1783 Were you out of town on October 22?

Site meters are strange. They suck you in with their weird searches ("cartoon lice love story"), and leave you wondering about the days when almost no one looks at your site.

Oct. 16-Nov.15, 2005

1782 Ohio's Medicaid is broken

says State Auditor, Betty D. Montgomery. The $9.5 billion program serves 1.7 million blind, disabled, poor children and poor elderly without supplemental insurance or about 40% of our state budget. Forty percent of the state budget for 10% of the population. Only 1/5 of these Medicaid costs are coming from our state budget--the rest is coming from the federal government, also known as your wallet if you live in North Dakota or Michigan.

There have been numerous studies and recommendations supposedly being implemented, but I think they've all gone into the CYA file.

We have friends who live in Illinois and keep their mother in a nursing home in Ohio on Medicaid because apparently Illinois is worse off.

Tell me again why you think the government should be in control of our health care system. How much do you suppose graft, corruption, over charging, cronyism, nepotism and lack of oversight are adding to the real cost of taking care of the poor and elderly? How much more for the working healthy population?

Medicaid
Ohio

1781 Kroger workers to strike

Go ahead. I don't care. We stocked up on our favorite kitty litter (biodegradeable and dust free) this week and I won't darken your doors again until she's crossing her little legs.

I used to be a loyal Kroger shopper--I knew which house brands were as good as name; I knew all the cashiers and stockers and produce people. Then upper management decided they needed a "loyalty card" to compete with other chains. I don't like to play games with my food, my airlines or my credit card, so I walked.

They sell that information you give them--they don't just track your purchases. Loyalty cards are just one more way to add to the cost of anything you buy. I do use the little coffee card they punch at Panera's when I buy a cup of coffee (they don't ask for information). After eight cups, I get a freebie. Since it only costs about 10 cents to make a $1.50 cup of coffee, they aren't out much, nor are you, the other consumers who pay for loyalty and rewards plans. Staples (office supplies) doesn't offer a two tier price range, like grocery stores, and since it is only 1/2 mile from here I do use theirs (don't need to have the card with me), and they keep sending me $10 off my printing costs which I think is more than I spend.

"In the U.S., several major grocery store chains and at least one major pharmacy nectar loyalty card require the cards in order for customers to receive the advertised loyalty price. These include loyalty card machines Kroger, Safeway (through its own name and many of its regional chain names), Albertsons, Winn Dixie, Ingles, and CVS/pharmacy. However, stores also allow a customer to use the store's card if loyalty card statistics a customer does not have theirs on hand or if the customer is new and agrees to sign up right away. Many of the stores allow accumulation of fuel discounts. Some have tie-ins with airline frequent flier programs, and some agree to donate a percentage of sales to a designated charity.

The practice is also common among book and music retailers, from large chains to independent retailers. In some instances, the customer purchases the card and receives a percentage discount on all purchases for a period of time (often one year), while in other instances, a customer receives a one-time percentage discount upon reaching a specified purchase level. (For example, a bookseller's loyalty card program might provide a customer with a 10% off coupon once the customer has spent $200.00 at the bookseller.)

In addition, office supply retailers Staples, Inc. and Office Depot started issuing club cards in 2005." TaxGloss.com I used to be able to use the store card, but not anymore (at Kroger's), and they have a hissy fit if you borrow one from the guy behind you in line. So if they are only tracking merchandise, why would they care whose card records the purchase? Nope, they want that personal information about their shoppers. I have a friend who just gives inaccurate information on the forms. Why should I let a retailer dictate my ethics and cause me to lie?

Library lights the future

A hundred years ago your community probably didn't have a public library, but if you poke around in your town's history you'll probably find out that there was a community group, most likely a women's club, who had a circulating library. That is going on right now in Marblehead, Ohio, with a vigorous town committee that is buying the old 1914 quarry hospital building in the middle of downtown Marblehead to renovate it into a library/community resource center that will be the jewel of the Marblehead Peninsula.

