Raspberries

Funny in a harsh kind of way… a commentary on today’s economic woes:

WAL-MART SENIOR GREETER

Charley, a new retiree greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn’t seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their “Older Person Friendly” policies. One day the boss called him into the office for a talk. “Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang up job, but your being late so often is quite bothersome.”

“Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it.”

‘‘Well good, you are a team player. That’s what I like to hear. It’s odd though you’re coming in late. I know you’re retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say if you came in late there?”

‘‘They said, ‘Good morning, Admiral, can I get you coffee, sir?’‘’

Bud Larsen, though, isn’t the magic elf. He is a former Army sergeant major who for almost 15 years has dipped lures and lines in North Idaho’s streams and rivers looking for fish.

He does, however, have an eye on the holidays, hoping the book he recently published will be wrapped in pretty paper and nestled under a lot of Christmas trees. That is why “Fishing With Uncle Bud” was released six weeks before Christmas.

READ IT HERE

Hey, can anyone out there sing Snowbird by Anne Murray? If you can, you are probably near fifty years of age. If you can’t, that means you probably don’t care. But for me, back in the day, I found Anne Murray to be a heartthrob. And she liked birds. I mean, what can be better for a 10-year-old male discovering both girls and birds at the same time?

So what is a snowbird? It is one of the common names affixed to the Dark-eyed Junco

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Today wildlife conservation is a science, challenging hypothesis and ideas for the betterment of man and wildlife. However, the foundation and goals of wildlife conservation have not changed purpose: to ensure the wise use and management of renewable resources.

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What can you do on a frozen lake? Skating and ice fishing are obvious choices, and for those with a passion for their sport—say Jim Seyfert, Jim Mellen and mountain biking—the water in all its frozen glory becomes an irresistible new trail.

READ ABOUT IT HERE

Let’s take it as a given that once you reach a certain age, it’s a good idea to have a well-trained doc slide a camera up your butt to take a good look around. If you find yourself with the ability to be on the receiving end of this procedure, you probably should take advantage of the opportunity. And if you find yourself with the ability to observe such a thing—well, you may surprise yourself and discover you find it fascinating, as I did.

READ ABOUT IT HERE

Our national track record on the treatment of returning veterans is checkered at best. Those hundreds of thousands who came home after World War II received the hero’s welcome they had earned and deserved… Since that high water mark the national treatment of our returning heroes has been spotty at best.
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Johnson & Johnson issued a massive recall Friday of over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol, Motrin and St. Joseph’s aspirin because of a moldy smell that has made people sick.
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“When people talk about polycarbonate bottles, they talk about nanogram quantities of BPA [leaching out],” Warner observes. “The average cash register receipt that’s out there and uses the BPA technology will have 60 to 100 milligrams of free BPA.” By free, he explains, it’s not bound into a polymer, like the BPA in polycarbonates. It’s just the individual molecules loose and ready for uptake.

READ ABOUT IT HERE

The millions of people who spend hours every day on a cell phone, may have a new excuse for yakking. A surprising new study in mice provides the first evidence that long-term exposure to electromagnetic waves associated with cell phone use may actually protect against, and even reverse, Alzheimer’s disease. The study, led by University of South Florida researchers at the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), was published today in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
“It surprised us to find that cell phone exposure, begun in early adulthood, protects the memory of mice otherwise destined to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms,” said lead author Gary Arendash, PhD, Research Professor at the Florida ADRC. “It was even more astonishing that the electromagnetic waves generated by cell phones actually reversed memory impairment in old Alzheimer’s mice.” (Press release, J. Alzheimer’s Disease)

READ THE POST HERE

Five kids. No heat or water in the trailer. And now hours cut again, to just four hours a week.
A single mom. Hours cut at work and then her roommate moves out.
House fire. Family there to help but new baby’s arrival is imminent and all baby items were lost.
Cancer. Thank god for insurance. But there’s the deductible, and the twenty percent, and now all the gas for treatments…
When people reach their limit, the Angels Over Sandpoint step in to help.

READ ABOUT IT HERE

If we were only as intelligent as we are ingenious. We often invent things that, should we have any kind of foresight or conscience at all, we would burn their plans and have our minds erased so as never to think of such a thing again. Witness the atomic bomb. Germ warfare. Television in its current state of use. The Edsel. Billie Bass.

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Fever is often a beneficial phenomenon, as a warning of an infection, but also a part of the body’s defense against the infection. Elevation of body temperature reduces the growth of, and often kills, disease-causing organisms. It also stimulates the production of interferon, a chemical that inhibits viral reproduction and increases white blood cell mobility and activity to rid the body of bacteria and virus.

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Scott explores the hidden horrors in name hyphenation taken too far.

This got me to thinkin’ about some interesting combinations that could arise down the timeline. What if (bear with me) Mr. and Ms. Bare-Buttz had a girl and she fell in love with a boy who’s parents just happen to be Luce-Nutts. No matter how you organize ‘em, the preacher is going to have fun at the wedding.

READ IT ALL HERE

If at first, you don’t… Well, a little later, Annie contacted me once again with a travel plan. This time she succeeded in convincing me to accompany her on a trip. Indeed, Maui sounded a whole lot better than Iceland, and, at the time, travel packages were relatively inexpensive. I still came up with excuses, like “too close to Christmas,” “spending all that money,” “January or February would be better, etc.” But prices would never be better, and Annie had to use those vacation days before the year ended.

READ ABOUT IT HERE

On the outskirts of Bonners (I won’t mention which side), a woman and her husband were hosting her sister-in-law one October weekend. The visiting woman was standing near her upstairs guest room window after dinner, talking on the phone, when suddenly a face appeared in the dark window. The face, if it could be called that, was what she described as wolfish, but too flat to be that of a normal animal.

