Secure the border before offering amnesty

Google and the ghetto

Yesterday we had two fascinating lectures at Lakeside.  First a neighbor who got her first work experience waiting tables at The Abigail (local restaurant, now closed) explained the Google culture where she now works in California.  It was unbelievable.  They can bring their dogs to work; they can get the oil changed in their car; they can bring their laundry and dry cleaning; no desk/cubicle is more than 150 ft from food or a restroom. And she added, the food is delicious and new employees usually gain the Google ten or fifteen.  Workers have social clubs—gays, veterans, hobbies, work out gyms, etc.  Everything is for the team, and the intention is to get more production from the employees. And if employees get burnout from spending too much time at work, a supervisor will add a night out with spouse or partner to their work schedule.

Then at 3:30 p.m. an American embassy employee (Pakistan) who is also a Lakesider and a Christian, talked about the Christians in Pakistan, a tiny persecuted minority.  These people also live and work in a closed environment and rarely go beyond the borders of their ghetto.  They are a persecuted minority and recently we’ve seen stories on TV about the church burning and killing.  The police do nothing. When Pakistan became a country 65 years ago, Christians and the few remaining Hindus were promised religious freedom.  But that began to disappear in the 70s and now there is Sharia Law.  The photos I saw (of their ghetto in Islamabad) are worse than the poverty of Haiti.  These people are descendants of the mid-18th century converts by the missionaries the Europeans sent.  Christians are only welcome if they bring alcohol—Muslims are not allowed to buy it.  Everyone has an ID card that identifies the religion.

It’s very difficult to evangelize for the Christian faith in Pakistan, as you can imagine.  But it must be even harder at Google in California, where every need is met and you must be on the team or be out the door.

The Democrats’ War on Women

The Democrats. They toss freebies like birth control at women and teen girls to get votes, and then import other women who will have larger families. They offer "progressive" programs that are really failed "regressive" socialist programs from the last century designed to create dependence on the daddy long legs of the federal government. They push abortion at a time when our birth rate is below replacement level and falling, and research shows a strong relationship with both breast cancer and suicide. They bad mouth traditional marriage when married couples are succeeding at every societal measure where single moms are not. Women are depicted as helpless victims in constant need of the very party that is attacking them. Yet they ignore as "freedom of speech" the most disgusting music and video game images of 50% of the nation while fainting over words like Redskins.

Losing those e-mails

Sharing from T-bone:
The odds of winning the Florida lottery are 1 in 22,957,480.

The odds of winning the Powerball is 1 in 175,223,510.

The odds of winning Mega Millions is 1 in 258,890,850.

The odds of a disk drive failing in any given month are roughly one in 36. The odds of two different drives failing in the same month are roughly one in 36 squared, or 1 in about 1,300. The odds of three drives failing in the same month is 36 cubed or 1 in 46,656.

The odds of seven different drives failing in the same month (like what happened at the IRS when they received a letter asking about emails targeting conservative and pro-Israeli groups) is 37 to the 7th power = 1 in 78,664,164,096. (that's over 78 Billion)

In other words, the odds are greater that you will win the Florida Lottery 342 times than having those seven IRS hard drives crashing in the same month.

How to close minorities and low income out of the higher education market

"For-profit schools educate a larger share of low-income, minorities, veterans and single mothers than do nonprofit and public colleges. Eighty percent of their students lack parental financial support." Obama has decided they are "predatory" and are making sure they shut down if in violation of federal regulations not required of public institutions. Liberals scream when for-profit abortion clinics close due to health violations, but they applaud this. http://online.wsj.com/articles/obamas-letters-to-corinthian-1404684555

Federal law leaves states and accrediting agencies to prescribe how for-profits calculate job-placement rates. Yet they all have different rules, and most are open to interpretation. Seizing on the confusion, prosecutors have charged Corinthian with misrepresenting its rates. California AG Kamala Harris's suit criticizes Corinthian for "company-wide placement verification issues, including a lack of any definitions or standard procedures." Yet internal Corinthian memos revealed a strategy "to close or sell campuses that are not meeting placement outcomes."

College costs have soared far beyond health care or housing.  If the government needs to clean house, why not start at the top instead of the bottom.

Who has the responsibility?

Virtually any criticism of the president is called racist, whether parody, cartoon, jokes or telling the truth. And I've seen some that truly are racist--and they are sickening. But which is worse--some flake on the internet saying nasty things about a black president, or a black president thumbing his nose at the Constitution, traditions, and Congress while the media and his supporters swoon in admiration? Which person has the greater responsibility and the bigger bully pulpit?

There is so much to do at Lakeside this week Three

My husband’s Perspective Drawing class is full—starts at 9 today at the Rhein Center.  I won’t be taking that class—I think I have 3 times. Lakeside has a new computer sign up for art classes now.

Which is a segue to Monday and Tuesdays programs are on Google, delivered by Amy Carle who is a Lakesider, but also a Google program manager. There’s also a 3:30 Tuesday class on popular Apps, but I don’t need that one.