We own a home up there, and several times I've donated books to the library's bookstore, Ex-Libris, located in the Kukay building [raises money through donated books]. The library committee has some gift ideas for Christmas--books about the area. I have a lot of them already--many authored by locals. The most recent is "My Sweetest Libbie" by Jean Gora, which tells the story of life in Put-in-Bay, Lakeside and Detroit circa 1886 and 1887 through the love letters of Libbie Magie and Alex Bruce (no relation). Web site is www.marpenlib.org and they've just issued a newsletter, MPLC Connection, which will probably end up on my premiere issue blog.

1779 Ted Kennedy on Wal-Mart

Do you suppose anyone has told Teddy how his daddy made his money? The money he's never worked for but always lived on? And he's saying Wal-Mart isn't in line with American values? Ted's family came out of the Depression richer than it went in, rolling in race track and liquor money--now that's good 'ol down home Amerika. At least Sam Walton worked.

"Joe Kennedy's money may have had unsavory sources as well. He is rumored to have imported liquor during Prohibition, working with mobsters in that industry (he later sold his legitimate liquor importing business to a known mobster named Abner "Longy" Zwillman). Joe Kennedy never publicly revealed his wealth, but the New York Times estimated his net worth at $500,000,000 when he died in 1969.Unlike their father, none of Joe Kennedy's sons went into business. Instead, they pursued his dream: elected office." American Experience, PBS

"Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the world’s largest retailer, with $285.2 billion in sales in the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2005. The company employs 1.6 million associates worldwide through more than 3,600 facilities in the United States and more than 2,300 units in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. More than 138 million customers per week visit Wal-Mart stores worldwide." Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart has beat out every other American business in the aggressive use of information technology and in meeting the needs of its customers--and for that it has most businesses trying to imitate it, and everyone on the left who hates capitalism trying to stop it.
Wal-Mart Dist. Center. Imagine if Washington was this well-run!

1778 Why I don't support the death penalty

First, I'm pro-life, and I believe I'm being consistent. But, second, our system of justice is extremely uneven, and I don't think we should condemn one guy to death for murder because he planned it, and another to eight years because he was stupid drunk by his own choice and plan. There are just too many ways to weasel out of it, so let's not play games and buy into another killing and have the blood on our hands.

Damian Hayes shot and killed 16 year old Angela Hughes, a freshman in high school, and seriously wounded her mother, Phyllis Sanders during a drunken New Year's "celebration" here in Columbus. He got eight years. Five for killing her and 3 for using a gun to do it. His sentence was lenient because he turned himself in. Of course, she's still dead; her mother is still recovering from her injuries and grieving.

If he'd been white, we'd probably had race riots in Columbus. But this was black on black, and when a black man kills a black woman, hardly anyone raises an eyebrow. It was the same thing on my husband's jury trial case in October. Jesse Jackson didn't show up. Fox News didn't bring cameras to town with Greta and Geraldo. This story didn't even make the front page--it was in the "Metro" section of the Columbus Dispatch.

Tell me again why choosing to get drunk as a skunk and killing someone is worth only 5 years (+ 3 years for using a gun) and choosing to shoot someone deliberately is worth a lethal injection.

1777 My Autumn Wastebasket

The Cheryl's Cookies seasonal gift bag (for about a dozen cookies) is just the perfect size to fit under my desk for a week's worth of trash. It is very good quality, colorful, and stands up to accidental kicking and cat curiosity. I've just replaced the Easter Egg bag with the Fall produce bag.

Since I've been ill, I've missed three events--a trip to the Dayton Art Museum to see the Egyptian exhibit, the Frank Lloyd Wright tour group reunion, and the autumn condo potluck. About noon yesterday my husband, who does not cook, said, "What should I take to the potluck?" I always make a pie, and if I must say, it is terribly wonderful, but I didn't think anyone would appreciate it just in case I'm still contagious. So I suggested he buy some sugar-free Cheryl's cookies. They come individually wrapped, so if they weren't all consumed, he could freeze them. Now, they aren't as luscious as a regular sugar laden Cheryl's, but they make a good second choice. So he did. And I got this nice wastebasket.

1776 I've been propositioned

A librarian found my blog about my hobby, collecting premiere issues of magazines. He wants me to sell one of them so he can complete that library's run of a particular serial title. Having incomplete serial holdings creates a lot of angst and sleepless nights for librarians. They are like drug sniffing dogs. I know I was.

