Percent of body fat

And I quote: "There’s a reason why females have a harder time losing those extra pounds. Nature gave a woman more enzymes to store fat and less to burn it in case she needs to support a developing baby. As a result, women have about 5 percent more body fat than men. A healthy body fat percentage for an 18-year-old girl is between 17 and 30 percent, while a 19-year-old should fall between 19 and 31 percent. Adult females 20 to 39 years should strive for a body fat percentage between 21 and 32 percent. Forty to 59-year-old women should fall within the 23 to 33 percent range, while those 60 years and older should be between 24 and 35 percent." That's sounds better than what I heard at the gym today. My percentage body fat is 32.2 according to that little machine that said I was over the recommended for my age. If I lost what the machine recommended, I'd be receiving"get well" cards in the mail.

 http://livehealthy.chron.com/healthy-body-fat-levels-based-age-3473.html

More lies and scandals from Obama

The report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations revealed that under President Barack Obama, the Treasury Department issued a license in February 2016, never previously disclosed, that would have allowed Iran to convert $5.7 billion it held at a bank in Oman from Omani rials into euros by exchanging them first into U.S. dollars. If the Omani bank had allowed the exchange without such a license, it would have violated sanctions that bar Iran from transactions that touch the U.S. financial system.
Secret Obama-Era License Let Iran Tap Dollars | Newsmax.com

And here is ABC’s spin. . .

“A former Obama administration official dismissed the charge, telling ABC News, "There was no secret effort to give Iran access to the U.S. financial system. This was a routine license to allow the transfer of funds. That's totally in line with our well-known obligations under the deal." Jarrett Blanc, the former State Department coordinator for Iran deal under Obama, called the report "wildly overblown" and the license "absolutely common in sanctions regimes."

The gist is that after the Iran nuclear deal was signed and implemented, Iran was given access to its frozen assets in banks around the world, including $5.7 billion at a bank in Oman, the small country on the southeast tip of the Arabian peninsula. “

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama-admin-granted-iran-secret-license-access-us/story?id=55689587

CNN makes it very clear this is the GOP study, but sounds a little less sure about the legality of it. We were not lied to, we were “misled.”

“The majority report by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation says that the US Treasury, at the instruction of the US State Department, granted a license to convert the $5.7 billion briefly into American dollars so it could be converted into euros. The exchange was legal, the report notes.

Officials at Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control asked two US banks to work as intermediaries and execute the transaction, but they declined, citing concern over potential regulatory backlash and a ding to their reputations.”

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/06/politics/iran-united-states-bank-exchange-republicans-report/index.html

The Hill has another slant. . .

“The report cites multiple instances where top officials such as Treasury Secretary Jack Lew pledged before Congress and the public that Iran would not have access to the U.S. financial system, both before and after authorizing the license.

“The Obama administration misled the American people and Congress because they were desperate to get a deal with Iran," Portman said in a statement.

Under President Obama, the U.S. and several other nations signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran in the summer of 2015, a pact that aimed to curb development of Iran's nuclear program. In exchange, the U.S. agreed to lift some of its economic sanctions issued against Iran. “

The stupid NFL controversy—Just Stop It!

Let's go back to the pre-Obama days when the players stayed in the locker room and came out after the anthem. The Department of Defense paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million from 2011 to 2014 to show patriotism during NFL games. It seems many players felt patriotic then with a black president, and don't now, but also the money has dried up (I hope).

Not that the President will listen to me, but there's no reason to give sports millionaires special access to the WH or celebrate with them. Librarians work hard, too, and we were never invited. Just drop this feud. It's going no where. Those guys are talking apples and oranges. They say it's police brutality and the WH says it's the flag and anthem.

The tragedy in Guatemala

Terrible news coming out of Guatemala about the volcano. But why is the country so poor? Poverty is about 60% in a country rich in natural resources, and about 60% of the people are European or mixed Spanish/Indian heritage. Their Civil War ended in 1996, and perhaps that's a large part of it. Look how many people in the U.S. are still knocking down statues. I was listening to an appeal for funds this morning from an organization (Christian I presume) that has been there for DECADES feeding the hungry, finding clean water, housing, etc. Mexico sends the Guatemalan ethnic "refugees" north--it doesn't want them. So they end up in the U.S. and Guatemala is the #1 recipient of remittances from the U.S. Where is the incentive for the government of Guatemala to do a better job for its people?