At 3:30 on Monday is Christianity in Pakistan, persecution of an endangered minority in Chautaqua Hall.

Wednesday and Thursday’s programs are on the Dead Sea Scrolls by John Kampen which should be interesting. I don’t know if it is the same content, but he has about an hour lecture on vimeo on this topic. I’m hoping it’s a bit more animated in person.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Lakesider Diane Hartenburg, will talk about her Christian pilgrimage in 2013, 500 miles across France and Spain at the Lakeside Women’s Club.

At 8 a.m. on Wednesday the Sudomirs are leading a bird walk.  Darn, my binoculars are in Columbus. There will be two other bird programs, on Friday, on Birds of Prey at the bandstand at 10:30 in the morning, and same topic, different presenter at 1:30 in the Aigler Room.

The Foreign Affairs Forum will be 2:30 on Friday as usual, and I assume should be lively given how ISIS has taken over all that was liberated in the Iraq War and is moving on to Syria and Libya.

There are two author/book events, Tuesday at 7 p.m. with Christine Haymond, See my spark, ear my voice, tips for teachers, counselors, social workers, clergy. .. and Thrity Umrigar discussing her upcoming novel, The Story Hour. She is a native of India who now teaches Creative Writing at Case Western Reserve.  That will be a Fine Print Book store at 1:30 on Friday.

And all of that is just the day time programming!

The art show starts Tuesday.  My husband has two great watercolors in the show.

 

 

.

If you have a cat, you’ll understand

10 Reasons Why Iraq's Bloodbath Is Not W's Fault

Forget that you didn't like the Bush administration, and blamed him for the War in Iraq (that essentially ended before he left office)--let's look at how Obama is handling what's going on in Iraq now. This is by Larry Elder.

Let’s review:  “The U.S. intelligence community's belief that Saddam was aggressively pursuing weapons of mass destruction predated Bush's inauguration, and therefore cannot be attributed to political pressure. ... Germany ... Israel, Russia, Britain, China and even France held positions similar to that of the United States. ... In sum, no one doubted that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction."

“George Bush did not "rush" America into the war. He obtained a consensus -- a resolution from the House, a resolution from the Senate and a resolution from the United Nations. There was a 15-month run-up before the war, during which time Saddam could have declared what he did or did not do with the WMD.

“We were greeted as liberators in Iraq. The New York Times Iraq reporter John Burns said: "The American troops were greeted as liberators. We saw it." In April, 2003, the New York Daily News reported, "Jubilant crowds chanted, 'Thank you, Bush' and showered troops with yellow and pink flowers, exactly as administration hawks had promised."

http://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2014/06/26/10-reasons-why-iraqs-bloodbath-is-not-ws-fault-n1855756

Census will now include same sex marriage—but how?

It's going to be tricky counting married same sex couples; just because they live together, they might not consider themselves "partners" or "married." Many same sex couples have no intention of getting married, even if they support the concept. Many have never insured their partner, put them in the will, their insurance, their mortgage or added the name to the bank account. This isn't societal prejudice; it's a lack of commitment, or a casual relationship of convenience for sex or rent, or concerns about costs if there were a breakup--just like other couples who have decided marriage is just a piece of paper.

 http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/29/census-says-it-will-count-same-sex-marriages-but-with-caveats/

http://money.msn.com/personal-finance/gay-marriage-can-muddle-finances

Happy July 6

“In 2014, Cost of Government Day falls on July 6.This day marks the point during the year when the average American has earned enough income to pay for his or her share of the spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government at the federal, state and local levels. While Americans may be celebrating Independence Day on July 4, they are still working to pay for the full cost of government until the end of the weekend.  This will be the sixth consecutive year that COGD will fall in July; prior to President Obama taking office, COGD had never fallen after June 27.

All told, the full costs of government amount to 51 percent of GDP. Workers toil 121 days to pay for government spending alone, and 65 days to pay for regulatory costs. All told, Americans labor 186 days to pay off the full burden of government.”

Read more: http://www.atr.org/#ixzz36d37he9V

Kathy Ireland speaks on her faith and pro-life views

When enablers are addicted to feeling superior

I was listening to an advice program on the radio today—a mom called about her addicted, bi-polar son who wanted to move out of the group home to an apartment so he could be independent.  He was receiving SSD but always came to mom or a brother when he needed money (usually spent his check quickly). I don’t think she really wanted help.  She wanted to whine.  And she wanted to be the rescuer, even though she realized it was wrong.  The very kind, patient Christian host told her several times to let him fail, or he would never learn to be on his own.  It was like spitting into the wind. And so it is for so many government programs.

Disabling, enabling programs intended to help have grown as often under Republicans as Democrats. But as far as I know, only the GOP is demonized and lied about for being stingy meanies--like the Obama phone story (it was a Reagan program), or the EITC (Reagan) or when GW Bush gave a tax refund to everyone, and to be fair, even to those who hadn't paid income tax for years, or ever. Until President Obama, no president had grown the social programs like George W. Bush. He was an extravagant spender for domestic issues. There was a huge expansion under Nixon, also.  A smaller government with lower taxes is good for everyone. The best poverty program is a job. Raising minimum wage does not help the unemployed, and may actually hurt them.  A husband/wife household both working at current  minimum wage jobs puts that family above poverty level and outside most welfare type programs, including Medicaid and food stamps.  Obama wants tax increases not to help the poor, but to punish the rich, because based on GWB and JFK eras, tax cuts bring in more money to the government coffers (which again is a problem because they invent more programs).

