Cancer treatment checklist

I found this at a blog written by a woman who had metastatic breast cancer. Due to HIPAA and Phil's reluctance to ask his family for assistance, we were helpless in helping him battle his disease. He was brave, determined, combative and very angry. He'd already had a stroke (retinal occlusion) and had a number of health problems which he chose to ignore. After his death I found a letter written by a cousin suggesting that he not try going through this alone, to accept help. He disregarded her, too. The mistakes I've seen were compounded by a very small thing yesterday when we received a sympathy card from the doctor he trusted most and told us never to question her advice. His name was wrong in the card! Doctors, too, are helpless if a patient is noncompliant. And he definitely was. But he had amazing faith in her, not withstanding.

Lessons Learned Checklist:

1. Expect mistakes from your health provider;

2. Ask critical questions at every visit. Take a written list of questions in order of priority. If you get home and realize something is not clear, contact your doctor again;

3. Get a friend or family member to serve as your advocate;

4. Communication between doctors is absolutely critical. If a Radiology report indicates possible metastatic disease or something equally alarming make sure you get a definitive diagnosis. Rule out the worst-case scenarios. Make sure the doctors involved have talked;

5. If you aren’t confident about the doctor’s diagnosis, ask your doctor to review your records with colleagues to see what might have been missed;

6. Get a second opinion;

7. Choose doctors who take time and listen. Ask for a copy of the doctor’s notes to ensure your issues are documented properly. This also ensures the doctor heard what you said;

8. Ask specialists to take a “fresh look” at your case;

9. Make use of hospital patient advocate resources without delay.

Democrats target Trump again

While I'm sort of enjoying not listening to the House (Democrat controlled) Daily Drool over investigations of Trump to beef up their campaign funds and pay the investors of the MSM, they are working on the next one. It was all Trump's fault.

Apparently, they haven't looked at CDC national death statistics for all causes, especially flu and pneumonia taking out the elderly, or the number from coronavirus (not published, but it won't make the top 10 unless it's changed to "with" and not "of"). Why not take advantage of a crisis to 1) kill the Trump 2020 campaign and 2) destroy small businesses that employ 99% of us by extending the shut down. They've still got their mega-corporate cronies like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos who fund their favorite projects. The original shut down was to save the hospitals from being overwhelmed. That didn't happen, but Democrats want to continue with what didn't work.

Number of deaths for leading causes of death (2018) and since many of these conditions are chronic and treatable, these numbers could soar from lack of treatment during the shut down of Spring 2020.

Heart disease: 647,457
Cancer: 599,108
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404
Diabetes: 83,564
Influenza and Pneumonia: 55,672
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 50,633
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173

But they want US to forget that most of the Covid19 infections came from the European air travelers who were infected by Europe's traffic from China. European leaders didn't want to be "racist" (or lose a lot of investments) by closing down air travel. But Trump acted swiftly. He closed air travel before the first death in a nursing home in Washington. So we can thank Mayor De Blasio and Governor Cuomo for seeding the rest of the country, because NYC was still "open" in March. "Y'all come and take home a souvenir! Ride our filthy subway!"

Since they are Congressional Democrats, they only know how to run impeachment scams. That's all we've seen of their work since January 2017. And there are plenty of Republicans who will be invited to say insulting things in opinion columns, none of which will have anything to do with the baseless charges. They just don't like him, and fear losing their own base, whether that's in Congress, academe, their business, or their church.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/us/new-york-city-coronavirus-outbreak.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-de-blasio-coronavirus-failures-20200331-fogyfsta4fcl5k27xmf6mob4ti-story.html

