Thursday, April 30, 2015

Succeeding While Black - 5 Ways to Avoid Altercations with the Police by Matthew R. Drayton, guest blogger

I have been in situations where I could have easily gotten into confrontations with police officers. Years ago, I regularly worked with local and state police officers in major cities throughout the U.S. I can tell you first hand that there are some police officers that are prejudiced or egotistical, and some that have their own agendas. I remember arriving in Texas to meet and work with local police there. When I reached out to shake one of the officer’s hands, he refused! Later during that same trip, I was almost arrested because the same police officer who wouldn’t shake my hand, failed to tell a group of his fellow officers who I was as I approached them.

On another trip to California, a police officer stood two feet in front of me and stared me down while I waited to meet with the Deputy Police Chief. I had never met this officer before, nor did I do anything to him to warrant the stare he was giving me. In both Texas and California, I was the only African American in the group; my co-workers were not subjected to the same treatment. In both cases, I had no choice but to work through whatever issues those police officers had with me. I did not respond to their behavior towards me, and worked more closely with the officers who reached out to me than the ones who didn’t. In the end, we successfully finished our work in both cities, and I made some new friends in law enforcement.
My experiences with the police were not all bad; in fact there were more positive experiences with them than negative ones. I realize some of my circumstances and encounters with the police were of a different nature than being pulled over for a routine traffic stop, but the two situations I mentioned above were intense and could have easily become confrontational. I have been stopped and pulled over by the police numerous times over the years, and I can honestly say, I have never been mistreated by a police officer. The following tips have worked for me when I have had encounters with police officers in the past. Hopefully they can help you too.

  1. Obey the law: If you are breaking the law in any way; it’s only a matter of time before you have to deal with the police. Turn on your flashers, drive slowly and pull over to a well lit busy area if you are pulled over. Cooperate if you are being questioned or arrested to avoid any physical confrontation. 
  2. Be polite and show respect: Greeting and treating a police officer with respect immediately de-escalates the situation. Regardless of how you feel about being pulled over or questioned, the police are authorized to do so. Mouthing off and becoming aggressive towards the police will make the situation worse.
  3. Obey police officer orders: When a policeman asks you to do something reasonable, do it. Remember, these men and women are trying to do a job, and sometimes need to gather facts to do their job. Disobeying the police officer’s orders will again only make the situation worse. 
  4. Make lifestyle changes: Most of the things that happen to us are a result of our decisions. Alcohol, outdated license plates, and erratic driving are a few contributors to police stops. If you are hanging out late at night with known offenders, or in places where there is a high probability of a crime, there will likely be a heavy police presence there. 
  5. Educate your children: Teach your children at an early age about police brutality, and to be respectful when dealing with the police, and all adults for that matter.  Explain current events to them in an unbiased way, and make them aware of the dangers they face if they break the law, and what can happen to them at the hands of some police officers. 

It is not my intent to downplay police brutality incidents or to be insensitive to anyone who has suffered or died at the hands of the police. My purpose is to help African Americans understand that engaging an officer properly can de-escalate the situation, and possibly avoid a deadly altercation. I am a middle-aged, African American male who regrettably has had too many encounters with the police during my lifetime. I have never been arrested or beaten by a police officer, nor have I ever been disrespectful or mouthed off to one.

Retired Army Sergeant Major Matthew R. Drayton is a corporate speaker, life coach, consultant, leadership expert and author of Succeeding While Black. He has also been mentoring youth for over a decade and is currently the Executive Director of Great Oak Youth Development Center, a NC-based non-profit organization that mentors at risk youth. For more information, visit www.MattDrayton.com.

Where I am--678.2 miles since Christmas

At least I got out of Virginia (on my exercycle)

"0.84 mi to Buckhorn, KY", Breathitt County

Dessert will be pudding

A gallon of milk at Marc's today was cheaper than 1/2 gal, so we're having pudding tonight. Great price on boneless pork roast ($1.88/lb), so the last one is going into the crock pot for pulled pork (still had some in the freezer from the last special).  A quart of the Half n half ultra pasteurized was cheaper than regular.  You just never know when you shop there.

pudding with strawberries

Losing our religious freedom

When we warned about loss of religious freedom they just shouted us down. In the U.S. telling people to shoot white police is protected speech; telling people that marriage is for a man and woman is not going to be protected speech or freedom of religion.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/29/obama-admin-catholic-schoolss-non-profit-status-will-be-an-issue-if-gay-marriage-made-a-right/

As marriage and religious liberty expert at the Heritage Foundation Ryan Anderson observed, when Justice Samuel Alito asked the Obama administration’s Solicitor General Donald Verrilli whether a religious school could lose its tax-exempt status if it affirms marriage as the union between a man and woman, Verrilli responded, “It’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is it is going to be an issue.”

Anderson related this discussion to Justice Antonin Scalia’s concern about the effects of a Supreme Court-created constitutional right to same-sex marriage on religious liberty. Verrilli responded that there have been no violations against religious liberty in states that have redefined marriage in democratic fashion. Scalia observed, “They are laws. They are not constitutional requirements. That was the whole point of my question. If you let the states do it, you can make an exception. … You can’t do that once it is a constitutional proscription.”

“Not only is there nothing in the Constitution that requires the redefinition of marriage, but a ruling saying that there was could create unimaginable religious liberty violations,” writes Anderson. “These situations are best handled democratically.”

Man attacks bear to save his Chihuahua

I hit him with an overhand right—and hard,” Moore said. “His head snapped around, and he stumbled. I’m a 192-pound, 6-foot-2½ man, and the bear outweighed me, but I was taller.”

The septuagenarian slugger said his fist landed “right in the jaw, right below his eye and part of his snout.”

Link

Six pounds is a big Chihuahua.

Old Man Punches Bear

Get out while you can.

Leave the party of ignorance of history, dumb on biology and naive about culture. Forget the party that thinks a 7 month old unborn baby isn't a human, but a man with an amputated penis is a woman. Forget the party that destroyed Detroit and Baltimore. Forget the party that believes marriage and birth rate isn't important for the survival of a nation. Leave the party of fear--fear of global warming, fear of the Constitution, fear of words, fear of food, fear of differences, fear of having no victims they can pity and manipulate. Leave the party that whips up hate and racism, bigotry and ignorance. Get out while you still can. Republicans have a very deep, diverse bench. Democrats have Hillary.

http://www.wildwestcycle.com/f_pensees.htm

For the modern liberal, who is essentially a man of the Left, the immediate has apocalyptic urgency. He is an active member of the Cause-of-the-Month Club, forever prescribing drastic action to prevent the world from being blown up, overpopulated, poisoned, oppressed, or exploited. He thinks a government that maintains law and order--a big job at any time--is "doing nothing"; because to his mind a steady and quiet activity is nothing more than inactivity. Though he speaks the language of environmental preservation well enough, he never pauses to imagine the "environmental impact" of his own policies on a social ecology that is, after all, no less real because he disregards it.

An insider’s view—sometimes there’s no solution, guest blogger Chris Botkin from Ohio

I work as a laborer in a sandwich packaging plant. I've been there 17 years. The sandwiches go to convenience stores, and vending machines, and institutions like schools and prisons. My little group tapes the boxes of sandwiches shut, separates the boxes by item, stacks the boxes on pallets and records the daily production. It's physical; today we handled about 10 tons of product. There are four of us, three (including yours truly) do the hand-stacking.

