Your mom was right—eat all the colors, and a lot of them

Research shows Mom was right. Eat all the colors. This is a meta-analysis. Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality: Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies of US Men and Women and a Meta-Analysis of 26 Cohort Studies (ahajournals.org)  Free, original research article. Print it and read between the food commercials on TV.

• A higher intake of fruit and vegetables was associated with lower total and cause-specific mortality in a nonlinear manner in both an original data analysis in 2 prospective cohorts of US men and women and a meta-analysis of 26 prospective cohort studies.
• The lowest risk of mortality was observed for ≈5 servings per day of fruit and vegetable intake, but above that level the risk did not decrease further.
• The thresholds of risk reduction in mortality were 2 servings daily for fruit intake and 3 servings daily for vegetable intake

My favorite vegetables, peas, corn and potatoes, are not associated with lower mortality. Too starchy. Darn. It's just hard to eat this much of anything.

Despite recommendations in dietary guidelines for decades to increase fruit and vegetable intake, the current average intake among US adults is 1 serving of fruit and 1.5 servings of vegetables per day. Not good. There have been many campaigns (cited in the article) to change this because poor nutrition contributes to the burden of disease and premature death.

BTW, this is a premiere, peer reviewed journal. When I was a librarian, Circulation and its many numbered series, was the bane of my existence.

Andrew Cuomo and the fake outrage of the Democrats

The Cuomo "scandal" is so frustrating. The women involved were all his staff--all helped him get to power. Were jobs so scarce in NY that one had to put up with that? He's public and private behavior is not as bad as all the hair sniffing and fondling we've seen from the man they elected president. To kick him out with no medieval inquisition when he's made such horrid decisions about Covid, to the cheers of media and Democrats for being such a leader, is just ugly. The MeToo movement isn't addressing the women and children who are being trafficked across the border for sex. That's real damage. BLM isn't addressing the modern sex slave trade that includes very young children, because it's just so much more comfortable to look to the past rather than what's in front of their faces. Antifa is a fascist, racist organization supported by Big Tech, yet Amazon changed its logo because someone thought she saw Hitler's mustache. Stupid, ignorant, biased leftists.

Democrats with Big Tech destroy the First Amendment

 

Modern day slavery--labor, sex and children

Our book club selection today was "7 men and 7 women," by Eric Metaxas. Two of the individuals, William Wilberforce and Hannah More were English abolitionists. Amazing stories--and few people know of them, nor did most people of their era (18th century) know about the evils of slavery. Same thing is happening today. There's more slavery today than in the 18th century. Candace Owens interviews Tim Ballard who is fighting sex slavery--of children. The fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world is selling people. Most people don't know that. Now you'll have no excuse. Candace and Tim are telling you.

https://www.prageru.com/video/the-candace-owens-show-tim-ballard/?

Operation Underground Railroad (ourrescue.org)

Revolutions and the Bible - Os Guinness

At the 2020 Wilberforce Week-end (named for William Wilberforce, famous abolitionist) sponsored by the Colson Center), Os Guinness discusses the deep divisions in modern America. The roots go back to the 5 revolutions of the modern era--England (1642), United States (1776), France (1789), Russia (1917) and China (1949). The first two were Biblical (Exodus), and the last three were anti-Biblical. The French Revolution was based in atheism and was extremely anti-church. Today our current "revolutionaries" follow the French model. Utopian. The American Revolution is based on the idea that mankind is sinful. Utopianism is/was disastrous. It is always filled with violence and force. Our revolution comes from the idea of Covenant, a Hebrew idea. The Constitution is freely chosen consent, a morally binding pledge. It's reciprocal. Therefore it includes the idea of freedom, truth and love. Today's revolutionaries must use the idea of victimhood--wrong answered by revenge--so the feud continues. The Biblical way includes repentance and forgiveness, freedom from the past and therefore freedom in the future. Guinness is a European, an immigrant. If America turns from true freedom, he says, it will be a disaster for the world.

