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Issue Home November 21, 2007 Site Home

COLUMNS:
100 Years Ago
From the Desk of the D.A.
The Healthy Geezer
Straight From Starrucca
Veterans’ Corner
The Road Less Traveled
A Day In My Shoe
Food For Thought


100 Years Ago

MONTROSE: The Bible Conference is assured. It is the main topic of conversation in the office, shop and home. And with some $5,500 dollars subscribed it really looks like a settled project. Some regarded it as impossible at first, but now, with everything working harmoniously toward the desired end, there are few, if any, who regard it as impracticable or impossible. AND: The Montrose Telephone & Telegraph Co. has arranged to give weather reports to subscribers in the rural districts at about 11 o’clock a.m. daily. The weather call on all lines will be 2,2,2. When this call is sounded on lines, parties desirous of getting the weather report should take down their phones and listen.

GREAT BEND: Several from here searched for the body of James Donovan between this place and the Evans farm, below Riverside, Sunday, and other parties with boats searched between that point and Binghamton, but the search proved fruitless. If the body is ever found it is liable to be at a point fifty or more miles below here, owing to the high water at the time Donovan jumped from the Susquehanna River bridge at Great Bend.

LENOX TWP.: A correspondent writes that the financial troubles of some of the New York banks has affected Lenox, as some of the farmers have changed taking their milk from Hopbottom to Nicholson.

LYNN, Springville Twp.: James Deubler, engineer on the Lehigh branch, is remodeling his home upon the farm near Lynn station, putting in hot and cold water and making other modern improvements.

SUSQUEHANNA: Dr. Clayton Washburn, of Susquehanna, has been appointed Erie surgeon in that place to succeed Dr. F. A. Goodwin. Dr. Washburn is a son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Bunnell, of South Montrose. He is listed among the county’s leading young physicians, and his appointment is a well-merited one. AND: The financial and business depression that is being felt by every railroad in the country is having its effect on the Erie. A policy of retrenchment, involving the curtailment of every possible expense and a reduction of the working force, whenever possible, is already in effect. Just how much effect it will have on this section of the road remains to be seen, but it is already known that all construction work is to be abandoned and many improvements that were planned will be given up. Probably the shops will be the hardest and it is expected that many men will be laid off before winter.

BIRCHARDVILLE: Some very interesting postcard views of the village of Birchardville, shows to the artistic and critical eye in amateur photography, the excellency of the style of work produced by Frank Bolles. Birchardville has earned a proud history in giving to the county many sturdy and illustrious sons, and it is a favored scheme for the camera fiend to add to their collection, views of the quaint old place.

SOUTH GIBSON: Ed Brundage, of West Lenox and Miss Eliza Belcher, of East Mountain, were married in New York city, Nov. 5. We very much regret losing the bride from our community and church, where she was a prominent worker, but our loss will be a gain to West Lenox society and she will carry with her to her new home the very best wishes of her many friends here.

BRANDT: Richard P. Armstrong, of Brandt, has been serving as a juror in Montrose this week and on Tuesday he dropped into the Republican office for a little chat. Mr. Armstrong is an ardent Democrat and not ashamed of it. He tells the Republican that he was raised among the Dutch in southern New York, but his ancestors were Irish. This is why he has always voted the Democrat ticket. Like the most of us, he is either a Republican, Democrat or Prohibitionist because his father was. We questioned Mr. Armstrong closely, trying to win him over to our way of thinking, but finally had to give it up as a hard proposition. As a clincher, he said he would not vote for a Republican president even if they would persuade Teddy to run for a third term--and he likes Theodore, too.

UNIONDALE: Frank Westgate, our local coal dealer, is unable to get coal to supply his customers. He has eight cars ordered.

FOREST CITY: George T. Coles, of Endicott, visited in town last week. We are pleased to learn that Mr. Coles and the rest of the Forest City colony, in this thriving York State town, are doing well. AND: The men of the Baptist church will hold a Chicken and Rabbit supper at the Parsonage, on Wednesday evening, the 27th. Supper 30 cts; Children 20 cts.

SOUTH NEW MILFORD: Mr. Osgood, of Forest City, George Nicholson, and Earl Tourje, of Glenwood, have been at work here setting poles and installing phones in the homes of Ed Labar, C.C. Keeney and F. Irwin, on the Northeastern Telephone line.

BROOKLYN: The ladies of the Universalist church promise an excellent dinner at the church Thanksgiving day. Rev. Drury will preach in the morning at 11 o’clock, his subject being “The praiseworthy and the blameworthy in the civic, commercial, social and religious life of to-day.”