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html

Exercise 70s-90s

I’m reading this in a magazine, but it is also on-line. https://experiencelife.com/article/a-guide-to-exercise-at-every-age/?

In Your 70s: Make Haste Slowly

“Slow and steady wins the race,” says Anderson. There’s no reason you can’t continue to strength train, do cardio, stretch, hike, and even pursue higher-impact activities — as long as you take your time, monitor your response, and adjust accordingly.

“Chronological age is not a good indicator of biological age,” says Balachandran. “Some people who are in their 80s are as agile and vibrant as some in their 60s.” It’s not clear why, he notes. “But I think physical activity could be one overlooked factor.” The body deteriorates with time, yet how quickly and drastically those changes come may be largely up to you.

If you haven’t strength trained regularly, muscle loss may now reach critical levels, interfering with balance, gait, and other daily activities. But if you take up strength training, those changes are reversible: A number of studies including adults in their 70s have found that progressive strength training two or three times per week can lead to such improvements as increased muscle mass, more ease with everyday activities like climbing stairs and carrying groceries, and reduced joint pain. [I started strength training about 5 months ago, and this is my experience—better balance and stronger hands.]

You may need to do a longer warm-up and to rest more between sets by the time you reach 70, says Friday. “My older clients come in early to stretch, and they have to rest longer between sets. But they often finish their workouts stronger than my younger clients.”

Fit septuagenarians may even need to be held back: “Strength training is super empowering,” she says. “And people get excited when they see and feel the results. I have older clients doing multiple timed sets of kettlebell swings. One older client biked 2,700 miles in 50 days. It takes a little longer, but they can reach really impressive levels of fitness.”

Anderson concurs: “My over-70 clients do everything — high-intensity intervals, kickboxing, strength training.”

If this sounds overwhelming, Balachandran recommends recruiting a pro who can help you develop appropriate workout strategies: “Once you learn the basics, you can do it on your own,” he says. “The price you pay is negligible compared with the benefits.”

In Your 80s, 90s, and Beyond: Evolve

By this point, nearly everyone has aches and physical limitations from previous injuries or illnesses, arthritis, periods of sedentary living, or chronic overuse. You might be tempted to believe you’re too old to work out — and that rest is best.

But too much rest may do more harm than good. Once prescribed almost universally for back pain, illness, and discomfort of all kinds, bed rest has been shown in studies to be associated with loss of strength and endurance, changes in soft tissue, bone loss, joint disease, high blood pressure, and weakening of the cardiovascular system. It’s one reason falls are a danger for people over 80: The resulting injuries may heal, but the health complications from staying in bed for weeks can be irreversible.

Falls are a leading cause of death among people over 65 and contribute to more than 40 percent of all nursing-home admissions. So rest when you’re sick or injured — but get up and move as much as you’re able, as soon as you’re able.

The best way to avoid falling may be regular workouts. A 2016 study showed that exercise can reduce fall frequency by nearly 40 percent.

But fall prevention is just one benefit that physical activity confers upon adults over 80. In one study, a few weeks of weight training doubled the strength of 85-year-old men and women, with some seeing a reduced need for walkers and wheelchairs.

Exercise also reduces the likelihood of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s. You may not respond the way you did when you were 19, but both your body and mind still derive considerable benefits from exercise — right up to and including your 10th decade.

The key to exercising safely and effectively now is the same as it was in your 20s: Find an enjoyable activity that challenges you without risking injury. Reducing impact or range of motion — by substituting cycling and swimming for jumping and running, or machine-based movements for free weights, for example — may be ideal.

Remember that your muscles, joints, bones, and entire body remain adaptable. And if you exercise consistently, what may have seemed impossible months or even years before can become possible — even easy and enjoyable.