https://youtu.be/Ws2U2DXREDQ

CPAC, masks and Twitter

I caught an interview on Newsmax of something that happened at CPAC in FL. A young man with a twitter following (I’d never heard of him) had press credentials, and was wearing a mask, but when people asked to have a photo with him, he pulled it down. The Security asked him to leave. (Not sure how you eat, drink or take photos with masks--the entire Biden clan took off their masks for photos at the inauguration.) He thinks it was because of his t-shirt which said, “Arrest Cuomo.” Then he uploaded this incident to Twitter, and they have banned him. He says the CPAC event was in a blue county and individual stores and facilities have the right to control mask wearing, not the governor. Once Twitter found out it could ban the President of the free world and no one would stop it, it went crazy banning anyone it pleased. This makes Big Tech more powerful than Big Government, with its CEOs billionaires the richest people in the world. And not a one of us voted for or asked for that. But we did give away free all our data and they have imprisoned us with it.

On race, racism, class and opportunity

Who are the white supremacists? Maybe those white and black globalists who control or own academe, entertainment, music industry, major sports teams, the tech industry, government, unions, financial industry, health care, Facebook, Google, Twitter, foundations and non-profits, and especially the Democrat party. They are the ones feeling entitled to tell the peons how to live. Just ask them--they will tell you they are righteous.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why the people with all the power are trying to convince us that it's a 40-somethingTrump lover with no investments, not on welfare, riding a motor cycle or driving truck, with a flag sewn to his leather jacket who watches OANN who is the problem. Makes no sense, but then as Tucker has pointed out, the 21st century social and economic revolution is from the top down. The hyper-educated, moneyed elites are oppressing the little guy demanding he give up his first and second amendment rights so they can have more power! So they can feel morally superior while they trash everyone who doesn't agree with them.

Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, earned $280,621,552 in total compensation—more than 1,000 times the income of a median company employee ($246,804 is the median, well beyond what the rest of us can complain about). He was born in India and went to an IT school there before he immigrated. Too bad the U.S. is such a terrible racist country, so prejudiced that no one has any opportunity to become that overpaid. I wonder if Alphabet's employees have to attend reeducation classes to become woke.

No one gave us the chance

What if the nation had stayed open for business and only the old (>65) had restricted their activities, spaces and faces after the "2 week shutdown to save the hospitals" last spring. Would there be any difference in the infection death rate (already extremely low)? We are the boomers and the silent generation, but I think we could have saved the nation if given the chance.

"The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on education has been severe, accelerating the learning losses typically seen over summer breaks. The sad reality is that the shutdowns have had an unequal effect on students. While most students have experienced a learning decay, the impact has been more severe among disadvantaged children." (PolicyEd "Endless Summer, How Covid has reversed academic achievement")

News from the Front Line on Covid

FLCCC Protocols - A Guide to the Management of COVID-19 - updated Feb 23, 2021 (covid19criticalcare.com)

An overview of the MATH+ and I-MASK+ Protocols A Guide to the Management of COVID-19

Developed and Updated by Paul Marik, MD, FCP (SA), FRCP (C), FCCP, FCCM for the COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC Alliance). This is our recommended approach to COVID-19 based on the best (and most recent) literature. This is a highly dynamic topic; therefore, we will be updating the guideline as new information emerges. Please check on the FLCCC Alliance website for updated versions of this protocol. www.flccc.net.

Database of all HCQ COVID-19 studies. 257 studies, 187 peer reviewed, 210 comparing treatment and control groups.

c19study.pdf

Nutrition and diet changes for heart health

When the cardio rehab from Ohio Health called to discuss Bob's diet, I had to be on the phone since I buy, plan the menus and prepare the food. Slowly we're making changes--more for me than him, since he's always been careful and disciplined. 

So the other day I was reading about heart healthy goals, SMART, which are 

Specific, 

Measurable, 

Attainable, 

Realistic, and 

Time-oriented. 

