Happy Birthday Cathy

I'm a few days late, but I know she had a big one. She said I could move her to another link category, but for now I'll just let her stay with the Ladies. So stop by and wish her a happy birthday.

2012 No sir, the evidence isn't clear

Robert Reich was interviewed for the Wall Street Journal Supplement about "Guns, Butter and Retired Boomers" yesterday. In "Debating the issues," as a follow up to concern about the cost of entitlements with Medicare bypassing the cost of Social Security by 2025, Reich skips it and flits on over to early childhood education (and that drum beat for compulsory early ed was repeated today in an op-ed in the WSJ by James Heckman in "Catch 'em Young").

"The evidence is clear and compelling that these expenditures provide very large social returns. . . I'd have the government spend more on K-12 in poor communities. . .I'd even be in favor of a progressive voucher system if it was inversely related to family income."

No, Mr. Reich, there really is no evidence that we can compensate for unmarried mothers, who haven't finished high school and had their first child before 20 by sending the kids to an enriched pre-school for socialization and health care.* Head Start gains are lost by about age 7 or 8 because the children live in the environment that produced them. By then, Mommy may be on the second or third boyfriend, and more children are vying for her time.

Head Start, our government's early childhood education plan, has done a good job of employing adults, bloating state and local agencies' budgets, giving legislators a "feel good" bi-partsan vote, and providing safe day care and health benefits to poor children, but it has never been able in 40 years to do what a father in the home and married parents committed to their family well-being can do.

Whenever Head Start is criticized, some sort of "ideal" program is trotted out that no large number of poor children attend, and it certainly isn't administered by a federal bureaucracy. When tests show that early progress is short-lived and the children fall back, the blame is put on the controls or the test design, or not enough money, not enough programs, not enough incentives for workers, or not enough children enrolled--never the concept.

About a million children a year are served by Head Start and I think the cost is up around $7 billion. With the money we spend, it should be a first class education. But no matter. In the 90s the progressive experts were saying it was the welfare reform that was making children poor, and now it's probably that mean old Mr. Bush. If you want the real reason Head Start doesn't work, just look at FEMA in the rebuilding of Louisiana and then ask yourself why you think the government will turn this around for poor children.

The gap will never be closed because poor children from single parent poor families with early education will be attending school with children of in-tact families, higher incomes and well educated parents. And it is the gap, unfortunately, that concerns the educators and politicians.

*William Galston, once an assistant to President Clinton, put the matter simply. To avoid poverty, do three things: finish high school, marry before having a child, and produce the child after you are 20 years old. Only 8% of people who do all three will be poor; of those who fail to do them, 79% will be poor. And their lives did not improve if their mother had acquired a stepfather for them.

Maggie Gallagher, president of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, says that children raised outside marriage are more prone to poverty, substance abuse, school failure, delinquency and adult crime.

Head Start
early childhood education

2011 Every school needs one

A website to expose the radicals on campus. This one is for UCLA, but they are every where (the profs, not the sites).

2010 Word of the Year

Is there more than one panel for "word of the year?" I thought podcast made it, but on the list from the American Dialect Society, it is a runner up to "Truthiness." Not once have I ever heard anyone use "truthiness" but frequency doesn't seem to be the call here.

Word of the Year
WINNER truthiness: the quality of stating concepts or facts one wishes or believes to betrue, rather than concepts or facts known to be true. First vote: 32. Run-off: 66

Katrina: all Katrina-related words. First vote: 36. Run-off: 22

podcast: a digital feed containing audio or video files for downloading to a portable MP3 player. From the brand name MP3 player iPod + broadcast. 2

intelligent design: the theory that life is could only have been created by a sentient being. Often acronymized and pronounced as ID, the theory is being pushed by explanations of evolution. 5

refugee: a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war,
persecution, or natural disaster. 2

Cruiselex: Cruiselex is not itself a nominated word, but the term refers collectively to all the other Tom-Cruise-related words of the year in the special category below. 0

Heck of a job: catch phrase coined by President Bush. 5

brown-out: the poor handling of an emergency. 1

disaster industrial complex: the array of businesses which make profit from by providing emergency services, especially those that result from no-bid government contracts. 3

Podcast did make some of their other lists, and so did intelligent design (I believe it made the "most outrageous" list, but lost to Crotchfruit).

Intelligent merchandise

I not a huge fan of Intelligent Design in the schools and don't keep track of all the arguments, but I can certainly enjoy their merchandise--the t-shirts, coffee cups, book bags, etc. Here is Intelligently Designed Apparel and Merchandise. Each individual design then has its own page which includes some cute explanations:

"The sensory and motor mechanism of the E. coli bacterium consists of a number of receptors which initially detect the concentrations of a variety of chemicals. Secondary components extract information from these sensors which in turn is used as input to a gradient sensing mechanism. The output of this mechanism is used to drive a set of constant torque proton-powered reversible rotary motors which transfer their energy through a microscopic drive train and propel helical flagella from 30,000 to 100,000 rpm. This highly integrated system allows the bacterium to migrate at the rate of approximately ten body lengths per second. Would you please find out who filed the patent on this thing?"

Of course, if you're not open minded and believe everything you were taught in elementary school, skip it.

intelligent design

2008 Winning the genetic lottery

On January 3 USAToday ran a story which followed up on 19 years of winners of the "High School Academic Team." The group selected in 2005 represents the 20th year the paper has featured this program which includes a scholarship, a trophy and a story in the national newspaper.

Although the winners came from many different backgrounds, they often shared certain things in common: "educated, committed parents, some wonderful teachers and mentors, high expectations and the opportunities to pursue their passions." Of the 72% of the 378 winners who responded to the survey of the winners,

• 94% said they grew up in homes with both a mother and a father.

• 57% of their fathers had doctorates, and 58% of their mothers had a master's degree or doctorate.