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I was informed, however, that if the agreement was implemented it could have a problem in that it might violate federal uniformity of tax laws requiring that one state not be taxed differently than another state. As stated in the beginning of this article, the Medicaid program is funded both by the federal government and individual states based on a federal funding formula. As I understand the information from the Attorney General’s office, Senator Nelson’s agreement would increase federal funding for Nebraska on a scale larger than provided by the formula, thus would be counter to uniform tax laws.

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The silence of bar associations and law schools indicates an astounding insouciance to Thomas Paine’s warning: ‘‘He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.’‘ Some of my Republican and conservative acquaintances are even gleeful that, finally, we are going to get tough and deal forcibly with ‘‘these people.’‘ They naively believe that they themselves will remain safe when law ceases to be a shield of the people and becomes a weapon in the hands of government.

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They couldn’t find any Sierra Club members, so eventually settled on me, and in 2002, wearing–I swear to God—a name tag identifying me as Environmentalist I attended my first RAC session. Many of the other members were acquaintances from my past Forest Service employment, and both District Rangers also sat in the meetings as non-voting members. And being government there are an incredible amount of strings attached. The tightest noose is that the projects have to be on National Forest Land or directly affect National Forest Land.

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Yep, ice fishing started this weekend and we all met on the ice to fish and talk about Tiger Woods and what was he thinking? Well, it was obvious what he was thinking as well as what he was thinking with. Women couldn’t believe how long it took for him to get caught and the men from Chipmunk Falls couldn’t believe there were no ugly women involved. Stubby says of the girls at Chipmunk Falls, “You don’t know what ya’ got until after the weddin’ and ya’ gets all them winter cloths offa her.”

YOU CAN READ IT ALL HERE

Early January and, unlike last year, the moisture falling incessantly from the skies in many areas is mostly in liquid form—mud season is already making an appearance. But no need to let that get you down, as the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association, and the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, partner up for the 2010 Winter Carnival!

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE

Family to Family, a twelve week course for family and friends of individuals with mental illness, is being offered by the Far North Chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The course, taught by trained family members, begins Monday February 8 in the Panhandle Health classroom in Bonners Ferry from 6:00-8:30 p.m. All instruction and course materials are free to class participants.

The NAMI sponsored program presents current information about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic depression), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, and co-occurring brain disorders and addictive disorders. Each class focuses on a subject, including up-to-date information about medications, understanding the mentally ill relative, problem solving, and communication. In addition, family members learn techniques for self care, strategies for handling crisis and relapse, and receive guidance on locating appropriate supports and services within the community. Finally, family members are informed about advocacy initiatives designed to improve and expand services.

Nationwide, over 115,000 family members have graduated from the Family to Family program. The program was first offered to Bonner and Boundary Counties in 2007.

This is the second time the course is offered in Bonners Ferry. The class is limited in size and fills quickly. Please register by phone with Gini Woodward 267-5638. The classes will be facilitated by Gini Woodward and Candy Kelly. To learn more about NAMI visit www.nami.org. The local chapter, NAMI Far North, meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6-8p.m. in the Bonner General Hospital Classroom, in Sandpoint. A brief business meeting is followed by a speaker program and support groups. Anyone with mental illness concerns is invited to attend.

Hat tip to Sid Broughton for this

What we don’t know will hurt us, and quite possibly on a more devastating scale than any Qaeda attack. Americans must be told the full story of how Wall Street gamed and inflated the housing bubble, made out like bandits, and then left millions of households in ruin. Without that reckoning, there will be no public clamor for serious reform of a financial system that was as cunningly breached as airline security at the Amsterdam airport

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SBX Friends .. Early 6 am phone call delivered an exciting announcement: “Mom, Dad, I just got punched a one-way ticket to Vancouver!!!!!” Y-E-S .. Nate solidified a spot on the USA Olympic Team by winning the Austrian World Cup Snowboard-Cross today!!! He now ranks 1st for USA + 3rd in overall W.Cup standings. In time trials, Nate placed 2nd .. only behind Pierre Vaultier of Frances, who’s won first 2 World Cups of the season. But the WIN was Nate’s today!

CHECK HERE

AND HERE

Sweet victory today for Nate follows disappoint for Patrick yesterday. In time trials, Pat was in a tie for 32nd, last spot into SBX. In a 3rd run race-off, he just missed by hundredth of a second, blink of an eye. But, overall for event, he placed 6th for USA men which is still good. Even Seth Wescott missed qualifying this time amongst 65 racers. Austria like a shorter, narrower course than US or Canada typically build. Nate said Pat’s riding extremely well + reviewed film w/ him offering needed encouragement. Pat’ll break-thru@ some point, we know. Now they’ll be traveling to Switzerland for another World Cup next week.

Oly’momma

The print issue of the River Journal has been delivered from Coeur d’Alene to Clark Fork. On to Montana in the snow today.

Right now, you can pick up a print copy at: North Idaho College, Crossroads Texaco, Westmond Store, Sagle store and RV park, Texaco (at end of Long Bridge), Vanderford’s, Monarch Mountain Coffee, Panhandle State Bank, Dairy Depot, Zips, Paul’s Chevron, Sandpoint Super Drug, Sidney’s Shell Station (Hwy 95 & Larch), The Co-Op, Bonner Mall, Hoot Owl Cafe, Ponderay Quik Stop, Schweitzer Conoco, Holiday Shores (Hope), Hays Chevron and Monarch Market (Clark Fork).