We can hit all those. I've lost 6 lbs., my blood pressure is down, and haven't had the salt shaker on the table for five days. Salty crunchy is my go-to comfort food. However, I recognized that's how my former boss (now deceased) Jay Ladd told me to write my goals for my annual report. For instance. Attend 3 professional conferences--national, local or state, meet with the faculty library committee once a month and send him a report, answer 2 letters a month from school children (two was a good achievable number because there would be many more). It had to be specific, measurable and attainable. That way when he'd visit my library the next year, all he had to do was check, check and check. I hate setting goals, but being specific and measurable helped a lot. Same with health changes.

Since I'm now checking my blood pressure, which I'd never done in the past, I also read an article on how to do it.  

Empty your bladder.  

Sit with feet on the floor and don't cross your knees.  

Sit quietly and relax.  

Lay your arm on the table.  

Apply the cuff correctly (which is difficult for me without help).  

Proceed. 

Some days the high number is over 130, but more and more, it's in the teens as I give up salt and do it correctly. Today it was 112/65 pulse 64. On Feb. 20 it was 116/67 pulse 79. 

About salt.  I don't like adding artificial things if I can just do with less of the natural (such as "lite" salad dressing or "low salt" anything), so I poked around in the cupboard and found a shaker of "The Avenue" signature steak seasoning. The Avenue Steak Tavern  We'd gone there for my 80th birthday before Phil became ill.  The ingredients are granulated garlic, granulated onion, dried parsley, pink peppercorn, black peppercorn, and Kosher salt.  Since salt is the last ingredient, I think I'll use this on some things that are just tasteless. Ricotta, for instance, is as tasty as school paste. The main ingredient is whey.  I browsed the internet for other steak seasoning, and found most listed salt as first or second ingredient. 

White Fragility

Robin DiAngelo has made a fortune being a racist. She writes in White Fragility, that “All white people are invested in and collude with racism,” and that “The white collective fundamentally hates blackness for what it reminds us of: that we are capable and guilty of perpetrating immeasurable harm and that our gains come through the subjugation of others.” She also claims if we disagree with her we're racists. Kafkatrap. 

Would DiAngelo be allowed into our churches, book clubs and non-profit reading lists if she were speaking such vile filth about Jews, Blacks or Asians? Robin, if you are a racist and need to unload your guilt and promote your moral superiority, speak for yourself. Don't come to my social and educational events. Keep those books in your basement archive. 

I hope she donates her ill-gotten, slave-pimping wealth to an organization that wants to stop slavery in this time and place, this century--it exceeds the numbers of the 18th century, and is still primarily based in Africa and Asia. It includes labor slavery, sex slavery, and child slavery. Check the annual reports for TIP U.S. Department of State.

https://thelogicalliberal.com/2020/06/13/white-fragility/?

https://slowtowrite.com/white-fragility-is-pro-racism/?

https://thefederalist.com/2019/06/18/white-fragility-inherently-racist-idea-retired-immediately/?

https://dailycaller.com/2020/06/24/tucker-carlson-white-fragility-robin-diangelo/?

Telling black women to abort their future in the name of health and liberation

New ways to oppress blacks. Tell them that aborting their children is reproductive justice and liberation. And feature it during Black History month. I wonder how much these women earn for taking their show on the road. They've been paid speakers as "Christians" for years. More black babies are legally killed in 4 days than 80 years of lynching. Why isn't it called "systemic racism?"

"Ohio State's Center for the Study of Religion for "Religion, Healing and the Movement for Black Lives," from 4:30─6 p.m., featuring these presentations:

• "Black Spirituality and the Creation of Spaces for Healing and Liberation" with Dr. Elise Edwards (Baylor University)

• "Trusting Black Women: Reproductive Justice as Black Liberation" with Dr. Monique Moultrie, Georgia State University"

Look back at your isolation this past year

Three years from now, some of you will look back & admit that you spent an entire year of your life wearing a mask, cooped up in your house & avoiding all the people you love.  A year in your life that you’ll never get back.

Every single day is a risk.

Car accident, flu, etc.

Our days were numbered from the moment we took our first breath. Life isn’t a race where we win against the inevitable! That has not changed since the beginning of time!