Too little, too late

“In the fiscal year before Obama unilaterally enacted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012, there were 6,500 illegal immigrant kids who entered the country, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. According to the Christian Science Monitor, "during the decade preceding fiscal year 2012, the federal government agency tasked with caring for unaccompanied minors who cross the border illegally dealt with an average of 7,000 to 8,000 cases a year."

The Monitor noted in the the fiscal year after Obama enacted DACA, "the number jumped to 13,625," and at least 50,000, most of whom have been from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, have entered illegally since October of last year. As Breitbart News has reported, federal and local officials are estimating at least 150,000-160,000 more will try next year.”

I guess Obama thinks they have no cell phones to call home and tell their friends all they get is a bus ride and a piece of paper.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/07/04/Obama-Doppelganger-Dies-in-US-Border-Patrol-Commercial-Aimed-at-Migrants

One Nation by Ben Carson

My husband has finished reading Ben Carson's "One Nation" (Sentinel, 2014), so I asked him to write a book review for my blog, but he said, "Oh, I couldn't do that." But he hasn't stopped raving about the book and opens it to quote from it. I tell him, "See? You could write that," but he shakes his head and continues to tell me how great it is. A neighbor stopped by last evening for a chat on our porch at Lakeside, so my husband immediately began telling him about the book, and opened it to one of his favorite sections.   ISBN 978-1-59523-112-3, $25.95. Buy it, or request for your public library. A keeper.

New media/sports celeb is also a Christian

Leave the dogs at home—hire a sitter if you must

Why do people bring dogs to parades and art shows? They bark at each other, and really don't listen when their owners yell at them. Small children are just moving, threatening objects. A dog’s sense of smell is about 1,000 to 10,000,000 times more sensitive than a human’s (depending on the breed) so imagine how they are interpreting the crowds and food tents! It also is very painful to their sensitive ears when 8 fire trucks, ambulances and police cars start those sirens. Dogs detect sounds in the frequency range of approximately 67 - 45,000 Hz (varies with different breeds), compared to humans with the approximate range of 64 - 23,000 Hz. Plus humans have better vision, so it sort of defeats the purpose of bringing them to parades--unless you're just showing them off.

Have a great holiday and remember what it celebrates

1962 cost of Living

Comparatively speaking, food was more expensive in 1962 than today, according to this chart. In 1962 we bought our first home, $14,000, but our income was more like $4,000, and a wife's income did not count in mortgage applications unless s...he was a nurse or school teacher (considered safe jobs). Banks were strict; no more than 1/3 of income could be home related. My father financed our 2nd mortgage. We rented the upstairs apartment for $65/mo which was the mortgage amount. Rental real estate is the only home that isn't a hole in the ground where you bury money. Tuition, fees and housing at the University of Illinois was probably about $1200/year ($30,300 today). I don't recall specific prices for food, but a good size candy bar was 10 cents. Yes, gas really was that cheap, but automobiles were very inefficient and less safe 40-50 years ago--I had a huge 4  door '69 Olds that got about 10 mpg. My husband had zero benefits in 1962--no insurance, no vacation, no pension. We purchased a hospitalization policy and a small life insurance policy--I think they were about $30/quarter. We paid cash for doctors and dentist. All that said, I think higher education has gone up faster than health care (1,120% since 1978; medical 601%), food or housing--probably because of all the government assistance and loans, and it will only get worse now that the government has taken that over completely.

We were not church members then, and if our "giving" was $10/year, I'd be surprised. We were definitely in Joe Biden territory. We always had month left over after the money ran out until we started to tithe.

Watching the morning scare stories

I'm glad we have TV warnings and coverage of bad weather, I really am, but the breathlessness and excitement, the stirring of fear. Do I see just a tad of wishful thinking for climate change/disturbance/wind change people? There are fewer hurricanes and tornadoes and the temps overall are dropping, and the icebergs were still floating on Lake Superior in mid-June, but why mess with a good story?  My next door neighbor has a huge ash tree.  Now that’s a concern. (Ash borer)

Hurricane Arthur

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyUDGfCNC-k

Hobby Lobby decision

Really. I can't believe the hysteria on the left about the Hobby Lobby decision. You would think women have been condemned to the burka or a life of 15 babies before age 30. They should really take a breath and look at the decision about unions. That hits at the heart of unions forcing themselves on home care workers--mostly women. But four abortifacients? How many women who work at Hobby Lobby will this affect? Yes, there will be more cases, and each one will be different. Obamacare, on the other hand, has hurt millions of women with higher prices and fewer choices. That's where the war on women is--this other is just a cover. http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/381637/hobby-lobby-actually-lavishes-contraception-coverage-its-employees-deroy-murdock

Cheat sheet for ISIS players

Here's a cheat sheet on the players of ISIL, aka ISIS, aka IS, 2004-2014. Although they've only popped into the headlines lately, you'll see they've got deep roots. Probably difficult to read on your phone, but note that ISIS targets both Assad and the U.S. Twelve groups sometimes killing each other, sometimes cooperating. http://www.start.umd.edu/pubs/START_EvolutionofISILRelationships_FactSheet_June2014.pdf

When will women say enough?

