for next 2015-2016. Here's next year's schedule. I’m really excited about this list. We meet  at 2 PM at Bethel Presbyterian Church, 1735 Bethel Road, Columbus, Ohio 43220—first Monday except September and except for October 5 at Peggy’s in Bexley and December 7 at Carolyn A’s in Clintonville.

September 14--The Men Who United the States, by Simon Winchester--led by Carolyn A and Courtney.

October 5--Barefoot Lawyer: a blind man's fight for justice and freedom in China,  by Guangcheng Chen--led by Letha.

November 2--Dead Wake: the last crossing of the Lusitania,  by Erik Larson--led by Peggy.

December 7--Kaaterskill Falls: a novel, by Allegra Goodman--led by Carolyn A.

January 4--Clara and Mr. Tiffany, by Susan Vreeland--led by Bev.

February 1--Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking, by Susan Cain--led by Justine.

March 7--Shakespeare Saved My Life: ten years in solitary with the bard, by Laura Bates--led by Mary Lou.

April 4--Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker: the unlikely friendship of Elizabeth Keckley and Mary Todd Lincoln--led by Jean.

May 2--Look to Lazarus by David, Elise and Bev Meyers--presentation by our own Bev.

Do black lives matter?

Loretta Lynch, the new attorney general, or chief cop, is going to meet with Freddie Gray's family. What message does this send to all the families whose children, father, mother, grandparents, etc. have been killed by thugs, burglars, psychos or just bad dudes but never get a word of condolence from the WH or DOJ? It's almost as if black lives don't matter, unless. . . a white person is  involved.   http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=922

And do black children matter . . . if they are killed by their parents? The ones that are not aborted.

Throughout the 28-year period from 1980 to 2008, infants under
1 year of age had the highest homicide victimization rate of all
children under age 5.

Of all children under age 5 murdered from 1980 through 2008—
 63% were killed by a parent—33% were killed by their fathers
         and 30% were killed by their mothers (table 3)
 23% were killed by male acquaintances
 5% were killed by female acquaintances
 7% were killed by other relatives
 3% were killed by strangers.

Of children under age 5 killed by someone other than their parent, 80% were killed by males.

Why are black males disproportionately represented in the prison population? Because they are disproportionately represented as both homicide victims and offenders. The victimization rate for blacks (27.8 per 100,000) was 6 times higher than the rate for whites (4.5 per 100,000). The offending rate for blacks (34.4 per 100,000) was almost 8 times higher than the rate for whites (4.5 per 100,000). Males represented 77% of homicide victims and nearly 90% of offenders (which btw means men are killing a lot of women).

The homicide rate peaked in 1980--10.2 per 100,000, dipped throughout the 80s, rose again in early 90s, then dropped to 4.8 homicides per 100,000 in 2010. This is what stiffer penalties and better policing have done and which will be undone by new calls for "justice." A large number of the lives being saved are black men, women and children. We have trouble makers, professional rabble rousers and race baiters, who want blacks to remain victims. Some within our own government. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf

The gender gap in reading

Yes, there's a gender gap--in reading. And it is world wide, highest in Finland despite the praise for its school system. Not to worry though. It goes away in adulthood. Let’s hope we don’t spend too much tax money trying to fix it.

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2015/03/26-chalkboard-gender-gap-loveless

The gender gap is large, worldwide, and persistent through the K-12 years. What should be done about it? Maybe nothing. As just noted, the gap seems to dissipate by adulthood. Moreover, crafting an effective remedy for the gender gap is made more difficult because we don’t definitely know its cause. Enjoyment of reading is a good example. Many commentators argue that schools should make a concerted effort to get boys to enjoy reading more. Enjoyment of reading is statistically correlated with reading performance, and the hope is that making reading more enjoyable would get boys to read more, thereby raising reading skills.

Education has changed in the last 100 years

Those of you with connections at Ohio State may have visited the web site for Knowledge Bank (OK, maybe not). It's kind of like a treasure trove of grandma's attic, a waste dump, and incredible hidden archives. Most universities have something similar. You can find everything from ancient university published journal articles to Uncle Joe's freshman economics paper. Yesterday I looked through the 1904-1905 course bulletin (scanned) for Ohio State, beginning with Stone lab on Lake Erie. I think there were 6 department/colleges then. What is fascinating is the required high school courses to enter. French, German and Latin for the College of Agriculture. For College of the Arts, add Greek. At the other end of bizarre were lots of British literature requirements for all colleges, including the "classics," but not even a nod to American literature.

https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/

These are lovely—free hymn arrangements

http://greghowlett.com/freearrangements.aspx

Also a blog with interesting stuff—and I’m certainly no musician.

http://greghowlett.com/blog/music-philosophy/danny-crawford-interview-part-1.aspx

Danny Crawford has had a 30+ year career as a performer (he was one of the founders of Karen Peck and New River) and as a studio musician. Within the world of southern gospel, he has worked with basically everyone you can think of and he has extensive experience in country and bluegrass as well (including Ricky Skaggs). Today he is off the road as a performer but plays on about 125 projects a year. (pt. 1 of an interview)