More than 95% of the fathers and 91% of the mothers had at least a bachelor's degree, and 100% of the parents had at least a high school diploma.

• In 43% of the families, only one parent worked outside the home for the majority of the student's school years.

In the survey, parental involvement/influence was rated "very important" to their high school success by 81% of the respondents — slightly more than "personal work ethic" (79%), "finding an activity I was passionate about" (77%) and "a great teacher or mentor" (74%).

2007 Lucas, Brandon and Josh

On my way back from the Mill Run Church yesterday I was stopped at an intersection for a light and read for the first time what I thought was just a large Christmas greeting. There were three white Christmas trees with gold halos, and a large banner with photos of Lucas, Brandon and Josh, apparently killed by a drunk driver on Christmas Day, 2004. So I looked it up when I got home.

"Joshua Worthington, 19; Lucas Carmean, 19 and Brandon Kent, 21, all died instantly when the Jeep Wrangler they were traveling in was struck head-on by a man who was driving the wrong way on Interstate 71 in Columbus near the 17th Avenue exit.

According to Columbus Police reports, the accident occurred at approximately 3 a.m. Christmas day when a vehicle driven by 28-year-old Donald Lee Richardson of 2205 Dresden Street, Columbus, was southbound in the northbound lanes of I-71 between Hudson Avenue and 17th Avenue and struck the Jeep carrying the three Grove City men. All three were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident."

Richardson had already been convicted on two drunken driving charges and had been arrested for a third for a hearing in May. I followed up the story but lost track of it after June 2005 when he was out of the hospital and sitting in jail awaiting trial. Ohio has crappy drunk driving penalties.

2006 Where there's fire there's Morels

I'd never heard of Morels, a prized, spungy mushroom until 1993 when my cousin Mel Johnson of Byron, IL contributed a recipe for steak and mushrooms to a family cookbook I was compiling. He explained in it how and where to find Morels: "Morels can be found near decaying elms, south of Byron, Illinois in mid-April." That's a pretty big territory, so I suspect Morel hunters don't give up their secrets easily. Almost the entire state is south of Byron.

In the most recent (summer 2005) issue of Agroborealis (School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks) it was reported that Alaskans were expecting a bumper crop of Morels because one to three years after a fire, they are abundant, and 2004 was the scene of many forest fires. This article, in pdf, has some very clear line drawings of Morels and the poisonous "false Morels." In addition to the scientific information, the article includes some recipes.

I'm just in love with agriculture magazines, and this one is always a delight. Not every article is on-line, but enough are that it's an interesting read.

Seven deadly sins in the workplace

This advice comes from an article on library managers, but I think they are universal--some even apply to volunteer positions or church committees. When I listen to complaints about the workplace whether it is a hospital, a ranch or a sales environment, I hear these same complaints. A list of sins and strategies are at FreePint Newsletter, a really neat newsletter just filled with bits of information on many topics, all focused on information providers.

Micromanagement

Lack of communication

Fostering divisiveness

Abusiveness

Failure to listen

Avoiding conflict

Taking credit for others' work

"FreePint is an online network of information searchers. Members
receive this free newsletter twice a month: it is packed with tips
on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.

Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to a
substantial archive of articles, reviews and events, with answers to
research questions and networking at the FreePint Bar."

HT Peter Scott.

2004 Bird feeder tid-bits

If you have a bird feeder in your yard and enjoy watching them from the window, here's a list of eight things you should do to keep it safe, including telling your neighbors what they should do. Good luck, especially with the one about keeping rodents away. Rodents love bird feeders. Excuse the pun, but I don't think it will fly.

It would be so much easier and safer if people just wouldn't feed the birds and ducks. Then the birds could return to eating natural food sources, helping the environment by controling insects and weeds, and you wouldn't be contributing to spreading Salmonellosis (a bacterial disease), Trichomoniasis (a parasitic disease), Aspergillosis (a fungus causing pneumonia and bronchitis), and Avian Pox (a virus causing warts).

Here's a neat, inexpensive contraption to keep birds away from a food supply, and I suppose it would work with a garden area too. It was designed by Janet Schmitz of Union Grove, WI and submitted to the National Hog Farmer for its Aug. 15, 1988 issue on Inventions. She says, "We were having problems with barn swallows and various other birds in our finishing barns and around feed bins. We were concerned about the potential for spreading disease. I took some aluminum baking tins and nailed and/or glued some wood lathe to the backs for support." These reflectors move in the air current and in the sunlight they are very irritating to the birds. But a side benefit writes farmer Schmitz is that it entertains the pigs. In 1988 this cost about $1.40. Probably $3.00 now. I like the little piggies she apparently painted on her invention. A very creative lady.

Even 18 years ago, farmers had an institutional memory, probably passed down from grandpa, that you don't want diseased birds around hogs (flu epidemic of 1918). But I don't think it's a good idea to have bird waste and rodent pests around your yard and patio either.

2003 I will not look in the free box

Reciting that mantra three times as I walked through the parking lot and into church yesterday didn't work. The service was fabulous--Pastor Jeff preached the best sermon on justification I've ever heard (this is my most favorite theme), so with donut hole in hand I headed for the library. Of course, I ate it first, since food isn't allowed. Just one peek in the box. How could it hurt?

And I came away with two fairly substantial books. Anne Graham Lotz' 2003 title, "My Heart's Cry," and "The art of reading scripture," an Eerdmans title, 2003. The Lotz book, in hard cover, I assume was withdrawn from the church library because several years ago the women's group used this and they may have bought multiple copies. She is Billy Graham's daughter and in my opinion, the best preacher in the whole family. The Eerdmans title is probably a donation, and the librarian didn't select it.

