Sunday, September 28, 2008
Norma DISAGREED with the Barack Obama position on 46 of the 51 test questions. This means she disagrees with the Obama position 90% of the time.
Actually, I agreed with him on one question simply because the person who wrote the test worded it so poorly. If you're going to write a test, you shouldn't load it, and some of these are. And this test was obviously written before the current bailout/meltdown. But in the end, you do get to see the poll questions they came from.
Six questions on the bailout
Over at City Journal, Nicole Gelinas thinks President Bush, Secretary Paulson and Congress should have taken a deep breath and answered some questions. Read the whole story--I've included just the questions. But I suspect the trillion dollar deal is done. I can see why Obama didn't want to return to DC to provide input. He doesn't want to be anywhere near this when the far left finds out there's no money for the goodies he's promised. As one commenter at Politico observed, ". . . if you were voting for Obama because of all the freebies he promised he will get you, that ship has sailed. That leaves voting for the candidate that is best at keeping our country secure." Here's the questions.One. Will this bailout plan actively delay recovery?
Two. Isn’t Treasury worried about the dead-weight loss to the economy that the bailout could represent?
Three. How will this plan restart the now-moribund credit markets?
Four. When the Treasury prices mortgage-related assets under its program, what criteria will it use in assessing current values?
Five. Will the Treasury buy derivative securities like credit-default swaps under this program?
(Six) Bonus Question: The proposed bailout plan means that many creditors to financial institutions would be effectively off the hook for mistakes made by the firms to which those creditors lent money. (Injecting government capital into flailing banks, which some have proposed, could carry the same risk.) But in Thursday’s FDIC-engineered failure of Washington Mutual, the nation’s sixth-largest commercial bank, uninsured creditors will suffer losses made through similar management and investor miscalculations. Why is it acceptable for WaMu creditors to suffer, but not the creditors of the institutions that will be able to sell their bad assets to the taxpayer? Aren’t we setting ourselves up for worse problems in the future, by encouraging future lenders to big financial institutions not to worry too much about the toxic assets those companies may be amassing?
Do you really want to marry a guy who can't commit? His behavior during this economic meltdown was scandalous, in my opinion. He wanted to vote "present" even though he wasn't. He wanted phone consults, not face to face confrontations with people who know what a phony he is. His campaign was more important than developing a plan that won't bankrupt the country, even though he has a good chance of being the guy who will be stuck with the solution which could affect all his glorious socialist programs in our future.
You can call Sarah Palin inexperienced and laugh at her accent, baby son and her college degree, but of the four folks trying to lead, she's the only one who wasn't on hand to sound an alarm, kick some bums out, or just sit it out.
Peggy Noonan's palpable hatred
toward President Bush is never more evident than her huge, fully illustrated article "Hope for America" (no bias here, folks--Obama owns "hope" like Palin owns "lipstick") in the week-end WSJ. After a boring and depressing trip through airport lines (Bush's fault) with the Statue of Liberty's sandals in a plastic bin, she mentions finally McCain's temper. But she never alludes to or outlines Obama's seething anger so obvious in his face in the debate Friday, anger building that McCain had shamed him into returning to Washington to do his job--be a Senator from that great state of Illinois where Chicago is king and goon. She gently fondles and caresses Obama like he was a pre-mature baby on life support, and maybe unconsciously that's what she sees. After all, she was a speech writer for Presidents Reagan and Bush the Father. Give her respect! She coined "kinder and gentler" and "thousand points of light," for Pete's Sake.A few years ago, after she was no longer included among the favored, she began sounding like the girlfriend not selected to be the bridesmaid, then she graduated to the ex-wife who didn't get her settlement in the divorce, and now she sounds like the former mother-in-law of the guy who deserted his wife. But oh so careful, charming and oozy with her words.
What is anger, after all, if it isn't hanging out the Bernadine and Bill former 60s radicals who wanted to bring down the government; if it isn't listening to years of Rev. Wright smearing white folk while choosing to schmooze and live with them; playing footsie with Israel's enemies who want them bombed out of existence; if it isn't stepping on the necks of those black mentors who elevated him; if it isn't throwing old pals, including Tony Rezko, the mayor of Detroit and your own grandmother who raised you, under the bus. Peggy, wake up. That's hatred. Not flashes of temper or getting testy. Anger from the guy who gets impatient with idiocy and naivete is anger understood.
But you, Peggy? You're just the gal sitting back waiting to be asked to dance. Or maybe even invited to the dance. Good luck with the new book.
If you're skipping Sunday worship . . .
This week I've been reading "A history of Lutheranism" by Eric W. Gritsch (Fortress Press, 2002). Very readable. In chapter 3 (p. 71) there is this interesting explanation on "a catechetical way," and I say interesting because I didn't get much catechism, i.e. instruction, (became a member in the loosey-goosey 70s), and it's not clear to me what our Lutheran (UALC, Columbus) congretation does to instruct new members these days--looks like 2.5 hours on a Sunday afternoon.- "Because Luther had advocated a spiritual equality between clergy and laity based on baptism, he made the ordained and nonordained partners in Christian formation through worship and education. Accordingly, participants in worship need to understand and become part of the Sunday liturgy, and they need to experience their station in life as a divine calling to make faith active in love. Thus, there is an intimate link between the Sunday celebration of God's love in Christ and the Monday obligation of love of neighbor."
- "Worship through word and sacrament is the inhaling of divine power, as it were, and making a living in the world is exhaling."
- "(p.40) Worship and education were to Luther the twin pillars of Christian life. That is why he urged everyone, especially pastors, to use the liturgy of word and sacrament, together with the catechism, as the bridge from false security and vanity to proper conflict with the world's evil. . . his pedagogical theory is fundamentally collaborative and reinforcing, with the emphasis on voluntary education at home, enforced in church and school."
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The boogey man is real; he lives on the internet
Protect the children.
And if your librarian thinks children don't need filters, sit her down in front of this video.
Parenting a teen parent
I wandered into Chipped Polish from UV's blog, and noticed she had a category on parenting a teen parent. Very honest and realistic. I think she's also trying to go to college (grandma, not mom). Kinda makes you grateful for your own problems, you know? But although I don't want to be her, I give her a lot of credit for supporting her daughter's choice. I'm puppy sitting a 3 lb Chihuahua today. . . and. . . she just threw up.doors open 9 a.m.
The Capital Center [Capital University]
On the corner of Main and Pleasant Ridge
Bexley, OH
Republican presidential nominee John McCain is headed to Central Ohio on Monday with vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin for a rally at Capital University in Bexley.
The McCain camp has scheduled a rally at the university’s Capital Center, on the corner of Main Street and Pleasant Ridge Avenue. Doors open at 9 a.m. for the event. [We drove over and looked at the facility. I didn't see any parking that didn't require a sticker. Maybe there will be exceptions. Not a large building.]
Free tickets can be reserved at several Central Ohio outlets. For details and to RSVP
Ticket Locations
(I removed McCain Headquarters because we couldn't find it.)