It's a different world than many of you inhabit. My coworkers start at $8.50 an hour. Many have felony records, mostly for possession, but some much worse. Turnover is insanely high: the work ethic is not, let's say, universal.

Today, one of my crew had to leave at noon for an emergency doctor appointment he received by phone at about 10:30 am. He has a nightmare of medical conditions I won't go into, the call today was from an oncologist. He tries hard, he has his own business on the side (a bait shop on a nearby lake). He is 25.

Today, another of my crew left an hour and a half early. He is the archtypical good-ole-boy: big, rowdy, randy and without much common sense. Multiple layoffs, multiple arrests, he needs off early once a month (not today) to meet his parole officer. He is trying to turn his life around. We'll see. He's a loose cannon. But he left early today because his mother is in the ICU on life support for advanced pneumonia. He had just received a call from his dad. He looked very upset.

For me, these situations shed a somewhat different light on the health care debate. Without a time machine or assistance, there is no way these folks can pay their medical bills. Hospitals and physicians deserve to be paid. I am highly skeptical that Obamacare is helping, but something has to help.

I'm as old as both these guys' ages combined, and yet I totter along relatively unscathed: all original parts and enough sap to get through the day. I feel it at night, and I need my weekends to recoup, but no complaints. Today made me think about retiring, though. Life's too short. If only I could afford to retire.

I'm posting this  because none of my coworkers will see it, and it reflects at least peripherally on political debate, and it's on my mind tonight. Sometimes, life's just a bitch.

Get out the pop corn because

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We saw this in the theater.  You’ll love this old fashioned love story. Home DVD of Old Fashioned will be coming to stores and online retailers on JUNE 16.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

You just wanted to make history by voting for the black candidate. . . and look what you did

Susan Elizabeth lives in Columbus.  She writes:

Just when I thought I was safe this year, the letter comes from my health insurance company. Another 11% raise in premiums. So I decided to look to see what has happened to my premiums since Obamacare passed. My deductible went from $2500 per year to $5000 per year. Before Obamacare, I had a policy where ER visits and 30 days of follow up care were covered 100% with no deductible. Once Obamacare passed, my insurance company went under and I was grandfathered over to my current policy which I've had since August, 2010. At that time, my monthly premium was $261.86 (up from $237 that I was paying with the company that went under). Then the monthly premiums have gone up in June of each year to the following premiums.

  • 2011: 268.02
    2012: $364.49
    2013: $442.86
    2014: $566.07
    2015: $630.70

I was promised I would save $2500 per year. Instead, I am now paying $4724 more per year. I now have to spend $12568.40 out of pocket before my insurance covers the cost of our prescriptions, doctor's visits etc.

Sad thing is, I consider myself lucky...many people are paying a hell of a lot more than I am. The exact same policy through the exchanges would have cost me $900+ per month in premiums.

With everything else going on in the world (earthquake, riots, all of the Hillary scandals, Iran getting nuclear capabilities), let's not forget we have 633 days of destruction ahead from the current POTUS. Hopefully, more of you will realize the damage you have done by "making history" with your vote.

Thoughts on Baltimore and what to do and not do

Race riots seem to be much worse under Obama than any leadership the last 3 decades, but actually I don't think he can accept the credit for social media inflaming people who don't have enough to do. Same Ferguson trouble makers and thugs are leading the charge in Baltimore via social media. A data mining firm has found that Ferguson social media accounts are linked to Baltimore calls for action. Professional trouble makers. Poor high school kids suckered again.   But even they can't take credit for that mayor's loose lips.

I heard Michael Steele [highest elected black politician--Republican--Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (2003–2007) until Obama] discussing what young black men in Baltimore need. Actually, he sounded like a Democrat--not a word about married parents and good role models. I can't imagine a bank or business willing to invest in those neighborhoods and bring in jobs after the looting and arson with a mayor who ordered police to stand down. So that only leaves government grants for sticky fingered local politicians.

"What went up in flames in Baltimore Monday night was not merely a senior center, small businesses and police cars. Burning down was also the blue-city model of urban governance." [WSJ] With the exception of 2 terms (same guy), all Baltimore mayors since 1931 have been Democrats. There's a huge funnel filled with federal money into all Democrat (and many Republican) regimes at the local and state level. 50 years of LBJ's War on Poverty and 20% of families have no income earner; 50 years of failed Head Start and many graduate from high school with no skills for a job; 126 federal transfer programs taking your tax money, laundering it through DC bureaucracies and then returning a fraction of it to the people who need it. $22,000 for every poor person in America. No wonder looting looks good--the government does it!

When your toddler/puppy runs into traffic, drastic action is necessary and you might lose your cool and the book learning on how to use firm words of discipline. The Baltimore mom who grabbed and slapped her teen son and then it went viral on the internet and news channels was trying to save his life. I would have done the same thing. She's now a media icon--I've watched her on Fox and NBC. Interesting to see the editing by the MSM compared to Fox. She said her son isn't a perfect kid, but he's her kid. You go, mama.

I was watching the Baltimore looting, I must say I didn't know toilet paper was in such short supply that the 5 finger discount would be so popular. I counted 32 charter schools in Baltimore city; I wonder if any of those students participated in the justice riots.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

It’s not true what you’ve heard about Baltimore

These man on the street interviews by the media of people milling around in Baltimore make no sense, nor do the memes floating around the social media about how bad things are. Black mayor, black police, black president, black attorney general, etc., all seem to be afraid of black gangs and thugs. According to the BLS, Baltimore is doing better than the rest of the U.S.A. economically in many areas.  I’ve listen to some people call the talk shows and they sound like they’re reading from a script, but can’t identify a particular crime which affected them.

I also counted the charter schools in Baltimore—32 I think.  I’m guess those kids did not join in the rioting when school let out yesterday.

The White House sending representatives to the funeral but not to the funerals for the blacks killed in Chicago, day after day, mostly killed by other blacks, probably hasn’t helped the image of this presidency which seems to delight in exacerbating race relations beginning with the “Boston police acted stupidly” in 2009.

http://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic/summary/blssummary_baltimore.pdf

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/27/obama-to-send-aide-to-freddie-gray-funeral-in-baltimore/

http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/

http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/charter_schools/docs/BaltCity.htm

Penn Jillette’s 105 lb. weight loss

Penn Jillette (atheist, libertarian entertainer) was on Glenn Beck again last night, and I'd noticed his weight loss the last time, so I looked it up. 105 lbs. Even on 6'7" that shows.

“I was on six very powerful meds to bring the blood pressure down,” Jillette, 60, tells PEOPLE. “My doctor said I needed to get my weight down, and if I brought it down 30 or 40 lbs. it would be a little easier to control. And then he said something in passing that completely blew my mind – he said, ‘If you got down to 230, you probably wouldn’t need any of the meds.’ ”

I don't think I could follow his diet. http://greatideas.people.com/2015/04/08/penn-jillette-weight-loss-las-vegas-home/

His typical daily diet consists of an “enormous salad” with vinegar as dressing for lunch (he doesn’t usually eat breakfast) and a dinner consisting of 3 lbs. of greens and three servings of black or brown rice with a vegetable stew, along with lots of fruits for dessert (his favorite is “an enormous amount of blueberries with plain cocoa powder”) and vegetables with vinegar or Tabasco sauce as a snack.