On the outside chance that someone donated it directly to the box and the librarian didn't see it, I'll take a look and suggest it if I think it is useful. I suspect they know their audience, and this isn't a book most will read. Looking inside at the acknowledgements I see it is a volume of essays of a "four year conversation," and one they DIDN'T include was on the visual arts (included a woodcut from the essay). So. . .

2002 Reinventing the image of God

Week-end edition of the Wall Street Journal has an interesting interview with Leon Kass, former chairman of the President's Council on Bioethics, by Bret Stephens. It begins with a discussion of Hwang Woo Suk, the South Korean researcher who has admitted to fabricating cloned stem cells. The media were complicit in the fraud, he believes.

"As far as Dr. Hwang is concerned, Dr. Kass is merciless, and he fires grapeshot: "Scientific fraud is always revolting, but it is fortunately rare and, in the end, truth will out. But in this case, American scientists and the American media have been complicit in the fraud, because of their zeal in the politics of stem-cell and cloning research and their hostility to the Bush funding policy. Concerted efforts have been made these past five years to hype therapeutic cloning, including irresponsible promises of cures around the corner and 'personalized repair kits' for every degenerative disease. The need to support these wild claims and the desire to embarrass cloning opponents led to the accelerated publication of Dr. Hwang's 'findings.' . . . We even made him Exhibit A for the false claim that our moral scruples are causing American science to fall behind."

The article also includes his concerns about performance enhancing drugs, psychotropic behavior modifying drugs, life-span increasing drugs, and living wills. Read the article here.

2001 Report of Commission to Strengthen Social Security

About four years ago, December 2001, The Report of the President’s Commission "Strenthening Social Security and Creating Personal Wealth for All Americans" was issued--it had 256 pages. Of course, we all know that it is now languishing, and not even President Bush seems too excited about it. However, that isn't what I wanted to tell you. Surprise.

I happened to find it in the CyberCemetery which is where old committees, commissions, departments and agencies are buried. CyberCemetery is part of the Federal Depository Library Program, created through a partnership of the University of North Texas Libraries and the USGPO to provide permanent public access to the Web sites and publications of defunct U.S. government agencies and commissions.

Let's say, for example, you wanted to know who the chair of the 9/11 commission was, but you didn't remember the right title. The search window will accept, "chair 9/11 attack." And it finds "The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States" and it finds 170 pages for you to look at, probably because the chair's name appears in the side bars so frequently.

Using quotation marks to define your search, such as "food pyramid" instead of food pyramid, will get you closer to the defunct committee or commission report you want. The second phrase will find the word food and the word pyramid anyplace in the document. It's a wonderful way to waste time. By keying in "agriculture" I learned that the first Iraqi aircraft used after the war was an Mi-2 helicopter from the former Saddam Hussein’s military, refitted to spray date palm trees. That came from a news release of The Coalition Provisional Authority, now defunct--I think. I tried to download its history, and my computer failed. Ghosts in the cemetery?

Quilt Show Photos

I went back to the Mill Run Church this afternoon with my digital camera and took some pictures. I don't have a great camera and am sort of inexperienced at this, but I hope it will give you the idea. There are about 40 pieces, wall hangings, quilts, and pillows in a show described here.

This is a close-up of "Lyle's Letter to Santa." You can see the 7 year old's handwritten letter on the Ohio Star, bordered with fabric reminiscent of the early 20th century.

This is a close-up of the hand drawn squares done by children in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami which were pieced and quilted here by our quilt ministry to be returned to them after this show.

This is a family history quilt using photo transfers and it has matching pillows.

The texture of the cantaloupe is achieved by the different depth of the stitching. This is a small wall hanging.

The show is at The Church at Mill Run, 3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026, and it continues through February 24, 2006. The church web site is http://www.ualc.org

Quilting
Quilt shows

1999 A Japanese English Homemade Reality Show

This young lady accosts people in Japan and gives them an instant English lesson. It's called YouTube. She's actually pretty good. I don't know if she arranges with her "guest" ahead, or not, or who is holding the camera. I've looked a few others on YouTube, and this enthusiastic English teacher is definitely the best of the batch. I also link to Badaunt, a New Zealander who teaches English in Japan. Wonder if she watches this?

HT Biblioblog who finds this addictive.

1998 Happy Orthodox Christmas

Yesterday was Christmas for a huge number of Eastern Christians. So I was googling to see how it was celebrated. Things aren't so great for Kosovars, Serbs, and Romas, despite the well wishes of the season. I didn't understand this region's ethnic battles when we were at war there in the 90s, nor WWI or WWII. But this I do know: Ethnicity trumps religion every time, whether it is Ireland, the former Yugoslavia or Iran/Iraq. These items are from a Greek on-line newspaper, but I noticed some of them at other sites using a standardized news feed.

Serb president says no independence for Kosovo
BELGRADE (AP) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said in an interview published yesterday that he will never accept independence for Kosovo. “As far as I am concerned, I will never sign any decision granting independence to Kosovo,” Tadic told the Glas daily. He said the solution for Kosovo should result from a compromise. He added that the Belgrade delegation will seek to defend “Serbia’s national interests.” “We will use all political and diplomatic means to defend them,” Tadic was quoted as saying.

Roma
The UN mission in Kosovo urged a community of Gypsies to leave lead-contaminated camps in northern Kosovo and move to a former French military base. About 560 Gypsies, also known as Roma, have lived for more than six years in three makeshift camps in northern Kosovo near an industrial area polluted with high levels of lead. The contamination poses a serious health risk to the 125 families living there, the World Health Organization said. The UN and others have described their plight as one of the region’s worst humanitarian problems. (AP)

Visit
Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian prime minister handed out sweets and sipped the local firewater with Serbs yesterday in a rare visit to the dwindling Serb community on Orthodox Christmas Eve. “I came here to see how you’re doing, how you live, and to wish you a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas,” Bajram Kosumi said as aides carried in bags of sweets and chocolate for the children. (Reuters)

1997 Small Comfort

Don't you think the troops get awfully tired of the nonsensical phrase, "We support the troops, but not the war." How many gays would be happy to hear from parents and friends, "We support you, but hate your sexual identity and believe it is a sin," or how many artists want to hear, "We support your decision to be an artist, but my God, that thing's ugly; what does it mean!"

