I can keep dreaming can't I

Not sure what to think of this, for the average joe to figure something like this out would be a long shot. I will always believe that instant lottery is a regressive tax and will stay that way until the end of time.

Cracking the Scratch Lottery Code | Magazine

Wondering were this fits into the bigger picture of thing

Altho I'm a deistic agnostic who does not believe in creationism, stories like this one make me shake my head in confusion. Must learn more ,,,

Ancient teeth raise new questions about the origins of modern man

The WikiLeaks Fallout – 8 Websites For Progressive News & Political Commentary

Came accross this list and thought it was intriguing--Alternet, Common Dreams, and Drudge report I have frequented before, the other 5 I have never heard of.

The WikiLeaks Fallout – 8 Websites For Progressive News & Political Commentary

I saw this the other day and nearly pooped my pants

"I doubt that a bill that makes a legal medical procedure liable for the death penalty will pass. The bill, however, shows an astonishing lack of concern for women's health and well-being."

Ok y'all,,,I am not a believer in abortion, other than instances of rape, incest, or medical need. But I am pro-choice, I believe as a woman I have the right to choose what I do to my body. I don't believe abortion should be used as a form of birth control, or to end pregnancy of "unwanted children" ,,,BUT this is F***ING unbelievable,,,

Ga. Law Could Give Death Penalty for Miscarriages | Mother Jones

And they wonder why so many hide their views

"The lesson here is clear. If you're an atheist, shut up about it. If you are open or vocal about your atheist worldview, you are a "militant atheist." Be silent, even though that same standard does not apply to those who passionately disagree with you."

Being a deistic agnostic bordering on atheism I have seen this time and again. The looks I get, or the reaction(s) to my unbelief so fall in line with what this article is saying. I live in a very small rural town and the reactions are usually all the same.

The Myth of Militant Atheism | Psychology Today

A good list if you want to learn how to better manage your money

This is a good list to introduce you to the world of personal finance and saving money. Many different facets within the persoanl finance world are included.

Top 100+ Personal Finance Blogs | Wise Bread

For those on a really tight budget

Not something we always think of in today's electronic world, but money is money and if your unemployed and having a tough time this will help.

Standby Power Sucks Your Money Away

Another simple meal

Campbell's Kitchen: Zesty Beef & Rice Skillet

Another fascinating list,,,

not just movies this time, a few books thrown in for good measure.

Death to Humans! Visions of the Apocalypse in Movies and Literature: Scientific American

If y'all are into writing personal memiors,,,

this is a good site with lots of info and tips. Pretty straight foreward with different techniques.

Memoir Writing Blog — Autobiography, Personal Stories, Family History, Life Story, Memoir Writing Workshops, Journaling, Writing, Memoir Writing Prompts

I love lasagna and this looks so easy,,,sounds yummy too

Yummo, as Rachael would say,,,Due to my current kitchen situation (no stove/oven at the moment) I need recipes that I can cook in one pan, and this recipe fits the bill perfectly,,,think we will be having this in the next week as I have been craving lasagna,,,will let y'all know how it goes.

Campbell's Kitchen: Skillet Vegetable Lasagna

It may take some work but you can fix your credit

This ia a great article for those that may want to improve their credit. As the article says you must have patience and tenacity. Keeping good records is vital and lots of stamps, never e-mail.

Annualcreditreport.com is legit; use it to your advantage. And yes it is free with no strings attached. Make sure you make hard copies of your reports!!

The 14 Best Ways to Repair Credit

Diet not equal to deprivation

Simple and to the point!!

Change Your Food Attitude | Psychology Today

Don't let other people define you

As strange as it may sound this article helped get me past a very rough spot I was in last year when I returned to PA. Altho intellectually I knew what I had to do and how to do it, I was unable to. Reading points 2 and 3 were the most important. A simple plan but it does work, and the reinforcement this article provided was invaluable.

Four Tricks to Stop Obsessing | Psychology Today

An original from 2005,,,

I originally posted this back in 2005,,,looking back not much has changed.



Below is a list of issues that I feel in the next 4-6 years are important. Not only from a political standpoint but also socially. Our lives will be influenced by how these issues are handled:

New Freedom Commission on Mental Health

No Child Left Behind

Social Security Reform--Privatization

Health Care--Universal Health Insurance

National Debt

Military--Draft; quality of life for military personnel and their families; military housing

FCC

War on Terror

Abortion Rights--Roe v Wade

GLBT Rights--DOMA, FMA

Tort Reform

Haliburton-Cheney

Tax Reform

Economy--Job Creation

Habeas Corpus

Posse Comitatus

Travel--Passenger Screening

Press Visas

Free Speech Zones

Fight Against Freedom v Reduction in Freedom

Intelligence Threats

Traditional American Values

Middle East Policy--Israel, Jordan, Iran, Syria, Lebanon

Iraq

North/South Korea

Hunt for Osama bin Laden

Hussein Trial

Darfur

Patriot Act

Gun Control

NAFTA

AIDS

Medical Research-Stem Cell

Welfare Reform

Education

This site should be on your list

Altho I'm what you could call a borderline conspiracy theorist (ie. I'm very open minded and will give a person/group their due). I like my news to have some balls, but more importantly truth. This site is the bomb!!

Unknown News

Like the URL says, this website is about unknown news.

Our news comes only from mainstream, professional journalists or (rarely) other sources we trust entirely, with no nuttiness and no interest in the same news you see everywhere else.

Should be filed under strange but true

This is a unique site tho not sure how to describe it. Some legal stories and some just outright strange. Check it out, is a fun read.

Obscure Store & Reading Room

A great site for legal news

Courthouse News focuses on civil litigation, from the date of filing through the appellate level.

Courthouse News Service

Darwin anyone??

Yes I did say Darwin, as in Charles Darwin. I'm not sure how I came across this gem of a site but if you want to delve into the father of evolutionary theory this is the site to do it. What's even better is they have many of his works available as audio downloads.

