That fish wrapper, Washington Post

If it were paper, it would be good to wrap the garbage. I glanced at the headlines in my e-mail Washington Post today, and noted 15 of the 20 articles were simply rants against Trump, or supporting those who have dissed him like Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney. The others, if I deep dived, would probably have swipes at the President, like the article on China's economy, or dysfunction in Congress which probably blame him. I did see an article about Spectrum (our cable carrier), so I'm not sure if that was about Trump, but I'm sure it can be twisted to fit the narrative.

The anti-Trump articles bring in vast amounts of money to the MSM, and they are first of all, capitalists trying to survive in an increasing competitive news field. And sometimes capitalism can be very dirty—like yelling hate speech at their competitors or trying to stop their stream of income through online payments.

A book review in Forreston, 1949

 

At least I think it was 1949. . . that’s the year the book was published. This book was made into a movie in 1952 starring Cary Grant and Betsy Drake.

I don’t think I read any of those books she recommended, but I do remember Jimmy Lewis who had a wonderful voice and white blond hair, and Davis Folkerts, a precocious piano player. Davis must have been about 10 years old when he performed for the ladies. He retired as professor of music from Central College in Pella, IA, in 2017 and was still playing the organ at 79. He learned to play the instrument in the sixth grade according to the local paper which covered his retirement 2 years ago.

I found this clipping inside her address book which seems to be from about 1990-2000. It’s full of names I remember, many who died that decade, according to her notes.  I’m not sure how I inherited either the address book or the clipping inside it.  I’m sure she didn’t put it in there.

But it’s fun to think of her at 37, giving a book review—I don’t remember her enjoying public speaking--getting out of the house and chatting with ladies of the community may have been an adventure. As I recall, the local library was a volunteer effort, open only a few hours a week, and run by my first grade teacher, Miss Flora.

Exercise ideas (not goals, not resolutions) for the New Year (just January)

I’m not a goal setter (I’ve written on this numerous times), but I am a problem solver. So a year ago I used my Silver Sneakers on my insurance plan to join an exercise facility. (I had originally joined one next to Panera’s in 2015 but bursitis ended that.)  Didn’t like the first one I tried on Bethel Rd.  (it has since closed) and have now been at Lifetime Fitness on Henderson about a year.  I ride a stationary bike for three miles, walk on the treadmill for one mile, and three times a week I do resistance exercises using the machines, mainly working my arms.

“Vigorous stationary bicycling is the best weight-loss exercise among gym activities, according to the “Harvard Heart Letter.” It burns 782 calories per hour in 155-pound people and 932 calories per hour in 185-pound people. Moderate stationary bicycling burns 520 and 622 calories per hour in the same people. Vigorous exercise raises your heart rate to 70 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate; moderate exercise raises your heart rate to 55 to 70 percent of its maximum. The maximum heart rate is 220 heartbeats per minute minus age. In contrast, walking 4.5 mph, the fastest speed most people can walk without changing their technique and becoming power walkers, burns 372 and 444 calories per hour in 155- and 185-pound people.”

https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/stationary-bicycle-vs-walking-exercise-9889.html

I do 3.5 mph three times during the one miler on the treadmill and get to 104 heartrate then drop back to 2.5 mph. When on the stationary bike I also increase the heart rate 3 times in the 3 miles to 104.  On either, it’s about 25 minutes. So I’d have to recalculate the above figures, but it looks like an hour on the bike burns more calories than an hour walking, even at a moderate pace.  Also the bike doesn’t bother my hips or knees.

My plan for January is to increase the resistance machines to 2 sets of 15.  I’m currently doing 2 sets of 10.  When the instructor showed me last January, she started me on 2 sets of 20—which I knew immediately wasn’t going to work for me.  If you pull or injure something you have 2 sets of nothing as you sit at home eating another slice of toast with cheddar cheese.

Why Fox is better for News

Fox News is far more reliable than CNN or MSNBC for this reason—it separates the news programs from the opinion shows, and you are never confused about which you’re watching. I may only watch 10 minutes of the morning chit chat, or 10 minutes of the 6 o’clock news, but I’m never puzzled about whether it’s news or opinion. The other networks not only ridicule and demean Trump, they also belittle his supporters, which doesn’t seem like a good plan to draw in viewers. But they don’t really need to add people who have different viewpoints because Trump has made so much money for them because the haters tune in to get their latest fix of Trump derangement.

