Stop the Iran deal

Barack Obama has negotiated a deal with the leader of Iran who calls the U.S. "The Great Satan" and who swears Israel won't exist in 25 years. Obama has had to drag his own party kicking and screaming, with no votes from Republicans, and over 70% of the country against it. He calls it a victory. I'd hate to see a defeat.

Ferguson and Black Lives Matter, but only some

"The reality is that Michael Brown is dead because he robbed a convenience store, assaulted a uniformed officer and then made a move for the officer’s gun. The reality is that a cop is six times more likely to be killed by someone black than the reverse." WSJ on the phony "Black Lives Matter" movement which will primarily hurt the poor.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/black-lives-matterbut-reality-not-so-much-1441755075

Hang on Sloopy, 50th anniversary as OSU song

When we came to Columbus in 1967 I worked in cataloging at the OSU Libraries as a cataloguer of Slavic material--I even typed cards using a Cyrillic typewriter--that's how much things have changed. What hasn't changed is the 50 year popularity of "Hang on Sloopy" for football games. I remember listening to the chatter on Monday of the game on Saturday and the almost worship of the band, even if the team didn't win. So what can you get if read up on the history of Sloopy (she was a girl in an Afro-Cuban pop song made popular by the McCoys)?

“The pillaging of black culture and mistreatment of black musicians have been part of American music from the first minstrel show to the present.”  Ted McDaniel, Professor Emeritus.

It was first recorded by a black group, The Vibrations, and did not become a hit, but did when performed by the McCoys, a white group.

Who says that about black singers who perform Italian operas or black musicians and Bach? Really, it's getting boring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlTKhPkZSJo

http://fox8.com/2015/09/07/ohio-state-university-celebrates-50-years-of-hang-on-sloopy/

Pope Benedict and Pope Francis

I love the writings of Pope Benedict/Cardinal Ratzinger. He writes about the basic truths of any era, any culture, yet because of being exposed to the horrors of Marxism and National Socialism (Nazi) in his youth, he seems more alert to the dangers of our worship of the culture and current governments than Pope Francis, a sweet, dear man whose words are easily manipulated and quoted by non-believers. Francis is a favorite of internet memes--usually misquoted. It's hard to believe the media would be chasing after the tough and difficult words of Benedict and grabbing for snippets to post on Facebook or Twitter. Ratzinger believed relativism is the new expression of intolerance.

Ratzinger: "Christ is totally different from all the founders of other religions, and he cannot be reduced to a Buddha, a Socrates or a Confucius. He is really the bridge between heaven and earth, the light of truth who has appeared to us.

The gift of knowing Jesus does not mean that there are no important fragments of truth in other religions. In the light of Christ, we can establish a fruitful dialogue with a point of reference in which we can see how all these fragments of truth contribute to greater depth in our faith and to an authentic spiritual community of humanity." (Murcia, Spain, 2002)

Until planning our trip to Spain, I’d never heard of Murcia.  We’ll be in that city (mostly the airport, I think).

It’s Labor Day, and many people are working today

Labor Day. There's a lot of support for an increase in minimum wage, because it makes good politics and sounds generous, but not much economic sense, therefore we know it's from the left. Very few hourly wage earners are at minimum and if they work full time, they are above the poverty line and lose benefits. (Maybe you think that’s good, but it could be a huge drop in the tax free, spendable income.)

Only about 30% of teens today are employed, so compare that to my era (1950-60s) or the 1970s—45-60%. That hurts them down the road. But politicians still get to hire at subsistence wages and call it "internships." Only about 11% of the work force is in a labor union, but in many states (like Ohio) you have to pay dues to a union to teach school even if you aren't a member (unions contribute almost 99% to Democrats).

I've been listening to Dennis Prager interview people about their jobs and why they love them. One guy writes for a motorcycle magazine (34 years) and gets to test the new models. Another sells ads for the back of the grocery tape--makes an unbelievable income. A woman called and said she homeschools and takes care of her husband and loves what she does, especially the research. One man designs one of a kind gift boxes. They were all so excited about their work it's been a fun program for Labor Day.

What was your first job? Mine was a newspaper carrier for the Rockford Morning Star. My sisters actually had the route which was almost the entire town of Forreston, IL, but I got the edges of town which included a least 2 farms down a scary lane with no homes. In my mind's eye I can remember the route. I was in second grade, I think. The worst part--collecting; the best part--getting gifts at Christmas from my customers.

• Tom Blackburn: Columbus Dispatch carrier, it was an afternoon paper back then.
• James Isenhart: While still in HS in Mt. Morris was mowing lawns, then Kable Printing!
• Melissa Nobile: Baby sitting, lifeguard at the lake, dental office receptionist. And then I went to college.
• Kelly Sanders: Babysitting was my first job then came McDonalds.
• Jeanne Poisal: Babysitting then Woolworth’s.
• Mike Balluff: I too carried and delivered Rockford Morning Star in Mt Morris, then stocked shelves at M&M Market and lifeguard at Camp Emmaus. I got paid 69 cents/hr at Messers. That was just enough to keep my '51 Buick in gasoline.
• David Keck: Carrier for The Toledo Blade. Almost identical likes and dislikes. One dread at the end of the route: having a paper left over, or being short one.
• Roland Lane: Carrier for the Columbus Citizen.
• Anna Loska Meenan: Babysitting, then a maid at a Holiday Inn
• Sue Noll: Counting inventory or cleaning out an abandoned, filthy house for a perspective tenant, can't remember which was first
• David Meyers: Subbed on a Columbus Citizen route. Fondest memory was walking on the crust of frozen snow, seldom breaking through it. Also the feeling that I was the only one awake in the world.

Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 16 ounces (about 1 & 1/2 cups) creamy peanut butter (reserve for cooled cake)

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 16 ounces confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1 _ Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9” x 13” baking pan.
2 _ Whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
3 _ Place butter in a medium saucepan. Melt over medium heat.
4 _ Stir in cocoa powder. Then, stir in water, buttermilk, and eggs. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils.
5 _ Remove the mixture from the heat and add to flour mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. (NOT Peanut Butter—save that for icing)
6 _ Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly.

7 _ Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
8 _ Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, spread the peanut butter over the cake. Allow to cool completely.
9 _ To make the icing, place the sifted confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Set aside.
10 _ Combine butter, buttermilk, and cocoa in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil.
11 _ Remove from heat and pour over confectioners’ sugar. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
12 _ Spread icing over peanut butter. The cake can be served immediately or can sit at room temperature to allow the icing to set.

Cooking at Home recipe site—really yummy stuff here.

The law is sacred, if it upholds liberals’ values

“As far as I can tell, there are only three unassailable constitutional rights left in the United States: the right not to be "discriminated" against, the right to have an abortion and the right to have a gay marriage. In the eyes of liberals, nothing—not the freedom of association or religion or anything else mentioned in the First Amendment or Second Amendment—will ever supersede these consecrated rights.

The rest? Well, it's malleable, depending on the situation.”

“. . . we have cities across this country that ignore immigration laws they don't like and create sanctuaries from law. We have cities that ignore federal drug laws because they find them oppressive. Yet no one finds himself in jail. When Californians approved Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, a number of officials refused to enforce the law. They were celebrated. I may even agree with the impulse. But not one elected official has been hauled off to jail for any of these stands.”

“And if we're going to be rigid about the rule of law, let's throw all officials who ignore it into cells. We can start with the president and work our way down.” http://reason.com/archives/2015/09/04/remember-the-law-is-only-sacred-when-it

When wolves returned to Yellowstone

Everything changed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q#t=136

A great story but others disagree.

https://strangebehaviors.wordpress.com/2014/03/10/maybe-wolves-dont-change-rivers-after-all/

And then in the comments they quibble over the words “elk” and “deer.”

Resettlement of Syrian refugees

I'm about to offend liberals and conservatives and Christians  alike.  I think the U.S. needs to resettle Syrian Christians. Now before you get your panties in a knot thinking I'm being a bigot, take a look at the population of the U.S.--almost 80% check the Christian box and our founders were European Christians regardless of the lies they are teaching your kids in school. It's in all our basic documents. We're fractured among many religions, but most are Christian whether Pentecostal, Baptist, Mormon, Catholic or Orthodox, but on refugee resettlement we tend to work together. We also have Syrian Christians already here.  Despite that, many Christians don’t want any more middle easterners brought into the country.

U.S. Syrian Christians have not returned to the middle east to join ISIS and bomb us. They aren't beheading Egyptians, or Yazidis or other Christians. Yes, they will need to be vetted because ISIS has already told us they will be sending terrorist cells with the refugees.

It is also churches that will be called on to resettle them. Unfortunately, some take government money to do it--which is not a good idea. There's nothing Biblical about that. There's enough of a problem with language and culture--let's not top that with fear of religion. That's how it's been done since my ancestors got here in the 1730s and the Mennonites and Lutherans met them at the boat.

Also, Islam is the second largest religion in the world--let those Islamic countries step up and take in some Muslim refugees. They certainly don't want Christians whom they been kicking out or oppressing for the last 2 decades.

One dead toddler on the beach is terrible, but there have been thousands and thousands of children who have died, thousands of families uprooted, hundreds of villages and churches destroyed, and all we have done is draw a red line.

The murder that Black Lives Matter ignores

Jamyla Bolden was murdered and Black Lives Matter movement did nothing. . . They were busy protesting the death of a criminal who had shot at the police according to Stacy Washington, a St. Louis black conservative radio talk show host.

“During the same week a 93-year-old Tuskegee airman, a war veteran who valiantly served this country, drove through Ferguson and got lost. He pulled over to ask two young men for help with directions in finding his daughters house. They robbed him.
Shaken, the veteran unsuccessfully pursued the robbers in his vehicle. He pulled over again to ask for help again. The two young men he asked for assistance carjacked him. The BLM movement did not protest for him either.”

Stacy E. Washington, conservative talker

As Carson moves up in polls, there are more attacks, but of course, the left media aren’t racist [sarcasm alert]

Salon dot com is a left wing digital news rag. And apparently racist, too. Article yesterday on how scary and extremist Dr. Ben Carson is. Worse than Trump, they report. He actually believes Planned Parenthood and the Democrats' commitment to abortion are committing genocide (more black babies killed in 4 days than all the blacks lynched in 80 years). And he would use drones on the border (instead of just against middle east Muslim terrorists). If you dislike a black politician's policies, you're a racist, right?

