The Georgia scandal

 Even with the video showing the Georgia scandal of counting votes after sending the poll watchers home after a "water pipe leak" Facebook is calling my post and link about it "fake news." I guess they'll call the GA governor out on that one, too. These twits really irritate me, but Facebook is "free" and can set its own rules about fake. Fakebook. We get what we pay for, folks. An addiction, a vote manipulator, and a really poor source of news.

Biden's shaggy dog tail

 Now Joe Biden says he slipped and broke his foot because he got out of the shower and chased his dog and slipped on a rug.

Adults older than 65 years of age suffer the greatest number of fatal falls. 37.3 million falls that are severe enough to require medical attention occur each year. Will we have 37.3 million people hospitalized with Covid this year? Should we destroy our economy because old people fall and need medical attention? The one-year mortality rate in seniors over 60 is as high as 58% following injuries related to trips, slips, and falls, statistics in the elderly show. For Covid it's 5.6%. Should the schools close? The death rate for older Americans is much higher for whites than blacks--it's much higher in Wisconsin than in Alabama, but to my knowledge no one has a grant to determine the cause of the racial gap.

That said, how do you get the picture of a wet, naked Biden chasing a dog out of your head?

There are protected classes at Ohio State

Although Ohio State University claims “The university recruits and selects the most qualified individuals for open positions” when you read who is “protected” by the policies of affirmative action and equal opportunity, you see that isn’t true.

“Ohio State does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or protected veteran status, or any other bases under the law, in its education program or activity, which includes employment.

In addition, the university complies with Executive Order 2019-05D, which prohibits any Ohio State employee from discriminating against any other employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin (ancestry), military status (past, present or future), disability, age (40 years or older), status as a parent during pregnancy and immediately after the birth of a child, status as a parent of a young child, status as a foster parent, genetic information, or sexual orientation, as those terms are defined in Ohio law, federal law, and previous Executive Orders, in making any of the following employment-related decisions:

a. Hiring b. Layoff c. Termination d. Transfer e. Promotion f. Demotion g. Rate of Compensation h. Eligibility for In-Service Training Programs

Then we get into a long list of definitions which includes:

Discrimination (disparate treatment and disparate impact) occurs when an adverse action is taken under university authority against a university community member in an educational program or activity and the action is based upon one’s s protected class status. Disparate treatment occurs when one suffers less favorable treatment than others because of their protected class status. Disparate impact occurs when a university policy or practice, although neutral on its face, adversely impacts persons in a protected class.

There is no recourse under university rules if a healthy, white male is not selected for the job even if he is the most qualified, or if he is on the job and experiencing harassment, bullying, unequal assignments, hate speech, unwanted sexual advancements, cyber threats, political discrimination, etc. He’s not protected. But a transfemale lesbian with Asian heritage could file for discrimination for exactly the same workplace experiences.  Actually, the rules are not for the workplace—they include off campus and virtual spaces.

And yes, the pregnancy policy uses the words, “status as a parent during pregnancy” rather than “pregnant woman,” because we all know that in the 21st century men can be mothers too.

This hiring/enrollment policy is not new, but it is regularly revised (I’m quoting from a draft revision) to keep up with evolving identity politics and social injustices.  When I was responsible for hiring a paraprofessional assistant back in the early 1990s, I was first required to interview candidates which common sense would disqualify in the “real” world of business.  I remember the ex-convict who wanted a grounds keeping, outdoor job, but had worked as a student staff in one of the libraries 20 years before so he was sent by personnel and I had to interview him.  Or a candidate who was in a wheelchair and would not be able to shelve books higher than her head or get her wheelchair through the of book shelves aisles.

Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination/Harassment policy (osu.edu)

Telemundo—still the whitest TV in town

While I was doing 7 miles on my exercycle this morning, I watched an Irish nun give an excellent presentation of Matt. 24. Wow. That will scare the daylights out of you. Then I switched to Telemundo, a Spanish language cable channel owned by NBC which is owned by Comcast. I watched a bit and see that all the stories are exactly the same as any other MSM. Even the Covid19 scare features.

Except. Culture shock. Everyone is white! I forget how integrated all our entertainment and media shows are until I see one that isn't. And such beautiful news folk. My goodness. The women especially are stunning, but it clearly shows the power of "colorism" or "shadeism". Even the actors in the commercials are white. But if they are addressing Spanish speaking Americans why are there no black, brown, Asian, Indian, gay or disabled people like I see on other media?