He has certainly transformed his party

How has Obama transformed America? When he was a state senator from Illinois his voting record on abortion was the most extreme of any elected politician. But he's certainly emboldened his party. The liberal fact checkers turn themselves inside out on Obama's record on abortion to twist the facts, but they can’t deny his results.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/07/barbaric-100-of-dem-senators-vote-for-late-term-abortion-up-to-nine-months-of-pregnancy/#!

http://www.nationaljournal.com/health-care/cruz-senate-democrats-abortion-bill-is-the-war-on-women-20140715

"The bill is really about just one thing: It seeks to strip away from elected lawmakers the ability to provide even the most minimal protections for unborn children, at any stage of their prenatal development," said Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee. "While the proposal is so sweeping and extreme that it would be difficult to capture its full scope in any short title, calling the bill the 'Abortion Without Limits Until Birth Act' would be more in line with truth-in-advertising standards."

Who reads which newspapers?

1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand the Washington Post. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie chart format.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country, if they could spare the time, and if they didn't have to leave LA to do it.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and they did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country, and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country, as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.
9. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country or that anyone is running it; but whoever it is, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from ANY country or galaxy, as long as they are democrats.
10. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.
11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.

http://www.gcfl.net/archive.php?funny=7237

Makes me nostalgic for when Panera’s and a few other coffee shops had a house paper for both the Columbus Dispatch and the Wall St. Journal. WSJ actually has the most liberal news coverage, but the best conservative opinion page. Using WSJ I did a comparison of the difference between male and female writers' use of idioms.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2007/01/3328-e.html

Another Bush-Paulson

Former Bush Secretary of Treasury Hank Paulson is supporting Jeb Bush. Right there is a good reason to look elsewhere. Henry Paulson, the architect of the bank bailouts of 2008, is a former employee of Goldman Sachs and was a partner with Al Gore in a cap and trade scheme, a multi-billion dollar business called, Generation Investment Management (GIM). Very good at playing both sides of the aisle. Really big on getting rich with China.
http://www.paulsoninstitute.org/about/about-our-people/

Government policies

The government's role in holding back the Blacks of Baltimore. They should be very suspicious of more of the same, from segregationist city administrations to FHA to HUD to community organizers and academics on federal grants. http://www.epi.org/blog/from-ferguson-to-baltimore-the-fruits-of-government-sponsored-segregation/

Nationwide, black family incomes are now about 60 percent of white family incomes, but black household wealth is only about 5 percent of white household wealth. In Baltimore and elsewhere, the distressed condition of African American working- and lower-middle-class families is almost entirely attributable to federal policy that prohibited black families from accumulating housing equity during the suburban boom that moved white families into single-family homes from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s—and thus from bequeathing that wealth to their children and grandchildren, as white suburbanites have done.

Of course, their careers are in the toilet no matter the result of the trials

“Criminal charges filed Friday against six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray were based on "politics and crowd control," not justice, renowned civil rights lawyer Alan Dershowitz tells Newsmax TV.

"This is a very sad day for justice . . . Today had nothing to do with justice. Today was crowd control. Everything was motivated by a threat of riots and a desire to prevent riots," Dershowitz said on "The Steve Malzberg Show."

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsmax-Tv/Freddie-Gray-Alan-Dershowitz-police-charges/2015/05/01/id/642143/#ixzz3Z4cjiED7

I have no idea what happened to Freddie Gray, and neither do the thousands of demonstrators or the Mayor of Baltimore or Al Sharpton. I'm willing to wait for evidence and a trial. It's one of the basics of our justice system--a presumption of innocence, the prosecution must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, each essential element of the crime charged. Shocking how many "leaders" are willing to ignore this.

Time for Democrats to panic

Democrats are clearly panicking. There has never been a better time to be black in America, and if word gets out, they might lose their victim voter base. So we need new riots and protests.

In the last 2.5 decades crime has dropped drastically, so it's time to gin that up by complaining about the number of black men in prison (which is why the neighborhood is safer). Blacks are now over represented in many city governments and community protection agencies, so it's time to blame the white controlled system, micro aggression, etc. The college enrollment rate is higher for black high school graduates than whites, so it's time to berate the education system. More whites are killed in officer involved shootings at a higher rate than blacks, so it's time to get on social media and tell lies. With at least 5 government health insurance systems, no black need be without health care--so it's time to blame the GOP for not making even more money available. 126 wealth transfer programs for the poor, most of which recipients are white--but don't advertise that--Democrats don't want the world to know that millions of whites don't have that mystical "privilege" they tout.

Now the bad news is out there, too--AIDS among young black gay men is the highest for any group--gay and bisexual men represent approximately 2% of the US population, but account for three-fourths of all estimated new HIV infections and blacks account for most of those. Abortion of black babies is at an all time high--genocide rates--78 percent of the abortions in New York City were for black or Hispanic babies. Where are the marches and outrage? Black men are not marrying the mothers of their children leaving many kids to grow up without a male parent. Until the 1960s, blacks were more likely to be married than whites, and then came the "war on poverty" and Uncle Sam as a step-father. But, the Democrats can ignore every academic and religious study that says family is important to economic, social and political well being and just ask for more money.