We’re the mop up crew

In adult Sunday school class at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church yesterday Dave told us a vivid story of how we are to defeat Satan. He said his father was in the Battle of the Bulge, the greatest and longest battle of WWII in the dead of winter with terrible losses on both sides. His father told him that although the allies won, those who survived the battle still had to contend with the dangerous mop up in each village they passed through. And that's what we have to do. Christ has won the battle, but we have to do the mop up. That's a paraphrase of course, and don't ask about the sermon because I can only handle one good story a day.

Well, actually I remember one other. Our pastor, Steve Turnbull, told us during the 9:00 traditional service his 20th wedding anniversary is this week. I looked around the sanctuary at all the gray heads--at least for one couple I think it's 75, and some celebrating in the 50s and 60s. Many have grandchildren older than our pastor. We were probably all thinking--"you babies."

Is my hair gray or grey?

Merriam-Webster opines: "Gray and grey are both common spellings of the color between black and white. Gray is more frequent in American English, whereas grey is more common in British English. The varying usage of both grey and gray extends to specialized terms such as animal species (gray/grey whale) and scientific terms (gray/grey matter). Greyhound is an exception, which has a different derivation than the color. It derives from the Old English grǣg." I think I was told once that gray hair is actually white mixed with whatever it used to be.

Today we celebrate a great Republican, Martin Luther King, Jr.

He would be embarrassed at how Democrats have maligned his martyrdom with their Marxism.

“A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.”

Today he would be condemned for using the word, "men" since it isn't diverse and implies biology isn't pliable.

Today he would be condemned for even hinting that we have a nation, because nations have borders.

Today he would be condemned for bringing up installment plan because that implies rich and poor and capitalism.

Today the Leftists would need to tear down his statues and rename those streets and hi-ways based on his words.

The GAO report

Those who are leftist/progressive/Democrat or all 3 really got their panties in a wad over the recent GAO finding, yet never said a peep when GAO found Obama administration violated a law. They were using his race to absolve themselves of any guilt they had over something that ended years ago, so had to be silent over his faults. That way they wouldn't need to make any changes in how unborn black babies are treated by Democrats.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and United States Secret Service (USSS) were found to have violated section 503 of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, and the Antideficiency Act, in 2009.

The Department of the Treasury was found to have violated the Antideficiency Act in 2014 when it used the voluntary services of four individuals.

The Department of Defense was found to have violated the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2014 and the Antideficiency Act in the infamous Bowe Bergdahl swap.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development was found to have violated the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, and the Antideficiency Act in 2014.

The Environmental Protection Agency was found to have violated “publicity or propaganda and anti-lobbying provisions” in the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act and the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act in 2015.

Two officials in the Department of Housing and Urban Development were found in 2016 to have violated Section 713 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act by attempting to prevent a regional director within the agency from being interviewed by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The Federal Maritime Commission was found to have violated Section 711 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, as well as the Antideficiency Act, in 2016.

And even President Obama told us time after time that what became DACA was against the law. And what about Rice running around to the Sunday shows after Benghazi with all those lies, or at least the left now claim lying to the media is against the law.

And in DC, you probably can't get lawyers from opposing parties to agree on anything.

Hope it’s a false alarm

About 1:30 we were talking in my office—he needed to leave to set up for a quilt show at the church, and I planned to come over about 2:30 and take some photos.  Then I sneezed.  And then sneezed again, and again, and again, and again. Then I got a chill.  This is not the usual start of a cold for me, but I thought, between sneezes, maybe I should not go.  So I took and antihistamine and nap. Now listening to Vivaldi, sneezing and blowing my nose, drinking fluids.

Fortunately, I had everything ready for supper, and it will go in the oven for an hour. Sweet sour chicken from my new cookbook.

Last night I watched the Hallmark movie Love on Iceland.   Great scenery.  Main character Chloe gets her old college travel group together for a spectacular trip. Of course, her old boyfriend joins the group. Good acting, and fabulous setting.  I fell asleep at the end, but I know how these end. Happy ever after. https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/videos/kaitlin-doubleday-love-on-iceland-interview-home-and-family

The evidence is building—fat matters

If your New Year's Resolution was to walk more and eat less, you could be smarter at this time next year.

