News new and fake

CNN - Dateline Philadelphia - Breaking News
Jim Acosta reporting.

"CNN can now report that it has just discovered the long lost, yet to be ratified, Twitter-eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States which states "Ye shall not post GIF's to Twitter about CNN that CNN finds offensive."

Written by Ben Franklin himself, the draft for this amendment fell between the benches in Independence Hall as the Constitution was being drafted at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787.
This is not #fakenews at all. Swearzies."

Hash browns like mom made them

"But the best part is that they do hash browns right. No, not hash brown patties, nor shredded potatoes. These are the hash browns I grew up having from my mother. They are griddled while constantly chopping the potatoes into smaller and smaller bits. Smaller bits equals more surface area equals more crispy bits. But you get a variation in size that actually allows for some larger, soft chunks of potato. That tension between the crispy and the creamy makes for my ideal kind of hash browns. Of course, they are better when my mom makes them, but St. Francis Fountain is the next best thing."   http://www.insidehook.com/san-francisco/meal-plan-david-barzelay

Colin looks for his roots

According to a news source, Colin Kaepernick is on a search for his African heritage, beginning in Ghana,  the hell on earth of the cross Atlantic slave trade of the 18^th century.  Millions search for their roots, and I hope he finds something that meets this hunger. But if it’s slavery he’s interested in he’ll need to investigate where and how it started—in the mists of ancient history as slavery was a worldwide economic system and still remains today, larger than the 18^th century.  Some sources say 27 million in the 21^st century, but no one has an exact count. More Africans have died from environmentalists allowing malaria to resurge than ever died in the Atlantic slave trade.  Perhaps some of the products his wealth allows him were created, mined, guarded or produced by 21^st century slaves. Maybe his latest manicure and massage were performed by a female slave from Asia, and he ignored the signs, or some of the  fun after the NFL games he’s enjoyed was provided by a sex slave. He’ll need to go back in history and look at the Arab Muslims, Portuguese, Spaniards, English, and Dutch investors and the African tribal leaders who captured and sold them, and the substantial number of free black Americans in the 19^th century who also owned slaves.

Slavery today—“emigrants” looking for jobs and a better life. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/opinion/sunday/meet-a-21st-century-slave.html

Slave trade in 1860 after outlawed both in Britain and the U.S., but under the guise of “emigrant” transport. http://www.nytimes.com/1860/12/24/news/african-slave-trade-letter-board-niagara-french-emigrant-system-english.html?pagewanted=all

https://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2015/07/07/a-legacy-of-cliches-n2021930

Happy July 4

Ready to set our chairs up for the July 4 parade.  Thank you, neighbors, for the nice backdrop.

 

 

 

From eerie Obama worship to creepy Trump hatred

"Trump goes after individual washed-up celebrities; Obama indicted an entire people for being lazy, clinging to their guns and religion, intolerant, nativist, and unnecessarily chauvinistic. Take your poison: personal score-settling or mellifluent contempt. . . It was Obama, not Trump, who established the practice of going after journalists by name, . . . Obama was angry that a few reporters did not join the cult of Obama worship; Trump is peeved almost no one in the press is disinterested. Trump saw Obama’s precedent, and proverbially trumped it." Victor Davis Hanson

 "Sputtering journalists (Jim Rutenberg, Carl Bernstein, Jorge Ramos, Christiane Amanpour) are exasperated to the point of openly confessing that their craft should give up empirical reporting to deal with Trump, without shame any longer over the partisan propaganda their organizations and colleagues peddle. Those declarations are not a change of course, but a confession of what the media have been doing from the election of Barack Obama. The logical media progression from eerie Obama worship was to creepy Trump hatred." VDH

"People are tired of the social justice warrior Obama frolicking in Tahiti, the feminist Hillary Clinton excusing four decades of the sexual predations of her husband upon the weak, the supposedly in the know campus bullies picking on the vulnerable while shelling out a quarter-million dollars for a mediocre education; the progressive media decrying inequality and fairness amid face-surgeries, hair plugs, nannies, and prep schools; the Silicon Valley masters of the universe sermonizing on the evils of walls, inequality, and social justice from their gated hideaways, servants, and schemes to monopolize, offshore, outsource, and avoid taxes." VDH

https://amgreatness.com/2017/07/02/trumps-high-stakes-tweeting/

Monday Memories of a great Sunday

Is it too early to recall what a lovely day Sunday, July 2, was at Lakeside?