Ohio Republican Party
211 S Fifth St
Columbus, OH 43215
Hours: Friday 9am-9pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 12pm-6pm
Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location
Franklin County GOP
14 E Gay St
Columbus, OH 43215
Hours: Friday 9am-9pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 12pm-6pm
Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location
Delaware County Victory Center
6011 Columbus Pike
Lewis Center, OH 43035
Hours: Friday 9am-9pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 12pm-6pm
Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location
Fairfield County Victory Center
118 E Main St
Lancaster, OH 43130
Hours: Friday 9am-9pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 12pm-6pm
Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location
Licking County Victory Center
1006 Hebron Rd,
Suite B
Heath, OH 43056
Hours: Friday 9am-9pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 12pm-6pm
Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location
I've tried unsuccessfully to map this place, and finally found an athletic event that gave directions. I hope this is correct, but if not, it can't be worse than some of automated maps which looked like they'd been hacked by a Democrat.
Directions to Capitalʼs Campus
From the east on I-70:
Exit at Livingston Avenue. Turn right at the light and go four blocks to Francis Avenue and turn left. Francis dead ends into Mound Street. Turn left onto Mound and go one block to Pleasant Ridge Avenue. Turn right onto Pleasant Ridge. The Capital Center is on the northeast corner of Mound and Pleasant Ridge.
From the west on I-70:
Exit at the Bexley/Main Street exit. Follow the ramp around onto Alum Creek Drive, which will dead end into Main Street. Turn right on Main Street and go four blocks to Pleasant Ridge Avenue. Turn right on Pleasant Ridge. The Capital Center will be on your left, at the corner of Pleasant Ridge and Mound Street.
We've always had an economy, only recently have we had televised debates
The back story on televised debates from the Chicago Tribune.- When Vice President Richard Nixon met Sen. John Kennedy in the 1960 debates, it was more than a television first. It was the first time ever that the nominees for the country's highest office had met in face-to-face debate. For more than a century and a half, candidates for president left that job to political surrogates.
There were no debates in 1964, 1968 and 1972 because federal law made televised presidential debates impossible. Until President Gerald Ford and Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter squared off in 1976, the "equal-time" law required anyone who sponsored a televised debate to invite every candidate for president to participate. Typically, more than 200 people register as candidates with the Federal Election Commission. The 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debates happened only because Congress authorized a one-time exemption to the equal-time law. In 1976, the Federal Communications Commission and the courts reinterpreted the law, deciding that a debate was a "news event" exempt from the equal-time requirement.
It takes more than a change in the law to change a nation, and we Americans owe our tradition of televised presidential debates to two Republicans and one Democrat. When President Ford agreed to debate Gov. Carter, he ignored the political wisdom that an incumbent should never agree to share the stage with a challenger. Ford later credited his performance in the debates with his comeback—after trailing badly, he lost the election by a single percentage point. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan was ahead in the polls, but chose to debate Walter Mondale anyway. And in 1960, it was two-time Democratic presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson who first proposed the idea of televised presidential debates. But for Stevenson, Nixon and Kennedy would never have debated and there would be no televised presidential debates today.
I think that last sentence is a bit of a stretch--I think someone would have eventually come up with the idea had Stevenson not thought of it in 1960. Sounds like a bit of Illinois hype on that part (he was governor of that state), but the rest is interesting.
Neo-Neocon says: "I’ve never understand why the debates are considered so important. This was true even back when I was a liberal Democrat. Yes, debates do demonstrate two things about a Presidential hopeful: how fast he/she is verbally, and how clear in communicating thoughts without a script. These things matter. But they matter far less than the ability to make the sort of decisions a President actually faces when serving.
Seems McCain had a point about the SEC
A week ago "Obama heaped criticism and sarcasm on John McCain, his Republican rival, and mocked his call to fire the head of the SEC." (USAToday) Yesterday, the NYT reported "The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a longtime proponent of deregulation, acknowledged on Friday that failures in a voluntary supervision program for Wall Street’s largest investment banks had contributed to the global financial crisis, and he abruptly shut the program down." Story. I don't expect Obama to apologize--he'll explain it away and say 1) it was his idea, or 2) he didn't mean it, or 3) we're all too dumb to understand his nuances.The Debate
Too close to bedtime for me, so I didn't watch it until this morning when I tuned it in on C-SPAN when I was fresher. WaPo may call it "lukewarm" but that's only because Obama didn't score any points. This debate wouldn't have changed anyone's vote--you'll dance with the one you came with. However, for people like me who became a McCain supporter very late or after Palin was his pick for VP, it was an eye opener. During the primaries, I was supporting first Huckabee then Romney, so I barely paid attention to McCain. The debate was my first time to really hear a broad range of what he believes. And I don't like all of it, but as far as debating or explaining, the old guy was vastly superior to the young whipper snapper. His wisdom and experience were the "brights" on the classic car speeding into the dark night. Obama's vehicle was the experimental model driving on "dims." (For you young folk, that's high beam and low beam.)Let's set aside Obama's facial expressions which ranged from grim to grimace, from scowel to snippity, from half closed eyes to downcast eyes. He's far less quick than George Bush, whose been the butt of so many jokes from both his enemies and supporters (and he accepts it with humor, something Obama doesn't have). His stammering and parenthetical lead ups to every question seem to imply, "Help, I'm in quick sand, someone write me a speech!" Eventually, he gets to the point and hits his stride that he has memorized, but it is so painful.
And the head nodding during the question? Doesn't that drive you crazy when someone does that to you? It signals: "Hurry up, I know best, so let me speak." If a question is directed to both, Obama would "hit the buzzer" first with "uh, uh, well, I, I, I, . . ." until he could think of something to say, and then he begins, "The only point I want to make is. . ." and you think he'll finally get it out, but it leads to more stammering. The man seems incapable of saying anything with clarity or succintness. Maybe it was his years as an untenured teacher of law. Love or hate McCain, he gets to the point, even if it begins with "let me tell you my record."
Each speaker was skilled in bringing the question, no matter what it was, around to their best talking points, but Obama was not good at trying to paint McCain as a third Bush, which seems to be all his coaches tell him to say. He's voted with Democrats 97% of the time and accuses McCain of voting with the President, his party, 90%. Duh! McCain was a thorn in Bush's side. Are Americans so stupid that they don't see that's a one string guitar? And even Obama's record agreed with the President 40% of the time. Was he wrong?
My opinion: McCain won because he stayed on topic and struggled less for an answer.
And a note from McCain who is returning to Washington to work on the financial crisis in my mailbox this morning: "Our next president and Congress will face challenging times that require selfless leadership. They must find solutions to issues like the economy, national security, and energy independence. I'm ready to work with Governor Palin and our Congressional allies to address the nation's most pressing challenges. Make no mistake, we are ready to lead and the Obama-Biden Democrats are not."
Vote for experience, and the guy who doesn't stammer.