Coverings and bonnets and a new desk

If one of my nieces had asked me, "Who has Grandma's prayer covering," I could have honestly told her, "I don't know, ask your mother." No more. I found it along with many pair of scissors, at least 10 old eye wear, a hand held calculator with no batteries, a 2017 pocket calendar, Museum of Art membership card for 2018, phone # for appliance repair, bags and envelopes of cancelled stamps for donation to an organization that uses them, math compass, rulers 12" and 6", User's guide for my CD clock radio 1999, perhaps 20-30 half used small notebooks, old photos that didn't make the cut for one of our 40+ photo albums, sacks of cards waiting for just the right moment which never comes, decorative magnets purchased as souvenirs of our travels, 20-30 CDs with various updates or unknown information, and an unopened box for a course in Constitution 101. I have several more boxes to go through before the transition to my new desk is finished.  The old Steelcase that I’ve had for over 40 years will go to new home, when pick ups are allowed again. At least 85% of its contents need to leave this house with it.

For those unfamiliar with Anabaptist traditions, a prayer covering is something Christian women wear for communion, or if they are conservative Mennonite or Old order Brethren, they wear them all the time. Mother usually kept a few extras in her desk drawer (neater than mine) in case there were relatives visiting during the Easter season when the twice a year observance took place. The last time I had communion (Brethren Love Feast) in my home church was probably the mid-1990s, so I would have borrowed one. But this one was hers--the tattered envelope is labeled. She died in January 2000.

I found a blog written by a Monica Rice, a 2011 MA graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary, who has studied this tradition in depth. It's not exactly the way I remember things, but it's been over 50 years since I was a member and each locality or congregation sets its own standards. The photo looks like Mom's covering and the one I had. Some are in bonnet form and each style has its own history and tradition. Somewhere packed away I have my great grandmother's black bonnet from the 19th century.

I also own the first yearbook of Bethany because my grandfather was on the Board, but that’s another blog (or I’ve already written one).

http://www.brethrenlifeandthought.org/2012/09/28/what-about-the-prayer-covering/

On being a caregiver

It's been 2 weeks since our son Phil died, and I may write more of my reflections (and advice to others) at my blog when they come to me. Let me first say it is a privilege to be with a loved one when he is dying, although it will be the most difficult thing you'll ever do. Phil was Phil from the beginning to the end, and although that could be very frustrating when we wanted him to go a different direction or not cause self-harm, he was also a testament to God's creative power. From the moment of our conception to the moment of our last breath, we are the same person going through stages. Jesus has ennobled our frail human bodies that get sick and die, and from here on Phil has no bounds.

When we got the call from hospice in February we were totally unprepared--we thought Phil would be continuing his chemo and battling his brain tumor. It was an ugly fight, but he was determined to stick with the treatment. The appointments were on the calendar. But with hospice, treatment stops and palliative care begins. Our weekly visit and daily phone calls turned into 24/7 care. Because of HIPAA and Phil's personality, we knew little about his treatment or glioblastoma, only what we'd been able to learn on our own. We didn't live in the same community and knew nothing about his financial situation. The national situation almost eliminated our familiar support network. And we were so wrong about so many things.

Imagine (if you are about my age) you know how to drive a car--you've been driving so long it's almost second nature. But it's becoming difficult and you no longer do the free ways and stay with the streets you know. You vaguely remember how to drive a stick shift because you learned that as a teen (or in my case, your husband has one). So, these two nice ladies you've never seen before pay you a visit, show you a 1950s era pick up truck, put you behind the wheel, and say, "Don't worry, we'll teach you what you need to know." Meanwhile you're headed for the entrance ramp to drive through the center of Atlanta at rush hour, or Chicago through 50 construction zones at night. In a pick up truck you don't remember how to drive. At every stop light, a different person climbs in the cab and reroutes you--no map, no GPS. Sometimes at night something breaks down and it takes hours to get help. Fortunately, there are some hitch hikers to pick up along the way who really do help and explain things.

If you've been or will be a caregiver, your mileage will vary; spouses have rights and relationships with the medical system, financial institutions and social networks that parents and adult children don't have. The same people who are there to help may also say, by law we can't advise you, or that's not my area of expertise.