So although I'm sure the troops were happy to meet with the VP, think what some support from home would mean in bringing this thing to a close.

1996 Obedience

Our Women of the Word (WOW) study this winter at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (UALC) is Priscilla Shirer's "He Speaks to Me." This is a Lifeway publication, so if you are familiar with their DVD/video + workbook format (Beth Moore), you know the drill. I had to leave after the DVD yesterday to hang the quilt show, but I think Priscilla is a dynamic speaker. She fully engages with her audience. So far, her examples don't speak to me (about small children), but at 66, I'm not the target audience. However, this morning in preparing day 1 of week 1, I noticed on p. 10 this phrase: "obedience requires sacrifice," followed by her examples of serving family before her own desires, time with the Lord, not overeating, controlling spending and honoring her husband's authority. I'm not sure I agree--that this list could be called "sacrificial." Well, only in upper middle class America.

This is a list of joys, in my opinion. 1) She has a family to serve. So many don't. At my age, I know many widows. I visit nursing homes filled with people whose self-worth as Christians was built on serving others, and now are tasting the bitter fruit of no purpose to live. 2) She has a Bible to read and lives in a country where that is permitted and protected by law. So many don't. 3) She has enough food available that she can choose to overeat. So many don't, or may have only one or two staples to choose from. 4) She has a good income--a dual income in fact, which creates discretionary spending. So many don't. Their choices are all made for them--pay the minimum and hope the bill collectors don't call. 5) She has a husband who loves and protects her and enables her to have a Christian ministry. She is an African-American in a country where the marriage rate for blacks is 39%, down from 80% a hundred years ago.

Sacrifice? What do you think?

Cross posted at Church of the Acronym.

1995 Do it for the children

social security reform

1994 Bad guys and bad stuff

The Ohio State University is offering for the first time a course on Bioterrorism. The new course examines possible threats to public health, plants and animals. The undergraduate course, the first of its kind at Ohio State, was proposed by OSU's International Studies Program to help train students in the Intelligence and Security major.

To teach the wide-ranging course material, OSU Plant Pathologist, Charles Curtis brings together scholars from across the university including professors from Public Health, Plant Pathology, International Studies and the Food Animal Health Research Program. Guest lecturers include a former deputy assistant to the defense secretary for chemical and biological defense. Professor Curtis says that among the general population there's a lack of awareness about the potential biological threats that exis. Full story here at the WOSU site.

We had dinner with the Curtises about a month ago and I enjoyed learning about this course. I've known Chuck about 20 years and he is always on top of things and has a wonderful rapport with his students. I know this will be an important course for people intending to go into government careers.

Bioterrorism

A very long disengagement

is the title of an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Chronicle Review," Jan. 6, B7, by Mark Bauerlein. It seems I've heard this refrain before--even thought it myself about 20 years ago when my children were in high school--or maybe 30 years ago when they were just starting their formal education.

His article draws on a number of surveys which seem to all show that today's high school and college students are running on empty when it comes to history, civics, literature, arts, geography, and politics, all seemingly from a decrease in reading and an increase in blogging, chat rooms, surfing the net and e-mail. What they've gained in technology, they've lost in curiosity. They seem to be suffering from "acute peer consciousness."

Yet, my children didn't have technological distractions, these wireless apron strings to their friends, but even 20 or 30 years ago I was complaining that the school was emphasizing thinking skills, broad context, personal responsibility and a deeper understanding of life without expecting the children to have background and content put there by the school system. Memorize facts? Don't even think it, you old fashion Mama! They were expected to drop their buckets into empty pools and bring something up.

Yes, a very long disengagement--but I doubt that personal technology is the culprit.

1992 New Quilt show at UALC

Our church's Visual Arts Ministry, of which we are both members, hung a huge quilt show this morning. Well, maybe not huge by your standards, but there are about 40 quilts, and our arms get sort of tired. Ken said, "I think we're going to need to recruit some younger members" (we're all over 50). This show which will run between January 7 and February 24 at the Church at Mill Run, 3500 Mill Run Dr., Hilliard, OH 43026, includes rich, vibrant colors, traditional patterns like log cabin and pin wheel, family memory quilts with photo transfers, humorous hangings, contemporary and modern art, seasonal and historical pieces. These quilts are not for sale, and most represent many hours of love preparing a gift for family or friends.

One very interesting quilt designed and made by a member to memorialize her father is called “Lyle’s Letter to Santa.” In this design she focuses on a letter handwritten by her father to Santa Claus in 1915 when he was seven years old. So the center of the quilt is a star on which is his handwriting stitched with embroidery and a photo transfer. The star is called “Ohio Trail” and represents his ancestry; the ribbon, greens with candles and a bit of Victorian flair represents the era. Then at the bottom there is an embroidered sleigh, red on a white background, which represents the gifts he asked for in the letter, all in the sleigh. This is truly a magnificent tribute.

The Quilters Ministry is about six years old and meets monthly for fellowship and instruction. This year they made 14 quilts for Project Linus which is based in Illinois and gathers homemade quilts for sick or traumatized children. They've also made quilts for orphanages in Guatemala and China from which members adopted children.

Each year that we've hung this show I've seen spectacular growth and talent. These ladies are a real pleasure to work with. And the reason Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (UALC) has a building with an address in Hilliard is that we have three campuses, one in Upper Arlington, one in Hilliard, and one on the west side of Columbus. If the church founders had picked a spiritual name 40 years ago like Resurrection or Trinity or Bethlehem, we wouldn't have this confusion.