I used to run a pretty good veterinary replacement title service out of my office. We vet librarians would put our list of extras on our listserv and offer them to other libraries. We had a thousand extra JAVMA's, but not so many Dairy Goat Journals. Our method of exchange was postage stamps. If it cost $4.50 to send them, then that librarian would send you $4.50 in postage stamps. You never actually used your stamps for postage--just used them as barter. Some of these stamps in really odd denominations had been around the world several times.

One day in 1995 someone left a sheet of Marilyn Monroe postage stamps in the copy machine. No one ever came back to claim them. (I used to find divorce papers, lab tests, medical records, and love letters in the copy machine.) I put them in the stamp box, but never used them. I suspected they'd never come home in the exchanges. That 32 cent stamp issued in 1995 is the 12th most popular stamp ever issued by the USPS, earning it $15,000,000 from 46,000,000 stamps sold. If I'd been smart, I would have just replaced them with the same amount in ordinary postage stamps. But in 1995, they were just worth 32 cents--$6.40. Or, I'm too honest for my own good.

I'm still thinking about that guy's offer.

1775 Welcome back Gaylords!

For 25 years we enjoyed the Little Professor Bookstore in the Lane Avenue Mall operated by the Gaylord family--husband, wife and kids. It expanded to five, went public, then bankrupt. The family also operated some Cookstores, and I think perhaps a bath and linens shop. Now they've come home.

The new bookstore, back on Lane Avenue, will be called Liberty Books, and will have a coffee bar, internet access, and study area. Oh--I'm in heaven. It will be 10,000 sq. ft. and have 7,000 magazine titles. Be still my heart. Newspapers (foreign) will be printed from the internet and sold by special order.

Here's an Aug. 3, 1998 Publisher's Weekly article about its demise:

"In today 's cutthroat bookselling environment, smaller chains look for a niche to survive. Crown Books's Chapter 11 filing last month is the latest in a string of bankruptcies and downsizings that have caused many observers to question the viability of regional bookstore chains.

Left behind as Barnes & Noble and Borders grew rapidly in the 1990s and often not as flexible or close to the market as single-store independents, most regional chains have suffered dramatically.

In addition to the high profile bankruptcies of Crown and Lauriat's, three other, smaller regional chains filed for Chapter 11 over the last 10 months. The Gaylord Companies, which operated five Little Professor Bookstores as well as six Cookstores in Ohio, filed for Chapter 11 last November. Village Green Bookstores, which at one point operated 12 stores in upstate New York, went the Chapter 11 route in January."

Story about Empire Books in West Virginia, owned by the Gaylords.

1774 Cat Bloggers

Many years and one cat ago, my beloved We Be Three (died of CRF at age 4) had a web page. It was in the distant, dark past, before anyone thought of blogs, and when librarians who knew a little html were ahead of the pack instead of sitting in the back. I can't remember how it was posted, or where, Japan possibly, and I think I used to walk across the street to the vet hospital to scan her photos because I didn't have a scanner.
She was a lynx point Siamese (almost) with issues. After her death, I went right to Cat Welfare and rescued our current calico, who, because she was abandoned, also had issues, but at least she loves to cuddle and she doesn't eat the furniture.

Now I do occasionally look through the cat blogs to look at cute pictures. I was checking out Catbloggers, and looked at their http://www.frappr.com/catbloggers map, and discovered they have no one from Ohio. When I get well and can follow instructions maybe I'll read through it and see what's required. My cat, however, will not be given her own blog, Jane. I also need to read the instructions with my digital camera, another project for the future.

And no, I'm taking no applications for my son, either. Even if you sent me your resume, and you passed muster (beautiful, intelligent, employed, sense of humor, Christian, good cook), he does not take his mother's advice.

cat

1773 Preparation H: Itchy and Tender

What are Californians thinking? San Franciscans passed Proposition H, which outlaws handguns, so now people who watched what happened in New Orleans and know the "big one" is coming any day when they may need to protect life and property, are buying shotguns! The voters couldn't disarm the criminals, so they decided to disarm the law abiding citizens. Those folks spend too much time in the sun. There's a challenge, of course.

