THOMPSON: The many city boarders that have been spending the summer in town are returning home, leaving our streets lonesome. ALSO, a sad, perhaps fatal, accident occurred yesterday. Morris Gelatt and his hired man were driving a colt and some way the colt took fright and ran, the hired man was caught in the wheel and was dragged some distance, fracturing his scull and otherwise injuring him. Dr. McNamara was called to the case. He was raving and unconscious all night, but is more quiet at this writing. His name is Livingston, a stranger coming from South Carolina last fall, I think.

S. AUBURN: Albert B. Judson, who has been holding a position as chemist with a firm in Philadelphia, has received an appointment in the Bureau of Standards, at Pittsburg. We are glad he is doing so well. In West Auburn about 65 assembled in the blacksmithing shop Friday evening, to witness an exciting quoit pitching game between Silvara and West Auburn, which resulted in a score of 56 to 63 in favor of West Auburn.

S. MIDDLETOWN: Margaret McManus gave a six o’clock tea party one evening last week in honor of her guest, Louise McCormick, of Binghamton, who rendered a few fine selections on the piano.

HARFORD: Andrew J. Adams died July 23, 1911 and the town of Harford lost one of its oldest and most respected citizens. He was born July 10, 1828, attended Harford Academy, and when 17 he went to Newton, Mass., where he learned the trade of morocco manufacturing and tanning. He became a journeyman at Ashburnham where he married Sarah Sawyer in 1852 and by this union had three children. He returned to Harford after his father’s death in 1855, and married his second wife, Elvira M. Wilmarth, and two children were born to them. After returning he engaged in farming, was one of the first members of the Harford Agricultural Society, a member of the I.O.O.F, and was the prime mover in getting the railroad depot built at Kingsley in 1885. Andrew was buried in the Universalist cemetery.

LYNN, SPRINGVILLE TWP.: Herbert Fish has announced himself as a candidate for the office of Sheriff, subject to the decision at the Democratic primaries, September 30. Mr. Fish is a gentleman, well qualified to fill the office and would be very acceptable to the democratic voters. ALSO, the Lyman reunion was held at the old homestead of the late James H. Lyman. The Ladies’ Aid furnished an excellent dinner to a good turnout, and all had a very enjoyable time.

ALFORD, BROOKLYN TWP.: Herman Otto, who is spending the summer with his brother, Charles Otto, has the sale of the Gray gasoline engines and gives notice by an advertisement that he will have a special exhibit at both the Montrose and Harford fairs. ALSO, in Brooklyn, six wagons and one auto carry the children to school this year.

MONTROSE: On Saturday last, the Country Circus, which was held at the Ball Park, was largely attended, the receipts amounting to nearly $90. The drill, which was led by Miss Anna Warriner, was a capital part of the performance, while Paul Sprout’s representation of the strong man was the individual hit of the day. The “Midway,” which was held Monday afternoon and evening on the lawn at Mr. W. A. Lathrop’s residence, like the Country Circus, was given for the benefit of the Country Club. The attendance was large, both afternoon and evening; a huge bonfire lit up the lawn in the evening and this, together with the many Japanese lanterns, made a pretty and brilliant effect. The “Midway” proved all that it was advertised to be, from the Fortune Teller to the songs one can hear from the far off land of India. ALSO, little Raymond, son of Conductor and Mrs. Chas. Flanagan, underwent a successful operation, at his home, Sunday morning. Dr. Wainwright, of Scranton, performed the operation, assisted by Dr. Preston.

DUNDAFF: John Jones has moved into his new home and keeps in hand a full supply of fresh meats, canned goods, tobacco, cigars, etc. ALSO, Dr. Fike now rides in a new Ford machine.

HALLSTEAD: Last Wednesday, in the early hours of the morning, parties tried to pry off the telephone pay box of the Montrose Central here. They also tried to force an entrance to the rooms occupied by the night operator, but were alarmed when a call was sent to the roundhouse for help, and quickly disappeared. The same night an Italian in one of the box cars was shot.

LITTLE MEADOWS: Last Saturday, as Ralph Berdine and sister-in-law, Mrs. F. Berdine, of South Apalachin, were returning from the ball game here, their horse became frightened at an automobile, ran away, and Mrs. Berdine was thrown out. She was unconscious for some time, but received no serious injuries. Mr. Berdine was thrown out, but not hurt.

CLIFFORD: Rev. W. A. Wells has an automobile, which he uses in pastoral work.

RUSH: Dr. Fry’s residence, which has been undergoing a series of improvements, is nearing completion, and adds much to the appearance of our little town. ALSO, the 23d day of August, 1911, will be a pleasant memory for the LaRues and relatives who met at Keeney Pond for their first reunion. The day was fine. Wm Owen, of Birchardville, was present and took photographs of the crowd. The boating was much enjoyed, besides a ball game in the afternoon. The next reunion will be at Lawton Park. Officers are: D. A. Fargo, pres., Mary Pierson, sec’y, and Hazel LaRue, treas.