And then there was the deliberate misinterpretation about what he said about marriage. “When I mention bestiality or pedophilia in the same sentence with homosexuality, people say ‘Carson says they’re the same.’ Of course they’re not the same,” he told the New York Times. “That point was if you change the definition of marriage for one group, you’ll have to change it for the next group and the next group.” Dr. Ben Carson

Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Butter Cream—more pumpkin recipes—it’s autumn, almost

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon...
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (You can substitute light brown sugar)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (I left this out, too)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups canned pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts, optional (I didn’t add the nuts to the batter, but sprinkled them on top of the frosted loaf instead)
Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5″ loaf pan; set aside.

Directions:
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined; set aside.

In another bowl, or bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs on medium-high speed for two minutes or until lightened in color. Add the brown sugar, mixing for about 2 minutes, then the granulated sugar, mixing for about 1 minute. Add the orange and lemon zests, if using, and beat for another minute. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Drizzle in the canola oil with beater on medium-low. Reduce speed to low and add the pumpkin puree. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients in two additions and blend for 10-15 seconds just until incorporated. Fold in the pecans using a rubber spatula.

Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

If you’re going to frost the loaf, you can make the frosting while the loaf is cooling…

PUMPKIN BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons canned pure pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons half & half or milk
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional, for sprinkling on top
Cream the butter, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and vanilla, blending well. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Add half & half or milk and blend well. NOTE: This makes a very thick butter cream frosting. If you want a thinner, creamier frosting, add more half & half or milk until you get the desired consistency.

After frosting the cooled pumpkin loaf, sprinkle with chopped pecans or walnuts if desired.

I tried to find the original source of this recipe which I found on Facebook, but wasn’t successful.  This appears to be the recipe book http://www.amazon.com/Great-Coffee-Cakes-Sticky-Muffins/dp/0307237559

But I did go back and look through the posts of the Facebooker whose page showed it; his son had been murdered in June, so I think this recipe was probably from sometime last year. A very say story.

Carrot cake

Ingredients

CAKE

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

        ----------or----------Use a spice cake mix

• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
• 2 cups finely grated carrots

FROSTING

• 8oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray two 9″ cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Cut out rounds of parchment paper and place at the bottom of cake pans. Spray the top of the parchment paper with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the chopped nuts, coconut, and carrots.
3. Pour the batter into the pans, set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the edges have pulled away from the sides, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a cake rack.
4. To prepare the frosting, cream together the cream cheese, sour cream, and butter in a mixing bowl. Slowly sift in the confectioners’ sugar and beat until the mixture is free of lumps. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice.
5. Once the cakes have completely cooled, frost. Sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts, or create icing carrots to decorate with.
6. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes and at the 12 Tomatoes website

A quest for spirituality gone to waist

Dear Danny  Hamen,

Your ridicule of religion in your chicken and waffles article published in Stock & Barrel, Summer ‘15 (a 614 publication, pp. 38-41) wasn’t cute, funny, or clever, but instead disrespectful, sarcastic and in poor taste (pardon the pun since it was a foodie article).  One or two references, like “promise land” or “on a mission,”  or even an “Oh Lordy” would have been fine, but you apparently spent your Sundays in church as a youth thinking about food instead of the sermon and didn’t want to waste what you learned. 

Here I quote your phrases in all your religious imagery:

Religious experience
I found divinity
The Holy Ghost veiled in Frank’s Red Hot and Ohio maple
I was speaking in tongues
Oh my God. . . Oh my God. . . Oh my God. . . Jesus Christ
Holy pilgrimage
But hath no fear
Like a great messiah of fatty fried food
Took my hand and led me to the promised land
There was only one set of footprints in the sand
Hot sauce stain which looked like a baby Jesus . . .I took this as  a sign.
I  licked it up, and drove home a believer
I had a mission
Divine intervention
I was starting to see visions
What I felt was pure divinity
I was born again, greasy and obese with a chicken breast in one hand and a waffle in the other
Praise be to Biggie

http://614columbus.com/2015/06/biggie-breakfast-and-belgium/

Oatmeal with raisins for breakfast

My husband's breakfast is usually the same (except with the Thursday Cursillo guys when it's bacon and eggs), oatmeal with raisins. This morning (at the lake) he was out of raisins, but being resourceful, he remembered I had raisin bread in the freezer. Yep. He took 2 slices, picked out the raisins for his cereal.

Let’s get out of the abortion business

Planned Parenthood does not offer any women’s health services that are not offered by other health care centers. None. . .

Planned Parenthood boasts that it served 2.7 million patients last year, but FQHCs alone served 21.1 million. That’s about eight times more clients. . . .

There are 665 Planned Parenthood facilities compared to the 13,540 comprehensive women’s health clinics.

http://dailysignal.com/2015/09/02/why-womens-health-care-will-thrive-when-planned-parenthood-is-defunded/?

Fifty years after Watts

I was reading through this 50 year anniversary article on the Watts riots, summarizing the books and research, and see the writer STILL believes it's a matter of more government money. “Solving these problems through federal action, as well as local grassroots pressure that ties police reforms to economic justice initiatives, is essential to averting more rebellions in the next fifty years.”