Online since 2002, The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online (or Darwin Online) is the largest and most widely consulted edition of the writings of Darwin ever published. More copies of Darwin's works have been downloaded from Darwin Online than have been printed by all publishers of the past 180 years combined.

This website contains over 98,000 pages of searchable text and 213,000 electronic images, at least one exemplar of all known Darwin publications, reproduced to the highest scholarly standards, both as searchable text and electronic images of the originals. The majority of these have been edited and annotated here for the first time with thousands of original editorial notes.

The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online

Now if I only had a oven,,,love making bread

Blog of CheapCooking.com » Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Yes Virginia there is a Santa Clause,,,or is there??

15 Historical Inaccuracies Widely Believed As Fact

Yes there really is a Flat Earth Society,,,the creationist museum says it all,,,and so it goes,,,an interesting read

Definitions, definitions oh so important

Is strange that this article came up when it did. The past few weeks I have heard this distinction come up quite a bit, especially when dealing with topics within the paranomal.

I’m a Skeptic, Not a Cynic | World of Psychology

Introductory psychology

Maslow Updated: Reworking of the famous psychological pyramid of needs puts parenting at the top

Tell us how you really feel

"Science, reason, and intellectualism support the concepts of continued questioning, education, and human curiosity. Through the scientific method, the rules of logic, and the thirst to understand, people of reason are continually pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and helping to make life better and longer for us all. Yet, example after example, the Bible and the Abrahamic religions stand against the intellect and continue to propagate ignorance, fear, and unreason. Between the Creation Museum and the absolute unquestioning certainty of a divine deity, religion remains one of the biggest oppositions to human progress and the greatest threat to intellectualism and humanity’s continued survival on this planet."

And the scary thing is we seem to be heading back to the days of Hypatia of Alexandria.

Atheism 101: The anti-intellectualism of religion - Philadelphia atheism

Love stuff like this

100 Amazing How-To Sites to Teach Yourself Anything | Rated Colleges

A new form of biofeedback?

"A new research study suggests that merely looking at your body reduces pain."

Visual Feedback Reduces Pain | Psych Central News

Isn't this a no brainer?

"Religious viewpoints need not conflict with science. Several prominent religious biologists, including my friends Ken Miller at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and Francis Collins at the US National Institutes of Health, make it quite clear that one doesn't have to be an atheist to accept the scientific fact of evolution. Incorrect interpretations of empirical data to fit in with religious beliefs should not be legally protected."

Religion no excuse for promoting scientific ignorance - science-in-society - 08 February 2011 - New Scientist

Not surprised

Maybe it's just me but I discovered this intuitively over time. As a chronic pain sufferer I've tried just about everything to manage my pain. What is a bit disconcerting, besides the amounts the runners were taking:

runners who had taken ibuprofen showed signs of mild kidney impairment as well as mild endotoxemia, a potentially dangerous condition in which bacterial toxins present in the large intestine get into the bloodstream,,,

Over-the-counter painkillers can add to the pain, study finds

More intelligent(?) design,,,the "study" in this case

Not to defend this $27 million hunk of junk depicted as science, BUT what else would they have expected as the outcome of this so called study. As a deistic agnostic who holds that the bible has no authority in my life, this would be the last place I would go and spend $23. In addition I am a card carrying lesbian. Of course I would feeling "weirded out" in such a place.

Sociology-students-visit-Creation-Museum-feel-weirded-out from csmonitor.com - StumbleUpon

One for every culture

The Top 10 Intelligent Designs (or Creation Myths) | LiveScience

Just plain odd,,,lol

Tree of Lost Soles - Photos - Coast to Coast AM

You have got to be kidding

Not to get into a deep discussion of the pros and cons of the death penalty,,,something that I am not a huge supporter of,,,but this is f***ing crazy. This guy murders a person in cold blood and is worried because he might feel pain when they execute him. Give me a break y'all!! How in the world did this even make it into the court system??

Ga. inmate's lawsuit claims execution drug expired

Beef, Mushroom and Barley Soup

Recipe for Beef, Mushroom and Barley Soup

Nothing like a good bowl of barley soup!!

Sex an' the Bible

Don't agree with everything in this article but still an interesting take on the subject. Does not surprise me that the "conservatives" are up in arms.

That’s why Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, that citadel of Christian conservatism, concludes that one’s Bible reading must be overseen by the proper authorities. Just because everyone should read the Bible “doesn’t mean that everyone’s equally qualified to read it, and it doesn’t mean that the text is just to be used as a mirror for ourselves,” he says. “All kinds of heresies come from people who read the Bible and recklessly believe that they’ve understood it correctly.”

This type of thinking is what is so scary about any organized religion. Just who are the qualified? And isn't the reading of the bible supposed to be a personal thing?

What the Bible Really Says About Sex - Newsweek

The good, the bad, and the ugly,,,no matter how you look at it,,,pain sux

8 Mistakes That Make Pain Worse

#1--Guilty
#2--The pain management clinic for this region is 45 minutes away,,,I wasn't too impressed when I went with a friend but (and there is always one of them), I wasn't the patient.
#3--Since I have returned to Emporium my exercise has decreased,,,need to get back to my walking and weight loss. I feel much better when my weight is down and I'm active.
#4--No surgery, not even an option,,,lol.
#5--As much as I hate to admit it narcs work to a degree, I also have nerve pain which isn't helped by much.
#6--Not an option here. Would have to travel a great distance, but something to consider.
#7--Depression not an issue per se,,,I'm bipolar,,,lol.
#8--Knowledge is power!!

Truth stranger than fiction

Sunken ship of 'Moby-Dick' captain found

I haven't read this since high school,,,lol!!

This is so sad,,,or maybe pathetic

Hundreds of Proofs of God’s Existence

Funny and scary at the same time!! Do people actually think this way?

