Look who’s giving advice about what churches should do?

The President.

“President Obama suggested that people of faith should focus more on helping the poor, instead of focusing on divisive issues such as gay marriage and abortion. During a panel discussion on poverty at Georgetown University, Obama specifically referred to his own Christian faith, pointing out that he recognized the importance speaking out about the issue as president.” http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/12/obama-churches-should-focus-more-on-poverty-instead-of-abortion-and-gay-marriage/

Why bother to prevent the 38% of abortions that are for black women when you can be assisting the fraction of the 2% who are even remotely interested in same sex marriage. Most of the 126 transfer of wealth programs of the federal and state governments were originally patterned after programs begun and maintained by churches. It was the government that then set up regulations that snarled and strangled the work. Christians started the schools, colleges, hospitals, orphanages, homes for the poor and indigent, even the penitentiaries (for the penitent)--even the Peace Corps was patterned after what the Quakers, Brethren and Mennonites set up after WWII. He not only doesn't know the past, he doesn't know the present. The Catholic church is the largest social service agency in the U.S.—the only organization large enough and powerful enough to actually challenge the federal government and its heavy handed ways. Increasingly, churches are accepting government money for everything from food pantries to chastity programming in the schools.  That’s a pact with the devil.

"The number of Christians dropped by almost 8 percentage points in seven years to 71 percent, and the trend holds across race, gender, education, and geographic dimensions, though Christianity still dominates American religious identity at 70 percent." (Newsmax)   Hmmm. I wonder what else has been going on the last 7 years--1) a leader who promises the government is your hope for change, and 2) followers who would rather play cyber-community with their phones than have real community within a church.

And look what the Methodists are doing instead of taking care of the poor or preaching the gospel. I'm not picking on Methodists, really, because this is pretty much the platform of all the main line Board of Directors/General Synod/ Big pooh bahs, who use the culture created by TV and Hollywood as their Gospel.

"The world’s lone Jewish state must be singled out for punitive divestment campaigns, while we should at the same time promote economic investment in North Korea, whose government has done absolutely nothing in the area of human rights worthy of specific criticism. And we should take our broad support for sex outside of marriage one step further by advocating to legalize prostitution.

This was the moral vision offered by our United Methodist Church’s apportionment-funded D.C. lobby office, the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) at its Spring 2015 board of directors meeting."http://juicyecumenism.com/2015/05/11/methodist-lobby-divest-from-israel-invest-in-north-korea-legalize-prostitution/

At the intersection of Grievance Culture and the Welfare State

“If the Ferguson outrage and riots were about “lack of representation” or “lack of voice,” this cannot be said about Baltimore. The city council is majority black, the police department is approximately 40 percent black, the top two officials running the department are black men, the city has a black mayor, the state’s attorney for Baltimore City — who charged the six officers — is black, the new U.S. attorney general is a black female, and of course the President of the United States is black.

The left has created a culture of anger and entitlement based upon government dependency and the false assertion that racism remains a major problem.”  Larry Elder

Read more at http://blackcommunitynews.com/baltimore-the-intersection-of-the-grievance-culture-and-the-welfare-state/

What’s in the Yogurt?

Let’s avoid for this post (and maybe all posts) GMO, pesticides and happy, contented non-Holstein cows free roaming in green pastures.  I have before me Dannon All natural plan nonfat yogurt (grade A)  and Yoplait plain nonfat yogurt (no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners also Grade A).  I’m not a huge fan of yogurt, but sometimes will use it to cut dressings or add to fruit instead of milk.

Yoplait is made from grade A pasteurized nonfat milk and contains corn starch, gelatin, pectin, Vit. A acetate, Vit. D3 and has 130 calories per cup, zero from fat.

Dannon is made from cultured grade A nonfat milk and pectin. It is 100 calories per cup, zero from fat.

Percentages listed: Yoplait has more sodium, less potassium; both have 12 grams of protein. Then it gets a little complicated as amounts are listed only in percentage.  Yoplait has added vitamin A and D.  Dannon has a higher percentage of Calcium and Phosphorus (probably because it has less filler) and lists some B vitamins which Yoplait doesn’t.

Pectin is a fiber found in fruits and is used in many medicines. “Cornstarch and pectin act as thickening agents, making the yogurt creamier. Kosher gelatin also adds texture to the yogurt. It is often assumed that kosher gelatin is derived from a vegetarian source; however, contrary to common belief, it may also be derived from animal or dairy. Unless a product specifies that its kosher gelatin is derived from a vegetarian source, such as carob beans or agar agar, it may contain animal or dairy products.” (Livestrong.com)

I’ll go with Dannon in the future.

You may be a liberal if . . .

Elijah Cummings, 1996- Democrat

Government sponsored segregation

Baltimore schools budget is about $1.3 billion annually, and federal contribution to Baltimore schools was $184.8 million in 2012 and $169.3 million in 2013.

40 years of block grants

red tape of public housing in Baltimore

Chocolate is better than kissing?

"Some say that eating chocolate is better than kissing, and scientists have dutifully tested this hypothesis . . . In 2007, a team led by Dr. David Lewis recruited pairs of passionate lovers, whose brain activity and heart rate were monitored first while they kissed and then while they ate chocolate (separately). . . although kissing set the heart pounding, the effect did not last as long as [eating] chocolate. The study also showed that when the chocolate started melting, all regions of the brain received a boost far more intense and longer lasting than the brain activity measured while kissing."

"Stuff matters; exploring the marvelous materials that shape our man-made world." by Mark Miodownik, 2013. p.86.

No White House representative at Brian Moore’s funeral

Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, chair of the Obama administration’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, Heather Foster, an adviser in the White House Office of Public Engagement, and Elias Alcantara from the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs were sent by Obama to Freddie Gray’s funeral.  There is controversy about Gray’s death and particularly the charges brought against the police, but there’s no lack of evidence of Gray’s long history of crime and arrests.  Johnson and Foster also attended Michael Brown’s funeral along with Marlon Marshall, also of Public Engagement.  Brown had just committed a robbery and assault when he was shot resisting an officer.  As of the latest reports from New York, no one representing the president was sent to officer Brian Moore’s funeral.  Moore was murdered by a thug and has probably saved many black lives by being a NYPD officer, because black lives matter.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/08/obama-ignores-slain-white-police-officer-while-honoring-gray-and-brown/

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/05/obama-sent-3-officials-to-criminal-freddie-grays-funeral-no-one-to-nypd-officer-brian-moores-funeral/#!

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/