Thompson – Mrs. C. B. Jenkins died at her home on East Jackson Street, of pneumonia, March 30th. In the death of Mrs. Jenkins everyone in Thompson feels they have lost a friend; everyone is a mourner. She was a woman noted for her deep Christian principles, her untiring acts of benevolence and her ever ready sympathizing hand of kindness extended to all about her when in sorrow or trouble of any kind. We all loved her and feel that a place is vacant that can never be filled. Much sympathy is extended to the bereaved husband and sorrowing friends.
Forest City – The mines of the Clinton colliery were closed down Tuesday, the men going out on account of a disagreement over the working conditions at the washery. The difficulty was mainly due to Sunday and night work. ALSO Anthony Opeka, who has been here on a 60 day furlough, will leave this week to join his regiment, the 19th U. S. infantry, stationed in the Panama canal zone. ALSO Boys from 6 to 10 years of age may be seen picking cigar and cigarette stubs from the streets in the early morning. This pernicious practice has been followed too long for the health of the youth who are thus taught to smoke.
Dundaff – David N. Snyder expressed a desire to again smell powder in case Germany should invade America. Mr. Snyder is a veteran of the Civil War and served from the start of that great conflict to the fall of 1863. The scene of his operation was in the southwest, his regiment, the 77th Pa., being one of the few eastern regiments under Gen. Grant in his campaign in Kentucky and Tennessee. Mr. Snyder served under General Buel in the famous McCook brigade, also. He had four brothers in the service. Mr. Snyder is alert and erect for one of his age and might be taken for a man of middle age. Politically he is opposed to President Wilson but believes in forgetting politics when the nation is threatened with war clouds as at the present.
Uniondale – Morgan Daniels is in receipt of a letter from his nephew, Foster Williams, who is in Uncle Sam’s Navy and treads the deck of the large battleship, the Pennsylvania, the largest in the world. All correspondence hitherto has been censored by the naval authorities and no place could be assigned by the crew as their abiding place only “somewhere in the Navy.”
Great Bend – At the close of the tent meeting of the Daughter of Veterans, the members gave a variety shower to their first bride in the order, Mrs. Rena Wilmot Sandall. It was a great surprise to her.
Lathrop Twp. – Nearly everyone who has sugar maples are tapping them this spring, owing to the high price of sugar.
Dimock – The new high school building will be dedicated tomorrow. This building, a gift from Messrs. Percy Ballantine and Francis H. Cope, Jr., is one of the best equipped school buildings in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Lynn Station, Springville Twp. – The community was greatly shocked to hear of the sudden death of Mrs. Dyer Taylor, at her home here. She had been sick for some time, but was better and around the house again. It is reported that the final summons came while the lady was playing the piano. She was a splendid neighbor and friend to everybody.
Brooklyn – Guy A. Tiffany, a former resident of this place, was found dead in Gahagan’s Hotel, Scranton. Deceased was 68 years old and a veteran of the Civil War, serving in Co. F, Fourth Regt., U. S. Infantry. In his pockets were found a pension certificate showing he was entitled to $17 per month and letters from Herrick Center, Kingsley, New Milford and other places, answering his advertisement applying for work as a farm hand. One son, William Tiffany, has been stationed on the Mexican border.
Montrose – M. Lee Swackhamer, for some years in charge of the Borden plant at Hamden, N. Y., has been transferred to Whitesville, N. Y. Mr. Swackhamer was a former superintendent of the Borden milk station in Montrose and a printer at one time in The Republican office. ALSO Theda Bara will star at the C-Nic, Saturday afternoon and evening, in “Her Double Life.”
Friendsville – Dr. Hubert A. Bolan, formerly of Philadelphia, died at his late home here on March 28. Death was due to consumption. Deceased was 45 years of age. He came of a prominent Philadelphia family and was a refined and scholarly man, and a physician of rare skill. He came to Friendsville for his health about three years ago, in the hope that the country atmosphere and surroundings would prolong his life. His remains were taken to Philadelphia for interment.
News of the War – U. S. Called to Join War; Wilson asks [for] 500,000 men. The President, in calling the nation to arms, makes it clear war for American rights is against German Government only—not against German people or against Austria and other allies of central powers. An American armed ship was sunk as his message is read. Factories are reporting that it is impossible to supply the demand for flags. The wave of patriotism sweeping over the country has created a big demand for “Old Glory” and the tri-colored bunting waves from nearly every business place and residence. It was an inspiring sight, Monday morning, to see the great display of flags. In Montrose: It is safe to say that never in the town’s history were there more flags waving, the streets in perspective appearing as a waving mass of color. The town’s bells and whistles rang and tooted long on Monday in patriotic fervor, to show that the sturdy yeomanry were still ready to accept the gage of battle with a foreign foe. The whistles at the Turner Construction Co. works, which is building the new McKeage foundry, blew long and loud. When the request was sent around to blow the whistles, Supt. Davison said that there was no fire under the boiler, but after a moment’s thought replied: “I’ll get up steam myself.” He did. One hundred and twenty pounds of it. At noon the whistle cord was tied down, and the gol-darned whistle blew until—the steam gave out.
200 Years Ago from the Montrose Centinel, April 5, 1817.
*MASONIC NOTICE. The members of the new Lodge at Montrose are requested to meet at the house of Chapman Carr at Montrose on Friday the 11th instant at one o’clock in the afternoon on business of importance.
*Lists of Letters remaining in the Post Office at Montrose, April 1st 1817. John W. Robinson, John Robinson, John Reynolds 2, John Heywood, John Robertson, John W. White, James Wells jnr., John Bennet 2, John M. Brownson, Jacob Roberts, Justin Clark, John Phiney, John Brown, Jacob Brown, Jonas Fuller, David Dimock, Davis Dimock, Dennis Granger, David Shearer, David Doulittle, Amos Brownson, Abigail Darby, Abigail Foster, Anna Smith, Abel Davison, Richard Chapman, Richard Foster 2, Ezra Brown, Elisha Brownson, Eden Palmer, Elias Bennet,
Cyntha H. Agard, Henry Eldridge, Naomia Benjamin, Salmon Thomas, Wm. C. Turrel, Wm. Lawrence, Billings Babcock, Benajah Chatfield, Ishi Norton, Luther Snow, Levi Shove, Wm. Lathrop & Ichabod Terry, Erastus Catlin & Jonah Brewster, James W. Hill & Wm. Kerr.
C. CARR, Dept. P. M.
There are times when I get asked some really strange questions. Last week, this is the question I received: Does the law allow you to create “explosive” arrows? I confessed that I had no idea as I had never encountered any situation where an explosive arrow was involved. I recall that Rambo used them in one of his movies – and perhaps the heroine in the Hunger Games films did as well – but in 16 years prosecuting cases I never saw anyone charged with manufacturing or possessing explosive arrows.
In response, I did an internet search and found out that there was quite a bit of information out there regarding the manufacturing and use of such explosive arrows. In one forum, there was a post from a 12-year old who proclaimed that he was a “pyromaniac” and that he wanted to know how to make arrows that exploded on impact. The highest rated “answer” told the kid that he was going to lose a hand if he played around with gunpowder and suggested that he focus his energies on getting good grades. Of course, there were more “helpful” posts that contained more detailed instructions that could have easily led this 12-year old into a very dangerous situation. It seems that the explosive arrow question gets bantered around more than I might have realized.
I could not find any specific statute in the Crimes Code that made it unlawful to manufacture or possess an “explosive arrow.” The general statute relating to these kinds of instrumentalities is the Crimes Code section which makes it unlawful to possess a Prohibitive Offensive Weapon. In this regard, a prohibitive offensive weapon is defined as follows: “any bomb, grenade, machine gun, sawed-off shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches, firearm specially made or specially adapted for concealment or silent discharge, any blackjack, sandbag, metal knuckles, dagger, knife, razor or cutting instrument, the blade of which is exposed in an automatic way by switch, push-button, spring mechanism or otherwise, any stun gun, stun baton, taser or other electronic or electric weapon or other implement for the infliction of serious bodily injury which serves no common lawful purpose.”
It is the last portion of this statutory definition that arguably would encompass the possession of an explosive arrow. An explosive arrow would likely be an “implement” capable of inflicting serious bodily injury. But does an explosive arrow “serve no common lawful purpose?” An explosive arrow may serve a “lawful purpose” such as recreation, amusement, or perhaps self-defense. But is that use a “common lawful purpose?”
You can commercially purchase arrow heads that includes an ammunition round, i.e., the round fires upon the arrow hitting its target. (Admittedly, I was not aware of this until I performed an internet search on explosive arrows.) Section 2322 of the Game Code, however, prohibits the taking of big game with “any device other than a centerfire or muzzle-loading firearm or bow and arrow.” The Game Code provides the following definition of an arrow: “A missile shot from a bow, having a slender shaft with fletching or vanes at the butt and a pointed head without any explosive, chemical or poison in the head or shaft and used solely with a bow.”
In other words, you cannot use an explosive arrow while hunting in Pennsylvania, which thereby eliminates hunting use as a potential “common lawful purpose.” In the absence of a lawful hunting justification for possession of an explosive arrow, you are left with the only other real justification – like the 12-year old boy in the internet post I found – you simply like to blow stuff up. It would be up to a jury to determine whether or not that destructive desire was a “common lawful purpose.”
Tinnitus - It's all in your head
Joe, 54, came into the pharmacy and said to the pharmacist, "I saw an ad on TV about this supplement that can cure ringing in the ears. Does it really work? The sounds in my head at night keep me awake." The pharmacist does not carry that particular product because she knows nothing has ever been found to be clinically effective for ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no actual external noise is present. Tinnitus can manifest as many different perceptions of sound, including buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing, and clicking. The volume of the ear-ringing can be faint or deafening. Albeit rarely, tinnitus patients have reported hearing music. Tinnitus can be either an acute and temporary condition or a chronic health malady.
Millions of Americans experience tinnitus, often to an unbearable degree, making it one of the most common health conditions in the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that nearly 15% of the general public - over 50 million Americans - experience some form of tinnitus. Roughly 20 million people struggle with burdensome chronic tinnitus. Approximately 2 million have extreme and debilitating cases.
According to the American Tinnitus Association (ata.org), hearing loss is commonly accompanied by tinnitus. Some researchers believe that tinnitus cannot exist without some prior damage to the auditory system. The underlying hearing loss can be the result of 1) age-related hearing loss or 2) noise-induced hearing loss. Hearing loss often occurs as people get older, typically starting around the age of 60. This form of hearing loss tends to be bilateral (in both ears) and involve the sensory loss of high-frequency sounds. Age-related hearing loss explains, in part, why tinnitus is so prevalent among seniors.
Being a 25-year old disk jockey exposed to 100-decibel music through his headphones also does not help. Exposure to loud noises, either in a single traumatic experience or over time, can damage the auditory system and result in hearing loss and tinnitus as well. Traumatic noise exposure can happen at work (e.g. loud machinery), at play (e.g. loud sporting events, concerts, recreational activities), and/or by accident (e.g. a backfiring engine). Noise-induced hearing loss is sometimes unilateral (one ear only) and typically causes patients to lose hearing around the frequency of the triggering sound trauma. Other causes of tinnitus include obstructions in the middle ear, head and neck trauma, damage to the jaw, sinus pressure and barometric trauma (scuba divers and snorkelers have reported this), traumatic brain injury, and a range of diseases from anemia to stress.
The cure? There isn't one. The treatment? Hint: it does not come in a pricey bottle from the pharmacy. So that settled Joe's question about the supplement he saw on TV. Of course, Big Pharma is pouring a pile of research money into research to help a patient population of 20 million (and make 20 billion bucks in return). Acupuncture may work, but research has only shown relief in the short-term. Sound machines, air conditioners, and bedroom fans can override the noise in your head, especially when trying to sleep. Joe liked the idea of a sound machine. He saw one in a catalog that has cricket noises, distant thunderstorms, and crashing waves. After all, why should he waste $30 on a drug that will not work when he can spend $30 on a sound machine that may help?
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Visit him at www.rx-press.com