NEWS BRIEFS: The Susquehanna Ministerial Association, embracing Susquehanna, Oakland, Great Bend, Hallstead, Windsor, Lanesboro, Jackson, Lake View, Gibson and adjacent territory, desire to make certain recommendations to the various congregations in this territory relative to the conduct of funerals. Inasmuch as Sunday is set apart as a day of rest and for the preaching of the Gospel, the Association urgently recommends all people, if possible, to avoid having Sunday funerals. AND: Some twenty-five or more years ago there was a period in November, following squaw winter, early in the month--a season of snow squalls, freezing weather and cold winds--a couple of weeks of warm, balmy weather, with hazy atmosphere, that came as a second summer rather prolonging the open season, and was the most delightful time of the year. But the climate or seasons appear to have changed, and we rarely get more than a few days of Indian summer now. We have colder, later springs, more open winters, longer periods of wet or drouth, less snow and shorter summers. At least that is the general opinion of the older inhabitant. We may have a few days more of so-called Indian summer, but the probabilities are that a colder weather will soon follow, and Thanksgiving is only a week away, when we frequently have snow and sledding and skating.

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From the Desk of the D.A.
By District Attorney Jason J. Legg

In October, 1782, toward the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, issued a proclamation designating November 28 as a day of Thanksgiving. The proclamation provided: “It being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to Almighty God, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his providence in their behalf: Therefore the United States in Congress assembled... Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of Thursday the twenty-eighth day of November next, as a day of solemn Thanksgiving to God for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to God for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.”

The Founding Fathers left no room for doubt as to their intentions for a national day of thanksgiving – it was intended as a national day of prayer. They perceived that all governments had a duty to give praise and thanksgiving to God for his blessings and deliverance, that the State had an obligation to publicly praise the goodness of God, and that both prosperity and happiness depended upon a citizenry that followed and worshiped God. In revolutionary America, these ideals were not controversial; rather, the Founding Fathers relied heavily upon their faith in constructing the foundation of this Nation.

What does Thanksgiving mean to Americans today? I have heard people call it “Turkey Day,” while others talk eagerly about watching football games with filled bellies. When one considers the solemn message conveyed by the Continental Congress in October 1782, it is striking to realize how the national perception of Thanksgiving Day has morphed from prayer to turkey and football. How often do we hear public officials today speaking of the obligation and duty of a nation to give collective prayerful thanks to God? Sadly, it rarely occurs anymore in America.

Instead, we are told that God has no place in government and that there is a need to work with intense fervor to sanitize our public places and remove the taint of divine reference. These peddlers of deception would lead us down a dark path of secularism devoid of the light of truth. The further down this path this Nation heads, the harder it becomes to see the light We are told there is no place for prayer in school, no place for God in a pledge, no place for crosses on government cemeteries and memorials, and no place for even a simple reference to God in our currency. We are told that the Founding Fathers meant for there to be an impregnable wall between the Church and the State – despite all of the evidence to the contrary and the complete absence of any such command in the Constitution itself.

How long will it be before the deceivers claim that Thanksgiving Day itself must be abolished. After all, if the State cannot allow prayer in a public school building, how can the State set aside and dedicate an entire day for national praise and thanksgiving to God. The name of the holiday itself connotes recognition of a supreme deity. Otherwise, who would we give thanks to?

Does this seem farfetched to you? Last night, for example, I saw an interview with a man seeking to force Utah to remove memorial crosses placed along public highways to honor fallen state troopers. If a single memorial cross is offensive, an entire day of collective prayer and supplication must be unbearable.

So, this Thanksgiving, take the opportunity to do that which the Founding Fathers extolled us to do – give thanks, praise and supplication to God for all of our collective and individual blessings, and then enjoy the turkey and the football games. Who knows, there may come a time when a court tells us that we can no longer engage in such a national day of prayer. So, let’s take advantage of it while we still can. Happy Thanksgiving.

Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org.

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The Healthy Geezer
By Fred Cicetti

Q. I think I’m hearing talk radio in my head at night. I am awake and I can hear it when I cover my ears. Is this possible?

This question came from Gale, my spouse of 43 years, who is sound of mind, but has a mouthful of fillings and bridgework.

I looked into this and I’m convinced that Gale is picking up radio signals through her teeth. If you’ve had similar experiences, I’d like to know about them. Please write me at fredcicetti@gmail.com and I’ll do a follow-up column if I get enough responses.

I came up with some fascinating stuff in my research. The following was posted on the Alaska Science Forum:

According to Robert Hunsucker, a professor emeritus at the Geophysical Institute with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a receiver is so simple that anything from a phone to a person's mouth can act as one.

At its most basic, a receiver circuit consists of only three elements: an antenna, which picks up an electromagnetic radio signal; a detector, which is an electrical component that converts the radio wave to an audio signal the human ear can pick up; and a transducer, which is anything that acts like a speaker.