Friday, September 26, 2008
And now a word from our change agent
Sorry, I didn't find this sooner--dated Sept. 24.- The [McCain] announcement knocked the Barack H. Obama campaign, the Democrats, the congressional leadership, and the elite news media (to the extent that those are not simply synonyms) back on their heels... like walking up an unlit stairway and taking that last step that isn't there. They scrambled around like prats, denounced McCain, called it a "political stunt," contradicted each other (and themselves two minutes later), and in general, ran around like chickens with their legs cut off.
In other words, just exactly what they did when McCain named Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.
The decision by Sen. McCain to return to the Senate and worry about the country before his own political interests is the same bold, maverick move as the Palin choice... and it tells us once again, if more proof were needed, who the real "change agent" is in this campaign: Consistently, from the moment the Democratic primary was settled, John McCain has been the leader and Barack Obama the reactionary, either following or angrily denouncing. Today was a "denouncing" day:
Big Lizards, Sept. 24
Top Four 527s go for Obama
These are the guys funding all those ads that drive us crazy."Of the top five organizations to give money to 527s, the top four are liberal.
They are SEIU ($24,014,524), Soros Fund Management ($4,900,000), Steven Bing’s Shangri-La Entertainment** ($4,850,000), and The Fund for America ($3,770,000).
The fifth is conservative Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp. ($3,597,632).
Here’s the rest of the story.
**Bing's personal fortunes mostly stem from his grandfather, Leo Bing, who built luxury apartment homes in New York decades ago and reportedly gave a $600 million inheritance to his grandson when he turned 18. (SFGate)
Finance/Insurance/Real Estate
Top Contributors to Federal Candidates and Parties: Total contributions: $339,649,585, 50% to Democrats, 50% to Republicans, but the heavy hitters like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, are all betting on the Democrats.Check it out. Do you suppose there's any arm twisting going on in Congress?
Oh those darn Jesus people!
ACORN and LaRaza, the “community organizers” (like Jesus), apparently would have gotten a piece of the bailout pie.- "House Republicans refused to support the Henry Paulson/Chris Dodd compromise bailout plan yesterday afternoon, even after the New York Times reported that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson got down on one knee to beg Nancy Pelosi to compromise. One of the sticking points, as Senator Lindsey Graham explained later, wasn’t a lack of begging but a poison pill that would push 20% of all profits from the bailout into the Housing Trust Fund — a boondoggle that Democrats in Congress has used to fund political-action groups like ACORN and the National Council of La Raza.
Dodd's scam to bankroll the left.
- ACORN practices widespread voter fraud to increase liberal turnout in elections, and is guilty of financial fraud and embezzlement, but it has avoided any punishment due to its links to liberal lawmakers like Senator Chris Dodd, Congressman Barney Frank, and Senator Charles Schumer. ACORN is engaged in massive fraud in battleground states like Florida. (Election rules are being shredded for partisan purposes in other battleground states like Virginia and Ohio).
When the power goes off
Much of Ohio was without power last week--no electricity, no cable TV, no internet. It was darn inconvenient--and we didn't even lose ours! Meetings were cancelled, traffic lights were out, grocery stores and restaurants had rotting food, lots of "little guys" had no income. Remember folks, 50% of the country's electricity is supplied by coal. Yes, that stuff the environmentalists and the Obamanationists want to ruin. If you think it was dark last week, just wait!Liberals and fat cat CEOs never worry about the cap and trade costs which will kill the coal industry, dim the lights, and hurt the poor. But if you are a voter in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana, and you're clinging to your religion or guns, you'd better start worrying about where the electricity is going to come from and how you'll pay for it when the e-regulations gear up. And no, I don't like McCain's falling down the green hole either, but sometimes you have to choose your battles. The only hope we have is he has chosen a conservative running mate who might be able to influence him.
Check it out, voters.
Country First
I've never been wild about John McCain, but my respect grows by the minute. I don't know if he can do a thing in Washington, but at least he knows he has a job to do. Both Obama and McCain need to be in DC doing the job they were elected to do. The campaign has already been too long, and people have already made up their minds. Obama is afraid of townhall meetings because he'd have to use his own words, but debates work well for him. On the economy, Obama is clueless. He's also not popular with anyone in Congress. He couldn't referee a little league game let alone bring conflicting sides together. One or the other of these two guys will have this dumped in their laps come January. Will Obama continue to be AWOL as he was in Illinois and as he has been for most of his Senate term?I just hate the idea of the bailout--I've paid my bills, I've been honest, and then these whiz kids decide every Tom, Joe and Fred needs to buy a home, and the real estate flippers decide to take advantage. These guys have had 4 years to clean up this mess, and the same cheats and liars continue to make money--like Jamie Gorelick and Barney Frank who 2 years ago stonewalled (pardon the pun) the Republicans who wanted to clean house and said there was no need for changes--everything was fine. But given that, I would hope the Senators have a few more details, even Obama, that we haven't been privy to, and which the MSM hasn't spun out of control.
Update: The debate is back on and Obama was dragged kicking and screaming back to DC, then made the rounds stuttering and stammering on the TV news, telling everyone "he's on the phone." I've heard that within another decade there may have to be classes in the public schools to teach kids how to talk to people face to face. Sounds like we might be there.
Janet, Joycelyn and Jamie, Clinton’s back-up singers
Jamie Gorelick has been in the news lately with the Fannie Mae scandal--I think she’s gone on to more millions. Not sure about Janet Reno. But poor Joycelyn is on the rubber chicken circuit, chatting up the folks, earning a few bucks, still mad that “politics” lost her a cushy job.- Former U.S. Surgeon General M. Joycelyn Elders will present “The Politics of Health: What will the New Administration’s Challenges Be?” during a lunch presentation Wednesday (10/8). The lecture and Q&A, from noon-1:15 p.m. at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Café is sponsored by the OSU College of Public Health, Ohio Department of Health, Columbus Public Health and Columbus Metropolitan Club. Lunch is $25.
Dear Left Wing Friend
You disparagingly referred to my blog as "right wing," but I notice you don't call yourself "left wing" even though you are working 24/7 for Obama having left family, friends and dog to go out and work for him. I write a lot of blogs--you can check back here to see what else I blog about--which you apparently don't read. Yes, I do think the stakes are high for this campaign, but I thought that in 2004 too. I sort of snoozed through 2000 just beginning my retirement, and wouldn't have been too concerned if Gore had won. At that time he was not unhinged. The attack on this nation on September 11, 2001 turned me into a Bush fan. I just knew Gore wouldn't have been up to the task.So I'm right wing, but you're not left wing??! If it weren't for abortion, I'd probably be calling myself a libertarian. You will never be anything but a Democrat; you were born one and you'll die one. I'm exposed to the liberal lock-step-think all day. You wear blinders. You have contributed to Moveon dot org and the ACLU and you brag about it. I've never given my hard earned money to any political action group, and only on a few occasions have sent money to a candidate--and usually that is someone at the local level where it's a little easier to see the results. If money is going to leave my piggy bank for a cause, it will be to help poor people through a Christian organization or church, and it won't be given to a politician who will ear mark it for pork to build a park or a highway named for himself. Yes, I'm among those evil conservatives that surveys report give far more time and money to charity than liberals.