After enjoying a brunch at the Patio, we all went our separate ways for awhile--me to a nap after I made a pot of soup, Bob went down to the lake to help with Kids' Sail, and Dan and Joanie (our niece and nephew) went up to try out the new pool which had been dedicated the day before. Then at 6 p.m. the Central Ohio Brass Band played at the gazebo in Central Park and the lake looked fabulous.  After that we had a stroll along the lakefront to look at the sculptures people make from the rocks. Then an evening to good conversation on the porch.  A perfect summer day.

So many people waiting--someone had to leave to get in.

And Danny didn't have his sun screen!

Steele Memorial with Central Ohio Brass Band

Enjoying the concert and the beautiful view

Hollyhocks and rock sculptures along the lakefront

Diets work; maintenance doesn't

All diets work, it seems.  At least for awhile. http://www.dietsinreview.com/  This site rates the most successful.  For me, it's always ELMM.  Eat Less, Move More.  The problem is that darn metabolism. My body just doesn't seem to like 135 lbs. which is where I feel the best and is a comfortable size 8. The summer of 2015 I was 135 lbs, then we went to Spain had delicious meals compliments of our hosts the Tulamos, and it bounced up a bit (great food and wine with most meals).  Then the summer of 2016 I was back at about 136 lbs. and now at about 145 and have been since Christmas.

I've recently looked at some of the fasting methods, and realize that's actually what I've done in the past.  For instance, sometimes on Monday I don't eat a full meal until supper, or some days I have breakfast and lunch, but not supper. There's a lot of research on the benefits of even brief fasting, such as 24 hour (not eating after 6 p.m. and nothing but liquids until the evening of the next day), or 2 days a week, like Monday and Thursday, or eating your total calories during an 8 hour period or 10 hour period.

A website about 5 methods of fasting lists occasional fasting as #2. I find this needs almost no self control--however, most of my beverages do have some calories, like watered down juice or coffee with cream. I just have to do it.

2. Eat Stop Eat

Started by: Brad Pilon
Best for: Healthy eaters looking for an extra boost.

It’s all about moderation: You can still eat whatever you want, but maybe not as much of it. A slice of birthday cake is OK, but the whole cake isn’t.

How It Works: Fast for 24 hours once or twice per week. During the 24 hour fast, which creator Brad Pilon prefers to call a “24 break from eating,” no food is consumed, but you can drink calorie-free beverages. After the fast is over, you then go back to eating normally. “Act like you didn’t fast,” Pilon says. “Some people need to finish the fast at a normal mealtime with a big meal, while others are OK ending the fast with an afternoon snack. Time it however works best for you, and adjust your timing as your schedule changes,” he says. 

The main rationale? Eating this way will reduce overall calorie intake without really limiting what you’re able to eat — just how often, according to Eat Stop Eat. It’s important to note that incorporating regular workouts, particularly resistance training, is key to succeeding on this plan if weight loss or improved body composition are goals. 

Pros: While 24 hours may seem like a long time to go without food, the good news is that this program is flexible. You don’t have to go all-or-nothing at the beginning. Go as long as you can without food the first day and gradually increase fasting phase over time to help your body adjust. Pilon suggests starting the fast when you are busy, and on a day where you have no eating obligations (like a work lunch or happy hour). 

Another perk? There are no “forbidden foods,” and no counting calories, weighing food or restricting your diet, which makes it a bit easier to follow. That said, this isn’t a free-for-all. “You still have to eat like a grown-up,” Pilon says. It’s all about moderation: You can still eat whatever you want, but maybe not as much of it. (A slice of birthday cake is OK, he says, but the whole cake isn’t.) 

