East Rush – The ladies Aid of the East Rush Church will serve dinner in the basement on the 4th of July.  Dinner, 35 cents.  Children under ten, 20 cents.  Lots of amusements.  Come and have a good time and help the church. At last we are going to have some new lights in the church.  The order has been placed for two 600 candle power gasoline lamps. At Fairdale, on the 4th, Red Cross day will be celebrated commencing at 10:30.  There will be races, ball games, patriotic addresses, an auto and a fantastic parade and other lines of amusements.  The ladies will serve a buffet luncheon.  The Camp Fire Girls will serve home-made candy and run a fish pond.

Auburn Center – A very large, fine barn, built but a short time ago on L. B. Pierson’s farm, was struck by lightning Saturday night, being entirely consumed, together with its contents including a large quantity of grain and hay, valuable farm machinery, two automobiles and four head of young stock.  The horses were saved.  We understand there was an insurance of $1500 on the building and a small insurance on the contents.  Mr. Pierson’s loss is a severe one.

South Ararat – Lew Norton, of Uniondale, was through this place on Friday, peddling meat.  His meats were very nice, also the prices.  His many customers are always glad to see him for he is always so good natured.  Come again, Lew.

Tingley Lake, Harford Twp. – H. P. Read, of Montrose, is building a cottage at Tingley Lake.  We are glad to know that people are becoming interested in building more cottages there, and hope to see several of them put up in the future, for Tingley Lake is a fine summer resort.

Hop Bottom – The Tuscarora Camp Fire Girls attended the Ladies Aid at Mrs. Dyer Williams’.  They were all dressed in the “Minute Girl Uniform.”  Four of the girls will be given the Wood Gatherers rank at the next meeting and presented with the silver ring, which denotes the Wood Gatherers rank.  The following girls were present: Edna Lean, Lillian Smith, Aldene Stephens, May Yeomans, Bernice Everson, Josephine Williams, Edna Saunders and Ethel Saunders, Guardian of the Fire.  The girls are planning to take part in the 4th of July parade, at Hop Bottom.

AND A number of Boy Scouts enjoyed a week-end outing at Loomis Lake.  A severe thunder storm added “pep and fire” to the night’s adventure.  If “Ma” had insisted on the boys staying out in such a storm there would have been something doing.

Montrose – The show window in Watrous’ store has attracted much attention the past week.  It was arranged by Mr. Watrous to help the Red Cross Spirit.  A Red Cross nurse stood in the center and the work of the Montrose unit was skillfully displayed.

Highlands, New Milford Twp. – A house of Edward Brown’s was burned, with all its contents, during the electric storm of last week.  No one was living in the house at the time, but it was furnished.  The home of George Hall, also on the Highlands, was struck.  The bolt knocked the chimney off and tearing a big hole in the roof, descended to the kitchen and passed out an outside door.  The family was sitting about the kitchen at the time, but no one was injured.

Thompson – Mrs. A. C. Foster is at Mansfield, attending the commencement exercises.  Her granddaughter, Miss Ruth Foster, is one of the graduates.  Miss Foster is to be the Assistant Principal of Thompson High School the ensuing year.

Springville – Some of our surrounding country would do well to send to Scranton or in some mining town for hustlers or efficient help on their farms.  We understand that Arthur Brown has the finest garden in Susquehanna county, potatoes, radishes, onions, lettuce and all other vegetables in a flourishing condition, with peas ready for use, all done by Frank Polmatier, a Scranton boy.  Some of our farmers here haven’t their corn ground ready yet.  Uncle Sam urges but he should use a persuader or paddle, as he has authority now.

Lymanville – The Lymanville Church has dedicated new stained-glass windows on June 13.  The various windows are inscribed to the memory of the following: Mr. and Mrs. Gideon Lyman, Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Spencer, Mr. and Mrs. James H. Lyman, Mr. and Mrs. Landes Lyman, A. R. Safford, Rev. and Mrs. G. L. Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Davis, Archibald Sheldon and wife, Ruth Howland Sheldon; Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Sheldon. One window donated by M. B. Lyman and family is properly inscribed with their names and another inscription denotes that the window was given by the Ladies’ Aid Society. A handsome oak pulpit, bears the inscription that it was donated by Martin Detrick and family, of Rock Falls, Ill.

Little Meadows – S. E. Beardslee has resigned his position as teacher in the Montgomery High school and is coming home to work his farm.