Never mind the trillions spent on Head Start, housing, medical care, education, etc. and the 123 transfer programs.  And yet those black families who have moved on to the middle class and the upper quintile have behaviors and life styles and education not unlike their cultural cousins, white middle class and upper middle class. Marriage, education, jobs and family support. Look at every powerful black government official, including our President, and that’s what they’ve got. (Celebrities and sports figures are rich but have the opposite life style.) Why is that so difficult to see? Well, there's no money in advocating that, either for academe or government or churches.

http://bostonreview.net/us/sekou-franklin-watts-rebellion-50-years-later

Milwaukee man gets no jail time for illegal gun sales

This man illegally purchased guns and sold them them on the street to people who can't buy guns legally. Now compare his jail time to the Kentucky woman who wouldn't issue a marriage license. Judge seemed to like that Dontray wants to be a rap musician. Why didn't Kim Davis think of that! Story from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"In giving probation with no jail time to a Milwaukee man charged with 55 counts of buying firearms with fake identification and dealing them without ...a license, a federal judge delivered a message:

"People kill people," U.S. District Rudolph Randa said, echoing a common gun rights slogan. "Guns don't kill people."

Dontray Mills, 24, purchased a total of 27 firearms, mostly handguns, between December 2012 and April 2014 and pleaded guilty to one of the charges on April 22, 2014, after an ATF investigation. As a result of the conviction, Mills will never again be able to buy firearms legally."

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/milwaukee-man-to-be-sentenced-on-gun-fraud-charge-b99560011z1-322283481.html

Paul Harvey, The Policeman, one of his best narrations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUUZ2fKVqcs

Not everything you see on the internet is accurately attributed.  This is.

Transgender Women (male to female)

A systematic review of studies of HIV among transgender women suggests that the prevalence of HIV in the United States is 27.7% among all transgender women and 56.3% among black transgender women. Data also suggests high rates of HIV among transgender women globally. Bacterial STD prevalence varies among transgender women, but is based largely on convenience samples.

Providers caring for transgender women should have knowledge of their patients’ current anatomy and patterns of sexual behavior before counseling them about STD and HIV prevention. Most transgender women have not undergone genital affirmation surgery and may retain a functional penis; in this instance, they might engage in insertive oral, vaginal, or anal sex with men and women.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/specialpops.htm

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(12)70315-8/abstract

Back to School purchases big business for retailers

• $8.2 Billion – The estimated amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2014. Sales at bookstores in August 2014 were estimated at $1.6 billion. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services
• For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2013, there were 27,340 family clothing stores, 7,047 children and infants clothing stores, 25,100 shoe stores 6,998 office supply and stationery stores, 7,064 bookstores and 8,102 department stores. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 County Business Patterns

Speaking of and in Spanish

Telemundo, a Spanish language TV network (owned by NBC) with all white faces, blue and green eyes, tall skinny blondes and no brown or black tokens or hints of Indian heritage in sight, has sent me an e-mail: "TELEMUNDO PRESENTA “FRANCISCO EN AMÉRICA”, EXTENSA COBERTURA DE LA VISITA DEL PAPA A CUBA Y LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS A PARTIR DEL 19 DE SEPTIEMBRE." Every product I purchase, every tag and label I read also includes Spanish. Why do U.S. Spanish language companies have a different set of rules for good customer service?

I was looking for a video to practice Spanish while exercising, and this morning found gringoespanol.com. Clear pronunciation (in English) and good understanding of why we often don't get it. Forgiving and funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs5M_XpyjvU

Unions lie about right to work states

Private sector wages are not reduced in right-to-work states as union advocates have argued, according to a new report released Tuesday by The Heritage Foundation.

Every state with compelled union membership and Virginia, a right-to-work state, has living costs above the national average, which is how EPI arrived to its finding that right-to-work states have lower wages.

Though more than three-quarters of Americans believe union membership should be voluntary, 25 states still have compulsory unionization.

What about Fox–Michael Smith

“Let's just think about this for a minute - since 1995, the Fox News channel has been the only broadcast outlet, cable of otherwise, that has featured Republicans with conservative views. At one time or the other every pundit on Fox's prime time lineup has been vilified as a right wing extremist nut job. Hillary Clinton even accused them of being in league with Richard Mellon Scaife to form the VRWC (Vast Right Wing Conspiracy).

Even (or perhaps because they are) presenting a conservative point of view, Fox News has been #1 overall with the most #1 shows for the past decade+ and in doing so has earned the badge of honor from the left as Faux News because they report on things the left would rather us not know.

Megyn Kelly asks a tough question of a tough,"hard shelled", assertive, non-conservative newly minted Republican who was a Democrat until the last decade and then worked to become the Reform Party (the party of Jesse Ventura) nominee. Said "hard shelled" candidate goes on to whine incessantly for weeks against Fox and makes sexist grade-school comments and tweets regarding Kelly.

Said candidate gets softball interviews and the red carpet rolled out for him at Democrat friendly media outlets and shows, inducing Meet the Press, ABC and NBC. Said Democrat biased media uses said candidate to spout off how the other candidates in the race simply can't match up to such majestic accomplishments and gargantuan ego of said candidate, essentially the same thing Hillary would do if she wasn't afraid of slipping up and getting saying something that would get her indicted.

So tell me again how Fox is the tool of the Democrats and the GOP establishment? It would seem to me that there is a tool but I would propose that it isn't Fox News.

For goodness sake people, look at who you are aligning with to attack Fox.”  From Michael Smith’s Facebook.

Biden confused about FDR—especially his accomplishments

Yes, Joe Biden really said this in Sept. 2008 while campaigning, but the worst error is thinking FDR did anything about the Great Depression, which he extended into the 1940s.