Time marches on, and while we’re a long way from being able to stop the aging process, says Friel, “we can slow it down.”

This originally appeared as “Your Fit Life” in the June 2018 print issue of Experience Life.

The Eagles have not landed in DC

“June 5th – There are 53 players on an NFL team roster including the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Add all the coaches and trainers and that number rises to about 70. Do you know how many were planning to show up at their White House ceremony? FEWER THAN TEN. So President Trump pulled the plug by tweeting this: “The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!” That’s okay Mr. President, the Eagles must be protesting the record low black unemployment rate now under 6%. Hey NFL, America is tired of all this nonsense so tell your spoiled brats to GROW UP." Paula Priesse on Facebook

Is the president playing to his base? You bet. A lot of people believe some of the richest men in the world are being disrespectful to police, their country and their fans. Colin Kaepernick made this political--go protest him not the President. He began his protest under Obama before Trump was president, by claiming police were killing blacks. All the data show he is lying, or is misinformed. Blacks criminals are actually killed at a lower rate than whites. He was alone at first, and then other players, teams, and even children joined in his misguided, anti-police efforts.

Do I have to?

I was reading an article on using less plastic for the environment when I saw, "Stop chewing gum." What? I've been a gum chewer all my life--eases stress, tastes good, keeps the mouth fresh, and of course, looks awful to anyone watching. But plastic? Yes. I looked it up.

“On the Wrigley’s website page entitled ‘What Gum is Made Of’ the section about the gum base, the main ingredient, states, ‘Gum base puts the “chew” in chewing gum, binding all the ingredients together for a smooth, soft texture. The Wrigley Company uses synthetic gum base materials for a consistent and safe base that provides longer-lasting flavor, improved texture and reduced tackiness.’  It almost sounds natural and rather yummy.  I suspect if they wrote, ‘The Wrigley Company uses butadiene-based synthetic rubbers, polymers synthesised from petroleum by products, similar to those used in car tyres,’ that might not be so appealing.” http://justoneocean.org/chewing-gum

“After World War II, chemists learned to make synthetic rubber, which eventually replaced most natural rubber as a chewing gum base. Today the ubiquitous ingredient 'gum base' is label shorthand for an alphabet soup of potentially toxic ingredients.

Because of the vagaries of chewing gum ingredient labels most of us continue to chew in ignorance - and in vast numbers. Americans consume 40 percent of the world's gum. Across Britain, France, Germany, and Spain for instance almost 50 per cent of adults aged 15 and above use chewing gum. In Britain we spend around £325m a year the on the stuff. Globally just two companies - Wrigley and Cadbury - control 60 per cent of the chewing gum market which is estimated to be worth upwards of £10 billion a year.” https://theecologist.org/2010/jan/12/behind-label-chewing-gum

Stems, leaves and stalks in vegetable drinks

I’ve been making some vegetable/fruit drinks since our daughter gave us a sample a few weeks ago.  She has a “Nutri-bullet” but I’ve been using my blender, and I think the texture is about the same, but takes a little longer and a few extra spins on “puree.” Also, for easier digestion, I first zap the kale and spinach in the microwave.  Contrary to popular belief, microwaving doesn't kill nutrients in vegetables. In fact, it may outrank steaming when it comes to retaining antioxidants. Raw isn’t necessarily better when it comes to vegetables. 

“Many people think raw vegetables are more nutritious than cooked, but that's not the case. Cooking vegetables breaks down the plants' cell walls, releasing more of the nutrients bound to those cell walls. Cooked vegetables supply more antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene, than they do when raw.

Cooked vegetables also deliver more minerals. Spinach, beet greens and Swiss chard are high in calcium, but a compound called oxalic acid binds with calcium. Heating releases bound calcium, making more of the mineral available for the body to absorb. Cooking vegetables also increases the amount of magnesium and iron that are available to the body.”  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/leslie-beck-how-to-keep-the-vitamins-in-your-veggies/article23900957/

She removes the tough stem, but I think they have the better nutrition, so I looked it up.  Whether cooked or raw, the stems are closer to the earth’s nutrients.    The one I had today was kale, baby spinach, carrot juice, banana and frozen pineapple.  Now, it sort of looks like the contents of a baby’s diaper, but tastes fine.