Susquehanna – Who is the oldest person in the county?  Considerable interest seems manifested in learning who the oldest living person is within our county’s borders.  F. D. Lyon, of Susquehanna, 96 years of age, seems to lead at present.  Are there any other than he?

Forest City – A meeting of the borough council was held on Monday evening.  During the discussion over the bills, Street Commissioner McCloskey requested the secretary to write out a resignation for him which he handed to the council. ALSO F. W. Walker is in receipt of a photograph of Stephen Stats, Michael Madden, Louis Puchnik, Leo McCabe and Bennie Yanchitis, five of the young men who were in the Red Cross parade here on May 30.  They are located at Fort Riley near Junction City, Kansas.  The reservation consists of several thousand acres of land in the Republican and Kansas River valleys, and is considered the largest cavalry camp in the world.  It has the distinction of being the geographical center of the United States and the identical spot is marked by what is known as Ogden’s monument, erected by the Federal government in honor of Major Ogden, who made the first trans-continental survey of the U. S.  The Forest City boys are in splendid health and are not worrying over the chance of going to France. They are connected with the 13th and 20th regiments of the U. S. cavalry.

Herrick Center – Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Shaul, of New York City, are visiting at the home of George McGonigle at this place, and later will camp at a nearby lake.  Mr. Shaul is manager of Hotel Plaza in New York and his wife is the daughter of Mrs. M. C. Atherton, formerly of Herrick.

200 Years Ago from the Montrose Centinel, June 28, 1817.

*Married—In the township of Auburn, on the 19th inst. by Rev. D. Dimock, Mr. Samuel Picket, of Rush, to Miss Nancy Avery, of the former place.

*Married—In Waterford, on the 25th, by J. W. Raynsford, Esq., Mr. John Lord, to Miss Maria Smith, daughter of Elihu B. smith, all of that place.

Simon Tam is the lead singer of a rock band called “The Slants.”  Tam was aware that this particular term has a derogatory connotation when used in reference to persons of Asian descent.  Tam and his other band members are Asian-Americans and they selected the name as a means of reclaiming the name and transforming it from a negative slur into something with more positive imagery. 

Tam filed an application with the federal Patent and Trademark Office for federal trademark registration of the band’s name.  The Federal trademark statute contains a provision that prohibits the registration of a trademark “which may disparage . . . persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs or national symbols.”  Because of the derogatory nature of the band name, the trademark application was denied.

Tam appealed the denial of his request to Trademark the band name and argued that the provision in trademark law that prohibited the registration of disparaging names violated the First Amendment.  The case made its way to the United States Supreme Court, which unanimously concluded that the trademark statute’s provision prohibiting the registration of derogatory names was unconstitutional.

The government argued that the commercial nature of the trademark registration process limited to some degree the protections afforded through the First Amendment.  Justice Alito, writing for the majority, rejected this argument simply and forcefully: “There is also a deeper problem with the argument that commercial speech may be cleansed of any expression likely to cause offense.  The commercial market is well stocked with merchandise that disparages prominent figures and groups, and the line between commercial and non-commercial speech is not always clear, as this case illustrates.  If affixing the commercial label permits the suppression of any speech that may lead to political or social ‘volatility,’ free speech would be endangered.”

Justice Kennedy, in his concurring opinion, explained the dangers of the government deciding what speech was worthy of protection: “A law that can be directed against speech found offensive to some portion of the public can be turned against minority and dissenting views to the detriment of all.  The First Amendment does not entrust that power to the government’s benevolence.  Instead, our reliance must be on the substantial safeguards of free and open discussion in a democratic society.”

Justice Kennedy thoughtfully noted that the government was seeking to justify its denial of a trademark based upon the negative reaction that the use of this particular term would have with some portion of the population who would view it as derogatory.  Justice Kennedy concluded that this amounted to “viewpoint discrimination” and noted that such discrimination results in the government “attempting to remove certain ideas or perspectives from a broader debate.”  As to the dangers of such government thought selection, Justice Kennedy opined further: “That danger is all the greater if the ideas or perspectives are ones a particular audience might think offensive, at least at first hearing.  An initial reaction may prompt further reflection, leading to a more reasoned, more tolerant position.”

This Supreme Court decision will likely impact another trademark appeal that is currently pending involving the National Football League’s Washington Redskins.  In 2014, the Trademark office made the decision that the team name of Redskins was offensive and derogatory and cancelled the team’s trademark registration, which had been in place since 1967.  That case is also now on appeal, but the appeal was stayed to allow for a decision in Tam’s case involving his band’s attempt to trademark their name.