If you are healthy now and have no worries, pause and reflect. Two days before Phil was diagnosed we'd had a birthday lunch at the Chef-o-Nette in our old neighborhood and we knew nothing about what would be coming on October 1.

Misreporting, not reporting, and fudging the Corona virus statistics

That's interesting. There were 13,276 diagnosed Covid19 cases in Ohio by April 22. "Not everyone who is diagnosed is being admitted to the hospital, about 25 percent are." Stephen Markovich, President and CEO, Ohio Health, "Caretaker in Chief," Columbus CEO, May 2020, pp. 8-13. When you hear the number of cases reported on the news or on social media, have you ever heard that? 75% don't get admitted?

We have four enormous hospital systems in Columbus: Ohio Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health System and Nationwide Children's Hospital. In March the CEOs of these behemoths were even considering turning our Greater Columbus Convention Center into a field hospital. That was the size of the panic, fear and inaccurate models. But as of yesterday during the entire pandemic there have been less than 3,000 confirmed cases in this county (the majority of which didn't required hospitalization), and only about 3,800 hospitalized in the entire state! We're a state of 11.75 million with a number of major cities.

Why are we judging the entire country and its needs by what happened in the New York metropolitan area with a Democrat governor who kept inviting people to come and ignore the fear even on March 2? There was an Italian film playing at Lincoln Center. He urged people to see it. In a month NYC was the epicenter of the pandemic and the rest of us have had to suffer from his carelessness.

Who locked the church doors?

The entities in our society who've disappointed me the most during the pandemic are the public libraries and the Christian churches—particularly  the large ones with healthy budgets and large staffs. Both are evangelists, although for different causes. One for information and learning and the other for Jesus Christ and a life style that includes worship, charity, and good works.

I was a librarian for many years (Slavic studies, Latin American studies, cataloger, bibliographer, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine) and have worked in libraries since I was a teen-ager, I know what they mean to people seeking health information, assistance with school work, leisure activities, access to computers, and mind-numbing recreational reading--all of which should have been considered essential during a pandemic. It's just not difficult to "social distance" in a library, or for the staff to keep a library clean. One summer my assistant Sarah and I moved our entire 50,000 volume library across the hall to an empty lab so painters could give it a fresh look. And no, heavy, back breaking labor wasn't in our job description. I don't know a librarian or para-professional who hasn't done something outside the standard guidelines in order to keep her job. And usually, willingly because they love what they do and see their work as a service to society.

I've been part of a Christian faith group for as long as I can remember--from the days when I wrapped my little arms around my mother's leg as she chatted with friends after the service to the funeral of Ann Hull in February 2020 when we all hugged and cried with her family and friends. Do you know that half of the churches in the U.S. have a congregation below 75 (the median)? The average congregation has about 185 people--and that was 10 years ago--it's probably less now. They do a lot, those little churches--food pantries, hospital visits, volunteering at the local nursing home, after school classes in the faith, preparing the youth for confirmation, serving at all the funerals of the "old folks" who didn't move on to something with more glitz and glam, gathering the faithful 10 or 12 for a choir, and some don't have a full time pastor--they have sort of a circuit rider like the 19th century rural churches.

Those churches of less than 200 (many elderly or ill) probably didn't have enough people who could put together a task force or committee to drive to the state house and convince the governor that churches are just as essential as Lowe's and Walmart to the community. And do you think those little old ladies who have served at a thousand funerals and weddings don't know how to keep a church clean?

But where were the big brother churches who could have shouldered that burden? Playing with their computers, Zooming and Skyping and listening to confessions in the parking lot of their cathedrals. I don't like Teledoc and have never been one to watch TV preachers, although I am fond of old reruns of Bishop Sheen and Billy Graham.