Black Lives Matter even when they aren’t victims—tell the organizers

There are many things BLM protestors (funded by leftists with deep pockets) can do--like read victim reports of the Department of Justice, and the FBI. New policing and law enforcement laws--including tough on drugs--of the Clinton years have brought down crime and saved many black lives. Since 1993, the rate of serious violent crime has declined by 75% from 29.1 to 7.2 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, but has taken an uptick under Holder and Obama. The rate of violent victimization increased 17% with a black president and black AG--mostly among whites. Violent crimes against American Indians is almost double the rate for blacks--and it is also intraracial. Those not killed or injured matter too.

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv11.pdf

General Mills to spend millions on climate change

Not to be too cynical, but the more "climate change" laws and treaties the U.S. can foist on developing countries, the more goodies are left for the western, developed countries. I'd rather the money be spent on things that will actually help people, in developing countries like pure water, better infrastructure, fairer import/export agreements, stop protecting tyrants, etc. To put Appalachian coal miners out of jobs while China is building all the new dirty coal burning facilities is dumb; to waste billions on chasing a carbon myth when African women still carry dirty water in their pails walking miles from home makes no sense. But it's good advertising.

http://grist.org/climate-energy/general-mills-pledges-100-million-to-combat-climate-change/?

On Monday, the food giant announced plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent in the next 20 years, and said it will be investing more than $100 million in renewables and improved energy efficiency in its facilities. Other large food companies have also set greenhouse gas reduction targets, but General Mills’ plan stands out because it involves the whole supply chain, from farmers to eaters.

Almost too embarrassing to read

The newest batch of Hillary’s illegal e-mail stash reveals her sycophantic, bootlicking, weasel word lackeys begging for attention and favors.  Lanny Davis was Bill Clinton’s special counsel. Here’s just one example:

“He grovels for a favor in a 2010 email with the subject line “Personal.”

“[A] personal favor My dear friend Hillary: I hate to email you too much and to ask you for any favors,” Davis writes before proceeding to ask her for a favor. “I feel as if I am taking advantage of a great privilege that you allow me to send you a personal email every so often. But this is a favor that I fully understand for 100 reasons might not be appropriate or comfortable for you to say yes to.”

Davis launches into a long-winded diatribe about an article that is going to be written about his law firm and humbly requests that Clinton say nice things about him—but not before telling her she is nearly as important to him as his own wife.

“Aside from Carolyn, my four children, and my immediate family, I consider you to be the best friend and the best person I have met in my long life,” Davis writes. “You know that from the dedication and appreciation of you I have always felt and expressed to you over four decades. So that is why your comments would mean a lot to me, even if just a written statement.” “

In 2009 after the first 100 days, Davis wrote an equally abject confession about how he’d converted to Obama, after supporting Hillary in the 2008 campaign.  The man knows no shame. And she was his “best friend” in his long life.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/01/inside-the-new-hillary-clinton-emails-all-the-secretary-s-yes-men.html?

In the short term . . .

Older individuals who undergo knee or hip replacement are at high risk for myocardial infarction (MI) [heart attack]  in the first postoperative month, a general population-based study found.

In the long run, joint replacements benefit the heart health.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/298756.php

Among those with hip OA who underwent hip arthroplasty, 128 had a heart attack during follow-up, compared with 138 controls. However, the team notes heart attack incidence was higher for hip arthroplasty patients in the first 6 months following the procedure, before declining to a lower level than those who did not have surgery.

The researchers also found that patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty were at greater risk of VTE - a collective term for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) - years after the procedure, compared with controls.

DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein, most commonly in the lower leg, thigh or pelvis. PE is a common complication of DVT, occurring when a blood clot breaks off and makes its way to the lungs via the bloodstream. It is estimated that around 300,000-600,000 people in the US develop DVT or PE every year.

Title of the research article: “Total joint arthroplasty and the risk of myocardial infarction - a general population, propensity score-matched cohort study,”  Yuqing Zhang et al., Arthritis & Rheumatology, doi: 10.1002/art.39246, published online 31 August 2015, abstract.

Age and the Presidency

I would never belittle someone for her age, some people my age do amazing things.  But I have personally experienced how the body and mind just don't do as instructed despite years of accumulated wisdom and education. I remember 60 with great fondness--sort of a surprise for someone who not too long ago thought 30 was really over the hill. I've watched a lot of presidents age quickly in office--Bush and Obama seem to really have aged right before our eyes--looking tired, wan, wrinkled and gray.  Perhaps it's the constant TV and internet exposure.  But the age of the Democrat bench for 2016 really worries me.

Warren is the youngest, and she would be almost 70 if she won the election and took office in 2017, in addition to being a millionaire flake who lied about her ethnicity to get special perks and speaks with forked tongue about the rich. Joe Biden, well, even Democrats call him their crazy Uncle Joe. It turns out he’s the best thing that ever happened to Obama, because he makes him look good.  Bernie?  Advocating openly a philosophy that has killed millions in the 20th century. And this folks, isn't dementia.  It's just wrong headed, pie in the sky socialism, the foundation of both Communism and National Socialism the major killers of their own citizens of the last century

Salted Caramel Sauce

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes, plus cooling

Follow these easy instructions to create sweet salted caramel sauce at home. Perfect for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, cheesecake, sweet breads and more!

