March 19, 2011

We welcomed Ryan home from Hillsdale College last night.  He sat down for a quick dinner (Bolyard Burgers, on the grill!), unloaded a carload of laundry, and headed off to Bible study with his dad.  He also left me with a reading assignment from his American Heritage Reader, compiled by the Hillsdale College History Faculty.  It's a collection (882 pages) of  important documents and writings from Colonial times thru Reagan.   Ryan was so excited about what he's been learning that he wanted to share it with me, which is music to a homeschooling mom's heart.  My assignment:  "The Great Nation of Futurity" by John Louis O'Sullivan (1813-1895).  It contains this quote about our country:

"We have had patriots to defend our homes, our liberties, but no aspirants to crowns or thrones; nor have the American people ever suffered themselves to be led on by wicked ambition to de-populate the land, to spread desolation far and wide, that a human being might be placed on a seat of supremacy."

Our nation has truly been blessed! In light of what we've seen in the Middle East in recent months and looking across the whole of history, we are indeed unique and exceptional. 


Baptist Press - Disaster pushes Japanese beyond secular thinking: 

 ...Proud of their secular society, most Japanese are not religious. But in a time of crisis, International Mission Board missionary Gary Fujino says they tend to fall back on an old Japanese expression, 'The god that you depend on in times of crisis.'

'What that means is when things are bad, you will go to the temple and shrine because nothing you've tried thus far worked,' Fujino explains. He notes that, once the crisis is over, no one goes back to the temple or shrine. 
Thousands of prayer tablets hung in one-day testify that the crisis in Japan continues to grow and people are trying to find ways to cope...

They really believe that in themselves they have what they need, which makes it very difficult to share the Gospel' Fujino says. 'What we need is for people to be shaken and realize that you need something outside of yourself -- God'...

'I learned in the Kobe earthquake that I needed God. I learned that I don't need material things. My heart opened up,' she says. 'I think God saved me back then because He wants to use me now.'...

...She explains that the Japanese government will take care of things and rebuild houses in a few months, but she can do something even bigger -- introduce people to the God who can rebuild their lives.   'I have a really strong God,' she says. 'I want those people in the disaster to know my God's strength and power.'

Dorsey cannot make it to the disaster zone yet because of radiation fears, not to mention the lack of government permits, but she's doing what she can in Tokyo. From her church just a few miles from the Shinto shrine, she prays for her country. Dorsey's prayers are different than those hanging in the shrine. Hers are not 'wishes' or 'hopes.' She knows her God personally and knows He will provide."

Somehow, I knew this was coming.  The Radiation Network has real-time updates from Gieger counters across the country. The map is refreshed every minute of the day for those who are having trouble sleeping without knowing what the radiation level is.  According to the website, "alert level" is 100 counts per minute (CPM), so it looks like we're in good shape, for now. 

Public Policy Polling surveyed 400 Republican "usual primary voters" last week and asked the following:

If the Republican candidates for President in  2012 were Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, Newt 
Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron  Paul, Tim Pawlenty, and Mitt Romney who 
would you vote for?


Haley Barbour  2% 
.................................................
Mitch Daniels  4% 
..................................................
Newt Gingrich 16% 
.................................................
Mike Huckabee 19% 
...............................................
Sarah Palin 15% 
.....................................................
Ron Paul  7% 
.........................................................
Tim Pawlenty  5% 
..................................................
Mitt Romney 18% 
....................................................
Someone else/Undecided 13%



Given the choices of Ken Blackwell, Drew Carey, Jon Husted, Shannon Jones, Jim Jordan, Steve LaTourette, Josh Mandel, and  Mary Taylor who would you most like to see as 
the Republican candidate for Senate next year?


Ken Blackwell 17% 
.................................................
Drew Carey 12% 
.....................................................
Jon Husted 14% 
......................................................
Shannon Jones  1% 
...............................................
Jim Jordan  8% 
......................................................
Steve LaTourette  8% 
.............................................
Josh Mandel 6% 
...................................................
Mary Taylor 9% 
.....................................................
Someone else/Undecided 25%


Drew Carey?  Really?  Did people think they were voting for John Kerry? They asked the same question again without Carey in the mix and got the following results:



Ken Blackwell 

21% 

.................................................
Jon Husted 14% 
......................................................
Shannon Jones  4% 
...............................................
Jim Jordan 10% 
......................................................
Steve LaTourette 10% 
.............................................
Josh Mandel 

 7% 

...................................................
Mary Taylor

 8% 

.....................................................
Someone else/Undecided 26%

It's interesting that Ken Blackwell, Ohio's former Secretary of State received so many votes.  He's a solid conservative who challenged Michael Steele for the GOP Chairmanship a couple years ago.  Considering his name hasn't been in the news much, it's a strong showing.  Jim Jordan has said he plans to stay in the House, where he leads the conservative Republican Study Committee.  It's notable that there are a lot of undecided votes up for grabs.