“Stalks and stems (broccoli, cauliflower, chard): Broccoli stalks contain more fiber, vitamin C, and calcium than the florets we’re used to eating, while Swiss chard stems are rich in glutamine, an immune-boosting amino acid.

How to use: Peel and slice broccoli or cauliflower stalks and you have a sweet, crunchy snack, perfect for dipping in hummus – or try this Broccoli Stem Soup. Swiss chard stems are a bit tougher, so simmer in stocks to tenderize.”

https://blogs.webmd.com/food-and-nutrition/2012/08/stems-stalks-leaves-and-peels.html

Is the wall a Trump or Illegal Immigration issue

The wall on our border with Mexico was voted for during the Bush years; it’s not a Trump idea. Trump is not a racist, buffoon, or Nazi for recognizing secure borders.  It became an issue because of the failure of our government—Democrats and Republicans--to enforce immigration law put in place in 1986--IRCA Simpson-Massoli, 1986 (rev. 1990s), which if effective IS a wall.

Everyone I know has locked doors and some live in gated communities. Some buy special protection for their identity and credit cards. My identity was stolen and sold 20 years ago through the Ohio State research foundation when a careless employee left her computer in her car.

I don’t understand the opposition to the wall—which will include a variety of measures not just a scalable fence.  I particularly don’t understand why some Americans, primarily Democrats, want Mexico is a very rich nation, to send its poor, uneducated and mixed race people and those from Central America North so they can send home remittances which help Mexico’s GDP.  This means no effort on Mexico’s part to change socio-economic conditions there where European descendants control the government and financial industries.

How does this make them so morally superior, and does allowing illegal immigration to continue help Mexico in the long run?

Leslie Howard, British movie star

“Britain's destiny, on the other hand, has been to uphold tolerance in religion, thought, speech, and race--the mainspring of democracy. We have still far to travel on the road to true democracy, but only the Germans have made no progress in this direction. Britain, with her great gifts and strange inconsistencies had helped populate five continents and shown that the white man and the colored man can live in peace together. We have also taken the Roman ideal of just administration, the Greek ideal of democracy and freedom of art, and the French tradition of the family unit, along with the Norse courage and loyalty and the Christian faith. Like all people, we have made some mistakes and have committed some crimes during our history, but we can say that we have built something worthy of our defense. We can look at our record without shame.” Leslie Howard (Gone with the Wind) who died in 1943, casualty of WWII (from quotes with his biography at IMDb)

I wonder what he’d think today of the Tommy Robinson case and Britain’s tolerance and democracy. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/tommy-robinson-grooming-gangs-britain-persecutes-journalist/

Fighting gang rapes in Britain is now considered far right crimes.

Race based hiring of air traffic controllers

Everyone flies--Congress, moms, minorities, media personnel. You want competent controllers not based on race.

Tucker Carlson is exposing Obama's warriors in the FAA for not hiring the best employees. First installment was Friday, second this evening. Activists decided diversity was more important than safety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLu4ZKanQm4 Tonight it was revealed that minorities and women were bumped in favor of poor grades and unemployment.

Defining issues for Democrats

1. Abortion

2. Hate Israel

3. Open borders

4. Sanctuary cities

5. Destroy both the first and the second amendments

6. Reverse the 2016 national election

7. Humanize MS-13

8. Amputate male body parts or female body parts to reverse their sexuality

9. Increase taxes

10. Please fill this one in to make it tidy.

Comprehensive immigration reform?