Auriel Willette and Brandon Klinedinst of Iowa State University discovered people mostly in their 40s and 50s who had higher amounts of fat in their mid-section had worse fluid intelligence as they got older. Greater muscle mass, by contrast, appeared to be a protective factor. These relationships stayed the same even after taking into account chronological age, level of education, and socioeconomic status.

Highlights https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159119306531

• Adiposity exacerbated cognitive aging.

• Greater muscle mass was protective against cognitive aging.

• The effect of muscle on cognition was more than adiposity.

• Lymphocytes, eosinophils, and basophils may link adiposity to cognitive outcomes.

• Sex-specific mechanisms of action were noted among eosinophils and basophils.

Also, Intermittent fasting could be added to medical school curricula alongside standard advice about healthy diets and exercise.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/intermittent-fasting-live-fast-live-longer

Interview with Roger Scruton, 2017

Sir Roger Scruton was an English writer and philosopher who passed away this last week on January 12. He was 75, born in 1944.  He has published more than fifty books in philosophy, aesthetics, and politics. His book discussed in this episode was How to Be a Conservative; it was published in 2014. He was a fellow of the British Academy and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He taught in both England and America and is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington. DC. He taught an MA in philosophy course for the University of Buckingham. Sir Scruton was knighted in 2016 by Queen Elizabeth II for his “services to philosophy, teaching and public education.”

https://www.hoover.org/research/how-be-conservative?  Watch the video interview.

https://www.rogerscruton.com/

Little Women the movies

My friend Bev and I took a break from our busy lives and took in a movie yesterday, Little Women (2019). We both enjoyed it, but wondered about the actor cast as Laurie, Timothée Hal Chalamet. He's 24 and looks 12. Saoirse Una Ronan who plays Jo is 25 and looks a little older. Both are not household names, I suppose because no one can pronounce them.  I had a problem seeing what's-his-name as a dissolute, worldly man and global traveler. Using Jo's messy hair to show her wokeness as a contrast to her more authentically correct sisters also struck me as tiresome, but overall it was a good movie.

Bev is a bit more techy than I and had managed to reserve seats for us on her smart phone.  We got to the theater right at 11, and by the time we got our tickets there were probably 50+ people in line—mostly retirees.  $5.00.

I found the 1949 version to compare. Elizabeth Taylor was Amy and Peter Lawford was Laurie, and June Allyson's hair was closer to the 1868 fashion (as Jo) than the 2019 version.  I wonder if the public library has it.  I saw it with my mother in Ocean Grove, NJ in 1949 when my brother and I travelled with her and my grandparents to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. I thought Elizabeth Taylor and Janet Leigh were the most beautiful women I’d ever seen.

https://youtu.be/kiI2hI1N9fQ

Then there’s also an interesting critique of the four movie versions, showing the development of the major characters and also changing their ages, nationalities, career challenges. I do wonder why today's (and the 90s) feminist critics think it's so wonderful for Jo to pursue money and career, but criticize men's empowerment to do the same thing. Always chasing men, I suppose.

https://youtu.be/nJGZoecSmrA

Also some interesting trivia.  During the 1949 making of Little Women, June Allyson was pregnant with her son, and then also her adoptive daughter Pamela arrived and she had to leave the set.

Michael Smith, guest blogger on who’s the liar?

"You'll forgive me for not getting a case of the vapors taking to my fainting couch over a person who
1) faked being a Native American to advance her career,
2) claimed to be a defender of the little people after lawyering for big corporations chasing big dollar settlements and
3) lied about getting fired for being pregnant, claiming that she was called a liar on national TV by an old guy who yells at clouds."

And let's not forget the one about her son attending public school when in fact he attended private schools while she's trying to close down charter schools.

Just 2 minutes to warm up

There’s something in my personality that’s very skeptical when I’m told something is easy or quick.  Like, buy blessings bags to end poverty (school packs) or it’s easy to lose 15 pounds for that new Easter outfit.  However, 2 minutes does sound doable, so I copied this from the Silver Sneaker newsletter and I don’t want to lose it, so I’m putting it in my blog. When I replace my ink cartridge, I may even print it.   Filing e-mail articles IS NOT easy, no matter what they tell you about Windows 10!  And why do they always give a handsome, muscular young man or woman to imitate.  I want someone about 75 to limp out to the limited space in a condo to do this!

https://youtu.be/2ECTHcjjL7M

Exercise # 1: March

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand tall, and engage your core by imagining you’re about to receive a punch in the gut. March in place, raising your knees as high as you comfortably can. Bend your arms, and let them swing naturally as you march.