All I can say is scary,,,

And to think that I once attended a school similar to this though not as conservative,,,what was I thinking

Bob Jones University's Last Days

Doing some housework

Been doing a bit of editing on prior posts,,,some titles have changed as I found that when they post to twitter the formatting was silly looking. I have also added some brief thoughts/comments as to what caught my minds-eye,,,

As usual enjoy and there will be more to come!!

I'm seriously considering a Kindle

OK, I am a serious book nerd. BUT after reading this article and others related to it, purchasing a Kindle may be in my future. From what I have briefly read about the Kindle, you can access mp3s, PDFs, audio-books, and books in the public domain that are available on the web. All of which I currently use in some form or another. Not that I would use a Kindle specifically for mp3s or audiobooks (to big to stick in my pocket for listening at work), but the accessibility of PDFs and public domain works away from my computer is very tempting. Something to add to my personal wish list of materialistic items.

How to Never Pay for Another Book | Wise Bread

Eew,,,that first sip must have been scary

Wonder who picked the short straw in deciding who would take the first sip!!

After 200 years, Champagne lost fizz, not flavor - Yahoo! News

Therapy, a spiritual pursuit?

"The key theme in my own new book, Seeking the Sacred, is that when we are able to think about our own lives as sacred, and not just as disappointing or neurotic or flawed, and when we are able to recognise in a deep way the intrinsic value of others’ lives (and not just the value of people who are useful to us, or who protect or flatter us), this will literally transform our way of seeing the outer world also and interacting with it."

"If our own beliefs cause us problems in being with people whose views are very different from our own, this is rich territory for urgent self-investigation. Therapy with someone interested in these issues, and who understands how inevitably they shape us, is certainly called for."

Seeking the Sacred: Rev Dr Stephanie Dowrick on Spirituality and Therapy | The Therapist Within

What is a blue moon?

The Really Strange Story Behind Sunday's Blue Moon | Space.com

Saturn's Moon

Saturn's Moon Spawning Moonlets : Discovery News

A cosmic clue

Neptune's Cold Case: Shot by a Comet 200 Years Ago? : Discovery News

Spicy Green Bean Salad

Spicy Green Bean Salad | Recipes | Mrs. Dash

KEWL!!

Was just checking my stats for my blog and I'm getting visitors,,,that is so sweet!! Thank u all for visiting!!

Please leave comments, link to your blog, or send me a message on interesting articles you find. The more esoteric the better. Have personal essays you have written, poetry or short stories, I would love to include them.

Anywhoo,,,thanks again for visiting,,,peace y'all!!

BTW as you may have noticed some of the recent articles I have posted are a bit dated but still an interesting read. I've been "cleaning" out my favorites (well trying to), both IE and twitter plus combining an older blog dating back to 2005. (I was a bit more into politics and social agendas back then, but is interesting to see if anything has changed--good or bad.) In the near future I may write a personal essay so y'all can get a feel for where I am coming from and why I'm such a scatter brain and have all this stuff floating around in my head. TTFN

Yes!!

One thing I always try to do is make sure my wife has money to do with as she pleases. I work, she takes care of things at home. When she is able to find a job, if she so chooses that money will be hers to do with as she please. We make sure our bills paid, try to put some away, and go from there. Once we have all our household needs purchased (we just recently moved), saving money for things we would like to do and for future needs will be our next step. I will not let money be an issue.

Couples and Money: Separate Finances or Combined?

Sounds yummy

Brown Rice with Black-eyed Peas and Greens

If you haven't noticed I don't eat much meat

Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms | Recipes | Mrs. Dash

A bit of Asian flare

Japanese-Style Spinach with Toasted Sesame Seeds Recipe

Sad, but true

Considering we are supposed to be a "melting pot" I find this a bit disturbing altho not surprising considering the social upheaval surrounding illegal immigration. It's too bad this study wasn't done 20-25 yrs ago to see if and how attitudes have changed.

People are suspicious of foreigners because they do not trust their accents, research claims - Telegraph

Living for the moment

"Most of the time we are looking to what lies behind us or before us and not inquiring into the reality of our experiences moment to moment. What would happen if we adopted a curiosity to our felt experience? What would happen if we dropped all our preconceptions and judgments about how we "know" we are and took a fresh look?"

One thing have learned during the course of the last 18 months, live for the moment.

You May be Trapped in Your Own Mind - Depression Resources, Education About Depression and Unipolar Depression

Such a bummer, but dreams do come to an end

Couple selling fabled field hopes it’s not living in a dream world - The Boston Globe

Who came up with searching the Antartic in the first place?

New Octopus Species Discovered: Big Pic : Discovery News

Maybe becasuse it's not a Presidential election year

Are Conservative Christians Losing or Forfeiting War on Gay Marriage? - Belief Beat

Adding some articles I found intriguing

Over the next day or so, I'll be adding some links to articles I found intriguing. The articles are random, a mish-mash of information taken from my twitter account.

BTW some of these articles are old but still fun to read,,,at least I thnk so and that's all that matters,,,lol.

Amen to this,,,knowledge is power!!

"Knowledge is power when it comes to bipolar disorder. Understanding the disease through this type of bipolar therapy is an important first step in managing it."

So very true!! Speaking from my own experience, you have to learn all you can, not just about bipolar, but any chronic illness you may be dx'd with. I went through hell the first year or so after my dx. I was in and out of the hospital for 18 months; I had no clue as to what was going on. It wasn't until I started to educate myself that I began to show any signs of healing.

Currently I am trying to get a better handle on my diabetes as I did with with my bipolar. Tho I will admit I am struggling. I think it comes down to accepting the fact that I am diabetic. It's live and learn!!

Psychoeducation Therapy for Bipolar Disorder - Bipolar Disorder Center - Everyday Health

Have enough trouble reading own handwriting,,,don't think this will help any

how-to-turn-your-handwriting-into-a-font from techland.com - StumbleUpon

This is what I call true love,,,all I can say is WOW!!

Former inmate recalls daring escape from Auschwitz

As I said before, knowledge is power

Another role model to follow in beating the stigma associated with mental illness,,,yo Mel, you could learn a thing or two!!

