Obama lied to us about Iran

"The Obama administration: 

(1) told Congress it would not allow Iran access to U.S. financial institutions; 

(2) issued a special license allowing Iran to do exactly that; 

(3) unsuccessfully pressured U.S. banks to help Iran; 

(4) lied to Congress and the American people about what it had done;

 (5) admitted in internal emails that these efforts "exceeded" U.S. obligations under the nuclear deal;

 (6) sent officials, including bank regulators, around the world to urge foreign financial institutions to do business with Iran; and 

(7) promised that they would get nothing more than a slap on the wrist for violating U.S. sanctions.

How bad is this? Remove the words "Obama" and "Iran" and replace them with "Trump" and "Russia" and imagine the outrage that would ensue over the same revelations. Democrats would be holding news conferences, and the story would be front-page news."

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/06/08/marc-thiessen-obama-took-lying-to-new-heights-with-iran-deal.html

Real estate in Franklin County, Ohio

"Where are homes selling way above the auditor's value? Five homes sold during the month in the downtown 43215 ZIP code, at an average of $194,900 over auditor's value.
New Albany (43054) came in second with 38 homes selling at an average $178,801 over auditor's value. In the Short North (43201), 25 homes sold for an average of $151,496 over the auditor's value. And 22 homes in Upper Arlington (43220), sold for an average of $104,045 over the stated value. (Business First, June 8)

Many college grads are underemployed

Many college grads are underemployed in first job, and still underemployed five years later. Look at the chart--the highest underemployment (doesn't require a college degree) is in many of the fields women flock to, and then they wonder why there's a wage gap
  
Remember, there are reasons to choose a lower level job.  I was a secretary in the Russian Area Center in Urbana, Illinois because I couldn’t get a teaching job in Urbana (at that time you could be denied a job if you had a young child).  Some women choose a lower level job not requiring a college degree so they can have more flexibility.

Leaker worked with NYT reporter

Oh dear.  The media were in cahoots with a Senate staffer and were benefitting from the leaks!
John Wolfe was in “a relationship” with a New York Times reporter for three years, to whom he was giving sensitive government information. Pillow Talk.   He’d been in his position for 3 decades—since 1987!  That’s the two Bushes, Clinton, Obama and Trump!  He just retired in December.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/us/politics/times-reporter-phone-records-seized.html
http://www.newsweek.com/who-james-wolfe-former-senate-intel-panel-security-director-indicted-lying-fbi-965642

“Wolfe was the security director at the SSCI for three decades from 1987 to 2017 and reportedly managed all classified information, from the Executive Office to the panel. He left the organization in December and formally retired in May, reported the New York Times. Wolfe is scheduled to make his initial appearance on Friday morning at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.”
Trump is right again.

We could all do more

Yesterday in Bible study, Pastor Jeff mentioned that if all Christians contributed a tithe, there would be no need for government programs. The average, he said, is 2%.
 
Our niece Joan, who is one of the most compassionate, level headed women I know (teaches first grade) mentioned on Facebook yesterday:

"So a 10 year old girl rang the door bell selling hand drawn pictures for $.50. Taking a minute to inquire why they were trying to sell the pictures, we learned that grandma and grandpa didn’t have any food and there are four children staying there. Packed a sack from my pantry and freezer took down to their house and then made a Walmart run. Sometimes we need to take a minute and listen, and find out the needs of others."

Indeed. Yet I also think it's a great idea that the grandchildren wanted to chip in and help and chose the only way they knew.

The prison population

About twenty percent of those in federal prison are not U.S. citizens, 13% are Mexican. 7% of our population is non-citizen according to Census. They are not in federal prison for crossing the border to work as roofers and broccoli pickers. These are criminals.
https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_citizenship.jsp
 
Last Updated: Saturday, 26 May 2018

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".