Notice the cocoa powder? Good for cognitive function and weight loss.

Relief for the Nepal Earthquake

I see FaceBook is urging me to support Nepal, and I will through an organization I know and trust. Check with your church first. Too many scams out there. Lutheran World Relief puts aside theological and synod squabbles and works for the poor and injured. Mennonite Central Committee is another--they were already working Nepal. Since the first century, Catholics have had the largest and most successful social service and disaster relief programs in the world, so Catholic Relief Services would be good.

Sue Noll is recommending Nazarene Compassionate Ministries; Judi Gertz suggests Samaritan Purse; Orah Zipper recommends the Jewish JDC (Joint Distribution Committee).

The Clinton Foundation

Does the Clinton Super PAC, aka The Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation have special guidelines for transparency and taxes? Charity Navigator has them right up there with Al Sharpton's charity. How desperate is the Democrat party which in the last two decades has moved so far to the left it is unrecognizable to me, a former Democrat?

“From 2005 through 2011 investors in Uranium One reportedly donated to the Clinton Foundation. In 2010 Bill Clinton took $500,000 from an investment bank to give a speech in Russia. The bank had a “buy” rating on Uranium One stock and connections to the Russian government. Eventually the Kremlin gained 100 percent control over Uranium One through a subsidiary of Rosatom, a corporation owned by the Russian government.

Secretary Clinton was supposed to disclose the millions of dollars that the chairman of Uranium One gave to her foundation through his family foundation while various agencies within the Obama administration were reviewing the deal.

So now the expansionist successor nation to the Soviet Union, which seeks to revive its old empire, controls a large swath of American uranium that is needed to produce nuclear weapons. Multiple federal agencies apart from the State Department signed off on the deal, so it is inconceivable that President Obama did not know about the circumstances that led to the Russian takeover of Uranium One. And remember that Obama, who is now working hard to help the Islamic Republic of Iran get nuclear weapons, was caught on a hot mike at a nuclear summit in March 2012 assuring then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, “After my election I have more flexibility.” “ http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/matthew-vadum/the-clinton-cash-for-favors-program

It’s not going to stop with same sex marriage

I've been saying this for years. And get called homophobic for just stating common sense.

WSJ: "If a relationship characterized by love and commitment becomes a Constitutional right to marry, then no state restriction can withstand judicial review. This applies to the number of people eligible to marry, the duration of the contract, and the nature of the individuals eligible to marry (age, degree of genetic relation and so forth). This is not meant as a parade of horribles, but it is a warning that the Court will find itself hearing many cases challenging any state regulation of marriage."

How can you stop 3 sisters and their 10 year old niece from getting married to each other and applying for government benefits if gender doesn't matter, only love and commitment? Why should number matter? Or consanguinity? Or age?

Monday, April 27, 2015

You’ll be called a racist. . .

“The topic probably doesn’t even have anything to do with racism. Don’t matter. You disagree with liberals, you’re a racist. The clever poo flingers will snidely insinuate it, while the dumb ones will screech it at the top of their lungs. This one has been epidemic since we elected Barack Obama, and obviously the only reason you could hate a weak foreign policy, stupid gun control proposals, a shitty economy, a ridiculous bloated monster of a healthcare law, and the general corruption of our federal apparatus, is because you don’t like a black president.

You may not have had a racist thought in your life, but it won’t matter. A good author friend of mine was smeared as racist because he was against some stupid liberal nonsense even though he’s been married to a black woman for 20 years and has biracial children, and worked with every ethnicity there is during a career in the military.”

http://monsterhunternation.com/2013/09/20/the-internet-arguing-checklist/

And now you’re called homophobic if you believe in traditional marriage, even though no civilization, culture, religion, or tribe have ever sanctioned  same sex marriage in the history of the world.  And it was the stated policy of President Obama until well into the 2012 election year. Were there same sex unions, yes. Did men dress as women, yes. Gay prostitution, yes.  Pedophilia and young boys, yes.  But not marriage.

So then, black lives matter. . . except when they don’t

Many young black men died in Chicago this month, and last month, etc., Obama's home town, his political base. Up 23% from 2014. But there's no political value to their deaths. Jaquille, D'Montre, Marshawn, Courtney, Christopher, David, Devante, Mikal, Milon, Martell, Azun, Jerome, Charles, DuJuane, etc., plus a number of black females, Mechelle, Sandra, Joyce, and some names unknown at time of reporting. The White House has not sent anyone to their funerals; no protesters shipped in. http://homicides.redeyechicago.com/

Social justice—all you need to know in one video

"Social justice" is just another squishy term for redistribution of your wealth by the state. Check the mission statements of your church (will probably be called "social statement") and charitable organizations. Look for Biblical, not Marxist concepts before you contribute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtBvQj2k6xo

Hayek quote

Microbeads in your toothpaste may be hurting our water supply

While looking through a list of recent legislation for the Great Lakes states and provinces, I see most are trying to institute a microbead ban--didn't see anything for Ohio but we're still working on BS blooming in Lake Erie. Apparently, they are common in toothpastes, including some of the Crest brands I like. Yuk. Check the label for polyethylene. They can't be filtered out of the waste water.

http://dentalpatientnews.com/which-toothpastes-contain-microbeads/#sthash.fUwEqA9H.jMFu2ajU.dpbs

“Typically, microplastics are defined as plastic pieces measuring less than 5 millimeters (mm). The microbeads found in personal care products are almost always smaller than 1 mm. These micro particles are made of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and nylon. Microbeads of polyethylene or polypropylene are the most common.”

http://www.watershedcouncil.org/learn/microbeads-in-the-great-lakes/

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/tiny-plastic-microbeads-pile-problems-great-lakes/

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Thinking about Hillary

liberal-logic-101-208

I know a lot of people who should be angry.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Hypocrisy and intolerance from the left

The owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa were fined $135,000 for not catering a gay wedding. So the Kleins' friend started a GoFundMe page to raise money for their legal fees. GoFundMe then pulled the contract--and they can do that for any reason they wish, especially if they don't agree with the client's opinions or viewpoints. Unfortunately, the bakery owners didn't have that same right--at least no longer. Oregon--you got to love those liberals. Destroy a small business, then twist the knife. I suspect that GoFundMe's "careful review" had a some pressure from the oh-so-tolerant--like the threat of a twitter campaign to close them down. Or maybe they really are that hypocritical.

http://www.worldmag.com/2015/04/christian_bakers_ordered_to_pay_135_000_for_discrimination

“An Oregon judge made clear in no uncertain terms to the Kleins and all Oregonians that the state has the right to demand that citizens engage in activities that violate their beliefs and if they refuse, they will lose their ability to make a living,” he [Perkins] said in a prepared statement. “In a free country, this is a ruling that cannot and must not stand.  A government able to bankrupt people for standing by their deepest beliefs is a government of unbridled power and a threat to everyone’s freedom.”  Tony Perkins, Family Research Council

We all know that there are plenty of gay bakers in Portland.  Usually, the gay community sticks together and supports each other in business, sports, education events, etc.  I’ve even seen it in their business ads. Just makes you wonder how this couple picked this bakery.