Years ago--probably the 1970s or 1980s, an era when churches really began losing ground to the culture--my mother wrote an essay about how discouraged she was after a lifetime of service in the church to see so few young families in her small town church. I wish I could find it—never one to promote herself, she may have written it as fiction. She'd taught Sunday school, Bible school, sewed the curtains for the fellowship hall; she'd been the Christian education director, she'd birthed and raised the church organist, she'd decorated and served in the church nursery; she'd made thousands of casseroles and Jello salads for church dinners, she volunteered for 30 years in the local nursing home; she donated her garden produce, she taught sewing to migrant workers, she led a Friday morning Bible study in her home for years, and used her own funds to create and manage a religious retreat center. She may have even had a stint running the church library because she loved libraries. And I might add, she did it all (except for gardening) in a dress, hose and heels.

I think her essay was directed at my generation, or maybe just me. I wasn't doing a fraction of what she and her generation did. My generation  gathered to sit on the floor in focus groups and have consciousness raising discussions on what it meant to be a woman in the 20th century. We were petitioning for more power on the male dominated church boards and going to the state house with signs to demonstrate for the ERA. We went back to work in droves until a second income was essential for all families, as was a 2nd car and a bigger home.

As we women discovered who we were, went off to seminary and joined the boards back in the 1970s, our children just walked out of the church after confirmation or after baptism depending on the denomination and became the "nones." Somehow, I just can't see the women who struggled through the Great Depression and WWII, whose husbands and brothers had gone off to defend our religious freedoms and assembly and speech freedoms putting up with the government making rules that would cause the pastors and church boards to put a lock on the church door.

Life is a risk

Just so you know--life is dangerous.

Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

Heart disease: 647,457

Cancer: 599,108

Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936

Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201

Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383

Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404

Diabetes: 83,564

Influenza and Pneumonia: 55,672

Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 50,633

Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173

Just so you know (because the media haven't told you) many people with heart disease and cancer, stroke and diabetes, haven't had their needs met because hospitals and medical staff were chasing Covid19 cases that didn't arrive. You can expect these numbers to increase because early treatment is essential

Where are the leaders?

I do wish church leaders would lead. Fortunately, the first century Christians were not this risk averse and didn't follow the culture.

Time to open, guest blogger Jane Baird Lathem

CAUTION: Personal Opinion!!!!! I have completely understood the need for social distancing, washing hands, wearing masks, etc. for our safety. I do not doubt the severity of Covid 19. I know many have died or have been very sick with this virus. However, I find some inconsistency in the continued response. Every year thousands of Americans die with the flu. It is a terrible thing. But we are not informed every day on the news of the death toll from the flu and told to be very careful, wear masks, wash hands, etc. Yes, we are all encouraged to get a flu shot and, if of a certain age, be very careful about being around anyone with symptoms. But there is not the daily reporting about the flu and yet thousands die every year!

With this virus EVERYTHING came to a stand still. No church, no sports, no concerts, no state or national parks are opens, beaches closed and we must mask ourselves, wash hands for 20 seconds, sanitize everything that enters our home. I understand why this was done in the beginning. . . . this virus was an unknown. But I think it’s time to gradually open up, allow businesses to open while exercising common sense and allow churches to open their doors while also using common sense. It is beginning to feel like the government wants to tell me what I can do and when I can do it. I have seen what that does to people’s lives in Venezuela. I don’t want to see that here.

Will there still be cases of the virus. . . .yes. Will there still be cases of the flu. . . .yes. Will everyone exercise common sense.  . .  NO! But we must allow people to go back to work so they can provide for their families and provide for the needs of others. The government can give guidelines for the safest ways to do that but, ultimately, people will have to make the decisions for their own safety.

Who are the essential workers? Congress or Walmart, guest blogger David Meyers

"This strikes me as funny-sad.

In this time of national crisis, who are the essential workers? The House of Representatives or Walmart employees? Since the reps are staying home, it must be the Walmart workers. But are they staying home because they feel it's not worth risking their health or they just don't have anything of value to contribute?

On the flipside, do they consider Walmart workers expendable whereas they are not?

Every time I have gone into a grocery store, I have thanked each worker I have encountered for being there for us. I do the same when I cross paths with anyone who is still out there working--the mail carrier, the UPS driver, the police officer. (That's about all I have encountered, but they are many others out there that deserve thanks, particularly health care workers.)

