Before measles vaccine, nearly all children got measles by the time they were 15 years of age. Each year in the United States about 450-500 people died because of measles, 48,000 were hospitalized, 7,000 had seizures, and about 1,000 suffered permanent brain damage or deafness. Today there are only about 60 cases a year reported in the United States, and most of these originate outside the country.

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What is the purpose of poetry?  Why do we write in verse, when we could say directly what we have to say much more easily?
What has been said about the subject?  I found the following quotes:

When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstones of our judgment. The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state. The great artist is thus a solitary figure. He has, as Frost said, “a lover’s quarrel with the world.” In pursuing his perceptions of reality he must often sail against the currents of his time …  John F Kennedy

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We receive many hundreds of emails each week – a lot of them from peeps who think we will always know why they are forwarding a link and who may also believe we are available to do research for hours – sometimes these are even from peeps we love. 
Please don’t assume that we will know why you send a link; even if you think the reason’s obvious, often it is not. Backside maintenance is such that whoever is trying to clear email may not have had a chance to read recent posts so links emailed in with no explanation may or not make sense.   

We request, gentle emailer, that you….

• Include your user name in the subject line in all emails.

• If you are providing a link, in addition to including your user name, please tell us how the information broadens the discussion of the day or relates to research currently being pursued. In other words, tell us why you are sending the link.

• If you are asking us to begin research on an entirely new project, in addition to including your user name please provide links that will substantiate the need for additional or fresh research by the Treehouse.

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What Is Poetry?

There are as many definitions of poetry as there are poets. Wordsworth defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings;” Emily Dickinson said, “If I read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry;” and Dylan Thomas defined poetry this way: “Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing.”

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An Open Letter To Visitors, any Visitors

Perhaps it is time to revisit the modern word “objective”, where it is phrased around a request by readers to soften the discussion pages within our research and discussion blog.
Lately several newer visitors have stated via twitter, email, or direct comments something to the extent they are disconcerted by the tone of our delivery as we present the factual research behind the headlines.
This website is aptly named “The Last Refuge” (aka the conservative treehouse) for a very specific reason. A long explanation would be something akin to: Eventually everyone is going to have to reconcile the obvious which confronts them; and when they do the paradigms of their life experience will leave them no-place of traditional intellectual comfort – we shall provide the venue to recover.
A shorter version would be: we, as a brave and proud constitutional republic, are surrounded by stupid – and everyone needs an Alamo where everything is reconciled for what it is, not what we wish it to be.
Here, at The Last Refuge, stupid is identified as, well, stupid – Moonbat stupid.
We, our association, are openly willing to be challenged on ideas, concepts, beliefs and opinions derived therein, as we each seek to understand the events of the day.
However, there comes a point where “objectivity”, for the sake of polite conversation, is futile.
Was Harry Reid and his like-minded Democrats being “objective”, and analyzing various opinions of consequence, when they constructed Obamacare? At 1:30am, on Christmas eve 2009, to force a vote before allowing the opposition to go home?
Was Harry Reid/Nancy Pelosi being objective when they refused to allow a single opposition amendment to their disastrous plan?  Which, as you are aware, will now financially cripple working families with additional taxes.
Was President Obama being “objective” when he said: …”if you like your plan, you can keep your plan, period”?
Is Al Gore “objective” when it comes to various opinions and considerations for “man made global warming”?
In order for a person to state yes to the above questions, they would have to be of the same cognition that proclaim: “half of something you just tripled is less” as they discuss the deficit.
Pragmatism is only possible absent of blind ideologues.   2014’s democrats are all blind ideologues. (more…)

Pretty cool.

Rush Limbaugh picked up the story about the New York Times being in cahoots with the Scheme Team.  He talked about it on his radio show today – link here.

He didn’t remember our name – but hey, who cares.

The Truth Has No Agenda – Thanks Big Dog !

Lately on Facebook, several versions of what it means to be a little boy’s mama have been circulating. They are touching, and bring a smile to your face, a touch of nostalgia, and perhaps even a tear to your eye. You are exhorted to have lots of energy, be ready to put up with bloody noses and reptiles in the house, see movies you don’t like, and various other true things.
We mamas of little boys have a tough job. We deserve a little smile as we ponder our muddy offspring. As I type this, my just recently de-mudded grandson is graciously allowing me a few minutes to recoup from a busy day of swimming, mud bogging, dump trucking, and hugging stinky dogs. His sister hung right in there with him. So, yes, we even need these moments that tell our hearts that our efforts are special moments that will unfold in a story book life for our beloved sons.
However, we also need some harder truths, and now is a good time to take a look at that. So, here’s my version, for what it’s worth.
You might think, because I write this, that I am an expert and my sons are jet setting billionaires who are in a third world country fixing the unfixable problems. Nope, they are just normal guys, who have normal lives with some really wonderful successes like those grandkids temporarily being angels, and great jobs, fun hobbies, or devotion to family and friends. Being there when family needs help, rooting for the right football team (Go Irish!), sitting by hospital beds, listening to troubles. They have tried and failed, tried and succeeded, fallen and got back up too many times to count. (more…)

The admins here at the Treehouse were chit-chatting yesterday (as we often do), and Menagerie called our attention to an article, Seven Signs You’re Too Smart For Your Job.

Menagerie said she noticed it because it was linked to by a former employee of hers.  This person (who apparently thinks that he/she is too smart for the job) failed to exhibit proficiency at either of the two jobs that were assigned, and refused to come to work if it snowed.
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Thirty-five of us, give or take a few. Standing in front of the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco, on an overcast evening in June. Holding signs, protesting the woman who was scheduled to speak inside the theater that night: Hillary Clinton.

Not a large crowd of protesters, but it didn’t matter. The area in front of the Orpheum is not spacious, and we had a perfect position: every single person waiting in line had to pass by within ten feet of every one of us. They couldn’t help but see that we were there.
The ticket holders made a long line, a large group. Most of them looked like progressives. If that’s a “classist” statement, so be it. Not many under the age of twenty. Gays, “intellectuals”, people dressed casual-chic for a night with their current political lodestar. “I’m Ready for Hillary”signs, stickers, and buttons. Stray comments of “Grow up!”, “Where did you go to school?”, etc., but on the whole they were quiet. Likely they didn’t expect us to be there, so they didn’t come prepared with snippy remarks.
This one was different than most of the protests I’d attended in the past; different largely because of the intimacy of confrontation. Other times we’d been on roadsides waiting for Obama’s motorcade, or counter-protesting with Obama supporters, facing-off across Market Street as he fundraised with the Bay Area elite. This was like gathering around a crowd waiting in line to see a movie. (more…)

Now that we have spent a couple of months years analyzing Middle East and North Africa events, here is the geography quiz again. Let’s see if we remember what we have previously learned.

Here is a little fun site lesson in pertinent geography that I think you will enjoy. Either that or it’ll frustrate the dickens out of you. But don’t be embarrassed or shy. Give it a try and see how much you have captured from following news events. 🙂

Click Here to start.

Then share how you did. There are no scores or grades just the sheer fun of knowledge. Everyone is an honor student here.

( ps.  ZurichMike usually gets all the high scores – Him haz large brain noodles )

Here’s another quiz you might enjoy (this other site has multiple tests of this type):

https://www.lizardpoint.com/geography/mideast-quiz.php