How great grandfather’s death and wealth was reported

I’ve been doing some genealogy this week.  I move back and forth between recent, ancient, mine and my husband’s. Find a Grave on the internet and County histories are quite valuable.

The Elwood Indiana paper reported on my husband’s great grandfather’s death this way.

“Pioneer Resident of City Fell a Victim of Heart Trouble Sunday Afternoon and Died Before Assistance Could Reach Him. Had Attended Meeting Earlier in the Day.”

And it goes on to talk about Lewis Heffner’s contributions to the city, but particularly speculated on his wealth (based on inflation it would be about $3.5 million today) in sawmills and in farms and that he had two surviving daughters, one being Mrs. C.L. (Abbie) Bruce, my husband’s grandmother.

However, in my genealogy notes, I have the memories of C.L.’s daughter, Roberta, about her grandfather’s death, and she said:

“Grandfather Heffner was not a religious man, but after his wife died he went to a revival and confessed and joined.  He walked home in a blizzard, and collapsed and died (turned to stone, she said).  He was a Mason.  He had no will, and his assets were divided between Abbie and Vinnie.” 

Roberta said he owned 2 sawmills, one in Elwood, IN and one in Arkansas, and 3 farms and some buildings in Elwood.  Each daughter got about $50,000 each.  Roberta's parents (Abbie and Casselman) owned the sawmill/coal business in Elwood, to which her father added automobiles (Nash, Chevrolet).  Aunt Vinnie owned the Arkansas Mill and 2 farms and some of the buildings.  Her husband (Uncle Lew Whipple) quit working after they married.  He was so bad with the customers, that Roberta's grandfather paid him $50/week to stay away from the office.

Hospital hygiene—let’s get with the program!

Columbus Dispatch reported Thursday on a 2 year effort to improve hand washing in central Ohio hospitals. It's up from 29% to 86%. That's good, but folks, I learned this in first grade! I've been in the hospital 2 times in the last decade, and was shocked at the careless hygiene. The national hand-hygiene compliance rate is less than 50%, and doctors are worse than nurses. But there's no bigger bang for the buck, so take the time! http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/01/10/hospitals-efforts-raise-rate-of-hand-washing-to-86.html

Let’s save Social Security and Medicare by raising the age of eligibility

Social Security was designed for a nation with a life expectancy in the 60s. The plan was that not many would ever get what they were taxed for. Now it has increased by about 60% or about 30 years. But the years after 85 have also increased. If we want to save the safety net that many poor and low income rely on, the retirement age needs to be raised, as well as the Medicare age.

http://www.elderweb.com/book/appendix/1900-2000-changes-life-expectancy-united-states

Teachers apply for training in protecting themselves and their students

Over 1,000 Ohio teachers have already signed up for this program to provide free first responder training to educational employees. In order for a teacher, administrator or other school employee to be able to have a gun with them at school  in Ohio, all they need is to be able to legally carry a concealed firearm and a simple vote by their school board. No Ohio law prohibits them from having a gun at work. Many school boards have already voted to allow this.

“While Ohio generally prohibits firearms at schools, the law includes a provision that allows teachers and staff to carry firearms if the school board approves it. The Armed Teacher Training Program seeks to help teachers get permission to carry concealed firearms on the job and provide advanced training that goes above and beyond the typical requirements of concealed carry.”

The Academy awards

This is how serious politicians are about violence--not a peep about blood drenched academy award nominations--or any movies.

"The task force is slated to hold meetings this week with victims of gun violence, gun safety groups, hunting groups and gun owners. The task force will also meet with representatives of the film and video game industries."

Hollywood is a big donor to their campaigns, particularly Democrats. Do you think Biden is brave enough to discuss violence with them?

Twenty first century values

Joe Biden’s gun task force

2011 homicide rates, NY: 5 homicides with a rifle.  1 in 3 million chance of being killed by a rifle in that state.  But that's how crazy the left is. This hoop-la over guns is a cover up for a failed Congress and failed Presidency. He didn't do anything about dead black children in Chicago. Why?  Well, there was a campaign going on.  Now that he’s won, Obama wants to dismantle the Constitution.

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

What proposals will come out of this that you think would have kept any of the mentally ill who shoot up malls, military bases, or schools from their insane rampages?

Texas teachers flocking to concealed carry classes

While the debate begins to rage in Washington on gun restrictions following last month's deadly school shooting in Connecticut, teachers in Texas have been flocking to the classes which will allow them to carry concealed weapons, 1200 WOAI news reports.

"But any gun is better than no gun when the bad guy has a gun."

Read more: http://www.the950.com/pages/joepags-kprc.html?article=10679231#ixzz2HQJe0bau

Sheffield ELEGANCE 502 Luncheon Plate 9.375 in. White Flowers Platinum Japan

What are you waiting for?  Do something crazy today for the New Year—like set a pretty table just for the heck of it.  You deserve it.  I bought 7 of these 9+” plates at a thrift shop in 2010 thinking I’d use them, but I never have.  They are very pretty.  I think I paid $1 each for them.  These days, platinum or silver edges are not popular because of microwaves and dishwashers, but why not use them if you have them?  So I’m toping mine with some pretty, not matching, but plain bowls with a silver rim, and will use the left over ham and bean soup tonight that my daughter made with her brother’s gift ham.

What might have they become?

Here’s my problem . . .