Exercise #2: Step Over

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand tall, and engage your core. Visualize an imaginary line in front of your toes. Step over the line one foot at a time, and then step behind the line one foot at a time. Continue stepping forward and back, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #3: Side Step

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand tall, and engage your core. Step out to the side with one foot, and follow it with your other foot, tapping the floor. Repeat in the opposite direction. Continue alternating, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #4: Uppercut Reach

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand with your feet comfortably apart, toes forward, and knees and hips bent slightly in a shallow squat. Engage your core, and hold your arms at your sides with elbows bent.

Pulse up and down slightly, and push through your feet to stand up. At the same time, reach your right hand up and across your body to your left side in an uppercut motion. Allow your right foot to pivot.

Pause, return to starting position, and reset your balance. Repeat the pulse and uppercut reach with your left arm to your right side. Continue alternating, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #5: Step Back

Do the move for 20 seconds

How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, and engage your core.

Step your left foot back and slightly out to the side. Return to starting position, and repeat the movement for 10 seconds. As you step, move your arms naturally, but continue to keep your core strong.

Return to starting position, and repeat with your right leg for 10 seconds.

Exercise #6: Step In and Out

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand with your feet comfortably apart and knees slightly bent, and engage your core. Visualize an imaginary line between your feet. Step your feet in toward toward the line one foot at a time, and then step out from the line one foot at a time. Continue stepping in and out, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #7: Squat to Curl

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand with your feet comfortably apart and toes forward. Engage your core, and hold your arms at your sides with elbows slightly bent.

Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower yourself into a shallow squat. Push through your feet to return to standing, and curl your hands to your shoulders, making sure to bend from your elbows and not your wrists.

Pulse back down into a shallow squat, lowering your arms. Continue alternating, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #8: March

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand tall, and engage your core. March in place, raising your knees as high as you comfortably can. Bend your arms, and let them swing naturally as you march.

Illegal alien vs. gobbledygook, doublespeak and political correctness

The correct term is illegal alien because an undocumented immigrant is not factual. It's fiction. The illegal alien may have a lot of documents--driver's license, social security card, or any number of fake documents. He also is not an immigrant unless he's gone through the legal process or may be a permanent resident.

Illegal alien is the term in law; undocumented immigrant, or undocumented worker, or unauthorized worker, are just terms meant to soften the blow that they are here illegally. The made up terms are used by word police who don't like our system of law.

https://www.irli.org/post/2016/03/19/retired-immigration-judges-we-used-illegal-alien-and-got-axed

Presidential abuse of power

There really has been presidential abuse of power, but it was Obama, not Trump. It is called DACA. I'm so old I remember Obama saying he wasn't a king and couldn't do it. I'm paraphrasing his lie, of course, but maybe you remember, too.

https://humanevents.com/2019/12/12/daca-an-actual-abuse-of-power/

"Through DACA, President Obama usurped Congress’ legislative power. Solely by executive order, he implemented a program that Congress rejected dozens of times, and he refused to enforce immigration laws that Congress actually passed into law. In other words, President Obama “abused the powers of the Presidency” and “assumed to himself functions and judgments … vested by the Constitution in Congress.”

But it sure made him popular, didn't it? Part of his phony legacy.

How great was Obamacare?

The U.S. had 5 federal/state health insurance plans when Obama was elected; they weren't perfect, but better than what they were being sold--Medicaid, Indian, VA, Federal employees, and S-CHIP. Surely, a brilliant mind like Obama's and his advisors could have come up with something to insure those who didn't fit or didn't want those programs. But no. They wanted POWER. And how better to get it than through fear. 

Did you know millions who didn't have health insurance in 2008 didn't want it? They were very wealthy--could self insure, or were willing to gamble or negotiate with hospitals to lower the outrageous costs. Millions more were young and thought they were invincible and wouldn't pay the co-pay for employer's insurance. Others were eligible for Medicaid, but too proud to apply. So by disrupting the entire country's health insurance and making it all more expensive, the great-O manages to insure people who were already eligible under an existing plan. Big whoop!

https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/01/14/how-obamacare-made-things-worse-for-patients-with-preexisting-conditions

Popcorn from the Dollar Tree

I don't usually eat popcorn for breakfast, but I've just been to the dollar store (on Bethel). They had microwave popcorn 3 packs for $1.00, so I thought I'd try it. Not bad. I don't think I'd had it since I used to take my work break at the veterinary college lunch room at OSU. My microwave is fairly new so I did 1 min. 35 seconds instead of 1:45. One bag makes 9.5 cups popped which is quite a bit more than I would make from scratch. The company is Pop Weaver, manufactured in Van Buren, IN.