“I caught my grandma smoking a joint!”

Jay, 23, came into the pharmacy to pick up his grandmother’s prescriptions. He waved the pharmacist over and said to him, “I’m worried about Grandma. I caught her smoking a joint behind the garage. Can pot hurt someone that age? She is on a slew of heart medications.”

Today, 26 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana. However, regardless of legal status, recreational and medicinal use of marijuana is common across the US. With an increasing availability, more and more Americans are toking up. And this includes older people. Currently, 7.5% of adults between the ages of 50 and 59 and 2.1% of those 60 and up regularly use weed, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Marijuana use in adults has steadily increased in both age groups since 2002 – back then, 3.1% of those 50-59 years old and 1% of those 60-plus were users.  

Aside from the obvious reasons why older people may think twice about altering their mental status with marijuana – impaired driving, cognition problems, falling, and increased heart rate, rate of breathing and blood pressure – pot has never been stronger, about 5 times more potent than it was in the 1980s. So, the problem of which Jay’s grandmother needs to be aware is that marijuana can interact with many prescription drugs. Many older people are on medications to control the chronic conditions associated with aging. In fact, over 55% of those 45 years of age and over, have taken 5 or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Marijuana-related trips to the hospital are also becoming more frequent. Between 2004 and 2010, the number of 55- to 64-year-olds who went to an emergency room with marijuana in their system rose from 3,671 to 14,019, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network. Many of these are the result of the weed fighting it out in the liver where most drugs are metabolized.

Which drugs appear to be at odds with your grandmother’s reefer? Marijuana and prescription drugs can interact in 4 different ways: 1) the herb blocks the metabolism of the Rx drug causing the Rx drug to build up in the circulation and trigger side effects; evidence exists that marijuana can enhance sedative, psychomotor, respiratory, and other effects of central nervous system drugs and alcohol; 2) the herb hastens the metabolism of the Rx drug causing it not to do its therapeutic job; examples include caffeine, certain antidepressants, and the beta-blocker propranolol; 3) the Rx drug blocks the metabolism of the weed, making it super-potent and could result in anxiety, paranoia, and psychosis; examples include grapefruit juice and many antiretroviral drugs used in HIV; and 4) the Rx drug causes marijuana to be metabolized more quickly, harshing the buzz and possibly causing a rift between the smoker and his dealer; examples include anti-seizure medications. 

Certainly, marijuana has its medicinal value. In addition to its euphoric effects, the remedial benefits of marijuana have been explored for decades. In 1850, marijuana was listed as a recognized medicine in the US Pharmacopeia, where it remained until 1941. Though burdened with controversy, marijuana may have therapeutic benefits on 200 medical conditions, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and HIV/AIDS.

Older potheads, like Jay’s grandmother, may not be aware of the effects the drug may have on their bodies. Therefore, it is important for both users and healthcare professionals to be aware of the potential drug interactions associated with marijuana use. If you want to smoke, keep your other medications in mind.

Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Read more at www.rx-press.com

"The less you know the better you'll sleep at night"; that's the title of a book a recently bought. It's a book about Russia's descent into terror and dictatorship under Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin. No, this column is not about Russia; it's about your AMI SMART meter. But like the realities of the Russian bear, the impact of the Itron Open Way AMI Meter recently retrofitted on a home or business near you is just as, if not more, consequential.

Before I begin telling you about the Itron Open Way AMI SMART Meter, you may want to take a moment to look at the meter that "measures" your electricity usage… Ah, I sensed your return to the paper, so let's continue. Assuming your electric utility put this meter on your residence, with or without your permission-remember, if you failed to object according to prescribed form your utility assumed consent-you may well be interested in the material in this article.

First think back to why you now have an AMI SMART Meter. What reason did the utility give you; or in other words, how was your life going to be made better by your shiny new meter? And before you refer back to your letter from the utility-I'm sure you saved it-think for a moment how much better your life has gotten since you received your SMART Meter.

While you're doing that, I'll share with you information from a report dated March 1, 2017, by William S. Bathgate. Mr. Bathgate's report is available online and is entitled, "Evaluation of the ITRON Open Way AMI Meter." Mr. Bathgate has electrical engineering and mechanical engineering degrees, holds a DOD Top Secret Clearance, is serving in Cyber Security at the USMDA (United States Missile Defense Agency) and Homeland Security, and with over 40 years experience has conducted product safety certifications for UL, CE (Europe), Africa, Japan, Australia, and China. He has completed his evaluation of the Itron Open Way AMI SMART Meter in his own words, "...due to my own curiosity without conflict of interest of this new technology."