I spend about an hour a day telling the folks who stop by here my own researched and thought-out opinion, backed up with links to other writers if I can find them, that your candidate is an empty suit and a disaster for our country, and you spend 8 or 9 hours a day working for him, script in hand, organizing the novices, phoning the undecided, and doing the shitty work women have always been asked to do to move the man ahead. Based on just time spent, that makes you more a fanatic than me.
You live in a state with one massive city that controls the whole state with a history of corruption back to the 18th and 19th century. If it has ever been a swing state, I don't remember. Kennedy wouldn't have been president if the dead hadn't voted in your state. It has such a powerful Democratic machine that it even raises the dead to vote at election time. This is the machine that has nurtured your candidate.
You complain that your salary has been low your whole working life. What? Was that even during Kennedy/Johnson, Carter and Clinton administrations? And all those years we had a Democratic Congress? Didn't they do anything for you? And you think Obama will change that? He wants to decrease our disposable income by increasing taxes on business! He wants to punish the successful. Will you (or your surrogate Democrats who are younger) move to another city for Obama? Will you learn to drive a car for Obama? Will you go to college for Obama? Will you invest in the stock market for Obama? You don't have to have millions or even thousands--I did without and put aside 15% of my salary in tax deferred investments after the children left home. During the 1990s technology bust and fall out from 9/11 my investments didn't grow at all until Bush cut taxes to encourage investment and growth. Over time, the stock market is a much better investment than gold or real estate (although Fannie Mae CEOs and Barney Frank want you to believe everyone, even the poor and illegals, has to have a house). I'm not sure my little pension will recover from this latest government melt down, but at least my candidate knows he needs to be taking care of business in Washington and not saying, "call me if you need me."
You have stayed with your party and never questioned. The party left me years ago. I first began to suspect something was wrong in the mid-80s. Don't know which had more affect--raising teens, the Bork inquisition, or the smearing of Clarence Thomas, but I did eventually learn that I couldn't change someone else's direction and lifestyle--not with lectures, not with money, not with bribes, and certainly not with my politics. It was a valuable lesson, one I've never forgotten. You can stay there on the fringes of the left wing if you want, but not me.
Who helped in the emergency
Columbus got hit hard by the hurricane winds of Ike. We are still watching the clean up, although the power has been restored. Here's the note I've sent Panera's attached to their survey of customer service (www.panerasurvey.com).- I just wanted to let you know what an outstanding job the 2 Paneras I visit did during the recent electric outage (Hurricane Ike) here in Columbus, OH. I go to both the one on Bethel and the one on Tremont Rd in UA.
Just this morning I heard another customer complimenting the manager(?) at Tremont on the outstanding service they provided to the community last week when that neighborhood was without power about 6 days. The lines went out to the parking lot, but the Panera's staff were helpful, patient and friendly with a clientele that was really frazzled.
Just thought you'd like to know what great people you have working there. Give them all a bonus, because they really went above and beyond what is usually asked of a restaurant!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Objects of Wonder
Tonight we're going to the members preview of the "Objects of Wonder" show at the Columbus Museum of Art. These are the treasures found among the libraries and collections of Ohio State University, from the scientific to the artistic, pigeons to paintings, and cartoons to costumes. Should be fun. I had planned to attend a special program on this at UAPL last week, but the power outage cancelled all the programs.Update: This is an amazing show--don't miss it. We plan to go back again because you can't possibly see it all in one trip. If you have any connection with Ohio State--student, alumnus, employee or tax payer--you just have to see this. And even if you have no connection at all, it's a fabulous art-objects show. I didn't see anything from the Vet college, although they have a wonderful art department and medical artists and photographers on staff. I remember a painting of a horse that is bigger than our condo. But perhaps I just didn't come across it. I did see the eye glass display from the Medical College--it's awesome--eye wear of famous people like Elvis and Sophia and President Ford. Whuddathunkit? The beetles and butterflies, the costumes, displays of wood from Ohio trees that went to Exposition in Chicago in 1893, Alaskan native art from the Byrd collection, John Glenn's gear from space flights, and I had no idea that George Bellows had painted so many presidents. And the rare books--what wonderful bindings. Again--don't miss it.
Your Mind is Blue |
 Of all the mind types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life. |
Seen at Antigonos' Annals
You mean like Joe?
". . . at a time when one public gaffe could stall the energy Ms. Palin has brought to the McCain campaign, the self-described “maverick” governor from Alaska has taken few chances in her first week on the campaign trail."NYT Caucus Blog
I've lost count. He's not even funny, anymore, he's pathetic. Is this what a first class education and years of experience bring to the ticket? Thank goodness for Sarah.
There wasn't enough room under the bus
so Jim Johnson of Fannie Fame is back in the Obama ranks of financial wizards. Story at Politico. If you were wavering toward Obama because you thought he was clean (too new), think again. Only Palin has a clean record on this. Elect Sarah.Trickle up fiscal responsibility
"She can hardly be blamed. It's not her fault that her parents' income qualify her for the school's free lunch program," said the teacher. "But every day she raises a ruckus in the lunch line because she demands the extras, like cookies or dessert or an extra slice of pizza, that require payment. She sees the other kids can buy them, and she demands the same. She just doesn't get it."How is she different than our Congress?
Comments, not mine, on the bailout
Dr Patrick Byrne of Overstock commented: "This bailout is necessary to save the bacchanal that is our US financial system. However, at the core of the administration's plan is the assumption that Wall Street is worth saving. It is not. For years Wall Street has bossed Washington, DC around like they're hired flunkies, while preying on Main Street businesses and investors. The federal government should use this opportunity to extract from Wall Street concessions that could never be extracted were Washington in its customary subordinate position." Here.Nancy Pelosi is pleased.
Michelle Malkin says kill it and says credit is not a civil right.
McCain acting presidential; Obama not so much.
"This is a disaster waiting to happen. The best course of action for Congress is to do nothing and let the situation resolve itself. In short order we will have new market champions. If it absolutely has to do something, it can announce new lending programs to fend off a credit crunch (though this puts more pressure on private financial institutions and shouldn't really be done unless the credit crunch materializes)." Gabriel Malor
"When I and my wife, a legal alien, bought our house, the mortgage company told me that if my wife were an illegal alien, rather than legal, we would have qualified for certain loan programs with big banks. But because she was a legal alien waiting for her green-card (which she had recently applied for), we didn’t qualify." Hans Bader at OpenMarket.org
More as I find them.
Bush's legacy
He's not scrambling for one the way some former and ex-presidents have done, but of course, history (and the media) will assign it whether or not he claims it. I don't know how the bailout will be viewed; I hope not with all the things President Hoover tried (yes, I know Joe Biden thinks Roosevelt was president in 1929, but that's what you get with those first class educations that people like the Palins couldn't afford).Here's what I wrote on Nov. 27, 2007:
- Here are my ten suggestions for a Bush legacy, in order of importance, five positive, five negative.