Quilting
Lutheran churches

1991 Found at Thursday Thirteen

"Novelist in training" has some great cat photos. I found her at the Thursday Thirteen, and she also has a photo blog mostly of Utah where she lives in addition to this one. Great stuff. Don't know where she is in novel land or if she's published yet. I'll have to look further.

1990 But they have strict gun laws

Banks are robbed in the European Union at a rate of one every 90 minutes, and they are becoming increasingly violent with explosives and kidnapping employees. Seems they are also using knives and hypodermic needles.

There's a story in the BBC News, but I don't think it mentions the weapons, which I saw in another newspaper--Financial Times, I think. The BBC reporter seems to be concerned that greater security will cause the criminals to become even more violent. Must have been trained at the New York Times or WaPo school of terrorism reporting.

1989 Phoebe Philo Phalls Phrom Phashion

Phoebe Philo, 31, has resigned as creative director of Chloe, a women's wear brand and star performer last year in luxury goods.

She took a materinity leave a year ago and now wants to have time to raise her child, apparently. She's credited with having turned Chloe into a powerhouse, and joined the fashion company in 1997.

So I'm figuring in 1997 she was 22, right? Maybe she just needed a break from being an over-achiever and great success at such a young age.

1988 Secrets

These aren't really secrets--we all know them--at least intuitively. These are Investor's Business Daily "Ten secrets for success" which they developed after analyzing leaders.

Investor’s Business Daily’s Top 10 Secrets to Success

1. HOW YOU THINK, IS EVERYTHING:
Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

2. DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS:
Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3. TAKE ACTION:
Goals are nothing without action. Don’t be afraid to get started now. Just do it.

4. NEVER STOP LEARNING:
Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.

5. BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD:
Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

6. LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS:
Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

7. FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY:
Don’t let other people or things distract you.

8. DON’T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE; BE DIFFERENT:
Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9. DEAL AND COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY:
No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

10. BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE; TAKE RESPONSIBILITY:
Otherwise, Numbers 1-9 won’t matter.

I would have some problems with a few of these based on my experience and personality. First of all, I hate to set goals. I'm a problem solver. Don't give me pie-in-the-sky talk about 5 goals to accomplish before the next annual report. And don't we all know successful people who aren't particularly positive, are horrible communicators, and act before they have all the facts? They were certainly in my career field, and I even reported to a few. In general, I'd have to say I knew very few librarians or staff who were positive and upbeat about the future or their careers. There were always budget cuts and staff shortages to deal with. The sky was always falling. Negativism is pervasive in academe, except for the football coach when interviewed on TV.

And then too, I knew fabulous communicators with stunning personalities, super empathetic and warm, who couldn't work their way out of a paper bag. This was particularly true when I worked in the state government. But in general, the tenth one is essential in everything you do. Honesty is always its own reward. I'm also a big fan of #3 through #7. All in all, not a bad list--I saw it at the library today.

1987 Write a letter today

The postage will increase on the 8th. How about thanking people who gave you gifts for Christmas? (I wrote my children today.) Or helped you with an event? Or performed so beautifully in that choir concert you enjoyed over the holidays? Or who have recently had surgery? Or, why not surprise your radio or TV favorite with an actual fan letter. What about that elderly uncle who lives alone but likes to walk to the mailbox at the end of the drive-way. Wouldn't he be thrilled to find something other than "dear occupant?" Go for it. You have a few days to save a few pennies and make someone happy.

1986 Duct tape offer

I'd planned to send my roll of duct tape that we just uncovered in last week's reorganization to Pat Robertson's caretakers, but Right Wing Nut House has taken care of that. Even if you believe God sends a stroke as punishment, you don't have to blurt it out to the media and look like a patsy for the Palestinians. Pat also is developing jowls, wrinkles and a paunch. Is that God's punishment for going over the hill?

1985 Postdenominational coffee shop

The title of the article I'm taking to the coffee shop this morning is a mouthful: "Postdenominational Christianity in the twenty-first century," by Donald E. Miller, Annals, American Academy of Political and Social Science, 558, July 1998. If I'm lucky, the Wall Street Journal will get there before I'm out of other things to read, because I'm sort of afraid this is going to be one of those "new paradigm," "seeker sensitive," "new reformation" dirges that are announcing in the death knell of liturgy, hymnal singing, and music that doesn't grow tumors in your ears.

Actually, I'm always surprised at the number of religious gatherings I find at the coffee shop. My husband meets with his Cursillo group at Bob Evans--although they move around a bit. I've met two different women named Brenda at Panera's, one is a chaplain and the other has recently moved here and reads her Bible and listens to music several times a week a few tables from me. I've invited her to our Saturday women's group because she is new in town and doesn't know anyone. At Caribou there's a very intense group of young business men who do Bible study before heading for work. This morning I'll see a group of 4 or 5 retired guys who meet to discuss their faith and response to the culture--I think they are Church of the Nazarene and Baptist. Then there is a black pastor and his assistant whom I see on occasion; they pastor a church north of here that meets in a shopping mall. In fact, I can't recall a time I've been in a coffee shop (as a semi-regular) that I haven't seen someone with a Bible.

Sometimes I want to look at my watch and say, "Let's have a word of prayer before we start this meeting," but I just go back to my reading.

Update: The WSJ didn't arrive until after I finished the article, which was really quite readable and well paced. It is based on the author's observations of Calvary Chapel, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, and Hope Chapel. Our church, UALC (Upper Arlington Lutheran Church), fits his description of the seeker-friendly, postdenominational church to a T, with the exception that we have seminary trained clergy, and many of these churches don't.