Found. Frank Lloyd Wright leather bound sketchbook

I’ve been shifting, repacking, tossing and trimming.  I had boxes of notebooks.  I found this one, c 2004 stored with the other $4.00 ones.  But it’s for sketching and not blogging, which is probably why I never used it.  The design is May Basket, the same as one of our pillows.

Accommodating newer technology

We did some furniture/TV shifting last night. We moved a smallish flat screen that travels to the lake house in the summer to my condo office and put the one that had a "hang-over" in the bedroom. But now the cat can't sit on it. But that meant we had to move some tables, too, since the little table wouldn’t hold the heavier TV in the bedroom.  Then that moved table didn’t seem steady, so I weighted it down with a very heavy piggy bank.

With our son-in-law’s help finding the bargain we bought a new TV (RCA) at Best Buy with a built in DVD player for the family room (aka office, aka man cave).  He loves to shop at that store and knew all the questions to ask.  It takes up a lot less room than the monster that was there, but he took it home to use in his basement exercise room—which seems only fair since it belonged to them. Flat screens don’t view well from the side like the rounded screens, but because they are so much lighter in weight, it’s not difficult to adjust them.

What dogs are probably thinking based on their breed…

I saw this on Facebook.  I have a Chihuahua grand puppy who visits.

Home made ham and bean soup with cornbread

My son got a large ham for Christmas and talked his sister into making bean soup with it.  She shared, so I thought corn bread might go well with the bean soup.  Don’t you love Google when you’re sorta, almost sure you could wing it, but you’d better check?  This is from Heather Likes Food.

Ingredients

2 cups Bisquick baking mix (I had Jiffy on hand)

1/2 cup sugar

½ cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup water

½ cup melted butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together eggs, water, and butter. Add the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. There’s no need to get the lumps out, over mixing will make your cornbread dry and tough. Pour batter into a greased 8×8 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. A toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the middle. ENJOY!

Inmates are lining up to sign on!

Beth Shaw writes, “Dianne Fienstein received a petition signed by over 100K people stating they'd gladly give up all their weapons when all law-abiding citizens give up their guns. One guy who signed the petition as WV128943 said he hopes to see people unarmed when he is out in a few months so that he can pursue his career in a safer environment. He added that every one of the inmates people who have signed the petition have double pinky promised to give up their guns under the above mentioned conditions.”

Chinese scientist engaged in lawsuit against the Nobel Prize Assembly

A Chinese scientist, Dr. Rongxiang  Xu, claims to have discovered “human body regenerative restoration science''  and has filed a suit in Orange County, California, seeking credit for the research that led to the work of Sir John B. Gurdon (England) and Shinya Yamanaka (Japan)  for their discovery that "mature, specialised cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into all tissues of the body."

“The work of Gurdon and Yamanaka led to a practical medical use for stem cell research that sidesteps the main argument by anti-abortion opponents” a feat pretty much ignored by our President who in 2009 reinstated embryonic stem cell research paid for by government funding (it was never illegal or restricted).

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/08/world/europe/sweden-nobel-prize-medicine/index.html

http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e8414/rr/619952

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1087407/world-renowned-scientist-dr-rongxiang-xu-speaks-out-about-nobel-assembly-statement-claiming-they-have-not-heard-of-him

Our generation, not so much . . .

This is never a problem for us because of the age of most of the people with whom we socialize, but I sure wish the people at the next table would try it!

Al Gore—naked hypocrite

Al Gore, inherited tobacco money and a famous name, and now has further enriched himself in ways no one can support.

1) Sold his failing cable network to Al-Jazeera, an Islamic presence in our media and huge critic of US;

2) kept it out of... the hands of Glenn Beck, a libertarian and Mormon who made his money the old fashioned way (didn't inherit it);

3) avoided the new taxes of 2013 by clenching the deal in 2012, taxes he claimed were good for us;

4) will be paid in filthy fossil fuel money so he can enlarge his already huge carbon footprint.

Hypocrisy, your name plate says Gore. Wear it like a proud Democrat.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/45752

About Snopes and other fact checking websites

I'm a librarian, and I've been impressed by Snopes' research, the on-line search operation conservatives hate.  The owners have never kept it a secret that they are a small operation.  When you go to the library you can get a lot better information asking one reference person who will go after your question with a good strategy, experience, and a gut feeling that develops over time (or you're the 10th person that day to ask), than you will if you try to google it yourself and look at the first 5 based on an algorithm that favors some advertiser. 

In my opinion, the reason people don't like Snopes is because they put faith in a really dumb viral story they saw on the internet, and get mad when it is disproven. There are more fact finders debunking right wing stories than left because the right seems to have so many gullible folks. (Better gullible than mean and destructive, right?) When I write a conservative blog entry, the screamers and nasties are usually liberals who call me every imaginable name--but they are really mad about the facts I cite. (My filter deletes people with bad manners.)

I NEVER share a story without checking it first, and probably 50% of the time there are errors or exaggerations--quotes from famous people seem to be the worst—why try to improve on Billy Graham or John Wayne?  It’s a mystery.

Facts don't belong to a political party, but politics do definitely influence which questions are answered. Is Snopes' ownership liberal?  Probably.  And librarians are 223:1 liberal to conservative, but most people still go to the library for information and pay taxes to support them.

http://www.rd.com/home/rumor-detectives-true-story-or-online-hoax/