After this is all behind us, the reps will probably want to vote themselves a raise for their extraordinary efforts on behalf of the country--i.e. sheltering in place and printing money.

In the meantime, most of the workers I have spoken with have been extraordinarily helpful and courteous. And they are all just hoping they don't come down with Covid."

David is a retired state employee and local author specializing in history and music.

What or who are you going to believe?

These days, I never believe anything until it's been rerun in a safe media source a few times. Masks don't help; masks do help; masks are mandatory; or maybe not, just kidding. Not enough ventilators; President's fault; ventilators found; ventilators turned out by millions; not enough people need ventilators; president's fault. The virus can live 3 days on surface; wrong, lives 15 days; wrong again, I'll get back to you on that. Pets can't get covid19; pets can get covid19. We need temporary hospitals and hospital ships; tent hospitals standing empty; President's fault--he should have known better.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/scientists-conclude-people-cannot-get-coronavirus-twice/

Liberals have more trust and faith in government edicts than conservatives do—Ohio study

It appears Covid19 has always been political in Ohio according to a recent study.

"For example, results showed that a higher percentage of conservatives than liberals thought they were at low or very low risk of catching the virus during both surveys. But the gap closed quite a bit between the first and second survey as more liberals no longer saw themselves at high risk.

There were also differences in how liberals and conservatives perceived the reactions of their fellow Americans to the pandemic.

Of the people in the April survey who said that most Americans were “not taking risks seriously enough,” 44 percent described themselves as liberal and 21 percent described themselves as conservative. In contrast, of those who said that most Americans were “overreacting to the actual risks of contracting the virus,” 16 percent described themselves as liberal and 38 percent as conservative."

https://news.osu.edu/survey-shows-how-ohioans-views-on-covid-19-have-evolved/

Cutting back after the shut down

After the lock up/ shut down/ shut up is over, half the adults will be going on a diet (my estimate). Here's some tips:

My observation is that diet drinks and special diet foods make people fat. They don't taste right and create a craving for more food. Use less, or just add your own water or milk, which is often the first ingredient.

EPA reports if you remove 100 lbs of junk from the trunk or back seat, your car's fuel efficiency will improve by 2%. Same with your body. Remove 10% of your body weight from your trunk or back seat and it will improve your own energy efficiency. I think I'll try that 10% and I still might weigh more than Bob .

Women who weigh themselves every day are on average 7-8 lbs lighter than those who don't.

Move! Obese people tend to sit for 150 more minutes a day than their lean counterparts.

Losing the sloppy jeans and t-shirt and getting a good haircut will make you look 10lbs thinner, even if you don't lose a pound.

Eat less, move more. ELMM. Shop the outside aisles at the grocery store.

And remember: A BMI of below 25 can't be normal if so few people are there.

I’d planned to start today, but had 2 slices of peanut butter toast for breakfast.  Maybe tomorrow. . .

How to prepare for a pandemic

I found an interesting document on how to prepare for a pandemic among my son's hospice material: "Household Preparedness A to Z." Each letter of the alphabet covers one or two critical details. B was household chlorine bleach; J was sports juice or fluids containing electrolytes; X was extra batteries for flashlight and radio, etc.

"Experts believe a worldwide outbreak, or pandemic, of influenza will happen someday. The exact timing is not known, but it is certain our everyday lives will drastically change during a pandemic. These changes may include temporary closing of schools or cancellation of events, disruption of normal services such as utilities and some shortages. There are things you can do now to prepare. Take time to understand the needs of your household; and take action to help lessen the impact of an influenza pandemic on you and your family."