I use a wide variety of sources from print, to digital to YouTube commentary to TV news shows. EWTN nightly news.  Jordan Peterson’s channel. Lionel Nation on YouTube.  I can’t help but see the broadcast media, and Fox always shows what’s going on in the Clinton News Network, etc. Occasionally I even watch or listen to PBS, but it’s a challenge because they don’t even realize the narrowness of their writers and reporters and therefore can’t offer anything right of center. Those other avenues of alternate opinions are being challenged however; the leftist cabal is pressuring them not to carry conservative voices, nor to accept payment methods which would dry up alternate viewpoints very quickly.

One of the nasty characteristics about a capitalist system (and the news networks depend on investors and advertising) is you need to destroy or block your competition. That use to be by offering a better product, but today it’s done with smears against personalities or owners. Find a few “non-profits” to call them racist or homophobic, and you’re on your way to a clear course to the big money.

Reading at the fitness center

I usually take something along to the fitness center to read while I'm on the cycle. A guy stopped and asked me what I was reading. "An article on Marxism," I said. His eyes widened. Then I explained that Michael Rectenwald is a former communist, NYU professor, who has seen the destructiveness and damage in that system. So I was reading his recent article in New English Review which explains why it's no use trying to convince the communist with arguments, evidence or pathos that the equitable price of a workers' paradise cannot be millions of lives. He thinks that like him, they'll just have to "hear the screams" themselves.

https://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm?frm=189524&sec_id=189524

https://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm?frm=189367&sec_id=189367

Mitt Romney’s jealous temper tantrum

It's a shame about Romney (Flake 2.0). He lost to the most narcissistic, race baiting president ever, who made us a weak laughing stock around the world.  Mitt was Mr. Nice Guy. He's now attacking the only Republican who could win against the entrenched leftist culture.  Romney is finally showing some spirit and fight which he didn't have in 2012, but it's 6 years too late

Remember when Trump was selecting his future cabinet in Trump Tower and Romney was called in.  Not sure what the interview was for, but apparently he didn’t make the cut.  Holds grudges like a woman.

Homeless in Columbus

There was an odd juxtaposition of articles in Monday's Columbus Dispatch (December 31, 2018).

1) Immigrant who is a janitress bought and fixed up a run down home in Linden area and is helping to revitalize the area (photo--really cute home, she's on the porch), "Affordable housing key to revitalized Linden." Like other home owners she is happy to see home values increasing as a result of her determination and hard work.

2) Terrible homeless problem in Columbus, higher than during the recession and higher than the other parts of Ohio, and there is a need for the new law (January 2, 2019) to prevent evictions or there will be more homelessness. And the writer looks to Homeport to continue providing more affordable housing (government money). "Resolved for 2019: It's time to decrease local homelessness." https://www.dispatch.com/opinion/20181231/editorial-resolved-for-2019-its-time-to-decrease-local-homelessness

I wrote about this "problem" over a decade ago at my blog, pointing out that Columbus Housing Partnership over 20 years (now 30) had millions and millions in government grants to "solve the housing problem" in Columbus. It created Homeport in 2004. Based on the just the money, there should be no low income person in Columbus without housing. Except. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/11/cityliving-network-and-homeport-of.html

Homelessness is just not about affordable housing. It's alcoholism, drug use, poor living skills, chronic illnesses, bad family relationships, mental illness, and the nanny state.

Dave Barry asks

“Is there anything good we can say about 2018? Only this: It got us out of 2017. But even that didn’t work out as we hoped.

As you recall, we, as a nation, spent all of 2017 obsessing over 2016: the election, the Russians, the emails, the Mueller probe, the Russians, the Russians, the Russians. … That was all we heard about, day after soul-crushing day, for the entire year.

So when 2018 finally dawned, we were desperately hoping for change. It was a new year, a chance for the nation to break out of the endless, pointless barrage of charges and countercharges, to move past the vicious, hate-filled hyperpartisan spew of name-calling and petty point-scoring, to end the 24/7 cycle of media hysteria, to look forward and begin to tackle the many critical issues facing the nation, the most important of which turned out to be …

… the 2016 election.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2018/12/30/feature/dave-barrys-year-in-review-2018/?

In November. . .

For their part, the Democrats appeal to voters with a three-pronged message:

Prong One: The Democrats are the party of fairness, diversity and inclusion.

Prong Two: Anybody who disagrees with the Democrats about anything is Hitler.

Prong Three: But more racist. [and a few Democrats I know certainly fit this category because believing in borders is obviously racist]

Meet The Nativity

A Christmas comedy in 4 parts.  One of the best I’ve seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvmh99alpJk&feature=share

Jesus still changes things.

