Reading about my county, it occurred to me that some people, nerdy maybe, like myself, would like a "who's who" of local people from its beginning to the present age. I started a list of such names as I know, and then looked for names of significance of which I know little. I have uncovered a lot, so far.

Determining who should be on the list hasn't been difficult. It turns out that people with money are the most influential. That wasn't the direction I wanted it to go, but people of money have more power and influence. They own the businesses, change zoning, run for office, and make substantial gifts. They get the best education and throw the biggest parties. Even the eccentric ones get publicity. They bring jobs to a community. So when you look at the history of a community, you're looking at the stories of rich people, or those who tried very had to get rich. As much as I wanted to include some working class people or poor people, my list of notables are all rich so far.

I hope as I continue my research that I will find those who were outstanding for merit alone. I don't mean to say that the rich didn't make substantial contributions of a non-financial matter, or that their motives will wrong. Many were geniuses, or of notable moral character. But it does seem to bear out that to be of lasting influence, to have a profound impact on a community, it helps to have wealth in your corner. It either enables a person to do good, through education or position, or it enables them to use their money for good.

I'm going to keep digging. My goal is to know not only the notables, but all the strong characters who helped build this area. Maybe I'll get it in print for the local readers.


 

So, I like to watch the guests with Jay Leno. We all need our resting moments in the evening without serious brain usage, okay?

Last night, Trump was his guest. No, I don't like him any better now, or know anything new about him. But Jay mentioned that in some unnamed survey, "You're fired" was No. 3 for best known TV lines. "Here's Johnny" was number 1. Further down the list was "Lucy, I'm home!".

I don't know what else was on the list, but it started me thinking about classic TV lines. I made my own list.

"Shazamm!" Jim Nabors on Gomer Pyle
"Well, doggies." Jed Clampet on Beverly Hillbillies (most people thought he said Wee doggies)
"Wilbur" the horse to owner on Mr. Ed (use the right inflection and low voice)
"It's me. It's me. It's Ernest T." Ernest on The Andy Griffith Show
"How's that working for ya?" Dr Phil on his own show
"It's all about Raymond" Robert on Everybody Loves Raymond
"Deal of no deal?" Howie Mandel on Deal or No Deal
"What's behind curtain number 3 (or 2 or 1)?" Monty Hall on Let's Make a Deal
so or so, "Come on down!" announcer on The Price Is Right
"You beat everything, you know that?" Andy to Barney on The Andy Griffith Show
"Ehhhh" Fonzi on Happy Days

I'm sure you can think of more. You know the lines that stick in our minds, that are used in everyday conversation. Or when someone says one of them, out of context, you know immediately where the line originated or who said it. I challenge you to think of one or two of your own.

 

The rich boy, with a criminal record already for minor violent acts, kicked in the door of his ex-girlfriend's bedroom in her apartment with other girls. Not a big person, he was bigger than her. Both were athletes; both played college lacrosse. He picked her up by the neck and slammed her head into the wall.
She was found dead, covered with bruises, and blood. So far, he doesn't deny being there. His lawyer says, "It was an accident."
The rumor is that he was drinking. The lacrosse coach admits alcohol is a problem for lacrosse players. He has banned all drinking except on Saturday night. Who enforces that? If it's such a big problem, why aren't these students getting counseling or training in this area?
Drunk or not, why do men, especially young men, get the idea that they can abuse women? Why should any woman for any reason receive bruises or cuts or get thrown by someone who claims to like her, and probably sleeps with her? If he wouldn't treat his brother or teammate like that, why treat a woman like that? Does he think she's his property? Does he abuse children and pets, too?

And how can this murder be an accident? He kicked in the door! That sounds like he was pretty motivated and in an advanced state of rage. Anger management, alcohol abuse, spouse/partner abuse, spoiled rich boy syndrome--there's no excuse. He ran out of control, and now his life is worthless. A jail record will always follow him, once he's out, no doubt he'll get an early parole on a lightened charge. Without serious therapy, will any partner ever be safe with him? If he has any conscience while sober, will the guilt ever leave him alone?

There's only questions. For him, for their friends, for other students of the university, for her family and loved ones. How tragic that two lives should be ruined or lost so young, because he never learned any self-control.
 