And so I checked and yes, the Weavers have been popping corn for four generations right next door in Indiana. Other products too, plus they'll do private label.  http://weaverpopcornmfg.com/ptest.php?id=4&order=1

I like the Dollar Tree. Prices really are one dollar. I bought 20 Hallmark cards, a 3 pack of Palmolive soap, which I really like and can't usually find, a night light, a scented candle, a bottle of Dial liquid soap, and the popcorn--- for $18.00. There are do-gooders who want to shut these bargain store down because. . . they don't serve nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables. Well, neither do gas stations and shoe stores. https://www.dollartree.com/locations/oh/bethel/7501/

A saint who came late to the party, St. Claude la Colombiere, 1641-1682, beatified 1929

"I am resolved to put no limit to my trust, and to spread it out to everything. It seems to me that I ought to make use of Our Lord as an armor which covers me all about, by means of which I shall resist every device of my enemies. You shall then be my strength, my God! You shall be my guide, my director, my counselor, my patience, my knowledge, my peace, my justice, and my prudence. I will have recourse to you in my temptations, in my dryness, in my repugnances, in my weariness, in my fears; or rather I will no longer fear either the illusions or the tricks of the demon, nor my own weakness, my indiscretions, not even my mistrust of myself. For you must be my strength in all my crosses; you promise me that this you will be in proportion to my confidence. And wonderful indeed it is, my God, that at the same time that you impose this condition, it seems to me that you give me the confidence wherewith to fulfill it. May you be eternally loved and praised by all creatures, my very loving Lord! If you were not my strength, alas! what would I do? But since you are, you assure me that you are, what shall I not do for your glory? “Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat.” [Phil 4:13] You are everywhere in me, and I in you; then in whatever situation I may find myself, in whatever peril whatever enemy may rise up against me, I have my support always with me."

St. Claude la Colombiere, Jesuit, 1641-1682, beatified 1929 https://catholicsaints.info/saints-for-sinners-blessed-claude-de-la-colombiere/

I like "lists," although I don't make them. . .

God shall be . . .

my strength,

my guide,

my director,

my counselor,

my patience,

my knowledge,

my peace,

my justice and

my prudence.

This saint didn't have the usual qualities--no miracles, no great books, no apparitions, and was sick much of his life due to imprisonment, persecutions by the Protestants and bad climate of England. But I came across this in today's devotions  (Magnificat, vol. 21, no. 11) and liked it.

Thanks for the Christmas display

When we moved to Columbus in 1967, the area we live in now was farm woods and pasture—ravine, woods, and creek.  There was a 19th century farm house and old barn (now gone) on the property.  We had actually watched this area being built  and the firm Bob worked for, Urban Calabretta (now Brown Calabretta)  in the 1970s designed this very attractive 30 unit condominium community, a concept still rather new to Columbus 50 years ago. We had never driven back here until 2001 when we noticed several listings in the paper, and we fell in love with the setting.  So we have a lovely view north out our living room window of our neighbors on the next street “over the river and through the woods.”  They are close on this side, but about 1/2 mile to drive there.
 
We’ve been enjoying their Christmas lights in their back yard this season.  The colors change and rotate through the lights through a large tree. The other night Bob asked for a piece of stationery so he could write them a Thank You note for the enjoyment we’ve had every evening.  I thought it was a nice idea, but we don’t know their names, and the back of the house is 3 stories, yet the front appears to be a ranch—I’m not sure on that street if I could even identify it. Ten years ago when I was still walking in nice weather I’d noticed how difficult it was to identify the front of the homes I could only see from the rear.

No problem.  He wrote the note and then drove there, knocked on their door, and introduced himself.  They had a brief visit, and he told them how much we had enjoyed their lights.  Bob thought they were very nice, and they were quite surprised to get a personal and written thank you.