An Interview with Meg Hutchinson on Music and living with Bipolar Disorder - Bipolar, Bipolar Manic Episode Information, Disorders, Symptoms, Behavior

Knowing all this we still use it

I would call myself a borderline addict, and if job hunting (for some biggie wig type position) it may be a concern as to what is on my fb wall. Overall tho I am not concerned. I enjoy fb for what it is, a means of connecting AND re-connecting with friends and family.

The article makes some very valid points that need to be considered, especially where children are concerned. Facebook (and sites like it) can be a tool or a weapon, so choose wisely as to which you will use.

10 Ways Facebook Can Ruin Your Life - Newsweek

Laughter,,,the best medicine

Last night I was listening to a podcast I had downloaded from Para-X Radio. The show, Metaphysically Speaking, has been on-air a year and so far so good. I have only listened to a few shows and find it interesting. Now on to why I'm posting,,,

The guest on the show was Nancy Weil (2/28/2010) of the Laugh Academy.

No matter your circumstances, using laughter can enhance your life. Proven to reduce stress and improve attitude, experts know that laughter works! Whether you are facing a difficult challenge in your life or helping people who are, Nancy will introduce you to techniques that allow the benefits to begin immediately.

An interesting take on the importance of laughter. She reminds me a bit of Loretta Laroche.

To listen for yourself you can go to the Para-X site,,,click the "On Demand" tab,,,scroll down till you find the show Metaphysically Speaking dated 2/28/2010. I could also email you a copy of my download tho I'm guessing that would take a while.

NILCO

The NILCO Lamp Works Company was a relatively small player in the Christmas lighting industry, but later became a huge provider of fluorescent lamps under the Sylvania name...

In 1901, an entrepreneur by the name of Frank A. Poor purchased one-half interest in small company then in the business of “refilling” or relighting burnt out light bulbs. At the time, it was a lucrative business, for a “refilled” lamp lasted as long as did the originals, and was much less expensive. The company that Poor purchased was called the Merritt Manufacturing Company, which was located in Middleton, Massachusetts. It was not long before Poor bought the remaining half of the company, and moved it to Danvers, Massachusetts. At that same time, he renamed his company The Bay State Lamp Company.

His business prospered, and by 1909, Poor decided to start another company to sell new lamps made by his Bay State Company. He named the new entity The Hygrade Lamp Company. By 1911, this new company was producing an astounding 3000 lamps a day.

At about same time that Frank Poor was growing his company, a competitor was also developing a large lamps works factory in Pennsylvania. In 1905, the Novelty Incandescent Lamp Company had been organized in St. Mary’s and Emporium, and was busily engaged in making miniature specialty and decorative lamps for various markets. (At this time, General Electric, the largest lamp manufacturer in the world, had little interest in miniature lamps, considering them merely a passing innovation). The Novelty Incandescent Lamp company, or NILCO, had become a very successful business, concentrating on specialty lamps for both the medical and budding automotive industries. The company became so successful, in fact, that it garnered the attention of General Motors, who bought controlling interest in 1910. General Motors appointed Bernard G. Erskine to run their newly acquired light bulb factory.

Meanwhile, back in Massachusetts, Frank Poor's Hygrade company had become so successful in making new lamps, that it discontinued refilling lamps in 1916. The growing company relocated to new and larger factories in Salem, Massachusetts. These new facilities were able to produce almost 12,000 lamps every twenty fout hours.

In 1922, Erskine and two partners bought the Novelty Incandescent Lamp Company from General Motors and officially formed NILCO Lamp Works. Their lamp production was first totally in St. Marys, then, by 1924, expanded into Emporium as well. In 1924, NILCO formed their Sylvania Products Company in order to manufacture radio tubes. Shortly after the formation of Sylvania, NILCO branched out into the manufacture of colored specialty lamps, including Christmas lights.

In 1931, Erskine's NILCO and Sylvania companies and Frank Poor's Hygrade Lamp Company merged into one company, now known as the Hygrade Sylvania Corporation. Then in 1939, Hygrade Sylvania started preliminary research on a new project involving fluorescent technology, and later that year, introduced the first linear, or tubular, fluorescent lamp ever made. It was offered for sale under the Sylvania name. Quite an innovation, the new lamp was prominently featured at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. But while the new lights were quite the attention-getters, there were no commercially available fixtures available for them. 1940 saw the opening of the first-ever fluorescent fixture manufacturing plant. Sylvania located the plant in Ipswich, Massachusetts. In 1941, Sylvania followed their triumph by opening their new fluorescent lamp factory, the world’s first.

American involvement in World War II prevented the manufacture of consumer-oriented products for several years, but the plants were kept quite busy in filling multiple Government contracts for bulbs and fixtures for use in the Armed Forces. In December, 1945, just a few months after the War had ended, Sylvania was the first major company to offer Christmas lights again. This time, Sylvania marketed their new innovation: fluorescent Christmas lights.

In 1959, Sylvania was acquired by General Telephone, and in 1971, the name was changed to GTE Sylvania, Incorporated. In 1993, OSRAM GmbH purchased GTE Sylvania’s North American operations and formed OSRAM SYLVANIA, which is in business to this day.(from oldchristmaslights.com)

Article from: St Marys Antiques: Business Histories

Lady Justice

Cameron County Court House is home to one of five Lady Justice ever made that is not blindfolded. Her motto is Seeking Justice. Look hard at the top of the court house you will find a replica, but the orginal is in the courtroom.



The origin of the Goddess of Justice goes back to antiquity. She was referred to as Ma'at by the ancient Egyptians and was often depicted carrying a sword with an ostrich feather in her hair (but no scales) to symbolize truth and justice.