Ingredients:
•1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
•6 Tablespoons (90g) salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces*
•1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream*
•1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
2.Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.
3.Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.
4.Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.
5.Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.
6.Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.
7.Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.
8.Cover the caramel tightly and store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe.

Additional Notes:

*Unsalted butter may be used instead, though I prefer salted. No other changes need to be made to the recipe if using unsalted.

*Heavy cream (approximately 36% milk fat) may also be sold as whipping cream. Light whipping cream (30% milk fat), or double cream (48% milk fat) may be substituted.

Black Lives matter marchers call for killing police

The president is silent. Violent crime is down dramatically the last two decades and mostly in black neighborhoods through better policing and tougher sentences pushed by the Clinton administration. This is a George Soros funded organization; the man is up to no good and promotes socialism, although he himself is mega-rich.

When Sarah Palin used the word "target" in her political ads, the Democrats yelled she was to blame for the Gabby Gifford event shootings. But it's crickets from liberals about "black lives matter" and "hands up don't shoot" hate lies and their connection to the deaths of three policemen in one week.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/08/29/black-lives-matter-protesters-chant-pigs-in-a-blanket-fry-em-like-bacon-video/

President Obama’s attacks on police began the first month of his presidency when he blamed the Boston police for responding to the call of a break-in at Louis Gate’s home.  He said they acted stupidly because they questioned Professor Gates and didn’t know it was his home.  Eric Holder continued the drum beat and they both have sent administration representatives to funerals without considering whites, Hispanics or blacks killed by blacks.

The crime rate for blacks is 8x that of whites, which means black families are the victims and suffering.  Even so, crime has dropped drastically in the last two decades after the Clinton administration released money for more police.  Now the Obama administration (along with Baltimore and New York mayors) wants to reverse that amazing life saving trend.

According to the US Department of Justice, blacks accounted for 52.5% of homicide offenders from 1980 to 2008, with whites 45.3% and "Other" 2.2%. The offending rate for blacks was almost 8 times higher than whites, and the victim rate 6 times higher. Most homicides were intraracial, with 84% of white victims killed by whites, and 93% of black victims killed by blacks. (which means far more whites are victims of black offenders than the other way around)

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf  Rate of crimes, racial

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p13.pdf  Prison populations in 2013

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/bvvc.pdf  Black victims of violent crimes

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ndv0312.pdf  Domestic violence

 

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1973 Oldsmobile Delta—RIP

Our son's gorgeous 1973 Olds convertible. Great for parades and drives in the country in the fall. It caught on fire on his way to work this morning.  RIP. He got out without getting hurt, and that's what is important.

Income inequality has decreased in the U.S. in the last decade

If one looks at after-tax income, the increase in income inequality over time is greatly reduced. If one goes further and factors in the government’s attempts to redistribute income, income inequality is not increasing in the U.S. at all. This after-tax, after-transfer income essentially is a measure of how much stuff you can consume (either by buying it or because somebody gave you free stuff). And, as demonstrated by Gary Burtless of The Brookings Institution (a center-left think tank), income inequality measured this way has actually decreased in the U.S. over the decade from 2000-2010.

http://www.forbes.com/sites#/sites/jeffreydorfman/2014/05/08/dispelling-myths-about-income-inequality/

White males aren’t the primary culprits

Most mass shooting offenders are not white males, most have legal weapons, and most have mental problems.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map?page=1

The myth of the growing gap

Can it be both ways?  Liberals claim that federal transfer programs have decreased inequality, yet moan about growing inequality even with 123 transfer programs in education, nutrition, fuel, housing, health, child care and tax rebates. If there is growing inequality (and it's a myth the media perpetuate--spendable income inequality is not increasing, increased capital is not bad for labor, wealth is not a zero sum game, and high income taxes do not necessarily lead to a more equal outcome--Forbes.), I'd look at how the government has fed this, just as it's fed the growing college debt by floating so many loans.

By age 60,

70% of the population will have experienced at least one year within the top 20th percentile of income;
 
53% of the population will have experienced at least one year within the top 10th percentile of income; and
 
11.1% of the population will have found themselves in the much-maligned 1% of earners for at least one year of their lives.
 
At the same time, it’s much more rare for a person to reach the top 1% and stay there. According to PSID data, only 0.6% of the population will experience 10 consecutive years in the top 1% of earners.

http://fortune.com/2015/03/02/economic-inequality-myth-1-percent-wealth/

http://www.forbes.com/sites#/sites/jeffreydorfman/2014/05/08/dispelling-myths-about-income-inequality/

Oreos move from Chicago to Mexico, taking good jobs

“Irene Rosenfeld, the head of Mondolez (the food conglomerate based in Illinois that has Nabisco in its portfolio), a woman touted for breaking the glass ceiling upon becoming the head of Kraft Foods and then its spin off, announced that rather than invest $130 million in modernizing the plant in Chicago, where Oreos have been lovingly produced for the past 100 years, she will instead move the jobs to a new factory in Mexico. The result: a loss of 600 well-paying and community-sustaining jobs on Chicago’s Southwest Side.”

http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/18259/oreos-union-busting

Farmers Almanac prediction for 2015-2016 snowfall

Carson comeback to an atheist

Who are the good guys?