BUT, we should not be forced to live in fear.

We went from being a free nation to being told we:

couldn’t go to school

couldn’t go to church

couldn’t go to our grandma's house

couldn’t pay respects to a loved one through a funeral

couldn’t leave our homes

...and when we were allowed to do these things, we were told:

how long we could be there

how far apart we have to be

which direction to walk

what to wear

what we can buy/not buy

where we could shop/not shop

whether we could sing/worship/take communion

what time we had to be home

Yes, our health matters.

But you know what else matters?

Family.

Friends.

Church.

School.

Sporting events.

Family vacations.

Neighborhood BBQs.

Life.

Fitness.

Hugs.

visiting the hospitalized

Etc.. etc...

One day, you’ll hug your grandma, mom, dad, or brother for the last time.

One day, your best friend will cry on your shoulder for the last time.

One day, your child will play their last ball game.

One day, they’ll have their last day of school.

One day, you’ll spend your last day laughing with a loved one.

One day, you’ll dance your last dance.

Don’t waste the days you have by living in fear.

Your time here on earth matters.

Live your life while you have the chance.

God is gonna call you home when it’s your time.

Virus or no virus.

https://globalcitizensunited.substack.com/p/life-is-risk?s=r

Equality Act—it’s not what it seems

The misnamed "Equality Act" is coming THIS WEEK in a vote in the House of Representatives. What you need to know when you call your Member of Congress:

1. The Equality Act's unverifiable and unscientific attempt to address discrimination by elevating protections for certain groups on the basis of a new definition of sex is a direct threat against every woman in America.

2. The Equality Act would upend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by replacing "sex" with "sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity," placing "gender identity" among the protected categories of discrimination and segregation in places of public accommodation. The word "sex" would no longer be understood as "biologically male and female" in civil rights law. All federally funded entities would be forced to interpret "sex" as including multiple and fluid gender identities, or "the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth."

3. The Equality Act would force public facilities to allow men and boys who identify as women or girls to use the same bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, domestic violence shelters, and prisons as women or girls. The Equality Act would force employers to hire or assign men who identify as women to jobs requiring sensitivity to the physical privacy rights of women and girls such as intimate medical examinations, supervision of domestic violence shelters or prisons, airport security pat downs, strip searches, or supervision of overnight school field trips.

4. The Equality Act would deny female athletes a fair playing field in sports competitions. Title IX, which bans discrimination for women and girls on the basis of sex, would be negated, forcing female athletes to compete against biological males.

5. America does not need the so-called "Equality Act" to protect our constitutional rights. Nothing prevents any person, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, from receiving equal protection of the laws under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Rather, this act will be used, as other gender identity policies have, to impede upon the rights, privacy, and safety of women and girls.

Loss of religious protections The Equality Act: What You Need to Know | Center for Arizona Policy (azpolicy.org)

Damage to several groups. Nancy Pelosi’s ‘Equality Act’ Would Be Disastrous. Here Are 5 Likely Victim Groups. (dailysignal.com)

ADF: ‘Equality Act’ profoundly intolerant, deceptively named | Alliance Defending Freedom (adflegal.org)

For Book Club, Monday March 1

I am the hostess (on Zoom) for the March book club and we’re reading the book by Eric Metaxas, Seven Men and Seven Women and the Secret of Their Greatness. (2016).  The main characters are presented in chronological order, and all are deceased.  The men are George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Saint John Paul II, and Charles W. Colson.  The women are Saint Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Saint Maria of Paris, Corrie ten Boom, Rosa Parks, and Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa).

I’ve looked around the Internet for some interviews and opinion pieces.

Eric Metaxas telling how he became a Christian through intellectual discussions with a Christian at his job, and then God revealed something to him in a dream. Eric Metaxas testimony how he became a Christian - YouTube

Study guide with links for 7 men (original title): A Discussion Guide for Eric Metaxas’s Seven Men and The Secret Of Their Greatness – home (chrisbrauns.com)  Includes Metaxas’ personal testimony. If you are unfamiliar with Metaxas’ background, this is a good start.