I had a revelation today. Someone was telling a story that happened to him recently, and he commented that the guy looked so old. Of course, they were the same age, but he couldn't believe that the man looked so much older. Then he grinned and said, "I'm glad that I don't look that old."
I feel that same way all the time. I'm shocked to see people my age or a few years younger who look so old. Oh, I'm so glad I don't look that bad. I'm not gray, and I don't color my hair. (In fact my hair is still shiny and healthy looking and soft, precisely because I don't color it or perm it.) I may not like what I see in the mirror, but I don't look as old as other people my age. No, I don't want any body else's opinion. My own will suffice. (Let me have this delusion.)
And of course, my slowness of movement is due to stiffness, not age. The arthritis in my right foot and left knee are premature, too. And if my joints hurt when the one year old goes home, that's just because I was spoiling her a lot, not because I'm old.
I suppose if the two of us are typical, then the people I think are old-looking, then when those "old" people look at me, they're thinking the same thing, "Gosh, she sure looks old compared to me!" Of course, they're wrong.
 

I know there's a law about truth in advertising, but there are many ways around it.

Take for example the product honey. How complicated can it be to take honey out of the comb and put it in a jar (other than bees)? Well, reading the label can be very tricky. If the jar says only "honey", then it can be part corn syrup or other additives. If it says pure honey, then there are still legal percentages for additives. Even "100% pure honey" may not be what you really want, but it's closer. If you want natural honey, the label under law must say "100% pure natural honey". That last description will get you honey like the bees made it.

You fo to a "natural" restaurant and order organic chicken, you may or may not get organic chicken. Customers don't like it when the wait person says, "Sorry, we're out of chicken today." So the restaurant will buy chicken wherever it can locally, and pretend it's organic. Same with eggs. I know suppliers who say it happens every day. Regular supplies are readily available, while organic are not, so shortages are covered up this way.

Even stores that claim to be organic may not really measure up. They may carry or emphasize organic products, but may carry a lot of things that are not organic. And remember that a claim of "organic" may not be true. Only "certified organic" is legally bound to be organic. This costs more because a government trained inspector is required to do the certifying, not a regular employee, so it's an added payroll cost that non-organic fruits and meats don't have.

I have neighbors who try to do their own organic garden. They raise some nice peas and lettuce which they share. But they use manure, a natural fertilizer. There is no organic manure in our area, because there are no certified organic farms. The waterways and lakes are not certifiable, so it's impossible to certify any farms. (Farms on all sides of the farm have to be organic, too, because wind and water carry chemicals.) Natural and organic do not mean the same thing.

So exercise caution, and get accustomed to the idea that you will not always get what you think you're buying.
 

I once had a friend from Tunisia. My co-workers and I tried asking about the country, but he had little to say. But it got me interested, so I researched it.

I found out about the invasion of the French and the Italians from across the Mediterranean to avoid the wars and the oppression of the Jews. That's why today, the principal languages are French and Italian, despite the fact it is primarily a Muslim nation. It is mostly working class and poor, but there are many big modern cities and tourist areas. It's a mixture of the exotic and the simple, from beaches to cliffs.

Not long after, I found myself sitting at the top of the hill at Graves Mountain Lodge, during the apple festival (only 2 weeks in the fall). I looked down at the view below, and it was beautiful. I thought how proud I was to be American. If someone asked me what my country was like while I was living or working somewhere else, I'd have no trouble talking to them for days, let alone a few minutes.

America has beaches, mountains, valleys, desserts, and plains. It has "no-man" lands of craters and lava and danger. It has evergreen forests, bayous, and swamps and trees that are as big as a house. It has canyons and waterfalls, great rivers, and springs, and water that runs out of rocks on the side of the mountain.

We grow apples that are so sweet and tangy. My personal favorites are the Stayman's that only grow in Albemarle and Madison counties (Skyline Drive area). And peaches and peanuts and corn. I love Garrison Keillor's description of picking corn in the midwest and cooking it immediately, and the exchange of homegrown produce in the Lutheran churches. In the South we have watermelon that Mark Twain claims they eat in heaven. And strawberries. I bought strawberries in the Everglades that were worth the trip! And California and Florida orange juice. Cranberries from New England! That's just the beginning.

We have Maine lobster, Maryland crab, Chesapeake oysters, Wisconsin cheese, Virginia ham, and beef in the midwest. And buffalo! We have Southern fried chicken, Yankee pot roast, Boston baked beans, cornbread, jumbalaya, crayfish, dirty rice, stuffed turkey, apple pie, pecan pie, brownies, and hot fudge sundaes. Let's not forget hot dogs, home fries, grits, and Chicago-style pizza. And when it comes to barbecue, there are many styles: Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee (red vs white/champagne, and how hot).