1) The appointment of two outstanding judges to the Supreme Court, Roberts and Alito. This will extend many years and perhaps be able to return the Supreme Court to its original intention, moving it away from creating law. Kennedy, his father's appointment after the Bork nomination failed, was a tremendous disappointment for conservatives, so it is possible that with time, this one won't be in number one place, but for now, that's where I'd place it for long term impact.
2) The tax cuts and overseeing the most robust economy in the history of this nation I'd place second. Facing my retirement in 2000 dependent on the health of the stock market, I was watching my accounts stagnate, and then tumble after 9/11. Right now the economy is softening and Democrats are making all the wrong moves, especially for retirees (look out boomers) mainly because they use taxes to punish, not to move the country forward.
3) Getting us back on our feet after 9/11. Although I didn't dislike Al Gore and wouldn't have been upset if he'd been President (my first election as a Republican), it is still hard to imagine his taking charge after that disaster. For awhile it looked like there might even be a resurgence of patriotism and love of country, but that quickly faded as the Bush hatred over the lost election of 2000 continued to fester and eat away at the reasoning faculties of otherwise sensible people.
4) Freeing more women in Afghanistan in the 21st century than Abraham Lincoln did slaves in the USA in the 19th century. We don't know yet the full consequences of this, because women were quite advanced in this country before it was stolen from them by the Taliban, and the climb back up will require a lot of will. American feminists have ignored this achievement rather than give Bush the credit.
5) Leading the country into an unpopular, controversial war with the support and backing of both parties, including some of the same senators who later reversed their decision. That Bush held strong and refused to abandon the Iraqi people the way Nixon did the Vietnamese is a huge legacy, especially for those he saved from the blood bath had he caved into demands for pull-outs and withdrawals from his enemies.
And on the negative side of the legacy ledger.
1) Offended his supporters and party by nominating a weak Supreme Court candidate (White House counsel Harriet Miers) and by attempting to partner with the Democrats on an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants. These two actions also hurt any Republicans who supported him on other issues.
2) Not being able to corral his stampeding RINOs and missing the opportunity to reform Social Security by taking total control back from the government to allow investment in personal accounts.
3) Standing firm in his resolve that all societies deserve and desire a democracy. Perhaps only history will decide this one, but you've got to admit trying to jump start a 7th century mentality and push or drag it into the 21st century, is a tough row to hoe.
4) The biggest tax spender on education ever to enter the White House, crafting a program with Ted Kennedy's help. Did he tell us during the 2000 campaign that he wanted to be the "education president?" Earmarks (pork) and wasted foreign aid--but that's more congressional, and something we've just come to expect from our government, isn't it? This and the next one have made him an anathema to many conservatives.
5) Expanding medical care to a government drug program with Ted Kennedy, thus laying the ground work for the Democrats to make it even worse and more expensive. I think government-doled, rock-bottom health care for every household earning less than $1 million is a real possibility after 2008. Those making over a million will still be able to purchase first class care like they do in socialist countries.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Dear George, Henry and Ben
Your bailout stinks. In a few months you'll be gone and you are handing the Democrats a federalized economy while you're still in office, what they planned for later on in the Obama years. You're not even going to make them work for it! I don't want to blame this all on President Clinton, because he had a Republican Congress to work with, but getting a home loan used to be very different before the mid-90s. It took 20% down, and our housing cost couldn't exceed 35% of our monthly after tax income. It's possible that since you guys are all rich, you've forgotten how we ordinary folks scrimped and saved and did without to pay our mortgages. Then someone brilliant decided we needed to move everyone into "the American dream," without considering who could or would pay. Then we got the NINJA loans, and even wealthy people took advantage of your lax no interest, no assets loans during the housing bubble. Yes, some minorities and poor people got into homes, most of which they couldn't afford. Again, I don't blame just the Democrats--I seem to remember something laudatory about this in the last State of the Union address.You, President Bush, proposed in 2001 and 2003 the overhaul in the housing finance industry. It was blocked by liberal Democrats. That's a failure of leadership; we can't blame only the Democrats. Then Senator McCain with three other Senate Republicans tried to reform the government’s involvement in lending in 2005 and again that was blocked by Democrats. So he's not the "can't we all get along guy" that he thinks he is. And Obama? He was missing in action or not on board. (Why is this guy always out of the room when an important vote is taken? He's actually getting points for his absenteeism!)
Maybe you think I’m excusing you, but I’m not. You are the leaders. Why did you let the Democrats bamboozle us, and why put them in charge again when they've made such a mess? Now you are going to make the tax paying, honest, bill paying American pay for the mistake the two parties made together? Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are the reigning Democrats in banking and finance, and the rules were changed during the Clinton administration and it was former members of his administration who drove these GSEs into the ground and walked away with Golden Parachutes.
Tell me why, George W. Bush, should we bail out these bad, bad decisions made at the federal level by the Democrats in Congress and your administration?
Kudos for doing your job!
"9 East Rhodes Achieves 100 Percent Hand HygieneCongratulations to faculty and staff in 9 East Rhodes Hall for receiving 100 percent hand hygiene compliance in August. They were selected from 24 inpatient units at UH, Ross, Dodd Hall and UH East and outpatient areas that had 100 percent compliance. To properly wash your hands, wet them with water, apply soap and rub your hands together for 15 seconds. Rinse and dry with a disposable towel then use the towel to turn off the faucet to avoid re-contaminating your hands. You can also use an alcohol-based hand rub for routinely decontaminating your hands."
Below a recruitment notice for overweight people to participate in a heart study, I noticed this item for keeping the Buckeye spirit:
Nutrition Services will begin carrying Suisse Shop cupcakes tomorrow (Sept. 23) at Seasons Cafe at UH and Seasons Express at Ackerman and Morehouse. The cupcakes were selected by Columbus Monthly as the "Best of Columbus 2008." Cupcake varieties include a Buckeye cupcake (chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting and topped with a candy buckeye), Waldorf Red cupcake (with Waldorf Astoria frosting and topped with scarlet and gray sprinkles), White Empress cupcake (chocolate with white truffle frosting) and vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with french buttercream frosting. All cupcakes are available for $2.29 each.
OSU Medical Center This Week Newsletter, September 22, 2008
Another architect's watercolors
When Dora and I roomed together at the University of Illinois we were both dating architectural students. Neither one was a painter, except what was required of them in their course work. Now they both are. Here's her husband's web page. Really wonderful stuff. Sometimes we're fortunate enough to get one on a Christmas card.