To the ancient Greeks she was known as Themis, originally the organizer of the "communal affairs of humans, particularly assemblies." Her ability to foresee the future enabled her to become one of the oracles at Delphi, which in turn led to her establishment as the goddess of divine justice. Classical representations of Themis did not show her blindfolded (because of her talent for prophecy, she had no need to be blinded) nor was she holding a sword (because she represented common consent, not coercion).

Lady Justice (Latin: Justitia), the Roman goddess of Justice, is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Often portrayed as evenly balancing both scales and a sword and wearing a blindfold. She was sometimes portrayed holding the fasces (a bundle of rods around an ax symbolizing judicial authority) in one hand and a flame in the other (symbolizing truth).

Representations of the Lady of Justice in the Western tradition occur in many places and at many times. She sometimes wears a blindfold, but more often she appears without one. She usually carries a sword and scales. Almost always draped in flowing robes, mature but not old; she symbolizes the fair and equal administration of the law, without corruption, avarice, prejudice, or favor.

Hygrade Lamp Company

This article taken from Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume 3 edited by Benjamin F. Arrington found in Google books.

THE HYGRADE LAMP COMPANY—Of the many industries which go to make up the present business supremacy of Salem, Massachusetts, one of the most rapidly growing concerns Is the Hygrade Lamp Company, manufacturers of incandescent lamps. The personnel of this company comprises a group of men who have built out of nothing the progressive industry which has become a significant factor in the prosperity of this city: Mr. E. J. Poor, president and sales manager; Mr. F. A. Poor, treasurer and general manager; Mr. W. E. Poor, assistant general manager, and Mr. J. H. Poor, director.

The beginnings of this industry were of the smallest and most unpromising. The capital amounted to three thousand five hundred dollars, obtained from the sale of a hay and grain business which Mr. Frank A. Poor had conducted for a few years theretofore, on the corner of Front and Central streets, in Salem. This money he invested, in 1901, in the original project, in Middleton, Massachusetts, under the name of the Merritt Manufacturing Company, with Matthew Merritt as one of the owners of the company. The business of this company was the refilling or renewing of carbon incandescent electric lamps, and the processes used had been originated and developed by Mr. Merritt, the pioneer of this idea in Essex county. With the existing facilities the work handled amounted to only about five hundred lamps a day, and those of inferior quality. At this point most men would have dropped the idea, counting himself fortunate to have lost no more. Not so the man who has since vindicated his faith in himself and in the future. Mr. Poor bought Mr. Merritt's interests, removed the plant to Danvers, in this county, and changed the name to the Bay State Lamp Company. The location he secured was an old shoe factory on Hobart street.

Alone now, as head of the enterprise, with a working force of about fifteen individuals, Frank A. Poor carried along all the duties which now require twenty officers and department heads—from president to shipper. Struggling for footing in an indifferent market, with inferior equipment and inefficient processes, the young man, who had only recently reached majority, hung on. After months he ventured to allow himself a salary of ten dollars per week.

The gains were desperately slow. By 1904 the output had grown to about a thousand lamps a day, and the force had increased to twenty people, the financial limitations of the concern enforcing an annual shut-down of some months during the dull season. At this point Edward J. Poor, Mr. Poor's brother, who had just been graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, came in to help out. He relieved Mr. Poor of the rougher work, such as unpacking and sorting burned-out lamps, and packing the finished product, then as winter came on, acting as fireman, and starting the old, erratic gasoline engine which furnished the power, when it could be persuaded to perform this function.

The years of struggle, which hold a certain grim humor in retrospect, eventually carried the gallant little enterprise to a secure foundation. Mr. Poor's efforts improved the product, and expansion became feasible, although a severe illness had kept his brother out of active participation in the business for a long time. Up to1909 the business had been along repair or renewing lines exclusively, and Mr. Poor felt that the orignial production was a field which would give greater returns for effort, and in many ways be far better worth while.

Accordingly, in 1909, Mr. Poor began the manufacture of new carbon lamps. To avoid the possibility of mistaken inferences on the part of the public, a new name was chosen for the new venture, and the Hygrade Incandescent Lamp Company was formed, with its trademark duly protected. Expert help was added to the working force, and the factory enlarged, the floor space being nearly doubled. Mr. E. J. Poor's health, meanwhile, had permitted his return, and prosperity became an assured fact, even though still in a modest degree. Then Mr. Joseph H. Poor, who had retired, after thirty years in the leather business, dropped in upon his sons occasionally, finally joining them. Soon after, Mr. Walter E. Poor, another brother, having completed a course in Electrical Engineering, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, came into the company.

This, in a way, marked an era in the progress of the company. Walter E. Poor too charge of the manufacture of the tungsten lamps, which were now becoming a revolutionary factor in the electric lighting world. His advocacy of limited production and superior quality was adopted as a permanent and inviolable policy, and the refilling of old lamps was discontinued. Walter E. Poor's activities along the line of development of the tungsten lamp placed the Hygrade name in its rightful place on the market. From one point in New York City, on Times Square, nearly thirty thousand Hygrade lamps were visible, in 1912, in electric signs. A little later the manufacture of carbon lamps was discontinued. The production had now reached 7,500 amps per day, all tungsten, vacuum and gas-filled types. With the unsettled conditions In Europe and the impossibility of obtaining the tungsten filament wire, experts were added to the force, and this wire became a part of the regular product of the plant, and proved to be of a quality superior to any foreign make.

All these steps spelled progress. The sales force had become an organization in itself, and one composed of the best men in that line of endeavor. The constantly increasing demand for the Hygrade product necessitated more commodious and modern quarters. In 1915 a site was chosen in Salem, and a factory built to plans especially adopted to the requirements of this concern, and on Friday night, of the 19th of February, 1916, the work of transfer was begun. This date was utilized on account of the holiday on the following Monday. On Tuesday morning, at the usual starting hour, the Mount Department, the first moved, was in full operation, and its production for the day was the largest then on record. Another department was in full operation at noon, and thereafter, each day during that week a department was moved, in most cases the operators leaving their machines at night in Danvers, and finding them ready for operation in Salem the next morning. The actual production loss for the month of February in that year, was not more than one day's work.

In 1916 the Hygrade lamps were tendered a most flattering endorsement in being chosen for the entire lighting equipment of the new six million dollar buildings of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Boston. In 1917 it became necessary to secure more space, and a two-story brick storehouse was erected on land adjoining the plant. With even this addition the plant is rapidly becoming unequal to the demands of production, and more land has been purchased for future expansion.

During the War the Hygrade people gave their quota in men and money, to the great Cause of Humanity. Although the exigencies of the time caused more or less occasion for readjustment, every emergency has been met, and the production has not suffered materially in volume, nor has it suffered one whit in quality.

The company has grown to the production of twenty-five thousand lamps a day, with an ultimate capacity of about thirty-two thousand, and these number two hundred and fifty-two types. The process of manufacture is an interesting story in itself, which must, however, so far as this review is concerned, be relegated to the realm of the technical, for it is of men and their achievements, that the biographer makes record.

And the personal side of this story is its most interesting and significant side. Between the management and their force of nearly four hundred employees, the most cordial relations exist. Every advantage which modern science has devised, is given to the employees. Their health, safety, comfort and happiness are the constant care of the management. The buildings are constructed with the most modern system of ventilation and every possible provision for the comfort and safety of the workers. There is an Employees' Association having a membership of 94.4% of the employees, which pays a death benefit of $500.00, and a sick benefit of ten dollars weekly. This organization also provides many social and other diversions. A restaurant is maintained, which is patronized by fully eighty per cent, of the employees, there is a commodious hospital and rest room, in charge of a competent nurse, and the employees are encouraged to bring even the slightest injury or accident to the hospital for treatment.

Perhaps the greatest factor in cementing relations between the workers and the employers is the handsome little magazine, called the "Hygrade Triangle," which is published once each month, for distribution among the employees and a few interested friends. The employees themselves constitute the editorial and reportorial force, and are contributors, and through this organ the management keep in touch with the live issues of the day in the production departments. Through it also the management solicits suggestions which will in any way advance the efficiency of the force, or add to their comfort.

In short, while the Hygrade Incandescent Lamp Company is one of the younger of the more important industries of Salem, it is exemplifying, in its daily progress, all those principles of organized effort and industrial progress which count so far toward civic betterment, the safeguarding of the Commonwealth, and enduring National security.

State Parks within Cameron County

Bucktail State Park

Pennsylvania Route 120 was officially designated as Bucktail State Park in 1933 by an act of the Pennsylvania Legislature. Route 120 follows an old Native American Trail, the Sinnemahoning Path. This trail was used by Native Americans to cross the eastern continental divide (specifically the Allegheny Front) between the Susquehanna River (which drains into the Chesapeake Bay) and the Allegheny River (which forms the Ohio River with the Monongahela River at Pittsburgh and eventually drains into the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River). American Pioneers also used the trail to make their way west and it was also known as the Bucktail Trail.

Sinnemahoning State Park

Sinnemahoning State Park was developed on the First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek following the completion of the George B. Stevenson Dam. This dam was originally known as the First Fork Dam, and later renamed in honor of Clinton County Senator George B. Stevenson; it was completed in December of 1955. The park opened to the public in 1958.

Early inhabitants date back 10,000-12,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found evidence of their presence in the bottomlands of the creeks. The word Sinnemahoning is derived from an American Indian word that means "Rocky Lick". A natural salt lick is said to have been near the mouth of Grove Run.

After the American Revolutionary War the Sinnemahoning area was left largely unsettled and wild until the late 1800s when the logging boom that spread throughout the mountains of Pennsylvania arrived.

Several trails offer a chance to observe some of the more remote areas of the park: the Red Spruce Trail and Low Lands Trail (originally part of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad.)

Sizerville State Park

According to local legend, Sizerville State Park is named after the Sizer family, early settlers to the area. Now considered a ghost town after the end of the logging boom of the late 1800's, the Civilian Conservation Corps led an effort to reforest the lands surrounding Sizerville State park during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Sizerville State Park opened for public use in 1924 with the first
facilities built in 1927.

The hiking trail system offers a series of five loop trails: The Bottomlands, Campground, North Slope, Sizerville Nature Trail and Nady Hollow Trail. Nady Hollow Connector is a less challenging alternative to Nady Hollow Trail. Sizerville State Park is also a trailhead for the Bucktail Path Trail, which is part of an extensive trail system throughout the northern tier region of central Pennsylvania.

There are six creeks within Sizerville State Park: east and west branches of Cowley Run, Cowley Run, Portage Creek and Driftwood Creek (branches of Sinnemahoning Creek) and Sinnemahoning Creek.

Proximity Fuse

The proximity fuze tube was manufactured by Sylvania, Emporium, PA during WWII. Sylvania Emporium was the only approved defense contractor for the proximity fuze tube. This was a self-oscillating sub-miniature tube that was fitted to anti-aircraft shells. It acted like a miniature radar system, firing when a reflection was detected. As the shell approached an enemy aircraft, the emitted signal has "bounced" off the aircraft creating a signal that triggered the shell to explode in close proximity to the aircraft. This greatly increased the kill ratio for the US, especially in the South Pacific theater. Its development was a highly classified secret, not even shared with the other Allies.