Such is the extremely rare case when a person's mouth acts as a receiver. The electrical conductivity of the human body can act as an antenna. A metallic filling in a tooth, reacting just so with saliva, can act as a semiconductor to detect the audio signal. The speaker in this case could be anything that vibrates within the mouth enough to produce noise, such as bridgework or maybe a loose filling.

Here are two cases from Straightdope.com:

Case #1. George was fitted with a cap that was attached with brass wire. Thereafter he began hearing music in his head, generally popular tunes of the day, usually while he was outdoors. The music was soft but distinct. He never heard an announcer's voice or commercials and was unable to identify what radio station, if any, he was hearing. After a year or two of this, a new dentist put in a cap without a wire and the tunes stopped.

Case #2. Lois says it happened just once, in 1947, while she was riding a train from her home in Cleveland to college in Rhode Island. The experience lasted maybe 10 minutes. She couldn't tell what station she was listening to but recalls hearing commercials and an announcer's voice. She has silver tooth fillings but doesn't recall if she'd had one put in just before the event.

On the newsgroup sci.electronics comes this tale:

I have metal caps on both of my incisors. On one occasion, I picked up the local radio station on my capped teeth. I could not tune it at all. I could only cause the single station to come in or go out. I know it was being picked up and detected by the caps because I could make it go away either by placing my tongue against the caps or by taking my hand off of the aluminum window frame of the window I was looking out through when I first noticed the effect.

The TV show Mythbusters tested teeth receiving radio signals and concluded that it was a myth because the staff could not reproduce the phenomenon on the air. I read a transcript of this episode. My conclusion is that the test was inconclusive.

The Mythbusters test was inspired by a story told by Lucille Ball, who said she heard music in her mouth. You can watch her tell the entire story to TV host Dick Cavett. Just go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQCjLaSsCfI

I’ve watched this clip several times. I don’t think Lucy was fabricating a story to entertain her audience. She seems to be relating a genuine and unsettling event in her life.

Again, if you have a story of your own, please write me at fredcicetti@gmail.com.

Stay tuned.

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Straight From Starrucca
By Danielle Williams

No Straight From Starrucca This Week

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Veterans’ Corner

No Veterans' Corner This Week

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The Road Less Traveled
By Bob Scroggins

Tilting The Odds

Last week's column detailed the government's War on Cancer. It was, and is, a resounding success for the pharmaceutical corporations, oncologists, radiologists, and all those in cancer's many ancillary industries. Yes, a successful war for everyone except the patients for whom it was, and is, a dismal failure.

Since record keeping began in the '30s, cancer deaths per capita have risen every single year but one, 2002. In that year there was a decline of 369 deaths. That translates to one-half of 1 percent of cancer deaths. But according to the American Cancer Society's Chief Executive Office John Seffrin, that is "a remarkable turn in our decades-long fight to eliminate cancer." It's called spin.

But there is hope for all of us to escape the scourge of cancer and encouragement for victims, too. And that is the subject of this week's column: tilting the odds in our favor.

Cancer is largely self-inflicted. This seems condemnatory, blaming rather than helping. But if cancer is largely self-induced, then it can be self-avoided, and if not avoided, then treated with a real chance for a cure.

There is a general consensus that 85 percent of cancers can be traced to environmental causes. And the majority of environmental causes are strongly associated with diet. This is a cause of cancer that all of us can easily address. Not only will it be cost free, but it will actually save you money and possibly your life as well.

Divide diet into two categories, foods ingested and foods omitted. The American diet is atrocious. Start with the basic ingredients: white flour, sugar, soy products, hydrogenated oil, and artificial flavors and colors. Add the 5 Cs: candy, cookies, chips, cakes, and coke. Then mix in enough preservatives to guarantee a shelf life to rival the longevity of the pyramids. Top it off with ice cream for dessert. No one can subsist on these foodless foods without detrimental consequences. Commonly, they are overweight, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, constipation, and lack of energy.

Now from this diet subtract the foods that we should eat but don't: fresh vegetables and fruits (preferably raw, ideally organic), whole grains, pure water (chlorine and fluoride free), fish (avoid farm raised), eggs, cheese, yogurt (sugar and artificial sweetener free), virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds. Put both components together, foods ingested and foods left out, and it's a sure-fire diet for disaster and that disaster could be cancer. Improve your diet and you improve your odds of being cancer free.

Smoking. Cigarette smoke contains some 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known carcinogens. Inhaling tobacco smoke and its load of toxins transports it directly to the lungs and into the blood stream. It is then carried to every cell in the body. About 30 percent of all cancer deaths are attributed to smoking. In smoking, quitters are winners.