Someone is always offended, but it's always open season on 50% of the population in popular culture like hip-hop, videos, cartoons, movies, half time shows at sports events, and advertisements which ridicule women as sex objects and morons. Like most things, women could stop it by just saying no I won't buy/support that product, but instead we've had 40 years of campaigning, work shops, new laws, etc.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/06/152311-benjamin-moore-sued-former-employee-paint-colors-racist/

Apache red?  Fiesta yellow?  Confederate red?  And Tucker Chocolate?

Genetic diversity in Mexico

A very interesting story about the genetic diversity among Mexico's indigenous and mestizo populations, especially for medical importance. But isn't it interesting that in the U.S. when minorities respond differently to medical treatments, it's because of poverty, discrimination and biased research. In Mexico, apparently it's because of different gene pools. Who knew? http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/06/people-mexico-show-stunning-amount-genetic-diversity

When the team analyzed the genomes of 511 indigenous individuals from all over Mexico, they found a striking amount of genetic diversity. The most divergent indigenous groups in Mexico are as different from each other as Europeans are from East Asians, they report online today in Science. This diversity maps onto the geography of Mexico itself. The farther away ethnic groups live from each other, the more different their genomes turn out to be.

Push the poor to the suburbs where there is no transportation or services

Even more money for Ohio State was announced by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded a $30 million grant to Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and Partners Achieving Community Transformation (PACT) to help improve and revitalize the Near East Side neighborhood around University Hospital East.

PACT is a partnership between The Ohio State University, the City of Columbus and the CMHA. The federal Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Grant will allow PACT to redevelop and improve housing, empower people with workforce training and wellness programs, and grow this community by attracting new businesses."

Low income people are driven out of their neighborhoods in these types of  "initiatives" of transformation and empowerment and they rarely get the construction jobs and mom and pop stores can't wait it out. In Columbus we had German Village renewal in the 1960s, Victorian Village in the 1970s, and the Short North in the 1980s. In the 1990s, areas around Ohio State University were practically leveled as the University welcomed more initiatives, renewal and gobbling up land.  Where do these people go?  To the suburbs. No bus service, no churches of their denomination, no social services.  Here’s what I wrote in 2008 about a different alphabet soup of grants.

“Dear reader--housing doesn’t change lives. Marriage does. Parenthood does. Faith in God does. Employment does. Education can. Art and music can. Pets might. Leisure activities don't. Substance abuse will definitely change your life downward. But not housing. Ask any landlord who turned the keys over to a careless, slovenly tenant. Housing doesn’t create safe neighborhoods; it doesn’t get transportation issues funded; it doesn’t improve health; it doesn’t pass bond issues. In partnership with the private sector, this kind of housing for low income people creates jobs and profits for . . .the construction companies.”

What counts?

Way up north in Dixie

Our speakers today at Lakeside were Howard and Judith Sacks of the American Folklore Society (Columbus) who told us the real story about the song Dixie. In their book, "Way up north in Dixie," they tell the story of a Maryland slave, Ellen Cooper, who went west to Ohio as a free woman and later had a popular family band, The Snowdens. The words and music were hers, but the song is credited to Dan B. Emmett who lived in the same town and performed in minstrel shows. http://africanaheritage.com/Way_Up_North_In_Dixie.asp

These are two of Ellen Cooper Snowden’s sons who played in the family band.

The Truth about the Hobby Lobby decision

The vitriolic and blatant politicization of the Supreme Court decision on Hobby Lobby, as evidenced in the left wing media and social media, is nothing short of astonishing. They would lead you to believe that:

-Women’s right to birth control products has been taken away or severely impacted by the decision.
-That big business is trying to dictate women’s birth control rights and choices
-That this is all just a Republican plot to furt...her the (fictitious) “war on women”

None of that is true. Actually the only thing that has severely limited women’s health care choices is Obamacare.. .(if you like your plan you can keep it….if you like your doctor you can keep him…you’ll have more affordable choices for your healthcare)
The simple fact is no one is being denied birth control. The only thing Hobby Lobby's lawsuit eliminates is Hobby Lobby paying for any of the four drugs that are de facto abortion pills. The other sixteen drugs are covered by Hobby Lobby insurance. And the four abortion drugs are also available, you just have to pay for it yourself, or you c an get them free from Planned Parenthood. NO choices have been eliminated or severely impacted. All that’s happened is that all Americans rights to religious freedom have been protected.

It's startling how ill informed, or just plain susceptible to the deceptive propaganda the left is trying to use to divide the country for their own political gain. I've seen so much really pathetic, ignorant rhetoric on this topic today. C'mon get yourself informed and think for yourself. . Americans are smarter than that.