They also asked:

Would you describe yourself as very liberal, somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat 
conservative, or very conservative?


Very liberal 1% 
......................................................
Somewhat liberal 3% 
............................................
Moderate 16% 
.........................................................
Somewhat conservative 46% 
..................................
Very conservative 34%


80% of  Republican "usual primary voters" consider themselves conservatives.  Lawmakers and candidates, listen up!  RINOs need not apply.  


Wisconsin lawmaker hit by property damage - JSOnline: 

"The office of Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse) said the senator has been subjected to damage of personal property and has received threatening statements in the wake of mass protests in recent weeks over Gov. Scott Walker’s budget-repair bill.

Kapanke have been unavailable, but an aide to Kapanke says that windows on Kapanke's car were broken in Madison and the senator's wife found nails strewn on the driveway of their home."

This is what democracy looks like?


Germany's Eco-Trap: Is Environmentalism Really Working? - SPIEGEL ONLINE
This article in Spiegel Online demonstrates what happens in the headlong rush into ill-conceived environmental policies:


E10 (ethanol) Fuel:

"Many haven't yet fully realized that E10 is an ecological swindle. People who want to help the environment shouldn't use it. Nine large European environmental associations recently conducted a joint study which concluded that the bottom line impact of the fuel on the environment is negative. Rainforests are being clear-cut in Brazil and Borneo to make room for sugarcane and oil palm cultivation. At the same time there's a shortage of arable land for food production, which is leading to the threat of famine in parts of the world. Last year, the price of grain rose sharply in the global market."

 Recycling:

"Under German law, only 36 percent of plastic rubbish has to be recycled. The remainder can be sold for a profit, for example to plants that burn rubbish to produce heating or power. Such facilities are everywhere in Germany. Municipalities across the country built then in response to a ban on storing garbage in landfills. Indeed, now there are far too many of them in Germany -- and there is a shortage of burnable waste.

The result is that firms are buying up as much plastic waste -- which burns well due to the high quantity of oil in plastics -- as they can get their hands on. Indeed, some companies have even resorted to importing plastic waste to burn -- hardly a contribution to an environmental utopia."

Water Conservation:

"The Germans are obsessed with saving water. You won't find many countries north of the Sahara that are as water-conscious as Germany. They save water while washing dishes (a modern dishwashing machine uses only six liters per cycle), while going to the toilet (many toilets have a setting that allows only a brief flush), and even when washing their cars....

..."And water conservation in Germany can be harmful -- particularly when it comes to the sewage systems beneath German cities. The lack of waste water flowing through the canalization means that fat, faeces and discarded food aren't getting flushed out enough, and are corroding the walls. To compensate, utilities are forced to pump hundreds of thousands of liters of fresh water through the system to keep it operable..."

Insulation:

"By rights, the venerable town of Weimar with its beautiful old architecture should be forbidden. None of the buildings meet modern standards of heating insulation. The walls are too thin, the windows aren't properly sealed, the place is a disaster in terms of energy efficiency. Politicians in Berlin have ensure that the situation will soon improve. By 2050, all buildings in Germany must be carbon neutral, according to the government's energy plan presented last year. 'If we take that legislation seriously, we would have to tear down half the town,' says Weimar Mayor Stefan Wolf....

 ...Across the country, insulating panels are going up on the outside of myriad buildings. With older buildings making up a quarter of the country's housing stock, there seems to be little other choice...

Another problems is that well-insulated buildings don't breathe -- no outside air gets in and CO2 can build up quickly inside as a result. So can mould. Installing air vents can be exorbitant."

World's Guiltiest Dog.  Poor Denver....shoulda left those kitty cat treats alone!

March 14, 2010

China wants 'one-child' compensation over NZ quake - Yaho News

"A Chinese official said Monday that New Zealand should consider special compensation to parents of Chinese students killed in an earthquake last month because their loss was magnified under the country's one-child policy. Seven students from China have been identified among the 166 confirmed deaths in the quake that devastated Christchurch city on Feb. 22, and as many as 20 others are still missing.
Chinese Embassy official Cheng Lei said Monday that Chinese quake victims had lost not just their only child, but also a future breadwinner. He said New Zealand should consider providing additional financial assistance to those families."You can expect how lonely, how desperate they are ... not only from losing loved ones, but losing almost entirely the major source of economic assistance after retirement," Cheng told Radio New Zealand."