1772 Fat Ohio

The Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases is designed to help states prevent obesity and other chronic diseases by addressing two closely related factors — poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity. The program supports states with developing and implementing science-based nutrition and physical activity interventions. The program’s major goals are balancing caloric intake and expenditure; increasing physical activity; improving nutrition through increased consumption of fruits and vegetables; reducing television time; and increasing breastfeeding.

In 2005–2006, 21 states are funded at $400,000 to $450,000 for capacity building. Seven states are funded at $750,000 to $1.3 million for basic implementation, bringing the total number of funded states to 28. CDC site.

Ohio is fat--I think Columbus is 5th or 6th fat city USA. We are not one of the 21 states taking federal dollars to fund yet another bureaucracy that will pay the salaries of nutritionists and physical therapists on temporary contracts as the money is filtered through the state offices. (I've been a librarian on state library contracts , so I know how this works.)

Can we talk? I think we know what's causing this--too many calories and too little exercise. I can't imagine one more TV ad will take one more hand back off from a Big Mac or a third helping of turkey and dressing.

But, let's do lunch, soon.

1771 My Life in a Box

This quiz makes no allowance for "retirement." I think that is why I was rated low in financial health. I had to check "unemployed." Also, of course my grandparents are deceased (lived into their 90s) and the writer wants you to have more than 3-5 close friends, which is silly. That would add stress! So I'm rated low on family and friends.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	9.2
Mind:	8.9
Body:	8.9
Spirit:	8.4
Friends/Family:	6.6
Love:	10
Finance:	8.6
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

I saw this at Bethany's Blog.

1770 Some ads are so cute

that you forget to notice what the product is! I always stop and watch the TV ad of the young woman explaining how to get-over/break-up with a boyfriend. Her final instruction is about deleting his phone number from her cell phone and answering in the affirmative when it asks if she really wants to dump him. You've seen it, right? She's sitting on a bed in dark jeans and laughing while she talks about it. It's really cute--but I have no recall if she is advertising a motel chain, a jeans brand or a phone service. However, it does remind me of this item that was circulating the internet last fall during the campaign.

1. Open a new file in your PC.
2. Name it "John Kerry."
3. Send it to the trash.
4. Empty the trash.
5. Your PC will ask you, "do you really want to get rid of John Kerry?"
6. Answer calmly, "yes," and press the mouse button firmly.
7. Feel better don't you?

1769 Misquoting Christians? What's new?

Wayne Lutz points out at his blog, No Shades of Gray, that Pat Robertson didn't say what the media says he said. It's a fine, fine line that Wayne draws in the sand, but he's got a point--CNN misquoted him and that's being passed around.

"Virtually all of the news accounts that I have heard or read, and even many of the blogs that I otherwise respect, are perpetuating a lie about Robertson. They are saying that he has called down the wrath of God on a Pennsylvania town for voting against the idea of introducing Intelligent Design into schools. CNN, as quoted on a friend's blog, states the lie like this:

Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck.

Just one niggling little problem with that: That is not what Robertson said. Not that the truth has ever been a priority at CNN, especially in connection with conservatives in general and Christians in particular.

I heard what Robertson said, and no, Robertson did not "warn them" "not to be surprised if disaster struck." That quote is a lie, and it is being perpetuated by even well-meaning people.

What Robertson said was that IF something bad were to happen to this town, then, those people, having rejected Him, should not call on Him for help, rather they should call on Darwin."

What Robertson said:

"I‘d like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don‘t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city. And don‘t wonder why He hasn‘t helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I‘m not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that‘s the case, don‘t ask for His help because he might not be there."

I notice Robertson is described as a "fundamentalist" by most news people. Are fundamentalists and pentecostal/charismatics interchangeable? Do they worship together under the same roof?

1768 Martha Pullen's TV Show

Someone on a Martha Pullen Forum mentioned my sewing blog as a good place for memories, and I got about 40 hits from that one mention. Since I don't sew much (actually never) anymore, I had no idea who this Martha is. So I looked Martha up and found out she has a TV program on PBS and a very loyal following with lots of interesting stuff on her web site. Take a look even if you don't do victorian embroidery. I've watched people use software to embroider and it looks like a fascinating use of technology.