UNIONDALE: Burns Lyon has a musical curiosity. His voice is as strong as a calliope and talk about high C. Whew! It is more than a steam gong. Burns uses it as an alarm and it does the business.

FOREST CITY/SUSQUEHANNA: Enterprise Hose company, No. 1, headed by its own drum corps, and accompanied by a large number of friends, went to Susquehanna to participate in the fireman’s celebration at that place. The celebration was conducted by the united companies of Susquehanna and Lanesboro, and nothing calculated to add to the pleasure of the visitors was left undone. Enterprise was the guest of Erie Protective company. In the line of march, which included several miles of Susquehanna and Oakland streets, the natty looking outfit from Forest City was well received. The boys were never treated better than by the hose companies of our neighboring borough.

Back in February, I did a column regarding Pennsylvania’s ethnic intimidation statute in connection with an incident in a high school in Vestal, New York, called “Kick a Jew Day.” I attempted to answer the question of whether such conduct would result in criminal charges under our ethnic intimidation statute.

Pennsylvania’s Ethnic Intimidation statute requires that actor commit a criminal offense specifically motivated by hatred toward the victim’s “race, color, religion or national origin.” In other words, there would be two separate offenses: (1) the criminal act itself; and (2) the act of ethnic intimidation based upon the defendant’s hatred that motivated the crime.

In the previous column, I noted that Pennsylvania’s Ethnic Intimidation statute only applied to a certain category of offenses identified by the legislature, namely the classes of offenses under the section of the Crimes Code dealing with property crimes and criminal trespasses. I made the mistake of indicating that the statute did not deal with assaultive conduct.

In fact, it does cover assaults that are motivated by hatred toward a person’s “race, color, religion or national origin.” The specific provision of the statute provides: “A person commits the offense of ethnic intimidation if, with malicious intention toward the race, color, religion, national origin of another individual or group of individuals, he commits an offense under any other provision of this article or under Chapter 33 (relating to arson, criminal mischief and other property destruction) exclusive of section 3307 (relating to institutional vandalism) or under section 3503 (relating to criminal trespass) with respect to such individual or his or her property or with respect to one or more members of such group or to their property.” After reading that statute, I am sure that it is crystal clear to you what constituted ethnic intimidation. Unfortunately, when I did the previous column, I missed the language that stated “any other provision of this article” and focused on the specifically enumerated offenses listed in the statute itself.

The language referring to “any other provision of this article” relates to Chapter 27 of the Crimes Code, which includes the offenses of aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment, stalking, recklessly endangering another person and similar offenses. As such, any student who “kicked” a Jewish student on “Kick a Jew Day” could have arguably violated Pennsylvania’s ethnic intimidation statute.

Assuming that no one was hurt and that the “kicking” never rose to the level of potentially causing bodily injury, the conduct would constitute a criminal harassment. The harassment statute makes it unlawful for any person to kick a victim (or threaten to kick the victim) with the intent to harass, annoy or alarm the victim. Obviously, the students were kicking other students - so the question would really only become whether the intent was to harass, annoy and alarm them. Regardless of the “prank” nature of the stunt, it seems rather obvious that this conduct would be considered annoying and alarming by the Jewish student body. Frankly, even if it was a true prank, the intent was plainly to harass other students and target them based upon their religion. In short, the kids could be charged here in Pennsylvania if the events had occurred here under Pennsylvania’s ethnic intimidation statute.

To the extent that my previous column provided otherwise, I extend my sincere apologies. The need for this correction was precipitated by a call from a fellow attorney who works for the adjudicatory arm of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and he serves as part of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Civil Tension. I did not even realize that my column was on the radar in Harrisburg. Apparently, a member of this Inter-Agency Commission received a copy of my column and wanted to make sure that I was set straight. I had a very nice telephone conversation with my professional colleague and explained that I have only had one ethnic intimidation case in 12 years - and that was a cross burning case - not a case involving assaultive conduct.

I promised that I would set the record straight and explain that criminal ethnic intimidation in Pennsylvania includes assaultive conduct - something I plainly missed when I did the initial column because I focused on the specifically enumerated offenses in the statute, not the vague language about other offenses “under this article” included in the ethnic intimidation statute. I stand corrected and I hope the folks at the Inter-Agency Task Force on Civil Tension will accept my apology.

Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/.

[In my last column, I discussed high-protein diets. Today's column is about the role of protein.]

Proteins are extremely complex substances that are essential parts of all living cells. They make up about 15 percent of the average person’s body weight

We need protein from the foods we eat to maintain bones, muscles and skin. We get proteins in our diet from meat, dairy products, nuts and some grains and beans.

Proteins from meat and other animal products are complete proteins. This means they supply all of the amino acids the body can't make on its own. Plant proteins are incomplete. You must combine them to get all of the amino acids your body needs.