Since he received it in mid-February, it was out there and available before the current pandemic. It was posted at the Ohio Department of Health, www.ohiopandemicflu.gov. I checked it and it no longer exists and there's no date on the document. It appeared to have a lot of additional information for schools, businesses, communities, local governments, with planning newsletters, fact sheets and brochure.  I later found that document at http://www.pike-health.org/Elements/PdfDocuments/Items/HouseholdAZ.pdf

I'm guessing all states had this document on how to prepare for a pandemic. So why was it the president's responsibility and not ours? Or the hospitals? Or the schools? And why were people so excited that Bill Gates had given a Ted Talk and "warned" us if it was right in our Department of Health web page?

Kidneys and Covid19

The divide on whether to open is coming down to politics not medicine--specifically, who hates Donald Trump. But maybe it should come to whether you care about your kidneys. Take a look at the comorbidities of those who died of or with (which seems to be a lot of it) this novel SARS virus--diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Specifically, diabetes. About a third of those with diabetes (which is often related to both hypertension and obesity) will develop chronic kidney disease. The kidneys can't filter your blood and you may also have nerve damage. It's a disease that affects the same people vulnerable to this virus--over 60, high blood pressure and member of a minority group. A chronic condition means usually it's controllable by changes in life style and medication, and nagging from the doctor.

The very people who aren't seeing their doctors or are afraid to call, are the ones you're putting in danger by hanging on to your hatred of Donald Trump so you can blame him for the virus and the shut down. End the shut down; save your kidneys.

And please, Trump haters, stop acting so morally superior by accusing conservatives of wanting people to die by going back to life and work. You are the problem. . .

Why retirees have problems cleaning out the files

Have you ever tried to clean out your storage or files and found out it takes days to go through one drawer or file cabinet or closet? For me, the big mistake is sitting down to read something I wrote 25-30 years ago. I don't know what happens in the offices of retired pastors who preach every Sunday and lead Bible studies or school teachers who saved reams of projects and lesson plans, but it's a nightmare for librarians like me who have attend hundreds of meetings and who had publishing requirements for promotion and tenure and saved all their notes.

For instance, my notes (never published because they were for me) for "The Ohio White House Conferences on Library and Information Services--Literacy," September 27 (1990?) held at the Worthington Holiday Inn. I'm not sure why I attended--it seemed to be for public librarians, and not academic. We live in different worlds and focus on totally different problems and clientele. Ohio doesn't have a "White House" so the title means each state or region was having meetings to funnel information back to the President--George H.W. Bush--information on which any administration rarely acts, but the money would have come from the federal government. My writing style always includes off topic ideas that occur to me, so before I wrote out my notes, I commented on the poor representation of the media at this conference and I blamed my profession, not the media.

"Librarians have been notorious for not being able to market their product. Distilleries put their information on billboards in the inner city and at interstate exchanges. Librarians put notices on bookmarks which can only be picked up in libraries. Cigarette companies give away cigarettes to induce a life time addiction. Librarians give away time and effort registering voters and showing movies in hopes that the user might check out a book. Librarians sponsor National Library Week when for the cost they could probably create one of those phony commercial talk shows for cable television that are on every channel from midnight on. Targeting neighborhoods with direct mail campaigns has sold millions of dollars worth of goods, but when was the last time you received a doorhanger from the library except at levy time? Have you ever received a phone call from a telemarketer interrupting your dinner to ask if your library card in current?

There are millions of literate people who never set foot in a library. They either don't need them, don't like them, or have had bad experiences in them. They join book clubs, subscribe to magazines and newspapers; they visit book stores and book sales, but not libraries. There are also millions of literate people who are non-readers. . .

The largest, single common denominator identifying all librarians is that we are members of that particular cultural group--the readers. We are so chauvinistic we cannot imagine anyone could be happy who doesn't share this common trait. Librarians have created every imaginable network, coalition, association, and service organization to lure people into their libraries, but they haven't been able to keep libraries in the schools, not even with all the dues we pay. We can't even get a librarian appointed as the "Librarian of Congress." [note: that did finally happen under Obama--a 3-fer, Carla Hayden, black, female, librarian]."