There are many videos of Metaxas discussing William Wilberforce. This is at Calvary Church https://youtu.be/njLUCmtLQpY

Metaxas lecturing about Bonhoeffer and Wilberforce at Grace Church in 2012.  https://youtu.be/48U3D74SwLs  

Metaxas laments in a secular publication that the Jackie Robinson movie left out the faith of both Robinson and Rickey in 42. Jackie Robinson a man of faith: Column (usatoday.com) “Omitting the role of faith in this story does a serious disservice to history — and to the memories of Robinson and Rickey.”

Interview (2013)  with Metaxas about the book Seven Men and the secrets of their greatness

https://youtu.be/yw-hVleL1DI (pt.1) and https://youtu.be/1UmJESQ-5iw (pt.2) and https://youtu.be/tiaXPGNje-E  (pt.3)

Interview with Metaxas about the book  Great Women from Joan of Arc to Mother Teresa | Eric Metaxas

The Secret of Mother Teresa's Greatness | Eric Metaxas  Mother Teresa  Opinion piece written for Fox

Article by Metaxas on Susanna Wesley, Joan of Arc, and Rosa Parks, Susanna Wesley, Joan of Arc, Rosa Parks and Other Ordinary-Extraordinary Women God Used to Change the World | Eric Metaxas in Christian Post.

For an extra if you’re interested in Mother Teresa.  Interview 1974 https://youtu.be/Th2QzJwy8tI  in Ireland.

Full movie on Corrie Ten Boom https://youtu.be/GHjiGwG4cFY

Movie on the life of William Wilberforce William Wilberforce | Full Movie | Steve Bell - YouTube  voice over with drawings--very well done.

Merritt Garland, unprepared and no thoughts about illegal immigration

Merritt Garland seems to be the only American who hasn't thought about whether or not entering the country illegally should remain a crime. And he's applying for the job as Attorney General--the chief cop! I'm just a retired librarian, and I've thought about it. I'll bet you have too.

“I haven’t thought about that question… uh… uh… I just haven’t thought about that question,” Garland replied cautiously. “I think the uh, the uh, president has, uh, made clear that we are a country of uh with borders and uh a concern about national security. Um, I don’t know of proposal to uh decriminalize, but um, still make it unlawful to uh, enter.”

Also, when in recent history has our current president ever said we are a country with borders that are important for national security? Wasn't that during the Bush years that he mentioned it?

The Department of Justice traces its beginning to the First Congress meeting in New York in 1789, at which time the Congress devoted itself to creating the infrastructure for operating the Federal Government. After meeting for several months the legislators passed a bill known as the Judiciary Act that provided for the organization and administration of the judicial branch of the new government, and included in that Act was a provision for appointment of “…a meet person, learned in the law, to act as attorney-general for the United States…” 

Although it would be nearly another century before Congress would create the Department of Justice, the establishment of the Attorney General position marks the true beginning of the Department. The Judiciary Act was passed by Congress and signed by President George Washington on September 24, 1789, making the Attorney General position the fourth in the order of creation by Congress of those positions that have come to be defined as Cabinet level positions.  

About the Office (justice.gov)

No more business as usual

I've been reading my husband's professional (architecture) literature for so many years, I think I could write the articles--at least the opinion pieces of the last 3 decades (social, cultural and green). But finally, a paragraph I support for its truth, yet question its suppositions.

"What's next? A year ago, the answer that no one foresaw would be "a pandemic." Though the COVID-19 pandemic will end, architecture cannot--and will not--simply return to its old habits and forms. The global health emergency has changed how we live, travel, and work. It has altered how we use and navigate space, what we expect regarding safety and sanitation, and the way we greet strangers and loved ones. . . " p. 59, Architect (journal of AIA), Jan/Feb 2021. 