Perhaps, since China's child-killing program is at the root of this problem, the Chinese government should pay up instead of foisting it off on New Zealand, which does not require genocide of every child after the first born.


The Case For Life - Mike Adams - Town Hall
Mike Adams gives us a list of questions for those who would destroy innocent life in the name of "choice."  Some are better than others, but overall, it makes you realize what poor arguments the pro-abortion side has. Here are some of my favorite questions from Adams:

• Some people have bumper stickers saying “Don’t like Abortion? Don’t Have One?" Does that sound like a well-reasoned argument?
• Some people have proposed bumper stickers saying “Don’t like Slavery? Don’t Own One.” Does that sound like a well-reasoned argument?
• If there are no absolute truths, are abortion rights absolute?
• My opposition to those who bomb abortion clinics is rooted in my religious views. Should I impose those views on others by supporting laws against bombing abortion clinics?
• Should we criminally prosecute women who drink and smoke during pregnancy?
• Should the intention to abort a baby be allowed as a defense to the crime of smoking or drinking during pregnancy?
• Imagine that a woman is headed to the hospital to have an abortion. Her car is hit by a man who ran a stop light in his car. Her offspring is killed. In most states, he can be charged with homicide. Does that make sense to you?
• In the previous example, I forgot to add that the man who hit the woman headed to the hospital just happened to be her doctor – the one scheduled to perform the abortion. In most states, he can still be charged with homicide. Does that still make sense?
• In 1961, there were 210,000 abortions performed in America. Within seven years of Roe v. Wade, there were 1.2 million abortions in America. Have we succeeded in making abortions safe, legal and, rare?
• Do human beings have a right to commit murder in a safe way?
• Should we legalize bank robbery to make it safer for bank robbers?
• When women say “My body, my choice” are they aware of the fact that the unborn baby already has its own DNA?
• When a suspect’s DNA is found at a murder scene is it permissible to arrest his mother? Or has she been ruled out as the murderer because she has different DNA?

Neal Boortz has a message for the college students he saw protesting collective bargaining reforms in Wisconsin...

"OK … now for the college students. Surely you saw them at the protests last week. For the most part their more cogent moments were spent standing in the Wisconsin Capital waving their fists in the air and screaming “Shame! Shame! Shame!” Now you gotta love a bunch of college students yelling “shame.” The benefits of higher education on display. Shame? Just how much under-age drinking, bong hits and Gawd-knows-what-else went on in Madison the night before?...Tell you what: When you’ve like been away from your mommies for a while; when you’ve shown that you can handle the rigors of academia … and, most important, when you’ve actually like spent some time on your own like earning your own living, taking care of your own needs, filing out your own tax forms, and living free of the parental and academic umbilical cord … then maybe we’ll be willing to listen to something you have to say. Until then, please like spare us the spectacle of your moronic moral exhibitionism. Simply put, you don’t have a clue. You know it, and we know it. We also know that your participation in these protests is seen by you as some sort of a like right of passage. Maybe you should try passing some classes instead of passing your ignorance off to the taxpayers who are shouldering the cost for a huge part of whatever education you will actually receive before the harsh, cold winds of reality hit you right in the face."

He has a point, I think.  He also notes, 

"...let me remind you that this whole stink wasn’t really about collective bargaining rights. [It] was [about] ...the end of the union’s ability to have dues deducted from member’s paychecks rather than relying on the members to pay those dues voluntarily. Some surveys have shown that over 50% of government union members would stop paying their dues if they had to actually write their own checks. Some of these union members pay more than $1000 a year? Big money. Think about this: When 50% of union members stop paying their dues this means a lot less money in the pot to pay union leaders. Not only that … it means much less money for union leaders to donate to political parties. Last year about 46% of union members in Wisconsin voted Republican, yet the government worker unions sent 93% of all union campaign contributions to Democrats. Maybe those union members might want to stop paying dues if the contributions are going to go to a political party they don’t support."