Snacking on kale chips

I made kale chips today. I can't compare with store bought because I've never tried them, but with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on them, they are pretty good.  A package of Kale comes in 16 oz where I shop—and that’s a whole lot of green stuff.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-kale-chips-recipe.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/kale-chips_n_4080017.html

http://ohsheglows.com/2014/03/12/6-tips-for-flawless-kale-chips-all-dressed-kale-chips-recipe/

image

Some will be happy and satisfied, but many won’t

The media is in love with Bruce Jenner and his sex change--or they were until they found out he was a Republican. The research is somewhat limited, but what there is shows a higher mortality rate, higher suicide rate, more mental issues, more criminality, and higher STD/HIV in the post surgical transgendered. I think the news cycle tired of the gay stories (2% of the population) so they moved on to transgender (.01%). If it weren't for the police stories, African Americans wouldn't even get in the media at all. Hispanics can only be in a story if it's about illegal immigration. We have a shallow media.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21364939

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/transgender/

http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/28/local/la-me-ln-suicide-attempts-alarming-transgender-20140127

http://thefederalist.com/2014/11/11/trouble-in-transtopia-murmurs-of-sex-change-regret/

Will the uranium story be hot enough to sink Hillary?

“There is every appearance that Hillary Clinton was bribed to grease the sale of, what, 20 percent of America’s uranium production to Russia, and then it was covered up by lying about a meeting at her home with the principals, and by erasing emails." -- Mitt Romney

http://hotair.com/archives/2015/04/24/romney-every-appearance-that-hillary-clinton-was-bribed-on-uranium-deal/

http://therightscoop.com/mark-levin-hillary-uranium-scandal-bigger-than-any-of-her-other-crimes-and-unethical-behaviors/

Media bias and the Washington Post

I don't know how much of the Washington Post I see in the on-line version, but this morning it was one police-black victim article, two pro-climate change articles, two same-sex marriage articles, three transgender articles, one anti-Scott Walker article, one Hillary scandal opinion piece (so gentle it was funny), and two Apple stories. Now there were other topics too, like Comcast/FCC, a female comedian, an introduction to left of Hillary candidate, O'Malley, but the bias is stifling. Americans who use only the New York Times or Washington Post and their siblings in the TV news, are really suffering from lack of information they need to make responsible, informed decisions.

Tolerance is not a Biblical value

Tolerance is not a virtue in the Bible; don't think it is even mentioned. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through me,” is probably the most loving, but intolerant quote in the Bible.  Justice, mercy, love, charity, kindness--yes, but not tolerance. It's not a value in the gay community either, or politics in general. Two gay businessmen hosted a small dinner party with Ted Cruz, a Republican who hasn't ducked the media's "gotcha question" and has been clear that it is up to the states. His position was an Obama and Clintons position until 3 years ago. So the gay mafia are boycotting the hotels (cater only to gays, which I guess is legal) owned by the gay businessmen. Tolerance is a feeling you feel when you feel the other guy's feelings are wrong, but which doesn't ever apply to your own feelings.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Gay marriage and Bruce Jenner

This morning I heard that phrase “on the wrong side of history” in reference to Ohio and gay marriage. That phrase means just the opposite. It actually means “let’s throw out history and chart a new course.” And I’ve heard it was a Karl Marx phrase, but haven’t researched that. He thought communism was progress, thus “progressive” and changing history.  And it did indeed change history—more people have died at the hand of their own government under communism, or some form of it, than all the wars of history.

History, recorded and oral tradition, doesn’t support same sex marriage, even though all cultures seemed to be aware of men being used for prostitution and boys for sweethearts until the “real marriage” which produced children and bound family groups.  When we visited Pompeii ruins the mosaic depictions of gay sex were common. I recall something like posters, and men could choose from the representation of . . . well, let’s just say they were definitely first century porn.  I didn’t take any photos.

Also, I suppose the transgender crowd can look back to the eunuchs who were often trusted guards of harems, or loyal advisors of the king, or the wonderful choral performers of the middle ages. Bruce Jenner is right now the darling of the media and ABC is really pushing you watch the interview.  He will have himself eunuchized through voluntary castration and surgical removal of his penis.

I find it strange that people who long to be the other gender believe the only part of their body that makes a man male or a woman female is the genitals. We are gendered right down to the cellular level. Muscle formation, bones, brains, response to diseases and pharmacology—it’s all about gender. Hormone shots won’t change it.

I had a good friend who went through this.  He was so much happier after facial and hair line surgery (formerly looked very male) and hormone shots.  He hadn’t yet had the surgery the last time I saw him 16 years ago, but was looking forward to it.  Meanwhile, he and his wife would both go out in dresses to shop for his new clothes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23027445

What’s going on with our media?

It would be my guess, and maybe yours, that the MSM are jumping the Hillary ship for Elizabeth Warren.  Well over half the country and most politicians here at home and abroad have known for decades that the Clintons are crooks, and together they are practically a gang. So NOW in spring 2015 the media all of a sudden notice the funny money, the expansive gibberish, the lack of decency and morality?  I don't see any other explanation for the reporting from the left on their criminality and hypocrisy. Warren hasn't been in power long enough or had enough experience to have muddy footprints which may be part of the appeal. Even though she's a very wealthy woman and a doublespeak academic she still makes appeals to "ordinary Americans" (Obama's favorite term for the hoi polloi/proletariat).

Image result for Elizabeth Warren Hillary Clinton

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Petraeus and the Clintons

What Petraeus did was wrong--legally and morally. But 2 years probation and $100,000 fine when the administration is winking at what Hillary has done--which is 100 times worse? She's accepted money from foreign governments with which she had dealings. She scrubbed her e-mail even after being asked for it by Congress. And her party plans to award her with the Presidency. Petraeus had an  affair, tried to hide it with a fake e-mail and had some pillow talk he shouldn't have had with his lover. And her party wants him in jail! He was a scoundrel and an unfaithful husband. Hillary was unfaithful to her country, violated just about every law on the books for her office and colluded with her husband (who was never faithful to her ) to accept outrageous fees, and not report them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/david-petraeus-to-be-sentenced-in-leak-investigation.html?_r=1

Quick and Easy 15-Minute Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Mustard and Tarragon

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes—[that said I always have trouble getting this right—haven’t tried it yet—and I usually skip the garlic]. From the newsletter of The World’s Healthiest Foods, which I enjoy because of the good research and documentation, and a minimum of trendy opinion.

15minchickenwmustardtarragon

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion cut in half and sliced medium thick
  • 5 medium cloves garlic, pressed
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 TBS Dijon mustard
  • 1 TBS + 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 TBS chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 tsp dried tarragon)
  • 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
  • salt and white pepper to taste
Directions:
  1. Slice onion and press garlic and let sit for 5-10 minutes to bring out their hidden health benefits.
  2. Heat 1 TBS broth in a 10-12 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 2 minutes.
  3. While onions are sautéing, cut chicken into pieces. Add chicken pieces and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently to seal chicken on all sides. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
  4. Add mustard, 1/2 cup broth, and honey. Mix thoroughly and simmer uncovered for about 7-8 minutes on medium-high heat stirring occasionally to cook chicken evenly. This will also reduce sauce.
  5. While chicken is cooking, chop herbs and add at end with salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4

Serving Suggestion: Serve with

  • Mediterranean Swiss Chard

New exercise suit

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Oleg Cassini from Volunteers of America.  $5. A zipper pocket in the back of the jacket for jogging, I suppose. Very comfortable and beautifully made. Perfect for the slightly chilly spring days, or walking the lakefront at Lakeside on early summer mornings. Now 141 down from 168 in December. Leg pain is gone; some clothes moved to storage.