Written by Charles Rowland.

I agree, but Charlie, unfortunately, many Americans are NOT smarter than that.

A terrible tragedy

Sunday an Iowa mother of 15 died in an auto accident.  She was a blogger, a Christian, and an adoptive parent of special needs children.

http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2014/06/esthers-mom.html

https://sites.google.com/a/windandfire.org/jennygroothuis/

Memorial fund website.

How sensitive do doctors need to be to the needs of transgendered?

According to the Williams Institute review conducted in April 2011, approximately 3.80 % of American adults identify themselves being in the LGBT community; wherein, (1.70%) identify as lesbian or gay, (1.80%) bisexual, and (0.30%) transgender, which corresponds to approximately 9 million adult^[1] Americans as of the 2010 census. (Wikipedia)

If our future doctors know more about the emotional needs and problems of the transgendered than how to help patients cope with depression, dementia or terminal diseases, here's an example from a med school ethics class. Also a good look at the discrimination and bullying of Christians in medical school. http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/transgender-christian-doctor/

“This week in my medical school we began the ethics portion of my medical school’s curriculum.  This week, the main learning points were on Human Sexuality, Emotional Intelligence (Empathy), and Memory and Learning (How to deal with patients with dementia, learning disabilities, autism etc.). You might be interested to know that the only required classes were on Human Sexuality, with one of them being a Transgender panel. All the other classes were optional attendance; they covered topics such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and how to empathize with your patients. CBT is a very common helpful tool that can be used to treat everything from depression and anxiety to bipolar disorder. However, despite the importance of emotional intelligence and memory and learning, over half of the material was about human sexuality — and over half of the human sexuality content was about how to treat LGBT patients.”

Workplace awards for performance

Are you proud your contributions are being used for abortions? Ever wonder how a counselor at Aurora “exceeds” abortion visits? Do you think she’s suggesting other options?  Discussing the health hazards? Suggesting that abstinence might be an option?  That the client need not submit to the boyfriend’s demand that she abort? If the client is underage, do you suppose this will be reported to the police?  If she doesn’t speak English and brings in an “interpreter, do you suppose Aurora's staffer will suspect she’s been trafficked from another country and needs to quickly abort to get back on the pimp’s payroll? If the client seems conflicted, do you really think Aurora counselors will refer the client to an adoption service? Will she notice the teen has a pushy Mom insisting on abortion or she’ll be put on the street? Will the client tell the counselor about the abuse of her step-father, or will she just get signed up for a quicky abortion and sent home home alone to pass a bloody mess in the toilet?

Why we have an income gap in the U.S.--marriage

The Census figures income by "household." The top 2% of households has an income of $250,000+.  But those households are racially different.  The wealthiest households in the U.S. are Asian (they also have the largest households). 4.2% of Asian households are in the $250,000+ group; 2.1% of white households; .9% of Hispanics; and .6% of blacks. What else isn't equal?  Married couple households. Asian households are 63.2% married; whites 58.1%; Hispanics 55.1%; and 34.8% blacks. It's probably basic math, but two workers make more than one. 64% of college graduates are married, compared to 48% of high school graduates; in 1960 the difference was 76% and 72%. But it’s also apparent that there are some very wealthy, unmarried, single households not sharing their wealth with anyone.

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0693.pdf

Also, whites have the lowest college enrollment of all ethnic groups in the U.S. The number of female Americans enrolled in college was significantly higher than the number of males (11.3 million versus 8.6 million). That was not only due to higher population figures for females: 7.4% of the 3+ female population was enrolled in college, compared to 5.9% of the 3+ male population.

Black Americans demonstrated higher-than-average college enrollment rates, at 8% of the 3+ population – equaling just over 3 million enrolled. Female black Americans had a substantially higher enrollment rate (9.2% of the 3+ population) than their male counterparts (6.5%).

Non-Hispanic whites had the lowest enrollment rates. 6.2% of the 3+ group was enrolled in college last year, with females outpacing males (6.8% vs. 5.5%). A total of 11.65 million were enrolled in college.

http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/traditional/us-college-student-demographics-in-2012-36555/

Y’all come, President Obama

When they heard in Central America that the United States had a "dream act" they decided to send the kids to enroll. This massive swamping of our border has nothing to do with violence in their own countries. They are fleeing from, they are fleeing to. I'm sure someone outside the administration will be blamed, and Americans who object will be called cruel and heartless.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/brittany-m-hughes/dream-act-i-saw-it-sure-doesnt-look-ellis-island

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/06/10/Issa-Childern-Will-Die-Because-of-Obamas-Executive-Order

Don’t blame President Obama!

Don't blame President Obama!
1.  The law schools were adrift before he was born.  Jurists were substituting opinion and passion for knowledge and precedent before he was an implanted embryo in his unmarried teenager mother.  Whether it’s the 9th circuit or the Supremes, don’t blame the President for the mess lawyers have made.  He’s a “constitutional lawyer” who’s been taught only what his professors knew.