Cons: Going 24 hours without any calories may be too difficult for some — especially at first. Many people struggle with going extended periods of time with no food, citing annoying symptoms including headaches, fatigue, or feeling cranky or anxious (though these side effects can diminish over time). The long fasting period can also make it more tempting to binge after a fast. This can be easily fixed… but it takes a lot of self-control, which some people lack.   http://dailyburn.com/life/health/intermittent-fasting-methods/

 http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/06/short-term-fasting-may-improve-health

"When you don’t eat for a while, several things happen in your body. For example, your body initiates important cellular repair processes and changes hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible. . . Studies show that intermittent fasting can improve numerous risk factors for heart disease such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglycerides and inflammatory markers. . . Increased autophagy [waste removal]  may provide protection against several diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer’s disease  "
 https://authoritynutrition.com/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting/

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-of-fasting-that-will-surprise-you.html

Dogs on my morning walk along the lake

Dogs. I don't have a dog, but I think I understand them, having had many in my childhood. Most dogs have well behaved owners, but some could use some training--the people, I mean. We're at our summer home, many owners and visitors have dogs, and that's a lot of sniffing, barking and eliminating activity. Every morning on my walk along a quiet, still lake with people still asleep, the owner of a water loving dog (like a spaniel or Lab) takes his dog into the water and throws rocks. The dog goes berserk in the water--especially when he realizes it's a rock and he can't retrieve it. Yip, yip, yap, yap. I can hear him for at least a mile.

Then there's the guy with the dog the size of a Holstein calf. Same coloring, too. No visible poop baggie, but maybe he's putting it in his sweatshirt pocket? Blankets will be going down tomorrow for the fireworks. Watch out, folks.

And the poor little overweight doggie who looks like a black and tan Dachshund with some white. His little short legs can barely keep up with his 14" companion and his abdomen is dragging. Seems it might be more beneficial to get him some diet food before the strain of keeping up with a healthier dog.

I've seen a few pit bulls. Do you really need to crop their cute, soft, floppy ears like that? Unless you plan to enter them in ring fights, is that necessary?

http://www.jennyspups.net/Pages/CCP.aspx

https://www.thedodo.com/ear-cropping-cruel-1212872917.html

How employed Americans spend their time

This is always a fascinating report (at least if you like odd data)--how the American worker spends her/his time.

"On the days they worked, employed men worked 56 minutes more than employed women. This difference partly reflects women's greater likelihood of working part time. However, even among full-time workers (those usually working 35 hours or more per week), men worked longer than women--8.4 hours, compared with 7.8 hours."

Hmm. Could account for some of that wage gap--almost 50 hours more a year for employed men. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm


 Digging deeper. Americans spend .16 hours a day on religious or spiritual activities and 2.73 hours a day watching TV. This could explain why the culture is taking over.

Oh, Canada

Lakeside is flying the Canadian flag today. You can see Canada (from Put in Bay top of the monument). It's 150 years old. It celebrates the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the Constitution Act, 1867 (then called the British North America Act, 1867), which united the three separate colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada.  So not exactly independence day as we think of it in the U.S.A., but more like merger or unification day. Full independence from Britain came in 1982.

Brunch at the Patio

Our niece and nephew from Indianapolis are with us at Lakeside to celebrate the July 4 holiday.  After church on the lakefront, we went to the Patio Restaurant for brunch. The weather is gorgeous today (Sunday) and I hope it holds for the festivities.  We had a great program last night at Hoover Auditorium, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.

Was it racist and sexist when the left attacked Condi Rice?

I asked on Facebook thinking of Susan Rice's complaints about why her behavior in office is being scrutinized.  But Kelly reminded me about Allan West, Alan Keyes, Ken Blackwell, Kay James ... anyone who believed in traditional Christian morality and didn't help their narratives. Oh yes, and Clarence Thomas, said David Keck.