Yesterday I caught a few minutes of Rush while out on errands; same impression I had when I heard him last week. Why is he supporting Donald Trump? He says he isn't, but I know what he sounds like when he's taking sides. Just because conservatives are irritated by the spineless frauds they elected who lie and vote like Democrats, doesn't mean you support someone worse. Get out there and support the good ones.

Well, how do we know who the good ones are?  It’s a large and deep bench.  All with talents and weaknesses.

Obviously, handling the opposing forces in DC is different than Madison, Columbus, Austin, or Baton Rouge. It's a different culture and the colleagues and enemies are different. You need alliances and experienced staff. But I don't want a socialist, I don't want someone who's fuzzy on life issues, I don’t want a dynasty, I don't want a flip flopper who calls his flips "progressive" when they looked like flops to me. And I don't want someone who divides us into victim groups.

I want a strong economy, and strong security, although increasingly that depends on global forces. That said, a weak, bowing president and sycophant Congress doesn’t help our case with our global partners.  I know from history and the economic and social failures of the 60s War on Poverty that mandatory health insurance that fines or makes criminals out of citizens who don't obey is a very dangerous road to go down--good jobs, not forced insurance, is what helps the poor.

So start with what matters most to you, and hold your nose for the rest. For instance, Jindal has had more opportunity to offend my friend Diane who lives in Louisiana than me, and Kasich has been able to offend me, but probably not her. So support and vote with what you know.

Bernie the Socialist bombs on 20th century history

I don't know why Bernie Sanders was talking about Hitler winning an election, but he was wrong, and his followers were retweeting his misinformation. I suspect as a socialist he was trying to avoid any connection with the Nazis (National Socialism) and wanted to pin that label on conservatives.

Nazis were all for government control; they were statists. They killed and imprisoned their own citizens, as did the Communists in the USSR. No Republican administration or Tea Party or libertarian group in the U.S. have done that, but Democrats have. Hillary Clinton has made up new lies about women, based on nothing but her desire to crawl out from under her email server which has collapsed on her. Why can't these candidates tell the truth?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/08/28/why-you-shouldnt-retweet-sanders-claim-that-hitler-won-an-election/?

Madrid; including side trip to El Escorial, on YouTube

El Escorial is more than an impressive palace for a divine monarch. It's packed with art and history — offering an evocative trip back to Spain's most fascinating age.  Rick Steves 

We’ll be seeing this during our trip to Spain in September for our 55 anniversary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OUIKm8e7Y0 (short)

Quick look at the majesty of Madrid; I plan to skip the pigs’ ears.  Happy pigs eat acorns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hifYpfW4NjI (extended)

Valley of the Fallen, memorial for the Civil War

Granada and Cordoba. “Andalucía's Moorish heritage sparkles in the historic capitals of Granada and Córdoba. And the pride of the Reconquista and the power of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand enliven the region's great sights.” Rick Steves

Only God is victorious is repeated 9,000 times in the palace, The Alhambra. Spain was a Muslim country for 700 years.

Cordoba: http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-history/cordoba-historical-overview/default_41.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36UPumotJQ8

Applesauce snacking cake

I like Splenda, I think it is pretty accurate in flavor and measurements for substituting for sugar, however, I suspect always using low fat or low sugar or egg substitutes in bakery goods is counter productive.  For example, here’s Domino’s Sugar recipe compared to Splenda’s for Applesauce snack cake.  I can’t find a nutrition break down for the sugar version (usually Splenda is listed at about 170 calories, and regular about 400), but I suspect if you just ate a smaller piece of the sugar/butter version you’d be better off than eating two of the Splenda version (which is what I would do because the substitutes don’t satisfy). The Splenda version seems to be more highly spiced—that’s a whole lot of cinnamon! It also contains less applesauce.

Cake ingredients using sugar:
1 cup - Domino® Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup - quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup - all-purpose flour
1/4 cup - butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup - water, chilled
1 - egg
3/4 cup - applesauce
1/2 cup - raisins
3/4 teaspoon - baking soda
3/4 teaspoon - cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon - nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon - salt
1/4 teaspoon - baking powder
1/4 teaspoon – cloves

Cake ingredients using Splenda, low calorie shortening and egg substitute
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup reduced-calorie margarine
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Happy 95th anniversary, women

95 years ago women got the right to vote. Big whoop. Women had already made great strides in every area before they got the right to vote--they had a higher graduation rate than men, they had employment, they owned businesses, they'd accomplished public health miracles through women's clubs and agricultural extension, they established the first public libraries, they were speakers at lyceums and actresses in theater and fledging film, they were inventors, designers and musicians and artists. They were pastors of churches. Many states and localities already had voting women, as did churches. Most important, they were wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, taking care of business in the home and on the farm, where butter and egg money kept many families afloat. Getting the vote, although morally right, made almost no difference in women's lives. Their efforts in temperance and abolition were far greater and more important. And until Obama was elected, I'm not sure they even made a difference in who was in the White House, and that's not benefitted the poor, minorities or women.

          

Lakeside family sells their cottage—a poignant story

Those of you who own homes in Lakeside or rent there, or went there as children or who have followed my blogs about Lakeside will enjoy the article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about a couple selling their cottage at 4th and Maple, "Last Summer in Lakeside,"  by Clare Ansberry which had been in the family since 1873. It's very well written and mentions Robert Putnam (who lived there as a child) who was one of our speakers this summer speaking from his research "Our kids; the American dream in crisis."