I love cabbage

Image result for cabbage

I like it raw, or grilled in a little butter, or shredded on lettuce for some crunch in a salad.  I really enjoy coleslaw, either plain or with apples or raisins in a sweet dressing. 

Look at this list of pesticides for cabbage found in lab research. But before you say “eeyu” and swear off cabbage, these are pesticides which the cabbage plant produces.  99.99% of all the pesticides we eat are produced by the plant itself. Plants produce toxins to protect themselves against fungi, insects, and animal predators.  Tens of thousands of these chemicals have been found and tested, and each plant is different.

Glucosinolates: 2-propenyl glucosinolate (sinigrin),* 3-methylthiopropyl glucosinolate, 3-methylsulfinylpropyl glucosinolate, 3-butenyl
glucosinolate, 2-hydroxy-3-butenyl glucosinolate, 4-methylthiobutyl glucosinolate, 4-methylsulfinylbutyl glucosinolate,
4-methylsulfonylbutyl glucosinolate, benzyl glucosinolate, 2-phenylethyl glucosinolate, propyl glucosinolate, butyl glucosinolate
Indole glucosinolates and related indoles: 3-indolylmethyl glucosinolate (glucobrassicin), 1-methoxy-3-indolylmethyl glucosinolate
(neoglucobrassicin), indole-3-carbinol,* indole-3-acetonitrile, bis(3-indolyl)methane
Isothiocyanates and goitrin: allyl isothiocyanate,* 3-methylthiopropyl isothiocyanate, 3-methylsulfinylpropyl isothiocyanate, 3-butenyl
isothiocyanate, 5-vinyloxazolidine-2-thione (goitrin), 4-methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate, 4-methylsulfinylbutyl isothiocyanate,
4-methylsulfonylbutyl isothiocyanate, 4-pentenyl isothiocyanate, benzyl isothiocyanate, phenylethyl isothiocyanate
Cyanides: 1-cyano-2,3-epithiopropane, 1-cyano-3,4-epithiobutane, 1-cyano-3,4-epithiopentane, threo-1-cyano-2-hydroxy-3,4-epithiobutane,
erythro-1-cyano-2-hydroxy-3,4-epithiobutane, 2-phenylpropionitrile, allyl cyanide,* 1-cyano-2-hydroxy-3-butene, 1-cyano-3-
methylsulfinylpropane, 1-cyano-4-methylsulfinylbutane
Terpenes: menthol, neomenthol, isomenthol, carvone*
Phenols: 2-methoxyphenol, 3-caffoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid),* 4-caffoylquinic acid,* 5-caffoylquinic acid (neochlorogenic acid),*
4-(p-coumaroyl)quinic acid, 5-(p-coumaroyl)quinic acid, 5-feruloylquinic acid

“ 27 natural pesticides that are rodent carcinogens are present
in the following foods: anise, apple, apricot, banana, basil,
broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, caraway,
carrot, cauliflower, celery, cherries, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa,
coffee, collard greens, comfrey herb tea, currants, dill,
eggplant, endive, fennel, grapefruit juice, grapes, guava,
honey, honeydew melon, horseradish, kale, lentils, lettuce,
mango, mushrooms, mustard, nutmeg, orange juice, parsley,
parsnip, peach, pear, peas, black pepper, pineapple, plum,
potato, radish, raspberries, rosemary, sesame seeds, tarragon,
tea, tomato, and turnip. Thus, it is probable that almost
every fruit and vegetable in the supermarket contains natural
plant pesticides that are rodent carcinogens. The levels of
these 27 rodent carcinogens in the above plants are commonly
thousands of times higher than the levels of synthetic
pesticides.”

Pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables are minuscule compared with the cancer-causing potential of some natural chemicals in plants.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Psoriatic Arthritis—light after darkness by guest blogger Sarah Terry

Sarah has PsA (Psoriatic Arthritis) and a year or so ago I visited her in a nursing home after a terrible flare up. Today on Facebook Sarah wrote about her long and successful climb back to encourage those new to the disease, but I believe her message is also an encouragement for those facing other health challenges.

“Today I had an appointment with my rheumy, who I have come to like very much. When we first met last January 2014, I was in a wheelchair, it was 23 degrees below zero outside and I was in so much pain, I could barely move. I was so weak that I couldn't even kick off sheets from my legs. Everything hurt and I do mean everything, because I'd been off my Remicade since August due to a tooth infection that went nuts in my body and gave me what I call my super flare and led to 2 weeks in the hospital and 3 months in a nursing home, because I literally could not stand, toilet, walk, wash- -nothing.

Fast forward to today. My rheumy said he thought that I was glowing (I thought ... glowing?? I'm certainly not pregnant, lol). He said that with as many things as I had going on and all the meds, I looked absolutely joyful - to which I replied, I try and when I'm down, I very much remember the distance I've come. That I can now walk, go to the store, drive a car, take a shower, take out my trash, pick up my cat, change her litter box - most all of what I did before, except working. But even that is all right because I had 32 years at Ohio State University.  Although I had planned to work another 10 years, this is what happened and I am now in a better place than I had been for the past 15 yrs.

So what is my message?  Well, it is that there is light after darkness. That often you will have to dig deeper in yourself than you ever thought possible. That things happen for a reason, although you might not know that reason. That there are always options, even though you thought you might not ever have considered those unknown to you. That you are here for a reason and you will learn the lessons and you will be of help to others. That your pain is real and so is your joy and in time, you can learn to experience more joy than pain or even both at the same time - but you won't be held down by the pain, unless you choose to be.

The good news is that medicine has made advances and those of us with this disease have so much more available to us than previous generations. With the internet we can become educated and better advocates for ourselves. Now we have choices.”

Why April 22?

It’s no coincidence that Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D) founded “Earth Day” on April 22, 1970, the centenary of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin’s birthday. http://patriotpost.us/alexander/34776

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Happy Earth Day

Here in Columbus we're in winter recovery mode--green grass and beautiful flowers everywhere. And the winter debris. Today I'll drive to the west side for my volunteer job and I'll pass through some light industrial and "emerging" neighborhoods. I'll see people walking to the bus stops along roads with no sidewalks and a few who appear to be homeless. The grass and easements around the fast food businesses, gas stations, lumber outlets, and car lots will be pristine. The city of Columbus with responsibility for the exits, overpasses and other easements has a lot of work to do. Plastic bags, trash, newspapers, bottles. Do your part. It's Earth Day, a good time to clean up your own messes.

On Earth Day when we remember Rachel Carson whose poorly researched book contributed to the deaths of millions of Africans. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/science/earth/05tier.html…

One of the founders of Earth Day, Ira Einhorn,  in 1970 murdered his girl friend.  He was on the run for 23 years, but is in jail now. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42711922/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/earth-day-co-founder-killed-composted-girlfriend/

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Consumer Reports says coupons save money—they don’t

"All told, consumers saved $3.6 billion by using coupons [out of $310 billion], which makes it difficult to understand why only 59 percent of subscribers we surveyed used manufacturers coupons." (Consumer Reports).