There's never a free lunch or gas card
I should know that by now, but it looked legit. Just answer a few questions, vote for your candidate, and we'll send you a gas card, depending on the availability for your zip code. By the time you do all that and get to the end, I found a $14.95 offer for a fax service I couldn't opt out of, so I didn't finish. But the election choice was interesting. There were two very nice photos of Obama and McCain, no one looking surly or decrepit or ugly or dark. Then these bios from encabulat.com:- Barack Obama: A Senator from Illinois; born in Honolulu, Hawaii, August 4, 1961; obtained early education in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Hawaii; continued education at Occidental College, Los Angeles, Calif.; received a B.A. in 1983 from Columbia University, New York City; worked as a community organizer in Chicago, Ill.; studied law at Harvard University, where he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review, and received J.D. in 1991; lecturer on constitutional law, University of Chicago; member, Illinois State senate 1997-2004; elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 2004 for term beginning January 3, 2005.
John McCain: A Representative and a Senator from Arizona; born in Panama Canal Zone, August 29, 1936; attended schools in Alexandria, Va.; graduated, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. 1958, and the National War College, Washington, D.C. 1973; pilot, United States Navy 1958-1981, prisoner of war in Vietnam 1967-1973; received numerous awards, including the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross; elected as a Republican in 1982 to the Ninety-eighth Congress; reelected to the Ninety-ninth Congress in 1984 and served from January 3, 1983, to January 3, 1987; elected to the United States Senate in 1986; reelected in 1992, 1998 and in 2004 for the term ending January 3, 2011; chair, Committee on Indian Affairs (One Hundred Fourth Congress; One Hundred Ninth Congress), Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (One Hundred Fourth through One Hundred Sixth Congresses, One Hundred Seventh Congress [January 20, 2001-June 6, 2001], One Hundred Eighth Congress); unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000.
Anyway, since McCain isn't currently the chair (that's for the party in power), I thought Obama's subchairmanship should have been listed. It's possible these bios predated that, however. While speaking to the press in the Israeli town of Sderot this summer, Obama mistakenly said he was on the U.S. Senate banking committee, but in a later clarification by staff, he says he meant to say "my bill."
This too is your money
I noticed this little blurb today- Ohio State signed a new $4 million, three-year contract to operate the USAID-funded PDP in the Ukraine, the world's longest-running, sustained effort to promote democracy. The program is credited with helping Ukraine's legislature pass significant reforms that have contributed to democratic and economic transitions in that country, said Charles Wise, director of the Glenn School and the project's chief executive since its inception in 1994
"Ukraine is a shining star in terms of a having a functioning legislature compared to any other country in the former Soviet Union. They have real contested elections and they make laws that matter," Wise said. "The federal government has called this a 'model' program that can be used as a template in other countries of the world."
The new contract runs from September 2008 through May 31, 2011. The Glenn School will act as a subcontractor for the project, which intends to . . .story here.
A hymn for our elected officials
who when they aren't sitting on their hands, are using them to point fingers across the aisle. Modern day, happy-clappy, contemporary Christian praise songs just don't work for me in a crunch, so this is based on "Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now" by unknown author, 1651. Based on Psalm 95. Tune: "Herr Jesu Christ, dich". To be sung "brightly."
Lord Jesus Christ, be present now,
Our hearts in true devotion bow,
Your Spirit send with grace divine,
And let your truth in lending shine.
Glory to God the Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One!
To you, O blessed Trinity,
Be praise here and Washington DC!
I’ve got the low down, trillion dollar, Ben and Henry Blues
Woke up this morning ‘bout five fifteen,
Read my big ol Bible and a new magazine,
Jumped in the van, turning on the key
Let me tell you mama, there’s no stopping me.
Driving on to Main Street, stopping at the light
Heading for the coffee shop the other side of night,
Singing with the radio, changing stations now
Got the dog and pony show, candidates take a bow.
Mitigating factors, oozing out the wazoo,
Sell ‘em or hold ‘em, it’s all a rescue.
I’ve got the low down, trillion dollar
Ben and Henry blues.
Warm bakery bread and yeasty brown rolls
Congress still propping up the C-E-Os
Espresso coffee chai and tea
The government ya know--that’s just you and me.
NINJA loans for aliens, flipping for the rich,
From coastal homes, to buildings in the sticks,
McBama to Fannie to Goldman Sachs
They’re pointing fingers and covering tracks.
Mitigating factors, oozing out the wazoo,
Sell ‘em or hold ‘em, it’s all a rescue.
I’ve got the low down, trillion dollar
Ben and Henry blues.
Martin Luther's Definition of Faith
Luther was the most amazing writer. I wish I had a set of his works--as it is, I only have vols. 27 and 54, probably picked up at book sales, and his Small Catechism, plus a smattering of excerpts, like prayer books. Our church library set is now on the reference shelf; I used to be able to check out individual volumes, and of course, the local public library doesn't have them. Some of his works is available on-line, some in ascii and some in html (if you print for easier reading, the number of pages is about the same). However, if you want to understand modern western history, you really need to understand Luther.In 1520 among the hundreds of other things he published were 4 titles which laid out reform of the medieval church as he understood it. I've printed out for the coffee shop today, "Concerning Christian Liberty," a quote from which heads the blog today (Sept. 24), although maybe not the day after tomorrow, since I change that often. In that document Luther writes that Christian freedom is genuine discipleship as the faithful way of following Christ. Essentially, in those 4 titles he called for the common priesthood of all believers, the rejection of the sacramental system, and removing ethics from a meritorious obligation to free love of neighbor in need--all points of which were clearly stated in Scripture, which is why he promoted translation into the vernacular (German, in his case). Here's his definition of faith:
An excerpt from
"An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans,"
Luther's German Bible of 1522
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546
Translated by Rev. Robert E. Smith
from DR. MARTIN LUTHER'S VERMISCHTE DEUTSCHE SCHRIFTEN.
Johann K. Irmischer, ed. Vol. 63
(Erlangen: Heyder and Zimmer, 1854), pp.124-125. [EA 63:124-125]
August 1994
Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. "Faith is not enough," they say, "You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved." They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, "I believe." That is what they think true faith is. But, because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this "faith," either.
Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, his faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are. Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many words.
Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.
_________________________________________
This text was translated for Project Wittenberg by Rev. Robert E. Smith and is in the public domain. You may freely distribute, copy or print this text. Please direct any comments or suggestions to:
Rev. Robert E. Smith
Walther Library
Concordia Theological Seminary
E-mail: smithre@mail.ctsfw.edu
Surface Mail: 6600 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA
Phone: (260) 481-2123 Fax: (260) 481-2126
Note: It's nice to see this modern English translation by Rev. Smith. Much of what Luther wrote was in Latin, then translated into German, then into 19th or early 20th century English, so it gets a bit tough to slug through all that. It makes me conscious of all the parenthetical phrases and unnecessary asides I use in my writing. Also, it makes me appreciate the beauty of having the Bible in modern English, or any vernacular. After all, there are over 10 million Lutherans in Africa (more than North America), and many Lutheran missionaries have worked for years to carry Luther's dream of Scripture in the mother language to spread the gospel to the common man.**
In case you want to hop in and criticize me for not acknowledging Luther's flaws (he had many), or other denominational missionaries translating (there are thousands), you are free to write your own blog or web page. I can't do all of it!