Almost equaling the deleterious effects of smoking is being overweight. There is a direct relationship between the amount of excess fat one has and developing cancer. Even a small amount of surplus poundage, especially around the waist, is reflected in the cancer rate. Lose those extra pounds and reduce your chance of getting cancer by 16 percent.

Exercise increases the odds of being cancer free, while its corollary, physical inactivity stacks the odds against you. A mix of aerobic exercises (walking, jogging, swimming, cycling), and anaerobic exercises (resistance exercises) is best. Find out what works for you and put the kibosh on cancer.

For those with cancer, consider contacting a physician with expertise in both orthodox and alternative treatments. Some types of cancers respond favorably to orthodox treatments while for others alternative methods hold the best hope. Why limit your choice of treatments? For a nationwide listings of clinics and physicians call the Life Extension Foundation at 1-800-226-2370 (it's on their web site, lef.org, but difficult to find), or contact Alternative Medical Angel at altmedangel.com.

Putting it all together involves nothing less than a complete change in life style. The key to success is incrementalism. Small steps taken over a period of time lengthen the distance between you and cancer and a myriad of other maladies. The best health insurance you can have is you.

Cancer rates and good health practices are closely allied. They can be plotted on the same line, ranging from a high cancer rate, to moderate, to a low probability of developing cancer. In large measure, you can decide where you want to be on this continuum. It's up to you to tilt the odds from victim to victor.

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A Day In My Shoes

No A Day In My Shoes This Week

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Food For Thought
By Lauretta L. Clowes DC

There is a lot of talk about ethanol and the high price of corn. The spin is that using corn for a renewable energy resource is going to make the price of food go up so that people won’t be able to afford to eat.

Stop and think, people.

That is what the "ignorant masses" are supposed to think. So that big business petrochemical fat cats can continue to get rich at our expense.

The facts are:

1) The price of oil and gas products are getting ridiculous and will continue to increase, because the amount of oil able to be refined is limited, and will become harder and harder to resource at greater and greater expense. Let’s not even get into what countries are involved, what environmental impact oil drilling involves, etc.

2) Petroleum is not a renewable resource.

3) The price of everything else (including corn for food) is dependent on the price of petroleum. Petroleum is used in every aspect of production of all goods, and of many services, from the fuel for the farmers’ tractors, to the fuel for the refinery, to the fuel for the transportation of all goods, etc., etc.

4) Ethanol and biodiesel, and methanol, and other non-petroleum based fuels are renewable resources.

5) Ethanol, and biodiesel, and methanol, etc. can be made from many different cellulose products, not just corn. Cellulose is the basic building material of all plants: grass, trees, flowering shrubs, sugar cane, etc. All of these things can be renewed in repetitive cycles, some more rapidly than others. Maybe our leaves and grass cuttings could someday be turned into ethanol, or some other bio-fuel.

Biodiesel and methanol can even be produced from garbage, which we pay to have hauled away, and the price of which continues to increase because the price of petrochemicals continue to increase. The technology for garbage to bio-fuel is already proven, yet is not utilized. Last article I read on the topic put the price of bio-fuel oil at about $55.00 per barrel, and that included paying a high price for the garbage being used. Why isn’t this being pursued more aggressively?

6) More corn can be planted, and in some places in the world, it can be grown almost year round.

7) The price of most things depends on the demand for the product.

Corn is also used extensively for high fructose corn syrup, the basis for soda, candy, syrupy sweet non-carbonated drinks, and most junk foods.

So if you are really concerned about the price of ethanol pushing the price of corn out of reach as a food, stop consuming high fructose corn syrup products. Then that corn can be used for fuel until new crops are produced and enough corn is grown to supply the newly increased demand. Without jeopardizing corn for food use. (The excess high fructose corn syrup can probably be used directly to produce ethanol, too.)

8) Let’s get some perspective back on the price of things. Yes, the price of gas at the pump is high, ridiculously high. But the price of a gallon of gas is still less than the price of a 12 oz. cup of designer coffee at the big name coffee hut. How many of us drink those frequently, if not daily. (Consuming high fructose corn syrup in the process, not to mention the gas used to get us there and then on to the office or home or whatever our destination.) At that price, a gallon of that coffee would be over $35.00.

Even the basic plain cup of coffee at our local mini-market is over $1.00 for 12 oz. That brings the price to at least $11.00 per gallon.

How many more designer coffees can you afford, if the price of gas continues to expand?

If the price of gas were $11.00 per gallon, how many designer coffees would you be buying?

Wouldn’t you rather put a little effort into backing a bio-fuel plant instead?

Remember, as consumers, we vote primarily with our wallets. What is your vote?


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