And I went on to mention the dropping numbers (30 years ago) for literacy among children, even in families where moms read to them. Then I wrote about the activities at my public library that week for children: 4 programs involving movies, and 3 for Halloween crafts.

I went on and on for pages--have no idea what happened at the conference. This was 8 typed pages, and no information on what resulted from the meeting. There is a printed report listed on Amazon as out of stock, Jan. 1, 1990, and a copy in the OSU library.

Maybe some attitudes have changed in libraries the last 30 years. I'm no longer an insider. If there were two institutions that should have been considered essential during this shut down it was churches and libraries. Both are filled with evangelists for their passion, and both were silenced, submissive and shuttered.

Spiritual resources for the pandemic

In the Ohio State Health Beat newsletter (on-line) today there is a section for well-being resources during the lock down/culture shock for the pandemic.  https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/features/covid-resources/staff/well-being  There are a number of links featuring ideas or publications for mental health, well being, coping and spiritual helps for employees. So I clicked on "Spiritual Resources" (listed after Mindfulness which actually IS a practice well within the eastern religions) and after Chaplin services, telephone support, audio spiritual pause, a prayer request link and poems, I came to "Faith specific prayers." Here's how they are listed. 1) Islam, 2) Buddhism, 3) Judaism, 4) Christianity, 5) Hinduism. Isn't that odd? Christians are the largest faith group in the world, and approximately 75% of Americans claim some connection to Christianity even if they are just Chreasters and only attend baptisms.

So I continue down the list to a link for "Sacred Texts" which is four links below poetry-- 1) Buddhist Scriptures (13 are listed), 2) Holy Bible, one verse from the NIV is listed, with a link to Bible Gateway keyword feature, 3) Holy Quran, individual links to 114 chapters that link to Meccan references 4) The Tenach (Jewish), with detailed links to the Torah, the Prophets, etc. Whoever put this together threw a dart at the internet religious resources and came up with a politically correct list, all turn key, assuring that no OSU employee would find anything Christian as a resource in this difficult time.

Let's hope they all are attending Bible studies on Zoom or something. Maybe they won't notice our government is shredding the First Amendment in a dangerous precedent while the Christian churches are silent because they can still shop at Walmart.

What is even more anti-Christian is a whole link https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/features/covid-resources/staff/well-being/daily-breathing-practice  devoted to "5 minutes of Mindfulness" on CarmenZoom, with links for each day by video. EACH DAY. Imagine (it's impossible, but try) if there were all those digital resources and planning from a state agency devoted to video links of a pastor or rabbi reading from the Psalms, or offering instruction for the devotional practice, The Rosary.

"Mindfulness" is a religious practice of Hinduism/Buddhism (you can find instructions at both Buddhist and Hindu sites), using an English term that sounds like it isn't religious since the brain doesn't need to be engaged. Well, my brain is engaged, and I'm calling foul on the state for advocating for one religious group over another and pretending it's something else. And shame on Christians for having your babes so poorly catechized that they go off to college and get "evangelized" for eastern religions at almost every turn.

Gabbe Health and Wellness which provides these breathing techniques daily is part of the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State. Today's topic is “Hope as a state of being,” and if you click on it the pleasant woman will provide instructions for the religious techniques.

It’s not about your health when . . .

Kevin Sorbo: "It’s not about your health when the State says it’s too dangerous for you to walk in the park with your child, then puts dangerous criminals back on the street – or, when it tells you it’s safe to go in-person to a grocery store, but not to a voting station. . . when the State shuts down millions of private businesses but doesn’t lay off a single government employee, it's not about your health."

The worm has turned: Covid19 misinformation

Candace Owens: "I broke this story 2 months ago, and was called a "conspiracy theorist". It feels so good to be vindicated. Last night, Tucker Carlson honorably admitted that he fell for the initial hype, and now realizes that the virus is not as deadly as the experts predicted. When I (Candace Owens) started reporting on #coronavirus it was difficult because every single person was convinced it was really as deadly as the journalists were saying, and that I was spreading misinformation. Now things have shifted and virtually everyone is admitting they were wrong. If nothing else, this pandemic should teach us the following:

1) Just because a lie is said a million times, doesn't make it true.