Vaccines on the market—when FDA says so

Operation warp speed, which worked well cutting years of red tape off development of new drugs, apparently didn't include FDA approval and distribution. Private industry moves in real time, with urgency, and government agencies work in swamp time. The vaccine is being slow walked and I and millions of others have this figured out.

FDA chief Hahn summoned as White House complains about timing of vaccine approval – MarketWatch

Pfizer applies for emergency FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccine (nypost.com)

Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Goes to FDA | Time

Some drugs get to market without FDA approval. First Alzheimer's blood test now on the market, without FDA approval - CBS News

The Arizona hearings

Although I believe Biden didn't even come close to winning the election, I also don't believe President Trump will be allowed a second term. He stirred up too many hornets' nests, and poked too many swamp creatures in the attempted clean-up. Bobby Piton, a mathematician and expert witness who testified at the hearing in Arizona yesterday (I watched), had his Twitter account suspended during the hearing. Big Tech is expecting Big Gifts from the Biden administration. Piton will now have his life torn apart and probably be threatened. If you're on Twitter, get off it now. And if you're a Democrat, don't feel smug and self righteous. You're next if you question the plantation bosses.

Data Expert: Up To 300,000 Fake People Voted In Arizona Election, "Biggest Fraud" In History | Video | RealClearPolitics

Academe is having a short fall—Ohio State

Ohio State University (a few miles from us) is having a financial short fall: “The virus, things not related to the virus, the election, social unrest, a hiring pause, the inability to travel and hold in-person events, and even things like (the) leadership transition (at the university) have all had an impact on our fundraising to date,” Michael Eicher, senior vice president for advancement and president of the Ohio State University Foundation, said at the Nov. 19 meeting.

OSU brought in $113.9 million from 74,501 donors during the first three months of the 2021 fiscal year, which started July 1, according to the university. That’s 24% less than it brought in during the same period last year, when it raised $150 million. The number of donors during that period last year was 121,816, meaning there are nearly 50,000 donors who haven't given this year." (Columbus Business First, Dec. 1, 2020)

Most of that list looks Covid related to me. Even the so-called "social unrest." I'm retired OSU faculty and I know the "social unrest" had been building for years, egged on by faculty looking for some sort of "equity," but always encouraging divisiveness instead of true diversity, which should have included conservatives, but they'd all been chased away. 2020 has been a perfect storm building in influence and power incrementally since the 1980s through diversity and inclusion programming graduating people with no place to go. Yet now it's all called "systemic racism. The pandemic certainly worsened things, as the liberals all blamed President Trump and no one looked at the social turmoil the universities and colleges had been encouraging for years.

As the blue collar and service industries all continued in their "essential" jobs, the spoiled college kids signed on to march, destroy and disrupt with Antifa and BLM, and wealthy alumni waved their little flags in support.

Share the wealth, musings and opinions

As Biden puts together his "redistribution" team of former Obama and Clinton failures, I was reading today the wisdom of a man who was writing during the Great Depression, Erling C. Olsen. He was not a political commentator, or pastor, just a layman who had a radio show about the Psalms which was later reissued as a book that went through a number of editions. His message on Psalm 62 included these remarks about pastors and politicians who were trying to make sense of those trying times (during which my parents went to college, got married, had 4 children and bought a home):

"Just now it seems to be a pastime of some to heap all manner of invectives upon those who are of high degree or great position. One voice cries out ". . . Salvation can only be had in the sharing of wealth." Another insists that it is not a matter of sharing wealth, but of sharing income. Still another, a clergyman, used to shout, "In silver lies our redemption." The fact of the matter is that salvation is in none of these, neither the salvation of the individual, nor of society. While we may see some distinction in men, and assume that by the simple process of equalizing wealth we can bring man into a paradise; in God's sight sin is the cause of inequalities. So long as sin reigns, just so long will these situations exist. It is sheer nonsense to talk about sharing wealth WITH THE SHARING IN THE HAND OF A POLITICIAN. It is the same as expecting a Millennium without the Messiah. Sin will reign, until our Lord Jesus Christ Himself rules over this world as King of kings, and Lord of lords.." (Meditations in the Book of Psalms, p. 468, 1952 edition)

Listening to Handel’s Messiah

In the Bing search window this morning I typed, "Messiah YouTube" and then had to choose one. I chose the complete work, not just the Christmas portion. From my living room window overlooking the fresh snow, I can listen for 2 1/2 hours, London Philharmonic. This is Advent, the beginning of the church year, and although Handel wrote it for Easter, it has become a custom for Advent and Christmas. Fr. Sebastian White, editor of Magnificat writes in the December issue, "The Son given unto us at Christmas is the Man of Sorrows who will suffer and die for us on Good Friday. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who rises victorious at Easter, unleashing our pent-up alleluias."