2.  Don’t blame Obama or any of the Presidents since Wilson for the failures of American education. John Dewey who pioneered social outcome, progressive education was born over 100 years before Obama.  Progressive education was incubated and thrived at America’s universities, and then was passed on into the general education system to meet social and political goals.  That social goals are more important than math or science or even western civilization can‘t even be put at the feet of Presidents Bush, Clinton or Carter, who created the Department of Education, not even Eisenhower who ordered the schools desegregated, so don‘t lay that expensive, overfed turkey on Obama‘s plate.

3.  Don’t blame the President for moral and ethical failures of the church and family. The churches began buying into 19th century scholars at seminaries and universities challenging the truth, history and moral teachings of the Bible well over 100 years before his grandparents who raised him became agnostics and Jim Wallis‘ grandparents were probably still Bible thumpers.  And those academicians and theologians were pointing back to theories and challenges centuries before them cooked up by Germans.

Collecting my Thoughts, January 26, 2012

Does Netflix take the place of TV?

I was surprised this week to hear one of our speakers at Lakeside say she doesn't have a television. She subscribes to Netflix (online video rental). So that means she doesn't know about the IRS scandal (but neither do millions of others who watch broadcast news). She doesn't know that our administration's policies have encouraged parents in Central America to send their minor children on a very dangerous journey and now they are in camps spread around the U.S. at the states...' expense (but TV broadcast news has told viewers they are fleeing violence, instead of looking for a free college education). She doesn't know her president of 5.5 years is still blaming his predecessor for his inability to cobble together a defined foreign policy, a safe exit from Iraq, and a flailing economy (but if she were watching the news this week she would know about celebrities' babies and hair styles, the World Cup, and that the climate is changing and it's all our fault). She also didn't know about a huge story in her field that broke that day--until her audience told her.

Marriage equality? Then why are so many not getting married?

I know a lot of men and women who live together, some in my age group,  who don't believe "marriage equality" works for them. (There are over 1300 laws concerning marriage--benefits, rights and protections.) Why? Usually it's money. She has alimony, or he has his deceased wife's pension. Or one is still married to someone else with whom they own property and they don't want to give lawyers a third of it. I've even known couples where the "new unit" is taking care of the disabled or demented spouse of one of them, but there is no divorce, only death in the future (although that too might be financial--remember Terry Schaivo?). Or they are covered by insurance from the previous spouse.

The second reason is probably children--the adult children. Rather than settle for being a step-mom, she'd rather be his "partner," and avoid the family squabbles. The third reason is they've been "burned" by the laws 2, 3, or 4 times, and won't risk marriage again--sometimes that's financial.

Fourth, is lack of commitment--living together is OK, but marriage is just too far out and restrictive to be considered. One of Obama's more famous avoiders of marriage in his administration is Cass Sunstein, who dumped his live-in Chicago lawyer girl friend of many years who helped his career and who believed his drivel that marriage wasn't for him to marry and procreate with the half-his-age, sexy babe Samantha Power who held out for a ring and a date.

I thought of one more--but have only heard this excuse once. I met him at the coffee shop.  His parents divorced when he was a child and both have remarried numerous times, so he isn't marrying his long time girlfriend, ever.

“the loose arrangements can result in messy legal problems if the couple splits or one partner dies suddenly. Lawyers tell stories of couples who lived together for years in a property owned by one partner. When the owner died, children claimed the property and evicted the survivor.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/26/your-money/welcoming-love-at-an-older-age-but-not-necessarily-marriage.html?_r=0

http://marriage.about.com/cs/cohabitation/a/cohabseniors.htm

Children in poverty

Guess what determines poverty for children? You know what I'm going to say. Marriage--or the lack of it. Look at this chart. Poverty rates for children of married couples is the flat line at the bottom; essentially it hasn't changed for whites in 35 years and has decreased for blacks. Also it is almost the same for married black couples and married white couples--2 lines meet in 2000 and 2008. If you eyeball the chart and figure out where 2009 is, you'll see poverty among children has increased in all groups with Obama in charge of the economy. (Recession ended in 2009) http://childstats.gov/americaschildren/eco1a.asp

 

 

The latest buzz words from the President are "word gap." That was the subject of the June 24 presidential message. In short, parents need to talk to their children because poor and low income children hear half as many words as the children of better educated parents who are earning more. And the federal government is giving a boost to none other than Hillary Clinton in the public-private partnership called Too small to Fail. The partner is the Bill Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Reading to children is a super idea--but the parent also needs to enjoy reading (not just know how), spending time with the child, and has to turn off the phone and TV as a start. If you read the lyrics of popular songs, that probably won't improve vocabulary (singing is another suggestion to close the "word gap"). http://toosmall.org/

Dad--you can read the sports section of any newspaper to your child (they don't really care if they know you are interested in it).  It has the highest grade level of words.  Also lots of idioms and pictures and good writing. This is not in the research--it's my advice. One day in the coffee shop I saw a dad reading to his infant and I think it was Dickens. The child never took his eyes off dad's face.