What kind of people are Americans? All colors. And unless your family just immigrated in the last 50-75 years, you probably have some Native American bloodlines. Michener paints the story of Chinese, Mexicans, Germans, Poles, and French pioneering and settling in the West. In similar ways, other groups of families have traveled and settled to build new communities. In Los Angeles, there is a large Egyptian community. New York has everyone! DC has large Arab and Pakistani and Asian populations. The ports in Virginia, Oregon, and Washington state have a strong international influence of commercial sailors. Deerborn has a large Afghani population. There are pockets of Irish, as in Boston and Chicago. The Creoles of Louisiana, the Moravians in Pennsylavania, the Scottish and Scotts-Irish in the Allegheny Mountains. And Blacks from the huge continent of Africa, with all its variety, and from other countries, as well. And people from India, Asia, Samoa, Japan, and the list goes on. Even Hispanics come from many areas, as different from each other as possible: Mexico, Peurto Rico, The Dominican Republic, Columbia, Cuba, Spain, and so on. They are all Americans. Their accents, their faces, their stories, are all different. But we are all Americans.

We all love football, baseball, TV, stockcar racing, picnics, and our families. Despite our diversity of people, of food, of scenery, and local history, we are one people. And it's exciting.

Sitting in a rocking chair in the shade, looking over that mountainside, the sun baking all those people buying apples, riding horses, shopping for crafts or preserves, or playing in the creek or rolling downhill in the grass, I felt very patriotic. All this beauty, this splendor, this diversity, this peace. This is what's good about America.

Don't ask me face to face unless you've got a lot of time. There's a lot to tell.
 

Most adults hate that 6th grade thru 9th grade age of kids. They're noisy, rebellious, and contentious. They're awkward and harder to please. You can expect less respect, generally. (There's always individual exceptions to every generality.)

I say it's a great age. Remember what it was like? Every nerve ending is alive. Everything is so dramatic, so intense. Emotions are flaring. Fantasies and expectations are high. Reality is horrible. Every word from someone else's mouth is of tantamount importance. You feel like you're in the spotlight all the time, and one false move is ruination.

And you remember everything because it is so intense. You've crossed some invisible line that won't allow you to just live freely without caring. Now what people think is important. Finding your place in the world is important, even if you can't find the words to express that. You're capable of thinking about God and eternity, not just echoing back what you've heard. You're teetering on a fence between childhood and adulthood. No adult understands you or properly appreciates you. It's a wonder any of us survive those years. I guess the physical and chemical make-up are at the right levels to handle the emotional, mental, and hormonal changes and intensity.

As an adult, I wouldn't be able to handle what someone that age endures. I'd see the doctor for some help. Or I'd go for therapy. It would just be too hard to live like that. You only go through that once in life. Once is enough. But isn't it wonderful?
 

Most jobs these days are listed on a computer service. Even the employment commission refers to hotjobs.com or craigslist. So you would think that job hunting would be easier, as long as you have computer access.

I guess I should explain for the younger generations. Back in the 80's, you had to have a typewriter or word processor or rent one at $10 a day. You had to type your resumes perfectly, no spell-check, and then go make copies. Or you could pay big bucks to have one professionally printed. You wrote each letter perfectly, then typed your envelopes. You made a trip to the post office to get them out as fast as possible. You got the contacts from the newspaper or the employment agency. Office people did almost all contacts this way. Sometimes, you could go in person and fill out an application, usually 2 or 3 times a week.

Other type jobs would require the resume, but you just had to pound the pavement and read the paper daily. You could spend 2 to 8 hours a day just applying for jobs, counting travel time.

Today, it still takes a lot of time, but half of all apps are just done on the computer. Nonetheless, the typing is still necessary, but with the aid of spell check and templates and saved files. Occasionally, you still have to mail the information after printing it. Most places do not want you to come in person, or once you get there, you're seated at a computer kiosk to do what you could have done from home. I spend just as much time now as I did in the 80's with less travel.

Searching computer lists can be trying, sorting through the things you don't want, like things in another state. Every employer wants the process done a little differently, or have their own templates or software to use. I have trouble remembering all my user names and passwords, for the local big companies, as well as the job lists, like monster. I still spend a minimum of 4 hours a day pursuing the elusive job. But that's an improvement, since last fall there weren't many jobs listed for pursuit.

So, it would seem that if 50% or more of the job hunt can be done in your dowdy clothes and not cost gas money, that it would be easier. Well, I probably do get a few more apps in by the end of the week, and I do have access to more listings, or so it would seem. The employers have more options for listing and screening. They are getting many times more responses today due to the Internet, but if they're going through one of the listings, they're not seeing every single application. If they are getting the applications directly, yours is probably being buried in the deluge. So the competition is much stiffer. Inexperience works against you. Too much experience works against you. Too much education works against you.