Then Keck remarked, in the last few years, it has been the Republican Party that has been more diverse in its candidates at every level. For President last time, for example: young (Marco Rubio), Hispanic (Rubio, Ted Cruz), female (Nikki Haley, Carly Fiorina), business and senior in age (Trump), faith-based (Huckabee, Santorum), African-American (the good doctor Ben Carson and now HHS secretary), and Indian sub-continent heritage (Bobby Jindal) to name but a few. The Democrats? A self-avowed Socialist, two governors, and an entitled female. Some diversity.

The Reformers and the Catholics--why are the Bibles different?

The fastest growing church in Columbus is Rock City, formed in 2011.

I was baptized in Church of the Brethren, a "New Testament church." on Palm Sunday in 1950 and have been a "sola scriptura" Lutheran since Palm Sunday 1976 when I was confirmed.  I was probably 70 years old before I saw a Catholic Bible at a used book store, and wondered why the Church had "added" things mine didn't have (I probably had 6 translations all with the same list and books). This controversy was thoroughly investigated by St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) when he was quite young--being only about 27 when he began this work. Since "sola scriptura" is basic to most Protestant, "Bible only," non-denominational and Restoration churches, it's worth a look to see what was said post-reformation. Which scripture?  His work was intended to present the Catholic faith to French Protestants some years after Catholics in their region had been persecuted and driven out.  It is reported that he brought 70,000 Christians who had no knowledge of the faith, back into the fold.

For me, one of the most interesting parts (free on the internet, although in print there may be better translations) is "which Bible" should we claim as authoritative?  The one the church used for 15 centuries (and still does), or the one the Reformers decided to revise? The Old Testament canon that Jesus referred to as "scripture," has been changed, although I don't think there was an official body who determined canon--the Jews didn't agree either in the time of Jesus. This is the link to Chapter 7 of "The Catholic Controversy," and the ones preceding it are excellent also. He gives both sides--but pretty much demolishes the argument for removing these Old Testament books and revising the canon to suit 16th century ideas.
http://www.goodcatholicbooks.org/francis/catholic-controversy/protestant-scripture.html#CHAPTER_VII

"The Council of Trent gives these books as sacred, divine and canonical: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Josue, Judges, Ruth, the four Books of Kings, two of the Paralipomenon, two of Esdras ( a first, and a second, which is called of Nehemias), Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, one hundred and fifty Psalms of David, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Canticle of Canticles, Wisdom ,Ecclesiasticus, Isaias, Jeremias with Baruch, Ezechiel, Daniel, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, Micheas, Nahum, Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggeus, Zacharius, Malachy, two of Machabees, first and second: of the New Testament, four Gospels, -S. Matthew, S. Mark, S. Luke, S. John,-the Acts of the Apostles by S. Luke, fourteen Epistles of S. Paul,-to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews,-two of S. Peter, three of S. John, one of S. James, one of S. Jude, and the Apocalypse. The same books were received at the Council of Florence, and long before that at the third Council of Carthage about twelve hundred years These books are divided into two ranks. For of some, both of the Old and of the New Testament, it was never doubted but that they were sacred and canonical: others there are about whose authority the ancient Fathers doubted for a time, but afterwards they were placed with those of the first rank." (chapter 3)

I was familiar with what the 19th and 20th century seminaries had done with higher criticism and how theologians had cast doubt on the authority of  scripture, but according to St. Francis,  the reformers used a similar method--bit by bit, chipping away at the passages that underscored the theology and Christology they didn't like. Why he asks is the Holy Spirit given to individuals and nobodies to interpret privately the Bible, but not the Church?

"Why shall one allow Calvin to cut off Wisdom or the Machabees, and not Luther to remove the Epistle of S. James or the Apocalypse, or Castalio the Canticle of Canticles, or the Anabaptists the Gospel of S. Mark, or another person Genesis and Exodus? If all protest that they have interior revelation why shall we believe one rather than another, so that this rule supposed to be sacred on account of the Holy Spirit, will be violated by the audacity of every deceiver.  