Oh, let me count the ways American consumers are fooled into using coupons that

  • 1) cover up price increases,
  • 2) introduce yet another new product we don't need,
  • 3) convince us to buy processed rather than steaming or grilling it ourselves,
  • 4) deliver us into obesity with a bazillion snack offerings, etc. etc.

Yes, I know, I can't convince you that food companies don't stay in business by giving away their products, or that coupons add to the cost of your food, so just continue to fool yourselves--with the help of the media that prints or distributes the coupons. The first coupon was a wooden nickel.

Unemployment for some is not ending

"Long-term unemployment has fallen in recent years, although it remains high by historical standards. Five years after the Great Recession ended, the number of long-term unemployed still made up a larger share of unemployment than during any previous recession." (BLS, Spotlight on Statistics, March 2015). Actually, the recession ended in June 2009, almost six years ago—so these figures are from 2014 apparently. This has been the slowest recovery from a recession in history. I believe the ARRA made it worse.

Men more than women, blacks and Asians more than whites, older more than younger are the faces of the long term unemployed. Education level doesn't change things. Washington, DC, home of our federal government,  has the highest rate of long term unemployed. http://www.bls.gov/.../2015/long-term-unemployment/home.htm

Are these men really missing?

The New York Times Upshot column claims: “In New York, almost 120,000 black men between the ages of 25 and 54 are missing from everyday life. In Chicago, 45,000 are, and more than 30,000 are missing in Philadelphia. Across the South — from North Charleston, S.C., through Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi and up into Ferguson, Mo. — hundreds of thousands more are missing.”

I'm not sure why they are called missing. Black women abort at a much higher rate than white, so let's assume over half of those babies are male (birth ratio statistics); the crime rate for black men is about 8 times that of white, and their victims are black, so unless you want the police and courts to ignore the victims so the perps won't be in jail, what is the solution? More males than females are born, except among blacks; all boys are less healthy than girls, and by age 13 there is quite a discrepancy; visit the prisons and talk to the men of any race who grew up without fathers married to their mothers and in the home. CDC estimates that blacks account for almost half of all new infections of HIV in the U.S.each year, and although that's not the death sentence it used to be, it's also not the road to health, employment and marriage--and in a number of cities about 1/3 of the gay/bisexual black men are infected. When black men marry, about 24% marry outside their race, decreasing the opportunity for marriage for black women (Pew Study) so they might as well be missing. There is no plot.They aren't missing. But there is some negative behavior that can be changed.

Also, the author doesn’t seem to grasp the connection that the higher prison rate has resulted in lower crime rates for black communities.

Since the 1990s, death rates for young black men have dropped more than rates for other groups, notes Robert N. Anderson, the chief of mortality statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both homicides and H.I.V.-related deaths, which disproportionately afflict black men, have dropped. Yet the prison population has soared since 1980. In many communities, rising numbers of black men spared an early death have been offset by rising numbers behind bars.

Monday, April 20, 2015

ISIS kills more Christians for show terror

Last night millions of Americans watched “Game of Thrones” with elaborate sets, made up languages, sexy female monarchs, fantasy creatures--very violent and blood thirsty. Meanwhile ISIS slaughtered some more Christians, this time Ethiopians, and made a video of it. Most Americans yawned. They'd rather shut down pizza shops owned by Christians than lift a finger to stop the massacre of Christians. One group was beheaded on a beach along the Mediterranean Sea, while the other group was shot in Southern Libya, hundreds of miles away. "The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama bin Laden's body in, we swear to Allah, we will mix it with your blood," the narrator said in English. He's talking to us.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/19/africa/libya-isis-executions-ethiopian-christians/

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/middleeast/article4416389.ece

http://rt.com/news/251037-isis-christians-killing-video/

Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine

Last night I watched Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine, pt. 2 of 6, on WOSU. It seems to be quite faithful to church teachings (at least this segment) and I enjoyed seeing the places we've visited (tour with our church group in 2009).

260

275

Gwyneth Paltrow’s food stamp challenge

I think Gwyneth Paltrow has learned her lesson about food stamps (SNAP), but just in case, here's $29 of food purchased this morning, and even the government knows Paltrow's cupboard isn't bare and she probably has some flour, sugar, potatoes, carrots, some left over Easter ham in the freezer and coffee from last week. This grocery run includes 8# of oranges, $6; 6 bananas $.81; 1 lb. of strawberries, $1.50; 1/2 gal 2% milk, $2.39; bag of mixed salad greens with sunflower see...ds and dressing included, $2.50; 6 Lite yogurt with fruit, $3; and ground sirloin $6.50. I was not shopping to budget, and if I were, I wouldn't buy partially processed items. The rules are complicated and the household is expected to contribute its own money to the food budget. The S in SNAP is Supplemental; they changed it thinking people would understand it better--but they obviously don't. At least Gwyneth didn't.

$29 groceries

Republican Thaddeus Stevens changed his grave site

Shortly before he died on August 11, 1868, Thaddeus Stevens learned that the grave he'd purchased was located in a whites-only cemetery. Incensed, he bought another plot, this one in an obscure graveyard in Lancaster with no racial restrictions. Then he wrote an inscription designed to carve his creed into his headstone:

I repose in this quiet and secluded spot,
Not from any natural preference for solitude
But, finding other Cemeteries limited as to Race
by Charter Rules,
I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death
The Principles which I advocated through a long life:
EQUALITY OF MAN BEFORE HIS CREATOR.

Story at History Net

Monday Memories—what was your first car?

David Graf (lives in Florida, but grew up in Mt. Morris) had a Face Book post about his first car. This is probably more significant for guys than gals, at least from the 1950s when Dave and I were in high school. But it did give me a chance to remember the 1951 Packard Dad bought for Carol and me to drive to college in 1957 (a 6 hour drive), she was at Goshen and I was at Manchester. We could get 6 girls with all their luggage in that 4 dr. sedan. What was your first car?

packard-200-sedan

I don’t have a photo of the car, but do have a vivid memory of a flat tire with it fully loaded with girls and luggage.  Some nice man helped us change it after we unpacked everything. Because I was a freshman, I couldn’t keep the car at Manchester, so it was parked in Goshen, where according to Carol, they locked up the Coca Cola machines on Sunday.

This is a photo of a restored 200 series Packard, which is the lowest end model.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

That’s the way the feta crumbles

Image result for feta cheese crumbles

They can't fool me. If feta cheese crumbled is $1 more for 2 ounces less than block feta, I buy the block and crumble it myself. If "lite" salad dressing's first ingredient is water and is $1 higher than regular, I buy the regular and add water.

How to crumble feta cheese   I was surprised there were actually “how to” sites for this.  I just sliced the block and cut it up.  It sort of fell apart.

Image result for lite ranch salad dressing

Presidential candidates of 100 years ago were invited to address the Convention of Former Slaves

http://ghostsofdc.org/2012/07/06/ex-slave-convention-1916/

Amazing photos, including four people, two men and two women who were over 100 years old.