Expert Warns of Health Risks Associated With New Light Bulbs - CNS News

"Appearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Howard M. Brandston spoke in favor of the "Better Use of Light Bulbs Act" – a measure which would overturn elements of a 2007 law mandating that traditional incandescent light bulbs be phased out over the next few years...."...“The compact fluorescent lamp contains mercury,” said Brandston. “One gram of mercury will pollute a two acre pond. This 2007 light bulb standard brings a deadly poison into every residence in our nation.“We do not have enough knowledge of the potential consequences of being continuously exposed to the electromagnetic field that compact florescent lamps emit. There are millions of people in this country with lupus, an auto-immune disease.  Exposure to low doses of light from these lamps causes a severe rash.”

"Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) expressed similar concerns, during his questioning of the panel.“Has anybody looked at the EPA recommendations put out in January 25, 2011 about what you do if one of these mercury light bulbs break in your home?” Risch asked. In Idaho, we’ve had a number of instances where they’ve had a mercury spill in a science laboratory -- or something in the laboratory in the school -- and they immediately closed the school down for, I don’t know, a number of days while they cleaned it up,” he pointed out.“Can you imagine mercury bulbs throughout a school?  I mean, any time a kid wants a day off he’s going to break a mercury light bulb and that’s going to shut that school down -- and if they don’t they’re going to have trouble with the EPA, according to what has to happen to clean it up,” Risch added."

So I'm wondering what would happen if someone (hypothetically, or course) brought one of these mercury bulbs as "Exhibit A" to a senate hearing and accidentally dropped the thing, smashing it right there in the U.S. Capitol.  Imagine the chaos that would ensue if  they had to follow the steps the EPA recommends for cleaning up a broken bulb? [if you prefer, you can download the 3-page detailed PDF]

Before Cleanup

• Have people and pets leave the room, and avoid the breakage area on the way out [So first, they'd have to evacuate the Capitol]

• Open a window or door to the outdoors and leave the room for 5-10 minutes [Are there even any windows that can be opened in the Capitol? OK, so we've evacuated the building - hundreds, maybe thousands of people - and we've got the doors and windows (if there are any) open]

• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning (HVAC) system, if you have one [Let's hope it's not one of those 90 degree August days in D.C.!]

• Collect materials you will need to clean up the broken bulb: [I'm assuming we'll need some new government department to deal with this, right? Or will the D.C. HAZMAT team be in charge of this?]

• Stiff paper or cardboard

• Sticky tape (e.g., duct tape)

• Damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces)

• Glass jar with a metal lid (such as a canning jar) or a sealable plastic bag(s)

Cleanup Steps for Carpeting or Rugs

• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place debris and paper/cardboard in a glass jar with a metal lid. If a glass jar is not available, use a sealable plastic bag. (NOTE: Since a plastic bag will not prevent the mercury vapor from escaping, remove the plastic bag(s) from the home after cleanup.)

• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. Place the used tape in the glass jar or plastic bag.

• Vacuuming of carpeting or rugs during cleanup is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken. [NOTE: It is possible that vacuuming could spread mercury-containing powder or mercury vapor, although available information on this problem is limited.] If vacuuming is needed to ensure removal of all broken glass, keep the following tips in mind:

• Keep a window or door to the outdoors open; [ Oh, that window thingy again!]

 

• Vacuum the area where the bulb was broken using the vacuum hose, if available, and

 

• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and seal the bag/vacuum debris, and any materials used to clean the vacuum, in a plastic bag. [Wait wait, WAIT! Didn't they just say NOT to vacuum? This is getting confusing! Hopefully that National Park Service or Secret Service detail will know what to do!]

• Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials, including vacuum cleaner bags, outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly.  [Will there be a special guard detail to keep this safe?]

• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your area. Some states and communities require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a local recycling center.

• Wash your hands with soap and water after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing bulb debris and cleanup materials.

• Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off, as practical, for several hours [So the Capitol will be shut down for SEVERAL HOURS while the HVAC system is shut off]

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rugs: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming

• The next several times you vacuum the rug or carpet, shut off the H&AC system if you have one, close the doors to other rooms, and open a window or door to the outside before vacuuming. Change the vacuum bag after each use in this area.  [The window - always the window. So now, for the next several times they vacuum the Capitol, they're going to have to shut off the HVAC and clear the place out]

• After vacuuming is completed, keep the H&AC system shut off and the window or door to the outside open, as practical, for several hours [Lather, rinse, repeat...for ONE LOUSY LIGHTBULB!!] 

I'm thinking this could be a good source of income for some enterprising adrenaline junkie with a HAZMAT suit! 

The Glenn Beck show demonstrates what this looks like in real life: