Forest City – Milvern Wimple and sister, Gladys and Mrs. Helen Miller, witnessed “Romeo & Juliet” at the Forest City movies on Monday evening.
Montrose – An expert foot specialist from Chicago will be in attendance at I. Stein’s store on South Main street, January 19th and 20th to demonstrate Dr. Scholl’s Specialties for the relief and correction of all foot ailments; entirely free. Make an appointment now. ALSO Ice, 10 inches
thick and of good quality, is being cut on Lake Mont Rose. The Borden ice house is being filled, but the general harvest has hardly been started.
East Kingsley – Thieves have been plying their trade at this place. A harness was taken from the barn of E. E. Titus and the same night a horse and wagon was stolen from the barn belonging to Frank Pratt, near Hopbottom. ALSO The Xmas exercises in both churches were well attended and a good time enjoyed by all. Old Santa talked and sang to the great enjoyment of the children.
Springville – On Thursday evening of last week a party of young people were entertained by Miss Vida Edwards at her home here, the guest of honor being her brother, Charles, who is spending his vacation there. Dainty refreshments were served and games were indulged in till a late hour, when all returned to their respective homes having spent a very pleasant evening. Those present were: Elizabeth Button, Mildred Titman, Leora Stevens, George Loomis, Edna Mae Brown, Vida Edwards, Charles Edwards, Earle Sherman, Harold Titman, Hugh Lott, Stewart Button and Ralph Ferguson.
Uniondale – Miss Frances Westgate, of this place, and Prof. Frank Sheffel, of Rush, were united in marriage, in Scranton, on Dec. 23, by Rev. George P. Eckman, pastor of Elm Park M. E. church. They will reside in Rush. Prof. Sheffel was formerly principal of the Uniondale schools.
South Auburn – There is no school this week, Miss French having been called home by the death of her father. ALSO The Auburn correspondent reported that Fred Chamberlin met with an accident at the Bunnell farm from which he was very fortunate to escape with his life. While pitching hay from the top of the barn mow, his hold with the fork suddenly gave away and he fell backwards over the “big beam” to the floor below, striking across the press and although no bones were broken, he received severe and painful bruises. That a heavy man could take such a fall without sustaining more serious injuries seems little short of a miracle.
Franklin Twp. – Mrs. Wm. Austin, Mrs. Wm. Sisson, Mrs. Wm. Foot and mother, Mrs. Jane Chapin, who is 86 years old, were entertained at the home of Mrs. Wm. Smith, last Thursday. After a bountiful dinner, all enjoyed the afternoon visiting and looking at the many beautiful presents which Mrs. Smith received for Christmas. Mr. Smith received a present from his sister of an enlarged picture of herself. ALSO Charles Palmer has recently installed electric lights in his house and barn. Surely, farming pays at his place.
Dimock – Born to Mr. and Mrs. Max Gregory, Dec. 22, a son, Lester Herbert.
South Ararat – George Tinklepaugh has secured a position as guard at the Fairview [Farview] hospital, near Honesdale. His friends wish him success. [Farview was founded by an act of the state legislature on May 11, 1905 as the first and only institution in the state devoted exclusively to the care and treatment of the criminally insane.] ALSO The funeral of Dallas Carpenter was held Monday at the Ararat Presbyterian church. He had been almost a life-long resident here. He was about 80 years of age. He was laid to rest in the Ararat cemetery, beside so many of his kindred who have gone on before him.
Harford – On Dec. 22 the pupils of the High School gave an operetta in the Odd Fellows Hall. The operetta was one of the finest entertainments of its kind ever given in this place. Each part was well rendered and many novel costumes were seen. It is hoped that it will be repeated again in the near future.
News Brief: Deaths among Civil War veterans made large gaps in the government’s pension roll during the past year. More than 50,000 of the old soldiers passed from the pension list, reducing their total to 208,080, hardly a third of what it was 18 years ago. ALSO A year ago an Aurora, NY, a girl advertised, at a cost of $11.25, for a husband and she was successful. Last Saturday he died, leaving her $19,000, or a net profit of $18,989.75. We simply cannot refrain from remarking that it pays to advertise.
The Decline of Quilting: Another fast-vanishing Vermont art is quilting. When one feels chilly these bitter nights and pulls around him the store bedclothes which most of us use, how we miss the old-fashioned quilt, which was frost-proof, nearly ever-wearing and contributed besides to the artistic spirit of mankind! A quilt designed by an old-time housewife, tied at a “bee,” full of generous padding and exhibiting its gorgeous evening face to the tired bed-seeker, was quite a different thing from the factory-made substitute which gives neither adequate warmth nor esthetic pleasure. Sleeping under a crazy quilt did not make the sleeper crazy. Even folks who possess the priceless old-fashioned quilt are apt to hide it under the frivolity of a “spread” so that neither the pictorial beauties nor the promise of satisfying protection appeal to the eye, but it is lamentably true that even by counting these hidden treasures, the visible supply of quilts has disappeared. We are no busier people today than we were when grandmother tied her last quilt, but we have less time for such work. We waste more, both in time and energy and we are too apt to join with people who think old-fashioned things out of date. A native characteristic effort like a hand-made quilt is never out of date. It is not only excellent industry, but it makes for conservation; it saves money, utilizes waste, and a quilt is also a fine barrier against our climate.
From the Rutland [Vermont] Herald.
200 Years Ago from the Montrose Centinel, Jan. 4, 1817.
*Melancholy Accident – On Monday evening last, 7 or 8 young Ladies were crossing the north branch of the Susquehanna, nearly opposite Mr. Gaskins, for the purpose of attending singing school—when melancholy to relate, the canoe in which they were, struck a cake of ice and a young woman, daughter of Mr. Joseph Skinner, was drowned—the others saved themselves by holding to the canoe until they were relieved by Messrs. John Gaskin, Jonathan Gaskin and Abraham Gulick—to whom great credit is due for their humane exertions. The body of the young woman has not yet been found. Danville Express.
*Distressing Accident – A son of Mr. Welton, living on Snake Creek, in Lawsville township, about 4 years old, fell into a kettle of boiling water on the 22nd. ult [ult meaning month before], And was so shockingly scalded that he survived but a short time.
*MARRIED. – On the 29th ult., by Joshua W. Raynsford, Esq., Mr. Elijah Bullard, of Springville, to Miss Phebe Deans, daughter of Deacon Zebulon Deans, of Bridgewater.
*DIED – In Lawsville [Liberty] township, on the 23 ult., Mr. John Staple, after a long and tedious illness.
LOOK OUT! For the LAST time I inform those that are indebted to me that I must and WILL have a settlement immediately. ASA PARK Bridgewater, Jan. 4, 1817.
You have probably watched different legal television shows or movies that depict an attorney aggressively cross-examining a witness in an attempt to elicit contradictory testimony. There are many different styles for questioning a witness – and the style usually depends upon the personality of the litigator. Regardless of the stylistic approach, it is not uncommon for an inconsistency to appear (or perhaps even some or many inconsistencies) while a witness is testifying. A witness may contradict something a prior witness said – or provide testimony that is not supported by documentary or photographic evidence – or even contradict himself or herself.
As the factfinder, jurors are required to consider the contradictions elicited during cross-examination to determine whether they undermine the credibility of the witness. When the Court instructs a jury about credibility, the instruction itself candidly notes that the human memory is not perfect – and the jury has to determine what caused the inconsistency in the testimony or evidence.
The Court will instruct a jury that the inconsistency may be the result of bias or prejudice that the witness may have in the outcome of the case. For instance, if the witness is a close friend to one party, it may tend to influence how the witness recalls a particular event in a manner that is more positive for the friend. A witness could have a financial interest in the outcome of the litigation that could tend to influence how the witness perceived an event. The Court will also ask the jury to consider whether the witness simply was not in a good vantage point to view an event – or simply lacked the time to really get a good understanding of what was occurring.