Samuel on a shower curtain

Today I was reading from 1 Samuel 1 and decided to look up various translations.  The internet allows some surprises, and I found Reynolds’ classic painting of the child Samuel available on shower curtains, I-phone covers, and tote bags.  Kitschy. I remember this on the little Sunday School bulletins we received each Sunday when it was popular to teach children art along with Bible. 

Barren, elderly or grieving mothers is a Biblical theme--it's the story of Jacob, Rachel (who was barren) and Leah, how Moses was adopted into a royal family, how the story of John's mother Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, is told, the massacred babies at the time of Jesus' birth, and Mary at the Cross. Samuel's mother, Hannah, did a lot of begging and pleading to bring him to life--so much so Eli thought she might be drunk. And when her prayers were answered, she gave him back to God.

"I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28.

It seems I do a lot of begging and pleading these days, but God is used to it.

Soleimani is irreplaceable

"Soleimani is irreplaceable. You rarely replace a ruthless leader like him with the brains to pull off what he has done, which was to change the world over 20 years. He built the proxy armies, he engineered the takeover of Lebanon, almost the takeover of Iraq and Syria and Yemen. He created the situation that led to Obama-Biden handing over $150 billion to fund his terror network and military buildup. Pretty incredible feat, and not anyone else can do that.

He was the true evil genius, with a state and $150 billion US Obama-Biden dollars behind him. A few years ago, John Kerry even admitted publicly that some of the money would probably go to terror groups. Focus on that statement from the secretary of state. US money would be used to fund terror. A press spokesman for Obama said the same at a White House press conference at the time. And the Dems want to attack Trump!!! And Biden defends the JCPOA.

More importantly, Soleimani had conned Obama-Biden [into] providing not only the funding, but the naïve and stupid belief that Iran would act nice no matter how many dead bodies were strewn across the world." (Ross Rant, 1-10-20)

And then from American Thinker https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/01/trump_is_toto.html

"If you remember The Wizard of Oz you will recall that Toto, Dorothy’s dog, pulled back the curtain, revealing that the wizard was just a little guy working a panel of sound and light gimmicks to fool people into thinking he was more omnipotent than he really was. In the same way, the President’s killing of Qassem Soleimani and the aftermath reveals the four-decades-long treatment of Iranian terrorism and Israel by the foreign-policy establishment -- our presidents from Jimmy Carter up to now and Congress -- was based on myths. . .

Trump isn't Mussolini or Hitler. Neither is he Abe Lincoln or Daniel come to judgment. Donald Trump is Toto. "

I’ll never be an organist, but . . .

I'll probably only make it through lesson one of thirty since I'm neither a pianist nor an organist, but it certainly is interesting. AOG Lessons for the New Organist. https://www.agohq.org/lessons-for-the-new-organist/

How lifers make a living in Congress—Bernie Sanders

Some of my regular readers are old enough to remember the Jimmy Carter years; he was ousted by Ronald Reagan because people were so upset by the economy. It was a terrible recession, and I didn't have a job in my regular field, library science, but found one being alert to gossip in my aerobic class.

Through my aerobics instructor, Corey, I got a temporary government contract job through JTPA (formerly CETA)  This is where the federal government takes your tax money, filters it through all the DC bureaucrats, then sends it to the states which employ a lot of people to fill out the forms to get it, where it is filtered through the state (Ohio) bureaucracy, then smaller programs are developed, where it is further spread out among local agencies and non-profits.

I worked for STEPS, Senior Training and Employment Program. Senior workers (over 50) had been hit particularly hard by that recession, so our little group of 5 or 6 went around the state putting on workshops and developing publications. It was a dream job for me, and I was employed. I even was able to write speeches for the head of the Bureau of Employment.

That's what most of these employment programs do--they employ the people who work in them. I don't know if a single person over 50 ever found a job due to our efforts, but probably thousands of government workers, either civil service, or grant temporary like me, or Area Agency on Aging employees, or the many training centers set up for teaching and skill development (private), the landlords who rented the space, or the small caterers who provided the lunches we served at the workshops managed to get through that recession. Plus, I met great people (state employees are fantastic) and had a good time--learned so much about how government works and why so many people sat alone in offices with nothing to do while we temporary workers were very busy.

This is a tiny picture of what Bernie and others in Congress have been doing for a living for their entire lives. They live well, but not much changes for the people who really need help.