When Messiah debuted in Dublin in 1742, such a huge crowd was expected that ladies were told to wear dresses without hoops and men were asked to leave their swords at home. I wonder how they got the word out with no internet, twitter or Facebook?

In my younger years when I sang in a choir, I was a first soprano; now I'm a tenor and only have about 5 raspy notes, and they don't seem to be in a row. But I hope someday to join the heavenly choir of angels and saints who day and night sing, "Worthy is the lamb that was slain. . . "

The future of our country, musings and opinions

Evi Kokalari, an Albanian immigrant, writes: "When I immigrated to America, I had faith for the first time that my vote would actually count; that when I cast my ballot, I was taking part in a sacred and meaningful process. In light of what has transpired over the past few weeks, however, that faith has waned. What is unfurling in America today has been going on in Albania for decades, and I fear for the future of our democracy."

Evi, I feel much the same. In 2016 with Democrats and crazy pink hat ladies ranting about a "stolen election" I knew they just didn't understand the electoral college and what our founders intended. In 2020, I know it was stolen in the middle of the night with massive fraud, and we're no better than any of those other banana republics we've sneered at.

Combine the election fraud with the failure of our churches to stand up to the government, and I really feel we’re living in a remote jungle in a foreign land.

Don’t look for good information from educators, musings and opinions

"Education Week--Teacher" on-line features a story on "disinformation" and how teachers can combat it, but the company expert put a photo of President Trump, not an MSNBC or CNN anchor with the lead. Really? I read through it, and it equated some ridiculous minor conspiracy stories or right wing blogs (some of which I think are actually middle road) as evidence, and didn't mention that for four years, the main stream media which is how most Americans get their information has been non-stop, anti-Trump. Worthless piece of junk, yet this is what teachers in public schools are reading. And no, I won't give you the link. If you want disinformation, you don't need to go far. Look for the union label. But the author promotes "anti-racism" curricula, so there's a clue (things never get better they only get worse theme). That's like asking for a reading list on Jews from Hitler's Department of Education in the 1940s.

Enjoying summer's bounty

 For breakfast this morning I had 2 biscuits warmed up (left over from dinner a few days ago) with tart cherry jam.  My daughter has found a summer farmer's market on the east side whose produce she buys in bulk in the summer.  She bought gallons of tart Michigan sour cherries this summer and processed them into jam.  And we're now enjoying it.  She also bought baskets of cukes and using my Mother's recipe for bread and butter pickles and dill pickles, we've had some of that for holiday meals.  She also bought a lot of corn on the cob and wax beans and processed those for the freezer.  Bob hates corn, but the rest of us really enjoyed a taste of summer at Thanksgiving--tasted like we'd just walked into the field and pulled a few ears off the stalk. She sent some home with me after Saturday dinner, and I enjoyed it for Sunday breakfast. I'd often talked about how wonderful watermelon pickles are (the only produce I've ever canned, and that was 1957), so she found a recipe in my Mother's file box, and made them this past summer using tiny little flower shapes.  She also makes cherry pies with highly decorative crusts. The apple butter is scrumptious but perhaps fewer spices next time, she says.  She's considerably added to her costs by then packaging the jars and Fed-exing them to relatives. She often calls her cousin Amy for advice about mom's recipes if she thinks something doesn't sound right, so I know she got some, and her cousin Joan in Indiana who has been so helpful to us this past year.  I believe her sisters-in-law in Colorado and Kansas benefited from her generosity, and of course we did too. 

Thanksgiving dinner

Joe Biden’s firsts, Musings and Opinions

I'm looking forward to the time when panting news mavens don't announce "first woman" to do something for Joe Biden. First woman to be appointed secretary of. . . First woman of color to be advisor of . . . First woman of color who is trans who is appointed judge of . . . First woman who has had 5 abortions appointed ambassador to . . . First woman veteran who is native American and lesbian who heads the VA . . . This will go on the entire Biden administration while his own party says there is no difference between men and women and it's sexist and transphobic to even suggest God had a plan. Meanwhile, the media ignored all the women in the Trump administration in important roles.

Trump's staff was almost half female--greater than the figure for employed women in America.