-------------
** “Since Luther was a prolific writer it came about that he began to standardize the rather loose orthography and syntax within his Mittel Hoch Deutsch expression. Second, that product was not addressed solely to the nobility nor to a cloistered religious readership, but purposefully and directly to the common people. Inasmuch as the capacity of the printing presses at that time reached a broad public, the effect of Luther's standardization led eventually to a changed form of the German language which has been termed "ein frühes hoch Deutsch." “
Martin Luther’s German Writings
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Show me the Chicago child
who benefited from Obama's management of the $100 million dollar Chicago Annenberg Challenge. Did they learn to be better readers, thinkers, writer, communicators? Did they go on to a community college or university and study math or science? Or did they just get more political and radical nonsense that won't help them with life skills. Obama had the benefit of a very good education--he learned his politics on the side. Couldn't other children? When asked in 2000 about his experience to run for Illinois Senate, he cited this experience. So, where are those children? I'd like to see the results.- Obama replied: "Well, I'm in my second term, but it's true that certainly both Senator Trotter and Congressman Rush have been in elected office longer than I have. I can't deny that.
"I would argue, though, that my experience previous to elected office equips me for the job. You know, I have a background as an attorney. I've represented affordable housing organizations to build affordable housing, something that is a major issue in the district. I've chaired major philanthropic efforts in the city, like the Chicago Annenberg Challenge that gave $50 million to prop school reform efforts throughout the city."
In Just Four Years, Obama Has Received More Money From Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Than Any Other Member Of Congress In The Past Two Decades (Since 1989) Except Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Chris Dodd. (Lindsay Renick Mayer, "Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Invest In Lawmakers," Center For Responsive Politics' "Capital Eye" Blog, www.opensecrets.org, 9/11/08)
Top All Time Donors to Democrats and Republicans, 1989-2008
(only #92, Amway, gave solidly Republican (90%+). Twenty of the top 100 gave almost exclusively to Democrats.
Here's why we can't get tort reform: "American Assn for Justice, formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), this group of plaintiffs' attorneys and others in the legal profession now goes by the name of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and boasts 56,000 members worldwide. A lobbying heavyweight, the association has been battling any attempt at tort reform, including recent proposals to cap awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. AAJ also lobbies Congress on any legislation that may inhibit the ability of consumers to bring lawsuits, particularly against health care providers, asbestos companies or insurance companies processing claims related to terrorism. The association favors Democrats, who oppose most attempts to initiate tort reform. In 10 years they contributed $29,160,889, and 95% went to Democrats.
Want school choice? "The American Federation of Teachers represents 1 million teachers, school staff, higher education faculty and other public employees. The federation also has a health care division, which represents health professionals and nurses. As one of the leading education groups on Capitol Hill, the federation lobbied heavily on President Bush’s education plan, beating back attempts to attach pro-voucher amendments." 99% to Democrats.
And so forth.
Yes, Gloria, there is profound sexism
Mostly from leftist women.- "Feminist anger against Sarah has exposed the fact that feminism is not about women's success and achievement. If it were, feminists would have been bragging for years about self-made women who are truly remarkable achievers, such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, or former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, or Sen. Elizabeth Dole, or even Margaret Thatcher. Feminists never boast about these women because feminism's basic doctrine is victimology. Feminism preaches that women can never succeed because they are the sorry victims of an oppressive patriarchy. No matter how smart or accomplished a woman may be, she's told that success and happiness are beyond her grasp because institutional sexism and discrimination hold her down. . . Sarah Palin is an exemplar of a successful, can-do woman, and the feminists simply don't know how to deal with her. I hope she will usher in a new era where conventional wisdom recognizes that feminist negativism is ancient history and American women are so fortunate to live in the greatest country on Earth." SF Gate, Sept. 21
Advice for McBama
"This is not the Barack Obama who inspired millions. This is not the Barack Obama who is likely to persuade all those white working-class Hillary voters that he respects their values and will look out for their interests. In short, Mr. Obama needs to relearn the lesson that propelled him to a historic nomination: cheerful and optimistic generally trumps cranky.Mr. McCain could take a lesson too. If Mr. Obama's impulse is to tax anything that prospers, Mr. McCain often gives the impression that his is to court-martial it. Indeed, after a postconvention Palin bounce in which he showed his happy warrior side, Mr. McCain appears to have reverted back to Paris Hilton's wrinkly white-haired dude -- especially with recent rhetoric that makes American business leaders sound like the Taliban."
How Sarah got McCain's Groove Back
Reference questions
Today when you go to the library, ask a question. Try to find a librarian, though. I don't think it gives the staff quite the same sense of "ah-ha, a live one" that a librarian (MLS from an accredited institution) experiences. "Where's the rest room?" or "Can you fix the printer?" don't count.I love to read through the questions that bring people to my site. Because I write on so many topics, these robotic spiders scroll around a page and match up some strange words or sentences--like the first name of a mayor's wife with the Latin name of a plant. Not quite up to my road kill or black birds in a pie diseases that I used to get at the Vet Library, but interesting. Since about 9 p.m. last night these are some of the more interesting questions that brought people to my blog. I get anywhere from 120 to 180 hits a day, depending on what I'm writing about. If a big poo-bah blogger links to me, it might spike to 350 for a few days. Sometimes they just glance and move on, sometimes they stay for 30 minutes to an hour.
- who administers zostavax in san antonio? [Let me get back to you on that]
how to do my thoughts [just stir gently and half bake]
lakeside "raccoon run" results [do you want 2008? I have photos but no results]
abercrombie and fitz "the christmas field guide" [Yes, I'm getting Christmas catalogs too]
24th mapping squadron [I'm 3rd from the top on this one]
dadsandsons near blogspot [is this a boolean question]
"catholic social doctrine" "joe biden" [bingo]
how come there are so many anti-obama books and no anti-mccain books [probably because no one thought he'd be the candidate--check Daily Kos--they hate him and Sarah over there]
orbiter can opener review [I have a great review on this topic--even a photo]
cnn report, in 2008, new peal medicine for cancer used in europe [this sounds fascinating but I'm not sure what "peal" is. Learn to type in just the key words
The Emmys
Primetime Emmy Awards “inexplicably attracted the franchise's smallest audience in its history. A mere 12.2 million viewers watched an . . . “orgy of trophy dispensing and politically charged speechifying.” (WaPo, Sept. 23)Yes, ageism and sexism was in full flower--racism of course, has been entirely eliminated from their scripts. The entertainment industry mined that vein dry years ago. For that you have to read the recent polls of the Democratic party which show some ordinary working folk are tired of being called names and constantly insulted by the rich know-it-alls in their party. They're just not sure they want to pull the lever (punch the button, mark the ballot) for Obama.
It’s been years since I’ve seen an awards show. 12 million people with nothing to do--sounds like a lot of dumbed down couch potatoes to me. But I’ve seen snippets of this one. Oh, that prune political joke was almost as amusing as the SNL joke on incest, which is also going around and continues to insult women who make a difference and run for political office. Yes, the American entertainment industry deserves an award all right. You begin to understand better the view of the radical Muslims on the worth of pop culture. But hey, I share the blame. I have a TV in every room (except the dining room), and went to three or four movies this summer.