Sylvania Electric

"Sylvania electronics of Emporium, Pennsylvania was the second largest receiving tube manufacturer and R.C.A's arch rival. As with most of the "New Jersey" bunch, Sylvania got its start in the light bulb business. Yes it was the light bulb manufacturers who had the skills and experience in glasswork, metallurgy & high vacuum that are needed to make a fine tube. Like the rest of the NJ bunch, Sylvania sought out and retained the most skilled men and women available, including former Edison employees. They also lured away R.C.A.'s chief tube engineer of seven years, Roger T. Wise in 1927. This was a real jewel in Sylvania's crown, and was reportedly announced with much fanfare. It's hard to say why he did it for sure, but he moved out to Emporium and built a beautiful house 5 months before he took up his post at Sylvania which makes me think that part of the reason for the change was he just wanted to get out of the smoke and clatter of NJ to start his new family. He was having his first child and Sylvania's tube plant was nestled in the beautiful, wooded, rolling hills outside Emporium, PA, a point they stressed in their recruiting efforts. Another one of Sylvania's main philosophies was to start with the highest quality materials possible, and they were very good at it. They were so good that by 1948, they were the largest supplier of getters, wire and other internal tube components in the industry. Their getters were so good that most major tube manufacturers in America used them and their wire was good enough to be used extensively in Western Electric tubes! This emphasis on material and employees showed in the final product to. Even to the casual observer, Sylvania tubes manufactured during the golden years (1920's-1950's) simply exude an intrinsic beauty with their large, sweeping, mirror-finish getters and often, optical-quality micas. In certain tube types, the early Sylvania simply blows away everything else. Unfortunately, good things often don't last and Sylvania was one of those. The tooling held out pretty good up until the late 70's maybe even the 80's but the chemistry and intrinsic quality of the entire package went to hell in the late 50's. Of course, some 96 percent or so of what is out there for sale today is the horrid sounding mil. spec. Phillips branded stuff from the 70's and 80's but you won't have to worry about that here."

(Taken directly from: Vintage Tube Service web site--SYLVANIA. Included on this site are some photos from 1945-46.)

Incandescent Lamp Company/Sylvania Electric

• 1905--the Novelty Incandescent Lamp Company (NILCO) had been organized in St. Mary’s and Emporium, and was busily engaged in making miniature specialty and decorative lamps for various markets.



• 1906--the OSRAM name registered by Auer-Gesellschaft; The name OSRAM derives from the names of two elements: Osmium, a metal; and Wolfram, the German word for tungsten.



• 1909--Poor started the Hygrade Incandescent Lamp Company to sell new lamps made by his Bay State Company.



• 1910--General Motors buys controlling interest in NILCO. General Motors appointed Bernard G. Erskine to run their newly acquired light bulb factory.



• 1911--Hygrade Incandescent Lamp Company begins selling tungsten filament light bulbs.



• 1916--Hygrade opened a new plant and headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts; discontinued refilling lamps.



• 1919--OSRAM was the result of a merger between three companies: AEG, Siemens & Halske AG, and Auer-Gesellschaft. All three companies had been pioneers in the development of electric light.



• 1922--Hygrade Incandescent Lamp Company purchased by Bernard Erskine and two associates from General Motors, who then officially formed the Nilco Lamp Works. Their lamp production was first totally in St. Marys, then, by 1924, expanded into Emporium as well.



• 1924--NILCO formed their Sylvania Products Company in order to manufacture radio tubes. Shortly after the formation of Sylvania, NILCO branched out into the manufacture of colored specialty lamps, including Christmas lights.



• 1931--Erskine's NILCO and Sylvania companies and Frank Poor's Hygrade Lamp Company merged into one company, now known as the Hygrade Sylvania Corporation. The company sold lamps under the Hygrade name, and radio tubes under the Sylvania name.



• 1938/39--Hygrade Sylvania started preliminary research on a new project involving fluorescent technology, and later that year, introduced the first linear, tubular, fluorescent lamp ever made; it was offered for sale under the Sylvania name.



• 1940/41--Saw the opening of the first-ever fluorescent fixture manufacturing plant; Sylvania located the plant in Ipswich, Massachusetts.



• 1942--the company changed its name to Sylvania Electric Products Inc. and debuted the "flashing S" logo.



• 1945--A few months after the War had ended, Sylvania marketed their new innovation: fluorescent Christmas lights.



• 1949--Sylvania Canada Limited was launched with the establishment of a head office in Montreal, Quebec and a fluorescent plant in Drummondville, Quèbec.



• OSRAM debuted its famous tagline, "OSRAM Bright as daylight,"



• 1954--OSRAM relocated its headquarters to Munich in 1954.



• 1959--Sylvania Electronics merged with General Telephone to form General Telephone and Electronics (GTE).



• 1965--Opens its Danvers headquarters.



• 1971--the company’s name was changed to GTE Sylvania Incorporated. Its parent, General Telephone & Electronics Corporation, reorganized its manufacturing operations into five worldwide business groups.



• 1980--GTE Electrical Products was formed, and Lighting became part of that group.



• 1993--OSRAM GmbH purchased GTE Sylvania’s North American operations and formed OSRAM SYLVANIA, which is in business to this day.

Simon Cameron

Simon Cameron (March 8, 1799 – June 26, 1889) was an early American politician and financier who served as United States Secretary of War for Abraham Lincoln at the start of the American Civil War. After making his fortune in railways and banking, he turned to a life of politics. He became a U.S. senator in 1845 for the state of Pennsylvania, succeeding James Buchanan. Originally a Democrat, he joined the People's Party, the precurser of what would become the Republican Party. He won the
Senate seat in 1857, and became one of the candidates for the Republican nomination in the presidential election of 1860.

Cameron gave his support to Abraham Lincoln, and became his Secretary of War. He only served a year before resigning amidst corruption. Cameron became the minister to Russia during the Civil War, but was overseas for less than a year. He again served in the Senate, eventually being succeeded by his son, J. Donald Cameron, and only resigned from Senate upon confirmation that his son would succeed him.

Cameron retired to his farm at Donegal Springs Cameron Estate near Maytown, Pennsylvania where he died on June 26 1889. He is buried in the Harrisburg Cemetery in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Cameron County, Pennsylvania and Cameron Parish, Louisiana are named in his honor.

Where I live,,,

Cameron County Governmental Offices and Listing


View Larger Map

Tidbits about the county:

• Created on March 29, 1860, from parts of Clinton, Elk, McKean, and Potter Counties. It is named for Simon Cameron. Its county seat is Emporium (15834).