Thirteen Things about NORMA in the last 5 days 1. Served communion on Sunday. 2. Entertained house guests for the New Year celebration. 3. Played with my new grandpuppy, a Chihuahua named Abbie. 4. Read "Beyond the River" by Ann Hagedorn. 5. Wrote 23 blog entries, including this one. 6. Cleaned out 2 drawers and one file box. 7. Sorted through all the bills and invoices for 2005. 8. Wrote 6 notes (real handwritten notes with stamps) to friends and relatives. 9. Delivered magazines to a library sale. 10. Attended book club. 11. Met a friend for breakfast. 12. Took a walk on a mild day. 13. Did some financial research. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Jane 2. I heart Peanut Butter 3. Straddling the line 4. Colleen 5. Grumpy 6. Busy Mom 7. Dariana 8. Jane, Cozy Reader

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1983 The press has done it again

The West Virginia mine bad reporting incident reminded me of the press fiasco of Katrina, but Achoress has said it better than I could:

"So, yes, one could could excuse the press their mistake, and forgive the torturous turnabout which came after, if only they had not - just a few months ago - done precisely the same thing while covering Hurricane Katrina. Recall that back in New Orleans - just as last night - unknown people ran about, shouting unverifiable “news” and the journalists, particularly the always-voracious cable news outlets, latched on to the “news” and emotionally redelivered it, without checking it out, without doing the basic job of journalism which is: if your parents say you’re not adopted, and you look just like your brother, confirm, confirm, confirm."

1982 Maureen Dowd vs. Ann Coulter

Both of these women journalists are vitriolic, sarcastic, bombastic and often angry. The difference is Coulter's columns actually contain information and facts. I tried, I really did, to read Maureen Dowd's column today about Abramoff, but it wasn't about him. His crime didn't appear until paragraph five where she gets to "the Abramoff plea bargain." On the way there she manages to smear only Republicans, as though there are no Democrats involved. Then she moves on to bashing Bush, then Cheney, then she's on to quoting the WaPo that Bush has used something (legal) 108 times. Then moves on to smearing Bush for a joke he cracked at a medical center, completing her tirade about Abramoff (I think) with Nixon. That's a lot of column inches to point out that Abramoff has a plea bargain.

She might spend a bit more time on the whole smelly process of tribal casinos. Today's WSJ reports "Indian gaming is a $19 billion industry involving 228 tribes operating 405 gambling operations in 30 states." "Lobbyists, legislators and inside-the-beltway lawyers are the real stakeholders in Indian gambling," according to Alexis Johnson, Arizona lawyer, and Abramoff is the tip of the ice berg.

I think Dowd knows that, and her column is smoke and mirrors. She'll want to check into some of the Democrats' favorite causes when she's finished bashing Bush and Cheney (yeah, that'll happen) because these tribes getting wealthy on gambling are exempt from local taxes, state labor laws, municipal ordinances, zoning restrictions and environmental reviews.

For well-paced, factual vitriol, here's Ann Coulter. You can find Maureen Dowd on your own.

1981 Nibbled to death

by fees, taxes, surcharges and related components. I've been going over the year's expenses. My, isn't it a treat to look closely at the phone bill, electric bill and gas bill? Where do they get this stuff? If they divy it up into enough small pots do they think we won't notice? Well, we don't, for the most part. Were the taxes for WWII ever removed? This is just the phone company (SBC) and Verizon has a different set.

• federal access charge
  
• federal universal service fee
  
• federal tax 3%
  
• federal long distance tax
  
• federal universal service fund
  
• regulatory surcharge
  
• 911 system fee
  
• sales tax 6.75%
  
• state tax
  
• municipal tax

Our electric bill from Ohio Edison (Lakeside) is just as confusing. First they alerted us that there will be a 3% increase in a "transmission related component" approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or about $1.50. I'm left to ponder how transmission differs from delivery. That new charge is not to be confused with the

• transition charge
  
• generation related component or the
  
• delivery charge

Our electric company in Columbus is AEP, and it has transmission charges, distribution surcharges, customer charges and transition charges, that don't look anything like the Ohio Edison hen scratches. If we're getting a 3% increase approved by the FERC, I missed the ferkin announcement.

1980 National Education Association supports left causes and candidates

with members dues. About a third of the members' dues goes for political lobbying, gifts and grants. Unions now have to disclose how they use their members dues, and it isn't pretty, according to this editorial in yesterday's WSJ. The Union gave away $65 million last year to Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Amnesty International, AIDS Walk Washington and dozens of other such advocacy groups. I'm not sure how that helps teachers (certainly doesn't help children, but that isn't what the organization is about).

"Reg Weaver, the union's president, makes $439,000 a year. The NEA has a $58 million payroll for just over 600 employees, more than half of whom draw six-figure salaries. Last year the average teacher made only $48,000."

". . .last year the NEA gave $45,000 to the Economic Policy Institute, which regularly issues reports that claim education is underfunded and teachers are underpaid. The partisans at People for the American Way got a $51,000 NEA contribution; PFAW happens to be vehemently anti-voucher. . . Protect Our Public Schools, an anti-charter-school group backed by the NEA's Washington state affiliate, received $500,000 toward its efforts to block school choice for underprivileged children. . . the Floridians for All Committee, which focuses on "the construction of a permanent progressive infrastructure that will help redirect Florida politics in a more progressive, Democratic direction," received a $249,000 donation from NEA headquarters."

This one really surprised me. The Fund to Protect Social Security got $400,000, presumably to defeat personal investment accounts. I have a teacher's pension (STRS, university faculty) and we're not eligible for Social Security--not our own and not our spouse's--so just what is NEA protecting? Are they afraid that if their members also had personal accounts when they did work under SS, they'd be less dependent on the union?

Librarians don't have a union; they have the American Library Association, ALA. It looks out for libraries, not librarians, with campaigns against censorship, the Patriot Act, and the Bush administration. I guess that's a good thing to keep their eye off the ball after seeing what NEA does to schools. The NEA may be an arm of the DNC, but ALA is far too liberal to be anybody's patsy.