Ready? Let's begin; from this point on I quote from Mr. Bathgate's 41-page report. "Has the investment in new AMI meter benefited the consumer? The utility is passionate about the need for AMI [Advanced Metering Infrastructure]. Their primary benefits are:

(1) Reduction in meter reader workforce costs -

* The[re] has been no rebate or discount to the consumer for this savings the utility gains; where did the savings go?

(2) Ability to monitor the expanse of outages -

* This may marginally benefit the consumer, but communications of their outage existed before via phone anyway. However, the saving to the utility has never been remunerated and returned to consumers.

(3) Ability to turn off services to non-paying consumers without a "Truck Roll" -

* This will save the utility money, yet the savings are not passed on to the consumer; every time a truck roll is avoided the utility should be sending a check equal to that cost savings to the consumer base.

(4) Ability to save energy -

* The AMI meters themselves increase demand for energy capacity and cost the consumer ~ $115.00 per year in added costs they were never told about. In addition, there is a question of fairness in reporting how inductive loads are calculated in meter readings. The lack of transparency in the data manipulations for inductive loads versus resistive loads has never been elaborated by the utility. [This 'hustle' will be explained in-depth in a future column.]

(5) Ability to incorporate alternative energy sources -

* This only applies to the utility. The utilities are blocking consumers' ability to sell back to the grid. The utilities have increased their rates to build alternative energy sources and increased their billing to pay for these facilities. However, they are also charging the current rates to the customer for what they now obtain for free."

Okay, let's return to our local utility's letter announcing the benefits of a smart meter. "This...will enable automated meter reading and may enhance our ability to respond to outages faster and more efficiently. Plus, in the future, you will have access to more detailed energy information through our online Home Energy Analyzer tool that will help you better understand your electricity use-which means you can then make informed decisions on how to manage and control your electricity consumption."

The letter may sound plausible to an unfocused reader, but I'm sure most of you can now figure out how shallow these reasons are for justifying the imposition of such huge costs to consumers. Electric industry literature, usually read only by insiders, brags about what a cash cow smart meters are for the electricity industry. Utilities sell SMART Meters to ratepayers at retail prices, including cost of installation, and the meters, advertised to last for 15 years, usually must be replaced in as little as 5 to 7 years, with customers again picking up the full retail cost. How much more profitable is this, rather than having to wait every 40 years to replace the ever-reliable analog meters!

As Mr. Bathgate noted, most consumers experiencing an outage simply pick up a phone and notify the utility. Will an extra minute's notice to the utility really help your service be restored more quickly? It seems like a rather costly precaution with little chance of a payback to the consumer.

Finally, regarding that Energy Analyzer, everyone should be a skeptic. The best energy analyzer is one's own brain. When you leave a room turn off the lights or other appliances you need not leave turned on. Unplug electronics that remain in standby mode when not operational. I always unplug my coffee maker and TV when not in use. The extra seconds to power up are well worth the money saved.

What's really laughable is Penelec's [my utility company] verbiage explaining that "you can make informed decisions on how to manage and control your electricity consumption." That's a rather farcical, if not misleading statement. You, the consumer, are not being empowered; you are being stripped of your ability to maximize consumption when it is most advantageous to you. Although Penelec insists it has no plans to institute time-of-use (TOU) pricing at this time, it is not a promise for all eternity. No mention of demand-response (DR) is made whatsoever. DR pricing in many markets has the consequence of increasing kWh-pricing by a factor of 10 during certain hours on "critical days" when heat waves or cold snaps occur. Because utilities cannot institute TOU and DR-pricing schemes with analog meters-only with AMI SMART Meters-it is crucial that customers be deceived or misled into accepting SMART Meters.

The Itron Open Way AMI SMART Meter is a danger to every consumer's financial health, physical health, privacy, safety, and well-being.0 This meter is NOT UL-approved, and cannot receive such certification short of a major (and costly) redesign. The best way an electric customer can protect himself or herself is to refuse consent for placement of any AMI SMART Meter on their property. Future columns will expose the many ways the public is being misled about these inherently dangerous devices.

Wake up, Pennsylvania. Until your utility and our legislators feel the heat, they'll never see the light. It's up to you to blaze the path for your own well-being and that of those you love. The more you know, the better you can defend yourself from utilities, the PA PUC, and our state government.