- Stephen Colbert, eating from a bag of dried plums, told co-presenter Jon Stewart: "Right now, America needs a prune. It may not be a young, sexy plum. Granted, it is shriveled and at times hard to swallow. But this dried-up old fruit has the experience we need."
Monday, September 22, 2008
Generous Joe Biden lectures Americans on what Jesus would do
"Catholic social doctrine as I was taught it is, you take care of people who need the help the most." I wonder what percentage this is of his gross? Probably imperceptible.Source. If you're not happy with this source, take it up with someone else.
Cooking the books
- "Shocking exposé hit the Street last week about one of the best-loved, all-American companies: Fannie Mae, the mortgage and financial services giant. The report, written by the company's regulator, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, offered a litany of accounting improprieties at the company. You might call it "In the Kitchen With Fannie: How to Cook the Books for Fun and Profit.""
Then in April of this year, paying much less than the government ask for: "Raines, former Fannie chief financial officer Timothy Howard and former controller Leanne Spencer were accused in a civil lawsuit in December 2006 with manipulating earnings over a six-year period at the company, the largest U.S. financer and guarantor of home mortgages.
Raines, a Seattle native and prominent Washington figure who was President Clinton's budget director, is relinquishing company stock options, proceeds from stock sales and other benefits. His part of the settlement is worth $24.7 million. . ." He'd worked in two different Democratic administrations, made over $91 million from 1998-2004, and blamed the Bush Administration for his problems. [Does anyone in the government from the janitors to the President ever accept the blame for mistakes?] "Raines, the first black CEO of a Fortune 500 company, has been trying to restore his reputation and challenge shareholder suits. Raised in a Seattle family that relied on welfare checks, Raines broke through racial barriers to become an adviser to President Carter and head of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget from 1996 to 1998 under Clinton." (Seattle Times, April 18, 2008 [AP])
Breaking through racial barriers to be a first anything is not necessarily a guarantee of success. And just fining the perps more millions than the rest of us can imagine obviously doesn't solve the problem either.
So what did the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight report to the Congress [Chris Dodd, Chair of Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Barney Frank, Chair of Financial Services, both Democrats, now squawking and pointing fingers at Republicans] this year--four years later? Well, Fannie and Fred were rising to the challenge, the Director said.
- "[Fannie and Fred] were able to fulfill their key mission of providing stability and liquidity to the conventional conforming loan market. Their support of the mortgage market grew by 15 percent in 2007 versus 8 percent growth in 2006, to a total of $5.0 trillion in guaranteed mortgage-backed securities outstanding and mortgage investments. Their market share of total mortgage originations grew from 37.4 percent in 2006 to 75.6 percent by the fourth quarter of 2007. There is increasing pressure for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to do even more to support the mortgage market, which is problematic in absence of GSE reform legislation to strengthen the regulatory process."
I'm just reading my script
was her response to my interrupting her "just 4 quick" questions about what did I think about middle class families getting squeezed by American companies getting tax breaks to go overseas. Wow. How many times have we seen that ad on TV? It is Ohio, you know. Well, I threw it right back at her and asked where did she think these companies were supposed to go when our unions and environmentalists have driven them out of our major cities. I told her I was a pensioner, and where did she think my income was supposed to come from, yada yada. Poor thing. "I'm just reading my script" she whimpered. I hope she's getting minimum wage and not being paid under the table or working as a volunteer.
60,000 greet Palin at The Villages in Florida
The big question: Was Murray there or was he still in Mt. Morris playing golf?- The Villages, a vast, upscale planned community north of Orlando, has about 70,000 mostly adult residents -- many of them military retirees -- who vote reliably Republican in statewide races. Tens of thousands inched along roads into the picturesque town square of the complex, where they stood in sweltering heat for about four hours as local GOP officials and a country band revved up the crowd.
"Sa-Rah! Sa-Rah!" they chanted at every mention of her name, applauding loudly and waiving tiny American flags that were distributed -- along with free water bottles -- by local volunteers. The fire chief estimated the crowd at 60,000. Story here.
The Politics of Hollywood
Chris Matthews observed in an interview this morning that since the beginning of the Cold War in 1947, Hollywood hasn't made a single anti-Communist film. I had just turned on the radio, so I don't know the context. I suppose he meant Hollywood in the genre or form sense, not the place. I have no way of checking that information--even with Google that would be tough, because anymore, what is "Hollywood?" Someone would be sure to find something anti-Mao or anti-Stalin (although that's not anti-marxist, just the person) on film that got swept up. And they even make movies in Ohio--that's flyover country that liberals only visit during presidential campaigns. However, it does make some sense. There have been a lot of movies about WWII, Nazis, and blacklisting Hollywood communists. The Nazis killed far fewer people than the Communists did. Of course, the Communists have been in power longer, and killed millions upon millions of their own citizens (and it continues through starvation in North Korea), not just "others" like Jews, East Europeans, gypsies and the disabled.But American liberals have out done even the Soviet, Chinese and North Korean Communists. We Americans killed probably well over 40,000,000 unborn babies since the early 70s, and untold millions of Africans by taking DDT off the market--our own Rachel Carson holocaust. Add to that record, our global warming hysteria and regulations which will bring death to people in undeveloped countries. Already our regulation-crazy Democrats have pushed the Iraqis to sell their oil to the Chinese rather than mess with our rules. And in case our warm and fuzzy liberals have forgotten, the Chinese are still Communists who need oil. So, who am I, or Chris Matthews who raised the issue, to criticize the blood money of rich Hollywood investors, producers, directors and actors?
Why the liberals want Obama
To assuage their guilt, which unless they have a history of owning slaves, carpet bagging, red lining, organizing to bus black children out of their neighborhood, guarding the school door with guns, or dissing their black co-workers, is most likely misplaced.This is the final argument in a "Letter to the Dispatch editor," Sept. 2.
- “Obama's election would tell this country and the world that America is better than it has seemed recently. Watching again Ken Burns' The Civil War epic on television is a grim reminder of where we were. Obama can be a telling statement of where we are now.”
Columbus
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Wasn't this settled?
Eat less, move more, don't smoke. "Combined impact of lifestyle factors on mortality: prospective cohort study in US women," Rob M van Dam, BMJ 2008;337:a1440 Here.I guess it needed more study. Alcohol consumption was also part of the study, but there are trade offs, depending on the amount. The danger is always that "light" will move on to "excessive," thus eliminating the health benefits.
Conclusions
Avoiding cigarette smoking is of pivotal importance for the prevention of premature death. In our study of middle aged women, adherence to lifestyle guidelines involving a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and weight management was also associated with markedly lower mortality. Of note, our results indicate that a healthy diet and regular physical activity have important health benefits independent of reducing adiposity. These findings underscore the importance of intensifying both efforts to eradicate cigarette smoking and those aimed at improving diet and physical activity.
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