It's heartbreaking, disappointing, and dangerous to your self-esteem. But still I slave at my computer, trying to grab that job on craigslist before it's filled. I've lowered my standards, my wage expectations, and will work part-time. I apply for everything. If only I were paid for my time.
 

I just didn't get it. The president of Iran swears the Holocaust never happened. I wrote him off as a crazy. He's old enough and educated enough to know better.

Now, word has gotten out that Great Britain's education leaders are considering rewriting the history books and deleting the Holocaust from the history curriculum, because it is offensive to their growing Muslim population. Again it didn't make sense. How could a people who claim to be social-minded, caring, and peaceful (omitting the fringe elements) and who practice being good neighbors as the Koran directs be offended by knowledge of the Holocaust. The few Muslims I have known really tried to be good neighbors and practice charity. One man told me his religion directed him to practice the good deeds of Jesus.

And if, as a people who are mostly Arab, they recall the atrocities inflicted upon them in the Crusades over 1000 years ago, why wouldn't they be the most sympathetic toward other groups under persecution and affliction? Most of the knights in the Crusades wanted to destroy the "infidels"-both Arabs and Jews in their view.

So I posed that question this evening to a former Muslim, a retired Saudi Arabian politician, and was met with an intense response. I was cautioned that we should be careful how we discuss the Holocaust around Arabs. As terrible as that event was to humanity, it has been used in the Middle East as a control tactic. He talked a while in his slow precise English over my head, but eventually the light came on a little.

Prior to World War II, the strongest military and political force in the Middle East was Great Britain. Then it was the US. America formed a strong Israeli tie, and we use the Bible to reinforce our position there. Most Arabs know that if any strike is made against Israel, within 24 hours the US will avenge Israel, although no American statesman will answer that question. This gentleman claims the Zionist movement began around 1920, before the Holocaust. His personal belief is that it would be a shame to erase the Holocaust from history and from textbooks.

However, the Holocaust now is more than just a terrible page in history. It is a volatile weapon of propaganda against the Arabs living in the Middle East. It is a symbol of fear to the Arabs, because it reminds them of the strong allies Israel has in the US and Great Britain. Both countries have used the Holocaust to protect their own interests, more than the interests of the Jews. So the rebellious ones who don't want to be manipulated or shamed or blackmailed resist any way they can, even if it means ignoring an event or pretending it didn't happen. They do this in their own best interests.

There aren't any easy answers. The questions aren't easy. It's very hard for those of us who haven't lived there, Jew or Arab, to understand either side. We can't assume our position is always right. It seems like everyone is wrong, and there's no way to work out a peaceful, honest solution. We can be open-minded and try to understand the other side. Maybe that will help someone else to be more willing to understand.
 

Everyone's ranting. No answers. Here's the bottom line for people like me.
My insurance expired. I need to get new insurance immediately. I can't go over 60 days without it or my rates will be hiked up, so I'm told. I've been three weeks without it.
My premiums will be very high. I expected it to be high, but maybe $50 less than what it actually turned out. My deductible is $5000. Considering that I have had 2 or 3 years when my expenses came to that much or more, that's understandable, too. Not pleasant, but understandable.
I have a problem with excluding everything relating to ongoing illnesses from the deductible and the payable for 12 months! That seems punitive to have double whammies. If you're going to exclude those charges, which will be the bulk of my expenses, why have such a high deductible for new occurrences? Stokes, cancer, accidents, flu, and colds will be covered only after $5000 has been paid by me for those things. Basically, the insurance company is being sure they won't have to pay anything for me, including drugs for a full year, while collecting over $6000 in premiums.
Anything related to heart trouble is entirely my own responsibility. I have to do monthly blood tests, sometimes more often, to monitor blood thickness/clotting. Plus, cholesterol and other tests twice a year, bone density once a year due to seizure medicine side effects, the neurologist twice a year or more for seizure monitoring, the cardiologist every 3 months until my problem is seen as stable (I'm leaking blood around the stitches holding my artificial valve), a camera down the throat to look at my heart every six months, at about $1000 each time, and the general practioner twice a year for the overall picture.
So I'm looking at not being sick, or at least not seeing the doctor about it, praying I don't step on a nail or bang my shins, or have a problem with bunions for at least one whole year. I have to see the cardiologist, like it or not. Oh, I forgot. The deductible starts over Jan. 1, before the 12 month period is up. I have to stay well and safe for as long as possible. At least, a heart attack can count as of June 2011.
Heart related charges are all mine.
I haven't been on vacation since 1993. Maybe I can take one in 2012.