2) Our subconscious works at a faster pace than our conscious. Remember to trust your gut.

3) The speed at which Americans were willing to sacrifice their liberties for a false sense of security should disgust and alarm everyone.

4) The mainstream media is poisonous.

5) Stand up for what you believe in. It's better than being popular."

https://www.dailywire.com/news/yes-hospitals-get-paid-more-for-coronavirus-coded-patients-even-if-they-havent-been-tested?

Comparing the polio epidemics and Covid19

I’ve been anti-shutdown for weeks, but I only saw this video today.  https://youtu.be/lGC5sGdz4kg  So it has had no influence on me.  I’ve watched how the people of Ohio have been led into complete submission while our small businesses have been destroyed. Big box and chains are open.  I watched our sensible, conservative Republican, Trump-supporting, Governor DeWine and his sidekick Dr. Amy, appear every day on TV always quietly oozing more fear and regulations.

If you’re old enough to remember the polio epidemic, the video makes a lot of sense.  I recall my cousin Jimmy Corbett who died in 1949 of polio, and the Kable children I think 4 of the 5 had it, but all survived. We had a big gathering of Corbetts at the John Corbett home (parents of Jimmy) because of visiting relatives from California.  We had a wonderful time and within days Jimmy was dead from polio and about a week later my sister Carol had it. We all were quarantined (in those days they quarantined the people most at risk to contract the disease not the entire country), but not the adults.  My father moved out of our home in Forreston and moved in with his parents in Mt. Morris so he could earn a living (novel idea for 2020)—all had been at that family dinner.  So why weren’t they afraid for the adults?  Immunity.  Most adults born in the late 19^th or early 20^th century had some immunity to polio, a disease that had been around for centuries. Whether it was improved sanitation (indoor plumbing) or something else, I don’t know, but children of the 1930s and 1940s were being struck down.  Some young adults did have it—like FDR, and I wonder if it was his somewhat pampered life (flush toilets) that created the vulnerability whereas my Dad used an outhouse and met his first flush toilet at 14 when he started high school in Polo, IL.

Our son Phil died a week ago and we’d been caring for him (no wife or children for a safety net) first in his home, then in ours as we began to wear out. Under normal circumstances, my 82 year old husband would have seen his own doctor as soon as he began to have breathing problems, but it was postponed due to our situation and because of the shut down/telemedicine.  He needed testing and that isn’t done on the phone. Eventually the squad took him to the ER when he realized he was exhausted walking to the neighbor’s to get ice cream we’d stored in her freezer. He was admitted, tested, and found to have some serious cardiac issues.  The hospital, the largest in Columbus, was virtually empty. Everything—heart, lung, knee, hip, brain—was postponed because of the pandemic scare.  And how many thousands and thousands either didn’t go to their doctor or weren’t diagnosed because of the focus and policies about Covid19? Even today, the death toll nationwide is higher than normal, and the bump isn’t due to Covid.  It’s probably due to people not going to the doctor when they should have—technically, we’d created a nation of uninsured.

I think our president has been misled and so have many of the governors. Whenever I hear the word “data” I mentally flag it.  Dr. Birx of the president’s task force often said, “the data show. . .” Data is not information, information is not knowledge, and knowledge is not wisdom.”
With more sifting and examination the data are actually showing that over 90% of those who died had one of three, or all three—obesity, hypertension, or diabetes.  So meanwhile, reporters who think will probably not be sent to investigate and all the sheeple get are stupid memes about injecting Lysol.

If you’re too young to remember polio, think about how HIV/AIDS was misreported and politicized (still is) as a disease that all of us would get in the 1980s.  And that’s nonsense in service of an agenda.  It’s still isolated for the most part to gay and bisexual men and drug users, and it’s behavior, not homophobia that spreads it.