From the article:  " . . .milestones--the first tree climbed, the first fish caught, the first crush--or when part of a meaningful family tradition." We've got a photo of our son and his first fish.

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/print/WSJ_-D001-20150826.pdf

Cousins’ Corner, owned by the Gregg family

We’ve owned our cottage since 1988 and are still considered the new people living in the Thompson place.

When the Democrats got something right—tough on crime and drugs

The Democrat party platform for Bill Clinton's second term was tough on crime, drugs and illegal immigrants. You almost can't tell it from Trump's 2016 campaign. And you actually can see the drop in violent crime rates from 1993 through today--so funding more police, stiff prison sentences and stopping crime at the base actually did work. Mandatory sentencing, zero tolerance, etc.  That Democrat policy particularly benefitted black neighborhoods which were the primary victims. But that also put more black criminals in jail (rate is 8x that of white violent crime), which now Democrats are calling racism (without looking at their own party's policies). The Democrats' campaign to stop illegal immigrants with tougher border policing and monitoring employers (it was the law) didn't seem to be as successful as decreasing violent crime and putting drug sellers in jail.

Liberals (of today) blame the tough on crime movement on Republicans, but they in fact, were not strong enough to implement it because with Democrats and President Clinton behind it, Republicans went along.

Were serious signs overlooked?

I was watching news coverage of the mental state of the former TV news colleague in Virginia who killed two reporters of WDBJ-TV live on camera yesterday then uploaded his murders to Facebook like an ISIS terrorist. Other colleagues said he interpreted everything as racial. It's unfortunate that someone didn't spot his problem--or maybe they did and were afraid to say it out loud for fear of being called racist.

About 45 years ago, and I still haven't forgotten her, a pleasant, plump, middle aged woman joined our adult education committee at First Community Church. She mentioned she was a faculty wife and her husband taught at Ohio State. There was the usual chit chat and joking as we all introduced ourselves, and suddenly her face clouded, and she said (paraphrase), "I know you are all in on it; you know about my husband's affair; you're covering for him; I won't stand for it."

We were all just stunned. Apologies were made for anything offensive we'd said, the meeting proceeded, but after the meeting we all got away from her as quickly as possible. Of course, we were not at fault—she was obsessed with her marital problems and decided we all knew.

The true cost of minimum wage

So who gains from raising the minimum wage? Politicians and labor unions. Minimum wage increases tip the balance in favor of higher-skilled—and higher-wage—unionized workers by raising the floor from which they negotiate compensation. Politicians, on the other hand, can act like they did something for the little guy while receiving union support—which is no small matter. In 2012 alone, government union SEIU Local 668 spent more than $200,000 of its members’ dues on political activity and lobbying. . .

http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/research/detail/the-true-cost-of-minimum-wage

Last October, the Wall Street Journal editorialized  about  the “minimum wage” campaign:
Amid a historically slow economic recovery, 1970s labor-participation rates and stagnant middle-class incomes, we understand that people are frustrated. Harder to understand is how so many of our media brethren have been persuaded that suddenly it’s the job of America’s burger joints to provide everyone with good pay and benefits. The result of their agitation will be more jobs for machines and fewer for the least skilled workers.

http://capitalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/LW1508-final-for-posting-150801.pdf

Three posture tips to get the most out of a core workout

Good posture is important, even during exercise. Quick posture checks before and during a core exercise routine can help you avoid injury and squeeze the biggest benefit from your workout. Here is what you need to know:

1. Stand up straight. When instructions for an exercise ask you to stand up straight, that means keeping your:

   • chin parallel to the floor

   • shoulders even (roll them up, back, and down to help achieve this)

   • arms at your sides, elbows relaxed and even

   • abdominal muscles pulled in

   • hips even

   • knees even and pointing straight ahead

   • feet pointing straight ahead

   • body weight evenly distributed on both feet.

2. Stay in neutral. Neutral alignment means keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe except for the slight natural curves of the spine. Whether you're standing or seated, that means your spine is not flexed or arched to overemphasize the curve of the lower back. One way to find neutral is to tip your pelvis forward as far as is comfortable, then tip it backward as far as is comfortable. Neutral is roughly in the middle. If you're not used to standing or sitting up straight, it may take a while for this to feel natural. A neutral wrist is firm and straight, not bent upward or downward.

3. Get the angle. When angles appear in exercise instructions, visualize a 90-degree angle as an L. To visualize a 30-degree angle, mentally slice the 90-degree angle into thirds, or picture the distance between a clock's minute hand and hour hand at one o'clock.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/3-posture-tips-to-get-the-most-out-of-a-core-workout

Sunday evening thoughts, 6 p.m.

Today I've been thinking about a testimony I heard in church this morning. It wasn't a "come to Jesus" call, but a story about how homeless, indigent and ill people are helped in his community in North Carolina at a small facility supported by as many as 500 volunteers. It takes in people recently released from the hospital who have no home or family to return to. No government money is accepted so they can freely offer the Good News of salvation in Jesus. Many of those who are helped will never make it back to main stream life or jobs or health; but that really isn't what Jesus calls us to do. Serve them, and we meet him. Bless those faithful who not only serve, but give the rest of us hope.

I had planned to attend sunset vespers at 8 p.m. tonight--my last chance before returning to Columbus to watch a sunset over the lake while praising the Lord, but the rain is already in Toledo and moving this way.