Arthur Godfrey and FDR

I'm not an FDR fan, but I'm surprised I didn't see/hear more on the 70th anniversary of his death/funeral this past week. Was I napping? Was the TV off? The recording of the funeral has now been added to the Library of Congress under the National Preservation Act of 2000.

"Following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death on Thursday, April 12, 1945, the national radio networks suspended regular programming until after his interment on Sunday, April 15. In its place, they ...aired a round-the-clock stream of reactions from home and abroad, including formal tributes, memorial services, and live coverage of the journey of the funeral train bearing the president’s body to Washington, D.C. On Saturday, April 14, a solemn funeral cortege made its way through the streets of the nation’s capital from Union Station to the lawn of the White House, with relays of radio announcers describing its progress.

Arthur Godfrey, a local broadcast personality with many years of experience covering public events in the area, was added to the CBS national broadcast team. As the last announcer on the route before the White House, he gave beautifully detailed and dramatic descriptions from atop a bank building at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue for nearly half an hour, with his tone changing from solemn and journalistic to personal and emotional. When the caisson bearing the president’s body came into his view, Godfrey was dumbstruck, finally murmuring "God help me to do this" and choking out a few more sentences before breaking down on the air, forcing CBS to return to the studio briefly before resuming coverage on the White House lawn. Godfrey, a veteran of 15 years in radio, was deeply embarrassed by this incident, but soon became one of the country’s most popular broadcasters when he started his national morning show on CBS. His emotional coverage of this event now helps to illuminate the depth of the nation’s grief over Roosevelt’s death."

http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2015/15-041.html

Educators who make race relations worse

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I haven't checked out this story--someone is clearly misguided if it is true. But what is true is it was completely unnecessary: Among 2014 high school graduates, 86.1% of Asians enrolled in college, compared to 70.9% of black graduates, 67.3% of white graduates and 65.2% of Hispanic graduates. So why are educators still trying to create hard feelings, entitlement and victimhood?

What we really need is some direction for students who won’t be going to college, a place they’ll rack up debt for jobs that won’t be able to support the debt.

Race Relations and Law Enforcement—Jason Riley

“The shooting death of a young black man by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, last year touched off a national discussion about everything except the aberrant behavior of so many young black men that results in such frequent encounters with police. We talked about racial prejudice, poverty, unemployment, profiling, the tensions between law enforcement and poor black communities, and so forth. Rarely did we hear any discussion of black crime rates.

Homicide is the leading cause of death for young black men in the U.S., and around 90 percent of the perpetrators are also black. Yet for months we’ve had protesters nationwide pretending that our morgues are full of young black men because cops are shooting them. Around 98 percent of black shooting deaths do not involve police. In fact, a cop is six times more likely to be shot by someone black than the opposite. The protestors are pushing a false anti-cop narrative, and everyone from the president on down has played along.” . . .

“If liberals want to help reverse these crime trends, they would do better to focus less on supposed racial animus and more on ghetto attitudes towards school, work, marriage, and child-rearing. As recently as the early 1960s, two out of three black children were raised in two-parent households. Today, more than 70 percent are not, and the number can reach as high as 80 or 90 percent in our inner cities.

For decades, studies have shown that the likelihood of teen pregnancy, drug abuse, dropping out of school and other bad social outcomes increases dramatically when fathers aren’t around. One of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken in this regard concluded that black boys without a father are 68 percent more likely to be incarcerated than those with a father—that overall, the most critical factor affecting the prospect of young males encountering the criminal justice system is the presence of a father in the home. All other factors, including family income, are much less important.”

https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/race-relations-and-law-enforcement/

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Capra’s America

Frank Capra was an immigrant--he rejected the theories of progressivism, communism and socialism popular in Europe. ". . . he did not understand America, as many Americans do today, in terms of personal categories of identity such as race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. He understood America in terms of its political principles—the moral principles of America that can be shared by all who understand them and are willing to live up to them. . .

In his last and most personal tribute to his adopted country, Capra recalled his family’s arrival at Union Station in Los Angeles after their long journey across America in 1903. When they got off the train, his mother and father got on their knees and kissed the ground. Capra’s last words to his assembled audience were these: “For America, for just allowing me to live here, I kiss the ground.” Capra did not believe that he had a right to be a citizen of America. Rather he was grateful for the privilege of living in America."

https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/frank-capras-america-and-ours/

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/03/books/it-wasn-t-such-a-wonderful-life.html

http://rougholboy.com/capra/

The “gotcha” question—get ready for it

Rubio's already answered the "gotcha" question the media will pose for all Republicans.  It's not on ISIS, EPA regulations, monetary policies, the deficit, Iran’s threat, Israel or did his dog ride outside the car.  It will be this one.  And he said, Yes.  Other candidates could mention 2008 and Obama's lie about supporting traditional marriage in order to get electeed and how he was outed just in time for the 2012 election so he lied again and said he evolved. If evolving is good enough for the president's supporters, then it should be good enough for Republicans replying to the Democratic media that they are evolving on the issue. Now that there are "throuples" wanting recognition of their marriages, perhaps it could be rephrased into something more trendy.

http://www.newsmax.com/US/Marco-Rubio-would-attend-wedding/2015/04/15/

We’ve already been through this some years ago in our family, and they’ve already split.

Look out.

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America’s Best Architecture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zBG1xML8U0

I wouldn’t necessarily call the choices, “the best,” but they are certainly influential. The filming begins with the Salk Institute designed by Louis Kahn in La Jolla, California, moves on to Colorado and the chapel at the US Air Force Academy, Trinity Church in Boston,  the St. Louis Gateway Arch designed by Saarinen, various buildings in Columbus, Indiana, Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright in Pennsylvania and the architecture of Chicago.  It leaves out a lot, but is interesting.  Hosts are  artist Mame McCutchin & architect Charlie Luxton and their big van.

image

#1 man made tourist example in Colorado—Air Force Academy Chapel. 24,000 pieces of glass with colors representing leaving the world coming into the light of God.  The pews are designed to look like old propellers.  Stations of the cross use olive wood from Israel.

image

This is Henry Hobson Richardson’s Trinity Church in Boston which started a particular style, Richardsonian Romanesque. “Like walking into a painting.”  Next door is the John Hancock tower. I’ve seen these.

When we visited Fallingwater last year with a group from Columbus Museum of Art it was the earliest day in the Spring it was open, so we didn’t see the lush green in this film.  We’ve been on so many wonderful architectural tours with local groups—which is how we saw Columbus, Indiana--this was fun to watch. We’ve also been on a boat ride to see the Chicago architecture—I’ve been to the top of the Sears Tower twice.

image

I wasn’t familiar with the Reserve Channel, but will continue checking it out.

15 minutes a day with the Harvard classics

If I began on today April 18, it would be in Don Quixote, according to the guide and I would learn how the naming came about. So I would know 15 minutes more than I knew 15 minutes ago.

Don Quixote

Here is the guide for reading 15 minutes a day.

And here is an English professor who tried it and found it quite useful.