During the jury instruction, the Court emphasizes that a jury must consider the demeanor of the witness during the testimony. This part of the credibility instruction encourages the jurors to rely upon certain intangible things that each person relies upon every day to make credibility determinations. For instance, jurors are told to consider spontaneous gestures, eyebrow movement, shrugging shoulders, voice intonation, eye movement, facial expressions, or any other kind of body movement that the jurors perceived as indicating truthfulness or deceptiveness. The jurors then conduct a collective assessment of the credibility of each particular witness based upon their own everyday experiences in dealing with and judging other people.
The jurors are also told to consider the age of the witness as well as any physical or mental conditions that might have impacted upon their recollection. The jurors may be instructed to consider the witness’s intelligence to determine whether the witness had the requisite intellectual capacity to understand what he or she was observing.
As to conflicts between testimonies of different witnesses, the Court reminds the jurors that people routinely see things differently and that the jurors should try to reconcile the two accounts before rejecting a witness’s testimony in its entirety. Even when there is no way to reconcile conflicting testimony, the jurors are told to consider if the witness may have been innocently mistaken. Even where the jurors determine that a particular witness provided intentionally false testimony, the jurors are instructed that this does not mean that the jurors must disregard all of that witness’s testimony. The jury may decide to do that – but the jury may also decide to reject only the conflicting or dishonest portion of the testimony and accept the remaining testimony that the jurors find credible.
How do you decide credibility? Think about that for a moment – and then realize that this is the primary function of the jury as the finder of facts. If there was no dispute in the facts, cases would be decided by judges prior to getting to a jury trial. The need for a jury trial only arises when there are questions of fact – contradictions between the parties as to what occurred or how it occurred. Jurors – people like yourself – hear the evidence and make these determinations based upon these factors – and countless other ones – after carefully observing and listening to all the evidence and applying their collective common sense and wisdom to the evidence presented to them.
“There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catolaugues.” -Hal Borland (1900–1978)
We hope your holidays were the merriest and most blessed times. Making memories with your family and friends is something that will last for generations to come. If you found some books under your tree, in your stocking, or wrapped in the spectacular splendor of blue and silver, enjoy them, but please don’t forget the authors that spent many a sleepless night writing them. Whether you give your honest opinion in posting what you liked or disliked, or just click on the amount of stars (with 5 being excellent) to let other readers know how much you enjoyed a certain book, your opinion is valued much more than you realize. Publishing houses check the popularity of their authors’ works and that helps them decide if they want to continue publishing their works or series, and also, if the author should go in another direction, end the series. Your literary voice means a great deal. Don’t forget the selections you check out from your local library location. You can still let your preferences be known on various sites; if you look up the author you can let him or her know you appreciate and enjoy their work. Please take some time out in the new year and make a family trip to the library nearest you. There are bound to be new programs and services for all to enjoy.
I would like to share an excerpt I recently found very interesting. This was within an article by well-know author Will Schwalbe, entitled “The Need to Read” and I think it says a lot to all of us readers. If you have not heard of Mr. Schwalbe, he is the author of the New York Times Best-Seller, “The End of Your Life Book Club” which is an inspiring exploration of the power of books to shape our lives in an uncertain world. When you ask someone “What are you reading?” it is a powerful question and can sometimes change lives. He gave a poignant example of a grandmother and grandson who could not seem to connect, no matter what she tried to do. One day she asked him what he was reading, which happened to be “The Hunger Games” at the time, so she went to the Library and checked it out and before many chapters were read, they were connecting and delighting in comparing notes about the adventures of Katniss and Primrose Everdeen. The conduit was reading.