Forty-eight percent of the overall White House staff are women: 216 to 234 men.

Three hundred fifteen are political appointees: 169 men, 146 women.

The staff of the president and first lady is 48% women: 181 women, 194 men.

The vice president has 26 female staffers and 40 men.

The vice president’s wife, Karen Pence, employs nine women, no men.

Half of the national security council staff are women.

But the media slobber over Joe Biden, who has been known to slobber over women.

Michelle Obama’s legacy, musings and opinions

Despite her belief that America is a racist country, Michelle Obama has been voted the most admired woman. That's gratitude for you. I remember that Lady Bird had her beautification project of public spaces, and Nancy Reagan was fighting drugs, and Laura Bush was pushing libraries and museums, and Hillary Clinton tried to take over health care (Hillary Care), and Rosalyn Carter worked on behalf of mental health and poor children, but I'm trying to remember what Mrs. Obama was known for that put her on the cover of so many fashion magazines. Was it obesity in children? Is her legacy all those school lunches that were thrown in the trash?

The Small Christian Community (SCC) in India

This morning I watched a program on EWTN called, “Where God Weeps,” which focuses each week on a different part of the world where God is working to grow the church. Where God Weeps – A weekly catholic TV programm  I’m not sure when the program I watched today was recorded, but it was an interview of Sister Christin Joseph of India. 

She described traveling into the interior mountainous jungle to reach a group of Christians who had been attacked and dispossessed of their homes and churches in 2008, and also more recently. A Hindu politician had been assassinated, and the Christians were blamed, so their neighbors (all Hindus) had turned against them and stood by as the followers of that leader destroyed their homes. These people were already of the lowest caste, yet as Christians, there is no caste system for them.  Each one is equal.

She described terrible deprivation such as several thousand people using 10 toilets, and the horrible sanitation in the camp.  Also, her religious order/church had contributed a tent which was housing 23 families with hardly room to sit down. But she found her own faith strengthened by their faith and refusal to reject Christ as demanded by the Hindus.  They didn't ask her for anything like food or clothing, only that she go back and tell other Christians about the importance of taking care of their own neighborhood churches and to pray from them.  “Stand by us,” and “Pray for us,” is what she heard.

She then went on to describe for the host the SCC, Small Christian Community movement (now world wide having been started about 40 years ago).  These are house churches which care for the neighborhood and use a leadership style called “servant leaders.”  The foundational unit is called BEC, Basic Ecclesial Community, and that begins in the home.  I found a YouTube channel that Sr. Christin Joseph uses to do training sessions for the leaders of these small communities. It sounds very much like our UALC SALT groups, Sharing and Learning Together (or Serving and Living Together) Ours (10 people, 9 in the Columbus area and one in Florida) is currently meeting on Zoom, but from her videos listed here (both of which deal with being church in the time of Covid) her groups are meeting in person and using video material for instruction.

Here are two of her training videos.  The sound isn’t the best quality, and sometimes they are English with Hindi subtitles, and sometime Hindi with English subtitles. She finds YouTube film to use.

https://youtu.be/EdBTeVWKN_w  Life after the pandemic; the neighborhood church

https://youtu.be/lPbPCPVarjA  Church on the move.  What is a BEC? How do these communities work during the pandemic?

A few years ago, our SALT group used Rod Dreher’s "Benedict Option" on intentional communities for the post-modern church, and he has a new book "Live not by Lies" which addresses a culture that actually attacks the Christian.  Might be useful for understanding what the lowest caste in India is going through.

Biden’s moves, musings and opinions

If Biden is president, his first gift to China will be some version of AOC's Green New Deal, which will lock down and hold back our economy and depress wages. This will give China a huge boost, since the rules don't apply to them. His second gift to China will be to weaken our military. His third gift to China will be to play blind to the religious persecution of Christians and Muslims, especially in Hong Kong. What's your vote for #4?

Catholic student jailed in Hong Kong for pro-democracy protest (catholicnewsagency.com)

Trump signed a law to punish China for its oppression of the Uighur Muslims. Uighurs say much more needs to be done. (msn.com)

China’s Military Provokes Its Neighbors, but the Message Is for the United States - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Save us from the experts, musings and opinions

Nicholas Christakis is making the rounds of talk shows, twitter, Facebook, academic papers, etc. and says our leaders (aka Trump) weren't taking the right actions to fight Covid19. Of course, he would have no book if everything had been done right. Yet, he admits, he knew nothing till the end of January (it's his field) then became alarmed when China confined/locked down Wuhan. Now he's saying the president didn't do enough. (Perhaps he has his time taken up by the Democrats three year campaign to undo the 2016 election?)  He acted on January 30 to close air traffic and began working with private industry to get supplies out. But being an academic, Christakis is a progressive--they are always smarter than the people who get elected, right? I guess he was listening to the main stream media that nothing was done. But these same critics, poo-poo Trump's accomplishments in getting a 16 year process reduce to 9 months for a vaccine and some governors have instilled fear about them.