Another Martha to admire.

1767 Biblical language used by reporters

Dr. Claude Mariottini, a professor of Old Testament, analyzed the language used by reporters during Katrina. There's important information imbedded in words, that when carelessly or intentionally used might convey another message--"this is God's judgement." Check it out here.

1765 Your Dream Library

On September 8, Booking Through Thursday asked this question.

1. What kind of room is your dream library in (one wall of your living room, dedicated room, corner of the kitchen, etc.)?


2. What genre are most of your books?


3. Are the books all hard cover, paperback, leather, or mixed medium?

This would be my dream library if the shelves weren't stationery stationary and 2 ft deep, and if it weren't in the lower level. Right now, we call it my husband's office. But he is retiring and I have plans. I've already taken over most of the far left section.


Most of our books are non-fiction; theology and religion; art and architecture; reference sources; and parts of my grandparents' home library. I really like "collected works." I don't cook much but seem to have an awful lot of recipe collections, the newest of which is from our church.

I'm fond of cheap books--free is best; resale next. But I do like a good hardcover with a decent, artistic cover. I like the bargain shelves at Half-Price Books, and the free box at the church library. My newest find is "Complete Guide to Needlework" (1979) from the clearance shelf for $3. I'm learning to knit--it has pictures. I'm a sucker for books of art exhibitions, like the Columbus Museum of Art gift shop. I'm so enthusiastic about the exhibit, then buy the book, then never look at it.

There is no good way to store a premiere issue collection. They lean, they flop, they don't like their neighbors. Even with their own blog, they are out of control.

1764 Big shoes to fill

If you are pro-choice, you may not actually contribute money for women to have abortions or give to abortion clinics--you don't go THAT far. You try to put out of your mind that "choice" means taking a life. But if you are pro-life, I hope you're putting your money where your heart is. We support the Pregnancy Decision Health Center of Columbus.

This fall's newsletter came yesterday and had an interesting story about the Fall fund raising banquet attended by 600 people at Villa Milano. One testimony was by a woman who 26 years ago rejected the "life" message her doctor gave her and proceeded with plans for an abortion. "She subsequently got up from the abortionist's table and returned to Dr. Raymond who helped her through her pregnancy and delivered her baby boy. The child was placed for adoption and the presentation ends with a still photo of the baby. At that point, John Vorlicky, now 26 came out on stage to announce that he is the baby in the photo." PDHC wasn't in existence then, but he thanked the group for the moms they are helping today.

If you are part of the adoption triangle (adoptee, birth parent, adoptive parent) you are part of an amazing transaction where grief and sorrow are miraculously turned into joy and hope. Not all adoptions create picture perfect families--but then I don't know any families like that made the other way, do you? Abortions, on the other hand, create nothingness forever and ever.

Some women among the 30,000+ who have been helped by PDHC choose to raise their children, and here's a list of items you can donate to help.

1763 Bird Watching

When I retired in 2000, I posted my "Post Employment Plan" on my web-site (no longer available). One of the things I listed was bird watching, something I knew nothing about, but thought it would be interesting. So my colleagues in the Departmental Libraries got me binoculars. We've actually used them quite a bit just sitting on our deck watching the condo wild life, but I haven't gone to any cemeteries at dawn to peek at the birds. Here's an interesting rare birds site, called, well, Rarebirds.com.

For instance, by clicking on the pushpin on the map of Indiana, for Nov. 8: "The Gray Kingbird, first discovered at 1:20PM on November 5, was seen again today. It was reported this morning at 9:20AM CST on the wires on the West side of US 35 and County Road 1100 South. It was observed while actively feeding, catching flying bugs for 20 min before flying about 200 yards south to the first fenceline South of the intersection. It gave close views on weeds and fenceposts on the East side of the road then moved further East along the fenceline where it was last observed today at 9:55AM CST. This bird constitutes a first state record for this species in Indiana.

Photos of the bird were taken by John Cassady on 11-05-05 and may be viewed
at: http://www.jkcassady.com/gallery/gyki.htm "

I saw this listed at Blogdriverswaltz, in an item about Google Maps. Neat, huh?