When rivers catch on fire

On Wednesday at Lakeside, John Hartig told us about rivers that catch on fire--the Cuyahoga, Buffalo, Rouge and Chicago. The Chicago River caught on fire so often it was a tourist attraction in the 19th century. The only one I'd heard about was the Cuyahoga since it happened in 1969. But what surprised me was he said there were no photos of this fire--it was not considered unusual at the time, and the photos usually shown to illustrate it are from a fire in the 1950s. Can you imagine that happening today--there'd be so many phone photos and videos of it there would be no problem documenting it. http://www.environmentalcouncil.org/priorities/article.php?x=264

It is wonderful to see the recovery of these 4 rivers, and learn about the people, sometimes just one, who stepped up to save them. However, as lovely as the wetlands, parks, birds and fishing areas are that have replaced the factories, they will never create the jobs and middle class wealth that the much maligned industrial era did.

The damaging effects of sexualizing children

Today's presentation at Lakeside on modern slavery was really gross--the sexualization of children by TV, gaming, popular music, social media. Everything from children's Halloween costumes that represents pimps and prostitutes to little girls acting out Beyoncé's Single ladies (If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it), to things that really should be illegal. But it made me wonder why the federal government would go after the trademark of an athletic team that represents a stereotype of bravery and strength of less than 1% of the population, while allowing those that insult and demean 50% of the population as "freedom of speech." The war on women (and little girls).

Bratz prostitute dolls.  As if being owned for sex and sold to truckers was a fun thing for little girls to imagine.

 

 

Big Daddy pimp costume

 

And one for a little boy so he can pretend.

Dear IRS, sorry. . .

Good fences make good neighbors—Robert Frost

Obama’s unaccompanied minors problem/scandal

Occasionally I still see liberals lashing GW Bush for the failures of Louisiana's Democratic governor and New Orleans' Democratic mayor after the Katrina hurricane. Until the present administration, the federal government wasn't allowed to barge in without invitation. Also, in the recovery, Louisiana had so many arcane and restrictive regulations to protect their local businesses, it was virtually impossible for private contractors to get across state lines with aid quickly. However, apply that to the complete FAIL of the federal government to take care of the unaccompanied children from Central America streaming across the boarder at the President's invitation. The government actually advertised for service providers 6 months before the crisis, and still couldn't keep vulnerable children out of crowded camps and is dumping them on unprepared state and local governments.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/23/border-children-fuel-debate-in-gop-race-for-arizon/

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/06/23/DHS-to-Parents-Sending-Unaccompanied-Children-to-USA-There-Are-No-Free-Passes

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/officials-struggle-to-house-children-flocking-across-border/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-unaccompanied-children-central-america  Details the money the U.S. will be sending Central American countries to “solve” this problem.

Smack down of NYT anti-Walmart story

To the claim that Walmart is "a net drain on taxpayers," [David]Tovar answers: "We are the largest taxpayer in America. Can we see your math?" He adds that "we see more associates move off of public assistance as a result of their jobs at Walmart" and links to a corporate video touting one such case. (The point of comparison for Tovar's reference to "more associates" is unclear.)

Regarding the food donation drive, he writes: "To clarify, associates were helping associates during unexpected hard times (fires, divorce, loss of life, etc.). And a noble cause, no doubt. As for the Wisconsin claim, Tovar notes that PolitiFact, the left-leaning "fact checking" outfit, rated it "mostly false." Tovar also disputes some of Egan's factual claims, not quoted above, about Walmart's pay levels.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/wal-marts-scathing-response-york-170243214.html

Immigrants want a conservative America

Why do people cross our borders risking life and limb, leaving families behind, and even participating in smuggling activities? Really, are we so great they just can't wait to get to Toledo or Peoria? No, it's because they want what conservatives offer, not the government heavy-handed control and bias of the liberals which they just escaped. They want a life without police control; without high crime; they want a chance to create a business; they want religious freedom; they want to voice their concerns without going to jail or having their taxes investigated; they want a good education for their children free of propaganda and historical revisionism. Liberals try to destroy what immigrants are trying to achieve and insist immigrants must vote for them. It's conservatism--free markets, smaller government, freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights--that brings them here--someone should tell them. Maybe you?

A beautiful Sunday evening in the park at Lakeside

Nestled in a grove of trees at Lakeside with a great view of the lake and sail boats, there’s a darling gazebo (Steele Memorial Bandstand) wired for sound and lights with a half moon seating of old fashioned, uncomfortable park benches with plenty of room to spread a blanket for a picnic while keeping an eye on the kiddoes playing on the swings. Many weddings are held here, but most importantly, the Sunday evening programs using  local Ohio groups with a more spiritual bent than the usual fare.  Last night was a group of Mennonites (or it began that way), and it may have been my only chance to hear a band play and sing about going  to the Mennonite church on Sunday.  But they were a fun group with a lot of original songs and some cover, and all seemed be be talented musicians—school teachers by trade.  They explained their name, Honeytown, but I don’t recall it now.  They organized in 2007 after performing for a Mennonite Teachers’ Conference, adding a few instruments and developed a nice folk-bluegrass sound, then adding some original rock songs and a cappella.  If you need a fun group to play at your conference, wedding or other event, and you live in the Midwest, contact them. http://www.honeytownmusic.com/

Hoover Opening June 21 was a huge hit

June 21 was a fabulous day at Lakeside where we spend the summer.  The weather couldn’t have been better. There was a great car show on the lawn of the hotel (love those mid-50s models) during the day which we strolled through after dinner.