Musings and opinions

A former in-law writes: “The Hunt Club tavern is still packing them in at its small location. I get pissed every time we go by it.”

Yes, it’s too bad when people can still go to bars, but not to church. However, this whole lockdown would have made more sense if it involved keeping people our age at home—we are the people with age, heart conditions, lung problems, obesity, diabetes, etc. If you were out and about, I hope there was a good reason, and that no one could have done that errand for you.

The good news is that although cases are on the increase, the fatalities are below 1%, which means that those getting Covid now are much better off with the newer treatments and more knowledge that those who got it in March and April. Our president has been successful and cut about 15 years off the approval schedule for a new drug that should be delivered to health care workers in early December. We will still have people who fear vaccines, but hopefully we’ll have more herd immunity besides that which we’ve developed through the spread of the disease. 95-99% success for a vaccine is unheard of. Let’s see if it works that well on the general public. Every media outlet will announce every side effect, or death with anxious faces and whispers, when they never paid attention to flu deaths, or shingles side effects, or falls among the elderly. They may even demand on Twitterverse that immunizations stop until NO ONE has any side effects, although if Biden takes office in January, those alarm bells will stop so the end of the pandemic can be attributed to him.

Alzheimer’s Disease Hot Spots

If you see this link as Wall Street Journal, there is a fire wall. You can read it at MSN. The WSJ article refers to several studies. One study co-author is Jeffrey Wing, assistant professor of epidemiology at OSU. Article is: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 76, no. 4, pp. 1309-1316, 2020. If you see the words "equity," or "disparity," in titles or names of organizations, the focus will be race. Always good for fund raising. Wing's focus is rural areas, specifically Appalachia. I've read it--looks solid, but author admits needs much more investigation. I've tried to look at the UsAgainstAlzheimer organization (also mentioned in WSJ article), but a big splashy ad for Giving Tuesday covers everything up, so I can't tell you much about it except its focus is blacks and latinos.

Alzheimer's Research Looks at Hot Spots Across the U.S. (msn.com)

Ugly public architecture

If I could write as well as R.R. Reno*, I would have said this decades ago—I read a lot of architecture magazines.

Nearly 3/4 of Americans (72%) – including majorities across political, racial/ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic lines – prefer traditional architecture for U.S. courthouses and federal office buildings. At least Americans can agree on ugly. National Civic Art Society/Harris Survey Shows Americans Overwhelmingly Prefer Traditional Architecture for Federal Buildings — National Civic Art Society.

In the Dec. issue of First Things R.R. Reno comments: "Modern and postmodern architecture have no visual vocabulary for distinguishing civic from commercial life, which is why during the last 2 decades every attempt at grandeur has ended up looking like an airport terminal." . . . "Modern architecture of the International style can be elegant and pleasing. Its blank walls of glass are the perfect idiom for faceless modern corporations. Postmodern architecture can be ironic and clever, which is why our disenchanted elite like it so much. But these styles cannot speak a civic language, and this is why the public disfavors them and wishes our government would return to older ways of building."

I would disagree with Mr. Reno that it's only the last 2 decades. The most ugly architectural style for public buildings in my opinion is "brutalist," and it looks like it sounds. It's an assault on the eye, and must drive building managers crazy. In Columbus we have the Ohio History Center near the Fair Grounds, built in 1970, but it had become ubiquitous in the 1950s-1970. Very famous architects contributed to this horror. AIA gives them awards, probably because there's so much concrete in them, there's no way to get rid of them.

National Civic Art Society Op-Ed in the New York Post: Trump’s Right: Americans Deserve Nice Public Buildings — Even if Elites Sneer — National Civic Art Society

National Civic Art Society/Harris Survey Shows Americans Overwhelmingly Prefer Traditional Architecture for Federal Buildings — National Civic Art Society

Antiracist Hysteria by R. R. Reno | Articles | First Things  *Scroll to “While we’re at it.”