• The Commonwealth’s second smallest county both in population and land area.


• Its earliest history includes agriculture and lumbering. As the lumber industry waned, the county’s population turned to industrial activities. Cameron County was instrumental in producing much of the dynamite used in making the Panama Canal. It also produced war munitions for the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.


• Emporium became the home of the Incandescent Lamp Company later known as Sylvania Electronics (an international producer of light bulbs, radio tubes, radios and television sets).


• During World War II, Emporium became known as "Girls Town, USA" as a result of the influx of female workers at Sylvania. The proximity fuse was invented in Cameron County and this allowed bombs to explode at predetermined levels instead of on impact.


• Today, Cameron County is the heart of the powdered metal industry, and boasts the world’s largest producer of powdered metals parts, GKN Sinter Metals.


• Cameron County is the birthplace of famous screen and TV star Tom Mix and General Joseph Taggart McNarney, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, after Eisenhower left that theater of operations.


• Another favorite son is Rick Peltz, Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission.


• Prize fighter Jack Dorval, a contemporary of Jack Dempsey, started a training camp up Gardeau.


• The flagstone surrounding the tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery was quarried in Cameron County.


• Cameron County was one of several counties to contribute sharp shooters and is the sight of the disembarkment of the famous Bucktail Brigade during the Civil War.


• Each spring a national canoe race is held over the same waters that took the Bucktail Regiment floating off to the Civil War.


• The county has hosted the State Senior Division Little League Championship Tournament for over two decades.

Some old incomplete works

Back in 2007 I began to seriously consider the issue concerning what the bible said about homosexuality. Below is the beginnings of an essay I started to write but regretfuly never finished. Some time in the near future I may undertake this project once again, but for now I will re-post what I orginally wrote.

Please note that this work is incomplete both in thought and content. For the life of me I can't remember what points 3,4, and 5 were going to be. Enjoy!!

-----

The issues surrounding same-sex relationships are tearing apart our society, individual communities, families and churches. Naturally many people turn to the Bible for guidance, and find themselves mired in interpretative quicksand.

SOME POINTS TO CONSIDER:
1] How can there be such a difference of opinion within the Christian Church over the issue of same-sex behavior? Largely because unproven and socially/culturally/historically biased ideas have been taught for centuries about some Scripture passages.

The six so called "CLOBBER PASSAGES" used by those opposed to same-sex relationships: Genesis 19:1-14 Sodom and Gomorrah (18-20); Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13 Holiness/Morality Code (18-20); Romans 1:26-27 Natural vs Unnatural (1-3:20); 1 Corinthians 6:9 (5-6) & 1 Timothy 1:10 (1) Malokois and Arsenokotai.

Other passages used in the same-sex debate, pro and con: Genesis 2:21-25 Creation Story (1-2); Judges 19:22-24 Wickedness of the Men of Gibeah (19-21); 1 Samuel 18:1-4, 20:17-18,41 (20) and 2 Samuel 1:25-26 (1) David & Jonathan; 1 Kings 14:21-24 & 15:9-15 Reign of Rehoboam and Asa-Male Shrine Prostitutes; Matthew 19:1-12 One Flesh; Acts 10:9-20 Purity Issues; Jude 7 Judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah.

While most people are certain they know what the Bible says about same-sex relationships many don't know where the verses that reference same-sex behavior can be found. They haven't read them, let alone studied them carefully. They don't know the original meaning of the words in Hebrew or Greek. And they haven't tried to understand the historical context in which those words were written.

2] HERMENEUTICS
The Bible should always be definitive for a Church’s faith, but the Scripture is open to hermeneutics; "informed and reasoned interpretation". In other words, the Bible is not self-authenticating. It needs to be seen in all the light that every new era of history and scholarship can provide. The process taught at my alma mater was Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation (1981) by Henry A. Virkler:
LEXICAL-SYNTACTICAL METHOD-looks at the words used and the way the words are used.
HISTORICAL/CULTURAL METHOD-the history and culture surrounding the author(s) is important to understand, aid in interpretation.
CONTEXTUAL METHOD-A verse out of context can often be taken to mean something completely different from the intention. This method focuses on the importance of looking at the context of a verse in its chapter, book and even biblical context.
THEOLOGICAL METHOD-A single verse does not a theology make.
LITERARY METHOD(S)-each genre of Scripture has a different set of rules that applies to it (narratives, histories, prophecies, apocalyptic writings, poetry, psalms and letters. Within these, there are allegory, figurative language, metaphors, similes and literal language.)

Points 3,4 and 5 to come, this is a work in progress...

Added Radiolab widget

I added the Radiolab widget to the blog today. If you like listening to thought provoking content, I recommend you check them out.

"Radiolab believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow. Bring your curiosity, and we'll feed it with possibility."

All their shows are archived and available to download. Interesting stuff,,,enjoy!!

I love a good debate,,,gets me blood a boiling

The other day my girlfriend (yes I am a lesbian) and I were talking about a situation that came about after she "friended" a individual on Facebook. Upon reading her profile and learning she was a lesbian this person began spouting the usual rhetoric concerning homosexuality. There is no one subject (other than the pope and catholicism - maybe) that gets my blood boiling than ignorant religious dogma concerning homosexuality and the alleged condemnation of said peoples in the bible.

Without getting into a deep exegetical or hermeneutical discussion on the subject, consider two very simple points. IMHO the bible cannot condemn homosexuality because:

1] The word homosexual did not appear in any known literature prior to 1869. It is a widely held view that Karl Maria Kerbeny is the first to use the word "homosexual" in a pamphlet arguing against a Prussian anti-sodomy law;

and,

2] To borrow from H. Havelock Ellis (Studies in Psychology, 1897), "'Homosexual' is a barbarously hybrid word, and I claim no responsibility for it." More succintly, "homosexual" is a Greek and Latin hybrid; it is a made up word. From the Greek we get homos, meaning same; from the Latin we get sexualis, meaning sexual.