Today’s musings on June 4, a beautiful summer day

I've never understood why the Hollywood celebrities are so overwhelmingly leftists, not just in their story line products, but in their personal lives. It's a very entrepreneurial industry based on merit and competition. It makes them enormously wealthy, able to do great things with their money, and hire the best accountants and lawyers to pay as few taxes as possible or keep them out of jail. They support many smaller independent companies from the caterers and limo companies to the clothing and set designers, to vocal coaches and eye brow artists. They perform in some really vile, violent and sexist films, and then lecture the rest of us about the morality of the first and second amendments and call our president a racist or Nazi. Maybe it's all that time under hot lights. Fries their brains

Watched an interview while I was at the gym on one of the cable news shows of a Parkland student--that's heady stuff, believing you're the answer to a complex problem when the same "journalist" won't connect the dots about Cruz and the Promise program, or the lousy performance of the sheriff's department in protecting the students. If it's not anti-2nd amendment, the left wing media don't want to look at the evidence.

I'm so tired of the left media calling Roseanne Barr "right wing, racist." No, she's a left wing racist. She's a socialist/communist who is an actress/comedian who played a role on a TV sitcom. She's on your team, in your family tree, in your crazy aunt club. She stepped off the plantation to support Trump, and all of a sudden she can't come to the Thanksgiving Dinner where you all pass the hate with the gravy.

My FBF Michael Smith noted today:

"You have to love the USA Today headline writers. In the Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling, they wrote:

"Supreme Court rules narrowly for baker who refused to create same-sex couple's wedding cake"

The vote was 7-2.

Doesn't really seem that "narrow".

Exercise vs. weight loss and pretty dresses

So which is it?  Eat less or move more, or both.  For me that formula seems to change with each birthday.  I joined a fitness club through Silver Sneakers probably late December or early January.  I remember the weather was bad and I couldn’t walk outdoors, so I wanted to be able to walk on a treadmill. At Lifetime Fitness I do 2 miles on the treadmill 3 days a week, and 1 mile on 3 days to which I had 4-6 weight resistance exercises on machines to strengthen my core and arms.  Not sure I’ve seen miraculous results, certainly no weight loss, but my hands are stronger (weights are on pullies), and my balance is better.  Actually those are minor victories and more important than weight loss.  In May I gave up “processed food” including sugar and will probably continue that.  Didn’t really miss it since it isn’t a big part of my diet, except snacks—and that’s always good to give up. However, the four pounds I wanted to lose stubbornly remain. So today I looked back through my log book to January 2015 when I began using my exercycle every day.  Surprised to see that back then I was doing 9-10 miles a day!  Now I do 2-3 and then add in the 2 from the treadmill.  Obviously, that four pounds wants a bit more movement to leave the room.

I got $135 for the sale of my Biblio magazines ($150 but $15 was UPS), so it was sort of burning a hole in my wallet and on the way home from UPS I stopped at the Discovery Shop, just to browse. With the fancy dresses (probably for weddings) I found a lovely cornflower blue/lavender silk dress, modest, no bells, whistles or sequins, body skimmer cut on the bias, completely lined in a deeper color.  It was new, tags still on it—Jones New York, at $149.  It had been marked down to $22, so I tried it on, it fit, and I bought it! Now—it’s the first of June, that leaves 2 Sundays to wear it before we to to the Lake, where there’s probably no place to use it. I much prefer to wear dresses to church, but these days, it’s just me and maybe 2-3 other women at the traditional service (liturgy and hymns).

Speaking of church, tomorrow the congregation votes for Steve Turnbull as our senior pastor at noon.  Then our SALT group comes here for soup and salad, then Bob will have a prepared study.  The weather should be nice today, but is iffy for tomorrow, so it looks like we’ll eat inside, and if it clears, we can do ice tea/ lemonade and Bible on the deck.

Update:  I went to Volunteers of America and found a long scarf to use as a stole in the same cornflower blue so I can cover my arms if need be.

Escaping the plantation

Yesterday a caller to the Mike Gallagher show, nationally syndicated conservative taker, identified herself as a black woman and former Democrat. She said when she was 18 and ready to vote her father told her to vote Democrat, and she did for 28 years, but then started to study politics and history, and became a Trump supporter in 2016 (which means she voted for Obama twice). Yes, her family and friends give her a hard time and call her names. She said that Democrats use blacks for their votes and then lose interest in them after the election. Although I'm not sure which issue she had called about (either Roseanne being fired or right to try), she was delighted with Trump's accomplishments.