Best lines: When boyfriend is asked if he has a gift (for baby Jesus) he says, "I have nothing," and when the step-mother is asked if she wants to hold the baby, she says, "But my hands are dirty."

On snazzy start up watch companies

My ongoing discussion with customer service, Kimberly.

“I have the feeling you kids have never talked to your grandparents.  Wouldn’t we all be saving a lot of time if the company just included instructions that are on the website with the nice packaging?  Just a thought.  I paid $300. That’s $200 more than I ever paid for a watch.

The least I should get is instructions.  I bought a $10 toaster at WalMart and have instructions in 3 languages.  Happy New Year.”

Norma

Advice on plurals, Ohio Farmer 8(3):23, January 15, 1859

Remember, though box

in the plural makes boxes

The plural of ox

Should be oxen, not oxes.

And remember, though fleece

In the plural is fleeces,

The the plural of goose

Aren’t gooses nor geeces.

And remember, though house

In the plural is houses

The plural of mouse

Should be mice, not mouses.

All of which goes to prove

That grammar a farce is

For where is the plural

of rum and molasses?

There are many versions of this poem on the internet, and most start with ox and oxen, and some include papoose, man, vine, etc. But this just shows people were having fun with it 160 years ago. I copied it on the back of scrap card when I was writing an article about women writers for this journal for Serials Librarian. It's possible there are more cards, and they are in the dark recesses of my desk.  I had opened a drawer wondering if I needed to make a New Year’s Resolution about cleaning my desk!

There are also many explanations in Quora on how all these plurals happened, and they don’t seem to agree with each other.

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-word-oxen-used-for-the-plural-of-ox-and-not-oxes

Welcome to Flight #2019

Seen on the Internet--a flight plan for 2019.

Hello, welcome to Flight #2019. We are prepared to take off into the New Year! Please make sure your Attitude and Blessings are secured and locked in an upright position. All self-destructive devices should be turned off at this time. All negativity, hurt and discouragement should be put away. Should we lose Altitude under pressure, during the flight, reach up and pull down a Prayer. Prayers will automatically be activated by Faith. Once your Faith is activated you can assist other passengers. There will be NO BAGGAGE allowed on this flight. The Captain (GOD) has cleared us for takeoff. Destination GREATNESS.

Some come to the New Year with great sadness and loss

A note on Facebook from our friend Sue in California.  We’ve known her in person about 15 years, but knew of her years before that because she’s such a close friend of Bob’s sister, Debbie.  Sue spent a week with us in Lakeside in 2017, and by the end of the week I think she knew half the people in town—she’s just has that kind of super personality.  She and her first husband had 3 sons, and they lost one, Michael, late in 2018. She had to leave her home in California and go to Oregon to live and care for him after he was released (briefly) from the hospital.  We were one of the many friends privileged to have a thank you note from Michael in his handwriting before he lost the use of his hands.

“Before 2018 ends, I want to make sure I thank all of my family and friends for all your love and support. It has been the most difficult year of my life and for Kevin and Chris as well. Without all of your support it would have been even worse.

We appreciate all the food baskets, flowers, plants, gift cards, money towards plane tickets, letters and cards that we have received and are still receiving over the last 8 months. Michael loved them too. If you sent them during the brief time he was out of the hospital in October, you received a handwritten thank you card from him. Those were the last notes he ever wrote. Sometime in early November he lost the ability to use his hands to write.

My beloved coworkers even donated some of their vacation time so I would receive full pay for the month of December.

Tonight is brutally hard for me to go into 2019 without his midnight phone call. He always called me to say “Happy New Year Mom” and to let me know he was safe. I know he will be saying it, I just won’t be able to hear his voice.

God bless you all in 2019 and know that in your time of need, I will be there for you as well.❤️❤️❤️”

Happy 48th Anniversary Jeanne and Bob

 

I’ve never seen them looking better.  This fall they began home sharing and are now in a household with 4 generations, their daughter and husband, their grandson, and his twin girls—plus Diva the dog.  There is lots of activity, which has been wonderful for Bob who has been ill.

10 tips for year-end estate and financial planning

We may not be in a position to do #6 (gift up to $30,000 to an individual if married), but we all need to do #10, organize our records for 2019, and shred documents no longer needed for retention.

Also, in 2018, you can contribute up to $18,500 in your employer-sponsored retirement plan (i.e., 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the Federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan). Employees aged 50 or older who participate in such plans can contribute an additional $6,000 in "catch-up" contributions. #3

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/year-end-estate-and-financial-planning-checklist-make-your-list-and-check-it-twice

Ten resolutions from the American Medical Association

AMA's 10 resolutions for the New Year. I'll need another list. Already have done all of these.