The evening program at Hoover Auditorium was fiddler Natalie MacMaster with her husband Donnel Leahy with a cute as a bug performance by 4 of their 6 children.  She grew up on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia had plays traditional Celtic music and American blue grass and provides step dancing (quite a feat since I think the youngest child is about 9 weeks old).  The couple were married in 2002.  Each had careers in the “fiddling” industry—he plays with the Leahys ( 8 of 11 brothers and sisters who perform together)  and she usually is with her own group.  But they were fabulous together.  His leg was in a cast, but he scooted around the stage on a chair. The pianist also danced, and there was a bass guitarist, and guitarist from Scotland who also played accordion.

I’ve rarely seen a performance with so much energy, yet a casual, at home flavor.  And they gave us  90+ minutes and brought down the house with some funny stories and a smashing medley to say thanks and good-bye. 

I don’t know if she really cooks (6 children and a musical career?  I wouldn’t), but she does have a recipe collection on her web site.  Wish I’d had this one last week when I was looking for ways to use up the carrots. Agnes’ Carrot Casserole.

People over 60 can have thyroid problems, too

A Harvard Medical School report says that for people over 60, symptoms of hypothyroidism can be more confusing. Any of the following health issues in a person over 60, alone or in combination, could mean an underlying thyroid problem.

• Unexplained high cholesterol. High cholesterol is sometimes the only evidence of an underactive thyroid in an older person. Because this may be the only symptom, a high cholesterol level warrants a thyroid evaluation.
• Heart failure. Some of the effects of low thyroid hormone levels — for example, reduced blood volume, weaker contractions of the heart muscle, and a slower heart rate — may contribute to heart failure. (Heart failure describes a condition in which the heart doesn’t pump blood effectively to the muscles and organs of the body.) Symptoms of heart failure include breathlessness, swelling in the ankles, weakness, and fatigue.
• Bowel movement changes. An older person with hypothyroidism might have constipation because of decreased movement of stool through the bowels. Less often, an older person will have frequent bouts of diarrhea, which is more typically a symptom of an overactive thyroid. Persistent or severe diarrhea in an older person always warrants a call to the doctor.
• Joint or muscle pain. Vague joint pain is a classic symptom of hypothyroidism. It sometimes is the only symptom of hypothyroidism in an older patient, although many experience an overall muscular aching, particularly in large muscle groups.
• Mental health concerns. As with younger people, depression is common among older people with an underactive thyroid. The difference is that in older people, it can be the only symptom. An older person could also develop other psychiatric symptoms, including delusions or hallucinations.
• Dementia. Debilitating memory loss — often, but not always, accompanied by depression or some kind of psychosis — can also occur as the only symptom of hypothyroidism. If you or a loved one is being evaluated for dementia, be sure that thyroid tests are part of the workup.
• Problems with balance. Abnormalities in the cerebellum at the back of the brain that occur with an underactive thyroid may lead to walking problems in older people.

If you’d like to read the entire report, they would like to sell it to you.

The man who was never there

Remember, he voted "present" when he was in Congress; the first presidential term was all Bush's fault; then the American people just didn't understand his programs that were failing; now it's the Iraqis to blame for his short sightedness.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/06/19/president-obama-took-credit-in-2012-for-withdrawing-all-troops-from-iraq-today-he-said-something-different/

For Obama, who four years earlier had distinguished himself from Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton through his opposition to the war in Iraq, the fact he had withdrawn all U.S. forces from the country was a problem solved and a political chip to be cashed in come November.

It was also a way to once again draw contrasts with Romney, who criticized Obama for failing to secure a so-called status of forces agreement with the Iraqi government. The agreement would have granted immunity from Iraqi prosecution to all U.S. troops in country after 2011. Reaching such a deal -- a political risk for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki -- would have allowed a contingent of several thousand U.S. troops to remain, largely to help with training and specific counter-terrorism operations.

Remember when liars had some class?

In light of today's transparent liars in the IRS, this almost seems old fashioned and sweet. I came across National Security Advisor Sandy Berger's name on the list of important people in the Clinton administration who believed Saddam Hussein had WMD. Remember him? He's the guy who stole documents from the National Archives several different times in 2003 [and put them in his socks, some said] and then said it was inadvertent. The documents he stole and shredded contained information that the Clinton administration knew in 2000 about the planned terrorist attacks. Then he went to John Kerry's staff in 2004. His new job is taking care of the IRS computers (just kidding).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16706-2005Mar31.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/03/30/fox-news-special-report-socks-scissors-paper-sandy-berger-caper-questions-probe/

How we got to this mess—symbolism instead of substance