Good-bye Biblio

Yesterday I say good-bye to my Biblio collection, mailing 27 issues to Onalaska, WI. She could be a collector, or a picker for a used book/magazine site, but I hope she enjoys them.  I still have the 6 issues of "Counter," for the really hardcore. The boxful weighed about 14 pounds so I went to the post office, and learned that because magazines contain advertising, they can’t go media rate and it would cost over $25.  So I went across the street to UPS and sent them for $15.

New genetic study

This is going to overturn everything I was taught in school since the 1940s. 7.6 billion people, 500 million house sparrows, or 100,000 sandpipers, genetic diversity "is about the same." Nine out of 10 species on Earth today, including humans, came into being 100,000 to 200,000 years ago. Of course, I didn't believe in evolution even before I was a Christian, and even before I could read the Bible! I looked at the charts and graphs and said to self: This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I may have been 7 years old but I knew I hadn't come from monkeys or slime mold.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/228798/20180530/massive-genetic-study-reveals-90-percent-of-earth-s-animals-appeared-at-the-same-time.htm

Depending on which tech/science/Christian site you choose to read, you'll find a different emphasis on this study which appeared in "Human Evolution," Vol. 33 - n. 1-2 (1-30) – 2018 because they are all biased; some choose to say, see! humans are no big deal, and others use it to smack evolution around (which has never been proven--it's a theory). This one uses mitochondrial DNA.

Barr-Bee

  

Both women are leftists who insulted women. Barr ran for president twice on extreme left tickets, once with Cindy Sheehan.  Single payer health insurance and free college were her talking points.  Sound familiar?  Her most recent show had a lot of diversity in the cast, including lesbian Gilbert, and among the fictional characters--a waitress, life coach, veteran, surrogate. I imagine they were handpicked by her. I have no idea what Bee's good points are other than a dirty mouth.

Samantha Bee's attack on Ivanka Trump was scripted, approved, vetted, taped, approved, planned and OK'd by sponsors and network. Sort of different than a tweet in the middle of the night. Sally Field said it wasn't enough! What an icon of womanhood. Roseanne is not a conservative or a Republican, but her case represents what happens if even a white hardcore, foul mouthed socialist/communist sneaks off the plantation and admires President Trump.

This dust up is a big plus for Democrats--they don't need to discuss the soaring economy, rising wages or the possible break through with North Korea. In fact, they can almost forget the MeToo movement when they covered for lascivious men like Weinstein and Lauer for years.

Listen carefully.  The Democrat Party has two issues—impeach Trump and make everything about race.  No policies, no plans, no ideas.

The D’Souza Pardon

Washington Post doesn't like Trump's pardons. Of course not. For Dinesh D'Souza it shows how a raging Obama went after a film maker/author who exposed his private thoughts/parts/pieces. D'Souza was convicted under an obscure campaign law that no one had ever been found guilty of. Good job--no scandals in that administration--except attacking an immigrant and stealing his American dream, his income, his right to vote. Democrat social justice warriors have sympathy for MS-13 , Iranian bundlers, or even bank CEOs who have ruined thousands of their customers, but not a man who gave money to a friend for her campaign. His unforgiveable sin was he was a Republican and a researcher. Those were serious crimes during the Obama years. I wonder if that other film maker, the one who went to jail for the fake charges about starting the Benghazi tragedy (of course, they found something else to charge him with) will be pardoned?

https://www.nationalreview.com/2014/02/amnesty-not-dsouza-andrew-c-mccarthy/

“Donald Trump pardoned Dinesh D’Souza for campaign finance violations on Thursday. D’Souza merely gave $20,000 more than what an unconstitutional law permitted him to donate to an old friend’s U.S. Senate campaign, which, incidentally, lost the vote count by a 3-1 margin and the dollar count by 40-1. Why did Congress make generosity a felony? Guilt lies with the law and not the lawbreaker here. To watch MSNBC and peruse Twitter, one gleans the impression that D’Souza strangled puppies. In reality, he stands guilty of behaving like a good friend. He does not deserve a felony conviction on his record. He did not steal $20,000. He gave it.” Dan Flynn