1. Know your risk for type 2 diabetes--
2. Be more physically active—
3. Know your blood pressure numbers—
4. Reduce your intake of processed foods, especially those with added sodium and sugar—
5. Take antibiotics only as prescribed--
6. Alcohol only in moderation, up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men--
7. Quit tobacco and nicotine, declare your home and car smoke-free --
8. Properly dispose of any leftover medication and never share--
9. Stay up-to-date on vaccines—
10. Manage stress—

https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-offers-10-health-recommendations-new-years-resolutions

Baby new year 2019—Monday Memories

My mother kept a "commonplace book," in which she pasted poems, cartoons, articles from magazines, and things she'd hand copied or typed from books. I see familiar names--McCall's, Chicago Daily News, Farm and Ranch, Christian Herald, and Rockford Morning Star. As a child I would sit and look through it often--a small, 3-ring black leather notebook. I particularly enjoyed the poem, "For a female cat named Horace," because it reminded me of my friend's cat "Butch" who populated Forreston, IL with kitties and the one about how to make a recipe taste like mother's--walk 5 miles before dinner. She may have been saving clippings in a box for years, but the first item was the baby New Year 1946 with a broom greeting old man 1945 giving him a terrible mess. So here it is again, Mom, for 2018-2019. The world is still a mess and we need you.

I wrote about her commonplacebook in January  2010, and noted:

“Her final hand written entry (in the scanned copy) is undated; but it was near the end of her life--perhaps the end of 1999. She died in January 2000. There is no attribution other than her name.

If
Each day we fill a page
The year a volume makes
These last ten books are very full
of joys
changes
sorrow
growth.
Gently place this year on the shelf--
if there is room.
Close the decade.

Tickle Me Elmo is for all ages

This is a photo of my nephew David apparently doing a little emergency repair or battery replacement on his grandson’s Tickle Me Elmo.

Someone had given a Tickle Me Elmo to my mother-in-law (maybe us, I don’t remember) when she was in a nursing home.  She loved that toy and would squeeze it, and would just beam when it laughed.  We inherited it after her death in 1998. Bob kept it on a shelf in his office, and one day I suppose the battery malfunctioned and it began vibrating and giggling on its own. Sort of creepy. Not sure what became of it—perhaps we donated it, because it’s not in his office now.  The photo is from 2006.

 

Our mothers in 1993.

Just a little word--at

A very common phrase among Christians is, "God will meet you where you're at," and it just hurts my ears. I heard it three times in worship this morning. What is the purpose of "at?" What does it link? Why not, "God will meet you where you are."

So I looked at a grammar page and found, "We meet you where you’re at and bring you where you want to go with a free placement test."  Even the English teachers say it.

Prepositions are difficult for English learners, and we make them more difficult by dropping them where they have no function.

Summer School of Faith-Sixth, 2018-Charles Craigmile, Culture Lost, Culture Reclaimed

June 12:  The Crisis of Culture - How We Lost our Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smIAuenhqBw

June 19:  The Doctrine of Creation - A Subversive Theology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Foz7_HYn3fo

June 26:  Liturgy and the Eucharist - Bridging the Gap
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=FdcejG3GcVI

July 10: The Church – “Called to Communion” https://gloria.tv/video/AtnhXhUUp3eG2R7AAGTjiod9n

July 17: Death and the Afterlife – “The Passage Home ”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGEXlsNjPlk

First week:  Many anniversaries in 2018. End of WWI in 1918.  Czar in Russia and family assassinated.  200th anniversary of Karl Marx’s birth. We have a sense our culture is in crisis. Catholics are experiencing closings of schools, hospitals, shortage of priests.
Uses “Introduction to Christianity” by Cardinal Ratzinger (Benedict XVI)

Week 2 uses Genesis—a radical text.

Week 3, the liturgy and mass, true worship of God

Week 4, The church, the call to communion, uses Ratzinger’s 1991 book, “Called to Communion,” compilation of his speeches

Week 5, Death. Uses “Eschatology,” 1997, by Ratzinger, his last major work as a theologian. The Kingdom of God is the fundamental teaching of Jesus—it is Christ. Eternal life starts now.  The door to mercy is through repentance.

Charles Craigmile holds an undergraduate degree in philosophy, with minors in Latin and Greek from the University of St. Thomas, an MA in philosophy from DePaul University, and an MBA from JL Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Charles has also completed three-years’ course work toward a graduate degree in Theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein. Over the last 25 years, Charles has taught Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) programs across the Chicago area, most recently at St. Mary's in Lake Forest.