As the author writes: “We need to read and to be readers now more than ever. We over-schedule our days and complain constantly about being too busy. We shop endlessly for stuff we don’t need and then feel oppressed by the clutter that surrounds us. We rarely sleep well or enough. We compare our bodies to the artificial ones we see in magazines and our lives to the exaggerated ones we see on television. We watch cooking shows and then eat fast food. We worry ourselves sick and join gyms we don’t visit. We keep up with hundreds of acquaintances, but rarely see our best friends. We bombard ourselves with video clips, emails and instant messages. We even interrupt our interruptions. And at the heart of it all, for so many, is fear that we are missing out on something. Wherever we are, someone somewhere is doing, seeing, eating or listening to something better. I’m eager to escape from this way of living. And if enough of us escape, the world will be better for it. Connectivity is one of the blessings of the internet era, but as with everything, there can be too much of a good thing. Books are uniquely suited to helping us change our relationship to the rhythms and habits of daily life in this world of endless connectivity. We can’t interrupt books, we can only interrupt ourselves while reading them. They speak to us, thoughtfully, one at a time. They demand our attention. And, they demand that we briefly put aside our own beliefs and prejudices and listen to someone elses. You can rant against a book, but you won’t change the words on the page. Reading isn’t just how I escape, it’s how I engage. And reading should spur further engagement.”
The technology of a book is genius. The order of the words is fixed, whether on the page or on the screen, but the speed at which you read them is entirely up to you. Sure, this allows you to skip ahead and jump around, but it also allows you to slow down, savor and ponder. I wish to thank Mr. Schwalbe for this thought-provoking piece.
As the New Year dawns, and tempts us with its hopes and dreams, I leave you with this thought:
“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.” -Ellen Goodman
Resolutions Snowmen Northern Lights
Happy 2017!
Enjoy!!
Milk thistle for the functioning alcoholic
Barney, 61, came into the pharmacy and brought a bottle of milk thistle to the pharmacist. “Does this stuff really work?” he asked. “Work for what?” the pharmacist replied. “Well, you know. For drinking. Keeps the liver going,” Barney responded. The pharmacist knew Barney was a drinker, usually at the bar around the corner. She also heard that Barney bought a lot of liquor to drink at home. Even though Barney’s wife left him a few years ago because of his drinking problem, he still refused to get help from his doctor or Alcoholics Anonymous.
The liver processes the toxins in your body. So if booze is crippling its detoxifying abilities, toxins, whether they are in the air, in the water, or in the crap food you eat, then you are not going to feel your best. In fact, you may die. The pharmacist knew that milk thistle has the potential to protect the liver from deteriorating due to alcoholism. And she assumed that someone told Barney about this herb and he decided to try it and maybe save his liver. This herbal remedy has been used medicinally for over 2,000 years, most commonly for the treatment of liver and gallbladder disorders. Silymarin comes from the seeds of milk thistle plant and is believed to be the active part of milk thistle. The terms "milk thistle" and "silymarin" are often used interchangeably.
Silymarin is a flavonoid that possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which can be highly beneficial to the liver. Researchers claim that silymarin not only protects the liver from toxins but also helps the organ heal from damage that has already occurred. But does it really work? Although numerous human trials have been published, most studies have lacked a robust design and strong conclusive evidence to prove it actually works. Many studies suggest that milk thistle is useful for cirrhosis, which is severe liver scarring. In studies up to 5 years long, milk thistle slightly improved liver function and decreased the number of deaths in people with cirrhosis as well as chronic liver diseases that are caused by viruses (e.g., hepatitis) or alcohol. Are there side effects? Not likely if taken as directed. However, if you are diabetic, then know that milk thistle can lower blood sugar. Thus, monitoring your glucose levels is very important. Keep a log that you can show your pharmacist or prescriber as medication doses may need to be altered.
The usual way to consume the herb is in capsule form but it also comes as liquid drops. Different products are on the market, so it is important to buy it from a reputable manufacturer. Ask your pharmacist.
Milk thistle does not cure alcoholism and has little effect after severe liver damage has been done. Whether this herb will start Barney on the road to sobriety or just be another excuse for continuing to drink remains to be seen. The pharmacist has not seen his liver function test results, so she does not know the extent of any liver damage he may have. Yet, Barney needs some help. So the pharmacist does not lecture him about his drinking nor does she pass judgment. She simply rang up his purchase and wished him the best.
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Visit him at www.rx-press.com.