A Year of 15-Minute Daily Doses From the Harvard Classics

“I discovered that a reading regimen, even if only 15 minutes a day, requires discipline. William James wrote that discipline is needed in the formation of any new habit. In this case, the habit was reading regularly and outside my comfort zone. I often had to fight against an inclination to skip a day. But the relative brevity of the selections kept me on track—a hint to teachers who assign too much and thereby encourage cribbing and cramming. With a 15-minute assignment, I could push on, knowing that the end was near.”  Paula Marantz Cohen, WSJ, Dec. 26, 2014

Save Nigeria

Nigeria is the wealthiest African country, and Nigerian-Americans also are at the top of the charts in education and income. Disagree if you wish, but in my opinion this is a result of Christianity and capitalism, just as in the USA. Sixty years ago, Christianity was only about 20%, outnumbered by Muslims, and now Christians outnumber Muslims. Christian missionaries were faithful and prolific, targeting education and agriculture along with the gospel. Other African countries which depended on foreign aid from the World Bank and their former colonial powers got 70 years of roller coaster failure (like our own War on Poverty the aid held them back). But aggressive jihad is threatening the Christian culture of Nigeria. It's a country in peril.

Save the girls of Chibok--you don't hear much now except from the tiny Church of the Brethren. It's lost 8,000 members to recent Muslim attacks on Christians in Nigeria. The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (160,000 members according to the World Council of churches website) is now over twice the size of its mother church.  I remember the COB missionaries visiting our little church when I was a child to raise support.  Now they need our help again, but this time to saves lives on this side of eternity.   http://www.brethren.org/nigeriacrisis/

http://www.cananusa.org/

Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans, CANAN, is calling on the US President Barack Obama to reinvigorate America’s support to the effort to rescue the over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls who were abducted exactly one year ago by Boko Haram terrorists.

As the whole world marks one year after the disturbing abduction, CANAN wants the US government to renew and upwardly review its military and technical assistance to the Nigerian government’s effort and those of the neighboring countries in confronting the terrorists. April 15, 2015

http://www.cananusa.org/index.php/campaigns/press-release.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2014/11/19/africas-50-richest-2014-worth-a-combined-111-billion-up-nearly-7-percent-from-a-year-ago/

http://www.forbes.com/profile/folorunsho-alakija/ Richer than Oprah.

The Three Hierarchs

When I ride my exercycle in the morning, I don’t find much on TV, but since my computer is directly behind me, I type a topic in Google and do a YouTube search.  I usually don’t have to see the person, but I can through the reflections of the painting on the wall.  I really like the writings of John McGuckin, (whom I found in The story of Christian spirituality) so I Googled him.  I found many men and interesting topics by that name, but I was looking for the theologian. I settled on a good lecture on the Three Hierarchs, Basil the Great (also known as Basil of Caesarea), Gregory the Theologian (also known as Gregory of Nazianzus) and John Chrysostom. I like to dabble in topics about which I know nothing.   McGuckin has written on Gregory, so that was his part of this three topic lecture. Lots of humor.  I guess Gregory was a funny guy.

https://youtu.be/xWhpQpbV1o8

These three are called “doctors of the church” by the western church and Hierarchs by the eastern church.

This particular lecture focuses on the Greek language and culture, the Roman social and legal system, and the Jewish moral teachings as the Christian basis for the role of the early, ancient church in social justice. The idea that God is in suffering changed civilization.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Dirty jobs pay well

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Bernie the Socialist wants more money

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The top quintile pays 84% of the income tax; the bottom two pay negative taxes.  That’s not good enough for socialists.  No one should be successful. Hillary has raised $2.5 billion; why is he worrying about $900 million?

Art field trip

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Thursday, April 16, 2015

State sponsored terrorism—Cuba and Iran

I understand why Obama lied about traditional marriage in order to get elected, but what does he have to gain from getting cuddly with Cuba and Iran? Both are top listed for state sponsored terrorism. http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/224826.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/world/americas/obama-cuba-remove-from-state-terror-list.html?_r=0

Regular exercise reduces falls and fractures—Harvard Medical School Healthbeat

“Your bone strength and size peaks by age 30. After that, bones tend to become less dense, making them more fragile and subject to breaks. Bone strength in later life depends upon your peak bone mass in youth. An active lifestyle in youth can increase maximum bone density.

Even if you're older, exercise is still a great way to protect your bones. The physical stress placed on bones during exercise stimulates the growth of new bone tissue. The type of exercise you do matters. To bolster your bones, you need to get regular weight-bearing exercise. This includes weight lifting and resistance training, as well as any type of activity that forces you to work against gravity by standing or carrying your body's weight, including running, walking, dancing, and stair climbing. Activities such as swimming or biking aren't weight-bearing and thus don't build bone. Generally, higher-impact activities (such as running) or resistance exercises (such as strength training) have a more pronounced effect on bone than lower-impact exercises, such as walking.

Only the bones that bear the load of the exercise will benefit. For example, running protects bones in the hips and legs, but not the arms. A well-rounded strength training plan can benefit practically all of your bones.

Because exercise improves your overall strength, coordination, and balance, it also makes you less likely to fall, which means less opportunity to break a bone.

Five quintiles, four races, four pillars of success

There are five quintiles the government uses to show economic groups in the U.S. The top quintile (incomes about $94,000+) pays almost 84% of the income taxes. The quintile figure doesn't provide number of earners in a household, and most in that quintile have two  earners, which lower the quintiles may not.

There are four groups tracked--Asian households have the highest income, then white, then Hispanic, then black. There are four pillars holding up the higher and upper middle earning groups--1) marriage, 2) higher education, 3) social capital by which they contribute to their community--local clubs, politics, sports, and 4) organized religion.

There are a lot of sources to check for this information:  The CBO, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/49440 and Charles Murray "Coming Apart" (2012) and  The Heritage Foundation to name a few. http://blackdemographics.com/households/marriage-in-black-america/  The Wikipedia article has a good bibliography, but is about 6-7 years old.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Arrest-related deaths among whites

Among reported arrest-related deaths, 42% of persons were white, 32% were black, and 20% were Hispanic. (DOJ NCJ 235385) That might sound reasonable considering the percentage of the population that is white, however, the rate of crime among blacks is much higher; the offending rate for blacks is almost 8 times higher than whites, and the victim rate 6 times higher (most victims are also black). This would mean the rate of arrest related deaths for whites is higher than black . (http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htius.pdf)

Natural and organic is big business, government supported

USDA is heavily involved in “natural” and “organic” farming  (certification, regulation, promotion, collecting economic data, lending, etc.) As in all things big government, when it gives you money to do something, it wants something in return. A few years ago I could buy unrefrigerated eggs at a farmers market (they’ll keep for weeks and taste completely different—like when when you were a kid), but last time I asked I was told they needed to follow regulations and refrigerate them before marketing. Perhaps it had been that way much longer, but the little guy I purchased from didn’t know the regulations.

Also, many people who donate to food pantries think these are church run (and they do provide that service for the government), but almost everyone along the way from farmer, to harvest, to processing, to storing at your local “food bank” is all government paid. It’s a massive loop, employing millions of people. It’s an all-growth industry feeding the poor.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/farmersmarkets

The government controls competition:  http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5094336

USDA provides funds to publicize Farmers Markets: http://www.nutrition.gov/farmers-markets

http://www.foodpantries.org/

http://stmarysdorchester.org/food-pantry/

This is an interesting article in that it doesn’t really explain the role of the federal government in food pantries. http://www.foodbankrockies.org/wp-content/uploads/Tips-for-Organizing-and-Operating-a-Food-Pantry-Program.pdf

National Library Week

Julia Quinn's photo.