The theme of the issue is Post-Vaccine Architecture. And the vaccine will change a lot, but it won't restore our faith in our government, it won't let us forget how politicians used us, and how our leaders accepted the call of power over the call of service. The vaccine can't restore the lost dreams, careers, businesses, relationships and lives. It can't undo the memories of cowering in our homes or replace the time we might have had with friends and relatives who have died. The top 1% in technology have become richer and more controlling; grifters, special interests and unions are absconding with our money buried in the Covid relief bills; the people who should have protected us have failed us; and their children, families and future move ahead without a hitch and are not being harmed. The poor and disadvantaged have lost even more ground after some spectacular gains the previous 3 years -- especially the children closed out of their schools. 

Churches, schools, and workplaces need to rethink many issues and policies. Don't allow the architects, engineers, governors, and politicians to do your decision making. We've had enough of "experts" telling us what to do and then responding without thinking it through.

One thing Rush said wasn’t true. . .

In 1994 Rush Limbaugh reflected on why liberals were so afraid of him. Not much changed in 27 years.

"I have not attracted and kept my audience by being a blowhard, a racist, a sexist, a hatemonger. Those who make such charges insult the intelligence of the American people. If l were truly what my critics claim, I would have long ago, deservedly, gone into oblivion. The fact is, my audience knows I constantly champion rugged individualism. One of the most oft-heard phrases on my shows is this: “I want a great America made up of great individuals, an America where everyone is unshackled to be the best he can be.” This is the philosophy that sends liberals into fits—because they know a country made of strong, self-reliant individuals does not need them at all."

He was criticized for reporting on his show that Sidwell school where Chelsea Clinton attended had assigned a paper to 8th graders on "Why I feel guilty being white." He was insulted and ridiculed for saying this on the air, but it turned out that it had already been reported in 3 other sources, and his critics had to apologize. What makes this story interesting 27 years later, is today would it even raise an eyebrow? CRT is all over the place and children are being brainwashed in violation of the Civil Rights laws.

Unfortunately, one thing he said in 1994 is not true today:

 ". . . modern liberalism—exhausted and confused—is on the run. "

Some how, the generation that fell in love with him in the 90s, managed to lose control of the Republican party, schools, boards of directors, entertainment, churches, non-profits, clubs, and turn out some very brainwashed socialists.

Biden’s illegal immigration plan

https://youtu.be/dZ-w86r12Uw No social distancing, no masks, no quarantines. No isolation of sex criminals. Releasing drug cartel members. It's Biden's plan to control the virus and the opioid crisis.

The lockdowns of schools, churches, libraries and social activities have hurt the children in low income families the most. Democrats and their allies in the unions are once again using government control to hurt minorities. Systemic racism? How about just systemically Democrat party with business as usual? And equal opportunity plan to hurt all children, but hurts minorities more. We don't really need statistical models to tell us what we already know.

Achievement gap and coronavirus | McKinsey

How much learning students lose during school closures varies significantly by access to remote learning, the quality of remote instruction, home support, and the degree of engagement. For simplicity’s sake, we have grouped high-school students into three archetypes. First, there are students who experience average-quality remote learning; this group continues to progress, but at a slower pace than if they had remained in school.⁴ Second, some students are getting lower-quality remote learning; they are generally stagnating at their current grade levels. Then there are students who are not getting any instruction at all; they are probably losing significant ground. Finally, some students drop out of high school altogether.

Candace Owens interviews Carol Swain

Knocked it out of the park! Candance Owens and Carol Swain today. Prof. Swain had been a Democrat all her life up to the Obama era, but even then was struggling against the victimhood idea,. She didn't like identity politics. Today's messages for young blacks are very destructive today.  Progressives hate blacks--yes, she said it. Every generation it's something different--all the way to defund the police. They HATE black people. Now it's Covid (OK to riot without masks) and shutting down the schools. Everything progressives do hurt blacks more. And she called Critical Race Theory what it is--Marxism. She encourages whites to stop the bullying by using the Civil Rights laws--they protect everyone, not just blacks. Don't miss this one. She's a strong Christian, but wasn't for many years.

https://youtu.be/IF8quaC53ic