Amino acids play central roles as intermediates in metabolism, the chemical processes by which cells produce the substances and energy needed to sustain life.

So, it is important to get enough dietary protein. You need to eat protein every day, because your body doesn't store it the way it stores fats or carbohydrates. The average person needs 50 to 65 grams of protein each day. This is the amount in four ounces of meat plus a cup of cottage cheese.

However, most Americans already eat more protein than their bodies need. And eating too much protein can increase health risks.

High-protein animal foods are usually also high in saturated fat. Eating large amounts of high-fat foods for a sustained period raises the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and several types of cancer. People who can't use excess protein effectively may be at higher risk of kidney and liver disorders, and osteoporosis.

Older adults and vegetarians have to pay special attention to the protein in their diets.

A recent National Institutes of Health study of men and women in their 70s found that those who ate the least protein lost significantly more muscle than those who ate the most protein.

Maintaining muscle is important as you age. Older adults who lose muscle in their legs and hips are more likely to fall and injure themselves.

Animal proteins have all the essential amino acids, but plant-based proteins can have low amounts of some. So, vegetarians have to eat protein from several different sources to get all the different amino acids they need. Vegetarian food combinations that give you complete protein include rice and beans or peanut butter and bread.

If you would like to read more columns, "How to be a Healthy Geezer" is available at www.healthygeezer.com.

Water, Water, Not Quite Everywhere

When I was a kid I was “born again,” a process that involved being fully and totally immersed in water. Much more recently I was on the home stretch of an 8-mile walk in the hot sun when the minister I was walking with kindly poured her drinking water on my hot little head.

Seldom does water feel so good as when splashed on an overheating noggin in the summertime. As soon as my hair was sopping wet, I certainly felt born anew, able to complete the walk with at least a tiny smidgen of spring in my step. Just a cup or two of water, supplied at the crucial time and applied to best advantage, made all the difference in the world.

What would you imagine is the largest use of water in the U.S.? We all can guess it’s not drinking water itself, nor wetting the heads of aging geologists. Would it be what goes on everyday in kitchens for meal preparation? Or the weekly washing of laundry? Bathrooms and what we do in them? Perhaps commercial carwashes use more water than your home?

Actually, irrigation makes up the most significant use of freshwater in the U.S. In a nutshell, some farmers use a lot of water to grow crops on semi-arid or marginal land. Techniques range from flooding fields to using pressurized sprinklers to anoint crops with much needed artificial rain.

There are some significant drawbacks to irrigation. Freshwater is a precious resource, and using so much of it for farming can be criticized as profligate. Beyond that, irrigation can degrade soil, making it saltier over time as water evaporates repeatedly in hot and dry regions where irrigation is commonly practiced.

But there are two major ideas to keep in mind when it comes to irrigation. The first is that around the world irrigation truly helps us produce food for the 7 billion mouths we now have to feed on the planet.

In various parts of the U.S. we irrigate to grow everything from vegetables to wheat and rice. Almost all states in the Union have some measure of irrigated agriculture within them. And, as most of us vaguely know but we don’t often articulate, American farmers feed us well and also produce enough for many millions of others around the world to whom our harvests are exported.

All those facts came to mind recently when I read of a University of Wisconsin study about irrigation on the global scale. The bottom line of the study is that global irrigation patterns increase farming output substantially. In fact, that increase is almost as great as all of U.S. farming output rolled into one sum - and we grow a lot of food in this country, so that ain’t nothing to sneeze at.

Agricultural productivity and irrigation isn’t the same everywhere because a little bit of water in a dry field can increase yields much more than more water in a wetter region. Interestingly, the Wisconsin researchers believe irrigation around the world is used close to maximum efficiency.

In some ways the efficiency of global irrigation is good news - we humans are not being wasteful with respect to a very large chunk of our freshwater resources. But it also means that as population continues to increase, we can’t feed more mouths just by upping our irrigation efficiency.

One reason scientists and engineers are studying matters like irrigation is that people have become interested in all forms of carbon uptake from the air. If you grow plants, they “mine” carbon dioxide out of the air to build their carbon-rich little selves. A tree locks up this carbon for years or even centuries to come. By comparison, a crop plant like wheat only temporarily stores carbon.

Freshwater is one resource that, like energy, goes into all sorts of our products and activities. It’s so much cheaper than gasoline, we normally don’t think of it as we go about our daily lives. But it’s a limited resource the use of which has significant environmental impact. What we want to do with it is something we could well afford to think about more clearly.

One thing is evident to me: I want us to always have enough water to pour over the heads of old ladies taking long walks on hot summer mornings.

Dr. E. Kirsten Peters, a native of the rural Northwest, was trained as a geologist at Princeton and Harvard. This column is a service of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. Peters can be reached at epeters@wsu.edu.