Public disclosure page.

National Education Association
Unions

1979 The Index of Economic Freedom

For 12 years the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal have cooperated on the Index of Economic Freedom, and today's article in the WSJ compared the freedom outcomes of two small countries, Estonia, which has moved quickly with reforms and Chile which has moved slowly. Estonia is 7th and Chile is 14th.

"The Index measures 161 countries against a list of 50 independent variables divided into 10 broad factors of economic freedom. Low scores are more desirable; the higher the score on a factor, the greater the level of government interference in the economy, and the less economic freedom a country enjoys. . . A systematic analysis of these factors continues to demonstrate that countries with the highest levels of economic freedom also have the highest living standards."

The nice thing about using the website is that you can select the variables and see how different countries compare within their regions. Canada and the U.S. are almost always neck and neck whether it is wages, or trade policies; except for fiscal burden, and there Canadians have us beat (lower score is better). Here's the executive summary--note particularly what is happening in Latin America where Chile is the poster child for economic freedom and all the rest are marginal or repressed. Three countries in Latin America made the 10 most worsened list.

1978 Mom! I'm famished. What's to eat?

There's a lot of media coverage of overweight children. Given the success of the anti-smoking campaigns (which I support), I'm guessing we'll see the lawyers and do-gooders checking our lunch boxes and dinner tables before too long--after they get the pop and snack contracts with the food companies out of the schools (which I support).

So here's a tag for you and the rules: you can only tag a blogger over 50 and you copy the question and let the person know he or she's been tagged.

What snack items did your mother allow in your home and put out for you when you were growing up--either home made or store bought? And what item was absolutely not allowed? Here's mine:

1. Buttered slice of bread with sugar-cinnamon sprinkles.
2. Egg nog--milk, egg, sugar and vanilla.
3. Raw potato slices.
4. Kool-aid if it was really a hot day (made with sugar).
5. Peanut butter toast or sandwich.

We NEVER had soda pop in our house.

I'm tagging Mr. Cloud, Octogenarian, Bonita, Jane, and Cuppa.

BTW, Mr. Cloud and Cuppa are married, and both have fabulous winter photos on their sites--check it out.

1977 Blooger burps

What else would you call it when your blogger template goes all crazy? The writing window for "create" was all messed up this morning, but I know a little code and remember life from a kinder, gentler software, so I kept going. It was a little like driving at night in the rain with no headlights. Then when I posted my last entry about Canada, Blogger.com somehow scooped up the NLM page from the previous entry, and used its bold green heading style to morph into my title and face! It was scary, I tell ya. So I quickly exited before it tried to become part of my blog family (I have six, you know). Leaving it alone in the closet for awhile, I came back, and everything was just peachy.

1976 Building boom in Canada for the Arts

Although there's more to be done, Canadians will be happy about this:

"The arts are experiencing a construction boom in Canada unlike any other in modern memory, as museums and galleries scramble to open the biggest, best, and most recognizable buildings they can afford."

Story here.

1975 Sorry, no more room for tools!

PubMed has a new tool bar to install, but now that I've got the lower level of the condo clean and neat and all our tools in a nice arrangement, I don't think I'll clutter up my computer screen with one more tool bar. I love my Google tool bar, though.

Check out the NLM Technical Bulletin for details.

1974 Journalist gives up job to become a Marine

A 32 year old Wall Street Journal reporter in poor physical condition decided to go for it and become a Marine officer after living in China for 7 years and reporting on the tsunami last December. He'd been disgusted and sicked by the murder of a colleague and the beheading of Americans. He wanted to become part of something bigger than himself and so he trained and disciplined himself until he could pass the requirements. What made him give up what some would see as a wonderful career? On December 15 he wrote his story in the WSJ:

"It's a cliché that you appreciate your own country more when you live abroad, but it happens to be true. Living in China for the last seven years, I've seen that country take a giant leap from a struggling Third World country into a true world power. For many people it still comes as a surprise to learn that China is chasing Japan as the second-largest economy on the globe and could soon own a trillion dollars of American debt.

But living in China also shows you what a nondemocratic country can do to its citizens. I've seen protesters tackled and beaten by plainclothes police in Tiananmen Square, and I've been videotaped by government agents while I was talking to a source. I've been arrested and forced to flush my notes down a toilet to keep the police from getting them, and I've been punched in the face in a Beijing Starbucks by a government goon who was trying to keep me from investigating a Chinese company's sale of nuclear fuel to other countries."

HT to our Blue Star Mom, Beth.

1973 When Bess Myerson became Miss America

You'll enjoy this story of how Bess Myerson made the day for a young Jewish soldier stationed in India, a long way from home--the Bronx. He's a very experienced writer and editor, but a little new to blogging.

1972 And that's no bull

Speaking of the New Year, maybe it's time for a new screen saver? How about something really cute, like some Angus art work by a famous animal artist, Frank C. Murphy. You can get left leaning bull, or right leaning bull, it's entirely up to you. Aren't these heifers just too cute?

Check here for more Angus clip art

1971 Tag for the New Year

The Soul Sings has tagged me, and here are the rules.

Rules: “The first player of this game starts with the topic “five weird habits of yourself,” and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don’t forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says “You are tagged” (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours.”

1. I add up the purchases in my head (rounding to the nearest dollar) as I place items on the conveyor belt at the grocery store. I'm almost always within 50 cents of the correct total, but I've never been able to balance my check book.

2. I collect first issues of journals and write about them, but mostly I look at them in a pile under the small couch in my office, and do nothing with them.

3. I leave my home very early in the morning to buy a cup of coffee. I'm not on my way anywhere except the coffee shop, and I've done this for the last 50 years or so. Wasn't so bad when coffee was a quarter. Now it probably amounts to a mortgage payment in a year's time. I write about what I see and hear at coffee shops.