Recognise, I pray you, the stratagem. They have taken away all authority from Tradition, the Church, the Councils, what more remains? The Scripture. The enemy is crafty: if he would take all away at one stroke he would cause alarm. He starts a certain and infallible method of getting rid of it bit by bit, and very gradually: that is, this idea of interior inspiration, by which everybody can receive or reject what seems good to him. And in fact consider a little how the process works itself out. Calvin removes and erases from the canon Baruch, Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Machabees; Luther takes away the Epistle of S. James, of S. Jude, the Second of S. Peter, the Second and Third of S. John, the Epistle to the Hebrews; he ridicules Ecclesiastes, and holds Job a fable. In Daniel, Calvin has erased the Canticle of the Three Children, the history of Susanna and that of the dragon of Bel; also a great part of Esther. In Exodus, at Geneva and elsewhere among these reformers, they have cut out the twenty-second verse of the second chapter, which is of such weight that neither the Seventy nor the other translators would ever have written it if it had not been in the original. Beza casts a doubt over the history of the adulteress in the Gospel of S. John (S. Augustine warns us that already the enemies of Christianity had erased it from their books; but not from all, as S. Jerome. says)." . . . Chapter 5 

"But before I quit this subject, I pray you, reformers tell me whence you have taken the canon of the Scriptures which you follow? You have not taken it from the Jews, for the books of the Gospels would not be there, nor from the Council of Laodicea, for the Apocalypse would not be in it; or from the Councils of Carthage or of Florence, for Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees would be there. Whence, then, have you taken it? In good sooth, like canon was never spoken of before your time. The Church never saw canon of the Scriptures in which there was not either more or less than in yours. What likelihood is there that the Holy Spirit has hidden himself from all antiquity, and that after 1500 years he has disclosed to certain private persons the list of the true Scriptures?" Chapter 6

Missing potato masher

After complaining for 4 years that my potato masher and blender had disappeared, I dashed to Wal-Mart on a Friday afternoon and Lake Erie traffic looked like the beltway in DC. I also got caught in a massive thunderstorm. But I succeeded. Mashed potatoes, steak and salad for dinner tonight. And Dutch Apple pie ala Marie Callendar.

Obesity is a chronic disease, interesting Ted Talks.

I’d start here. Drop the guilt. Dr. Arya Sharma explores the complex biology behind weight loss and regaining it, and why obesity should be managed as a chronic disease rather than as a personal failure. He doesn’t really explain how, just what the mind set need to be.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9hRhsaopz4

Dr. Deborah Cohen debunks the myth of personal responsibility for weight gain and provides the real causes of the obesity epidemic and how we can stop them. Lots of “shoulds.” She equates the solution with how the U.S. controlled alcohol and achieved pure water. You can tell from the comments, this is not a popular idea—to treat obesity as a public health problem with more government intervention. I'm not a junk food eater (except for the occasional Little Debbie or bag of Fritoes). I'm not influenced by advertising.  I think there's more to it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBXxJrMxGZc

What about a new attitude toward exercise and nutrition for older people? How many new leaves have you turned since age 40? I would love to weigh what I did 25 years ago when I thought I was “fat. Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition Sciences at Drexel University, Dr. Stella Volpe confronts our popular denial of growing older and older every day. Dr. Volpe points out that it is never too late to start becoming an active and healthy individual . I think she’s never had bursitis! Can’t take the stairs—that’s what created the problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0BJU0iGTH0

This guy, Charles Eugster, died  two months ago at 97, but it's an interesting video. He started body-building at 87. He wrote a book, "Age is just a number."  He was in his 90s when he did this Ted Talk and was probably healthier than most of the teens you see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgoCm1hofM

Truth is hard

I used to watch Dana occasionally when we had a subscription to Glenn Beck, and now see her primarily advertising various health products. She has a radio show and has written some books.

Dana Loesch responded to attacks from the Left about her ad about the violence of the Left. “I am proud of this ad. I endorse personally the message of this ad. It’s a fantastic ad and it holds up a mirror to the violent aspects of the left.” Appearing on NRATV, she used a visual of the “Resist” closed fist symbol to state that the same people claiming she is inciting violence, are the ones who have been organizing riots, destroying property, burning down campuses and hurting people. “I don’t have to remind you or anyone else of what happened sadly just two weeks ago, when a leftist went to a ball field with a list of Republican Congressmen,” said Loesch. The visual representation was also a response to critics of the ad who took offense to one of Loesch’s closing lines: “the only way we save our country and our freedom is to fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth.” During her appearance Thursday, Loesch stated, “When I say the clenched fist of truth, I mean the clenched fist of truth.” Note:  I can't get the link to actually work--maybe you can.
https://www.nratv.com/series/stinchfield/video/stinchfield-dana-loesch-petition-calling-for-removal-of-nra-video-on-facebook/episode/stinchfield-season-1-episode-126/

Clinton visits ALA

When I saw that Hillary Clinton was leading the charge at the American Library Association conference in Chicago, I wondered what had happened to Mark Rosenzweig the Marxist librarian who had a melt down when Laura Bush was speaking at ALA about 11 years ago, and she was not only FLOTUS, she had actually been a librarian. He was head of a group something something Progressives that had a never ending "round table" on leftist social issues having nothing to do with libraries. Not to worry. I looked him up.  He's apparently teaching in China, where I'm sure he's discovering all the joys of Communism with a side order of state run capitalism.

Trump Russia coverage by MSM

Wednesday at Lakeside

Busy Wednesday. I'm going to the herb group at 8:30 on the lakefront. I only use salt and pepper when I cook, but it's a lovely group and a nice way to meet people. Then I'm taking my friend Nancy out for a birthday lunch at that new pay it forward diner in Port Clinton that helps the low income http://www.bistro163.org/ .  I hear the food is great.  Staffed by volunteers.  Then the community picnic is at 5:30. I'm debating about attending the afternoon lecture on nutrition and fitness. Tough life at Lakeside Chautauqua, but someone has to do it.

Update:  The herb group meeting was great.  Looks like an interesting season of programs with a field trip to Mulberry Creek Herb Farm, 3312 Bogart Rd. Huron, OH 44829

Lunch at Bistro 163 was delicious.  What a wonderful program.  Suggested prices, and the staff are volunteers, sort of like docents, who explain what the non-profit is about.  During the school year they bring kids there for tutoring, and then send them home with a healthy snack.  I had salmon and a salad, and Nancy had flat bread with figs, bacon and focaccia which I tasted, and we both had coconut bread pudding for dessert.

I did make it to the afternoon nutrition lecture, which included some very basic information about calories, metabolism, micronutrients, and controllable and uncontrollable factors. She reported on the Biggest Loser study (2016) and long term change. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27136388 and some interesting books by Brian Wansick, Mindless eating and Slim by design.  I learned that people who have food on their kitchen counter, particularly cereal, are more likely to be over weight, and people who have fruit on the counter, weigh less.

Trump, the Tranies, and the Deep State

Some time during the 2012 election cycle people in the deep state of the Obama administration made it clear to him that he would need to follow the LGBTQ agenda or else (some think that they had planned to out him, which would have little impact today, but might have in 2012) and all of a sudden Obama discovered gay marriage and transgender agenda were "human rights," whereas to get elected in 2008 both he and Ms. Clinton were staunchly pro-marriage as it had been understood by pagans, Buddhists, Muslims and atheists and our Founders since the beginning of recorded history. Unfortunately, these same agendists and gender-fascists also have Trump's ear and are still manipulating American citizens in the bathroom and pronoun wars.

"The Trump administration should pull away from the politically correct beliefs of the previous administration and examine carefully, with a new presidential task force if necessary, the psychological and medical science associated with attempts to help youth with transsexual attractions." Rick Fitzgibbon, MD, "The Transgender Agenda vs. the Science" https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2017/06/28/the-transgender-agenda-vs-the-science/