4. I analyze library databases as I use them, and usually e-mail the contact person about the screwed up mess in the numbering of series or complain about the terrible printing options. I was just looking at Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science at OSUL and OhioLINK and almost had a meltdown. Sometimes I write about that too.

5. I have 5 or 6 places for loose change, but have forgotten where most of them are. It's like found money (actually it IS found money) when I come across the receptacle. Most recently I cleaned out a pink mitten that had no mate, but did have $3.00. Although it's not exactly a New Year's resolution, I'm planning to do some drawer cleaning to go along with our big December clean out, so I expect to claim some lost funds.

And now I'll tag Pat in NC, who is pretty in pink, and Beth, a proud military mom, and Cathy, who is incredibly crafty, and Joan, who is Beth's sister, and Eric, who needs a little encouragement (he took my blogging class).

If I had 6 habits, I'd mention that I shamelessly promote my blogs.

1970 Don’t ask don’t tell--Christians in U.S. history.

This is a paragraph from an Ohio history teachers’ website. I was looking through it after reading about John Bennington Mahan whose story is told in our January book club choice, “Beyond the River” by Ann Hagedorn. Virtually all the abolitionists were devout Christians, and often they were battling Christian slave holders. The abolitionists' homes and businesses were destroyed, their lives and families were threatened, they were whipped, imprisoned and "egged." Both sides used the Bible to defend their own morality. The slaveholders were motivated by economics, but why leave out what motivated the abolitionists? They believed in the common humanity of blacks and whites; that Jesus had died also for the black slave, that they were their brothers and sisters, and that slavery was an abomination in the eyes of the Lord, a insult to a holy God. Their commitment and beliefs are reduced to “conscious choice to break the law” in this passage--sort of a "values clarification" exercise. Mahan died a few years later, probably as a result of his imprisonment.

“Rev. John Mahan, Rev. John Rankin, and others in Brown County, Ohio were not just making a choice to help slaves to freedom; they were making a conscious choice to break the law. The case of abolitionist John Mahan illustrates the fine line between —doing the right thing“ (his conscience) and —breaking the law,“ his capture, arrest, trial, and the results that followed. People involved with the Underground Railroad broke the law every time they helped a runaway. This not only put them in danger of going to jail but also their family (some were left destitute).” Case histories, Underground Railroad

Ohio history
slavery
abolitionists
Presbyterians

1969 What's private is also political

How many times have we heard or read that abortion should be private and not political? That's because the unborn in the minds of many are either property of the mother (but not the father), or a parasite living off the good graces of another.

Liberals are outraged by Alito's ruling that it was not an undue burden for a married woman to notify her husband that she was having an abortion. Now that notification didn't save the child's life, did it?

So the story of the antislavery saints of Ohio, "Beyond the River," reminds me a lot of the current "private vs. political" struggle.

"Their response was to tighten restraints, to raise the walls of confinement higher, to argue for laws to protect their human property, and eventually blame anti-slavery crusaders for fomenting revolt."

Anti-abortionists are painted as the personification of evil woman haters by the pro-abortionist camp--and nothing Alito has done or stands for will ever be more important in their minds than abortion--not civil liberties, or the death penalty, or the 2nd amendment, or the 10 commandments in schools or Christmas trees in the public square. Just as in the early 19th century when slavery threatened the union, it has come down to one issue again in the early 21st century. And Christians are complicit now as then.

"Even though members of the church agreed with him [John Rankin, a Presbyterian minister] that the Bible was opposed to slavery, to say it publicly was a radical move, . . .never [to be] discussed from the pulpit." p. 31

Advent Carol Service

Although Advent season is over, I'm listening to the Advent Carol Service from the Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge on the BBC radio player which was originally broadcast November 27. I can't give you a link or I'll lose my station. It is really quite lovely, and may perhaps be more welcome now than before. I think I started here, after reading Tom Roper's site.

Nine Ten Planets

This story of the discovery of the 10th planet in our solar system is not new, but was one of the top stories of 2005. There's just a lot I learned in school or from my doctors or in graduate school or from politicians that just isn't true or factual, but we used to believe it. Wonder what's next? Evolution?

1966 Parting company

We accidentally received a copy of YouthWorker Journal yesterday and I blogged about that at Church of the Acronym.

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year

Our friends Tom and Pat are coming over from Indianapolis. The guys have been friends since their teen years, and Tom was the best man in our wedding. Our children are about the same age, and some day I hope to see their son Mike's name on the title page of a novel. Their daughter Rachel teaches in an urban school in Indianapolis.

We'll either go to a movie or a jazz concert--it's their call, then either to Old Bag of Nails or Rusty Bucket--our call--for something to eat, and then downtown to look at the lights, which so far, we've managed to miss. I think there is a Ferris wheel at Skate on State something set up to draw people downtown during the holidays. Hope we aren't too late.

I hope you have a wonderful, healthy, prosperous 2006.

May your investments do well,
your medical visits few,
May your friends be many
and love always surround you.

At least, that's what matters when you're my age!

1964 Why AmVet's won't take TV and microwaves

Am Vets picked up just about everything we put out yesterday--nothing was broken, and everything was in good condition and resaleable at their shop. But they will not take a TV or microwave. Too many poor people already have them. They didn't say that, but take a look at this.



HT Randy who found it at the Christian Science Monitor.

"The Census report also compares, from 1992 through 1998, people's perceptions of whether basic needs were being met. More than 92 percent of Americans below the poverty line said they had enough food, as of 1998. Some 86 percent said they had no unmet need for a doctor, 89 percent had no roof leaks, and 87 percent said they had no unpaid rent or mortgage."

Gee whiz. I know middle class folks who have unpaid rent and mortgages!