Monday, August 25, 2008

Catherine DeWald says: Lots Carney didn't do

Recently a gentleman stated in a letter to the editor, that in his opinion, U.S. Rep. Chris Carney didn't do anything in his first term. I would like to add to his list of things Carney didn't do. He didn't need on-the-job training, he hit the ground running and didn't look back.

His many years of public service working at the Pentagon, his years as a college professor and his nearly two decades of service to his country have prepared him for his job. He didn't hesitate when asked to speak in response to the G.W. Bush radio address; an honor almost unheard of for a freshman congressman. He didn't forget his promise to always be accessible.

He didn't accept a pay raise, instead choosing to give it to charity. Congressman Carney didn't forget his priorities -- his lovely wife, Jennifer, their five great kids, his church, his country, his constituents or his old pickup truck. One of Congressman Carney's first challenges was to jump-start the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway, a project that PennDOT has since deemed in hibernation. Rest assured our congressman didn't go into hibernation and his work will continue. On behalf of our servicemen and women, his work is unprecedented as is his proposal for a veterans outpatient clinic in our district. His personal trip to Iraq to support our troops and his honesty and integrity have earned him the respect and admiration of a large number of "Republicans for Carney."

Congressman Carney didn't hire undocumented workers. And he didn't change his residence to enhance his campaign. He said that he would make us proud, and we are as proud as we can be. His recent promotion to commander in the Navy Reserves makes us beyond proud. We now have a representative who truly does represent his constituents. One thing I can promise you is this, the first name of our next congressman will be Chris, but I also know, and this is not blarney, his full name will be Christopher P. Carney.

Catherine DeWald,

Turbotville

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Tom Waffenschmidt, a parent at West Branch School

West Branch School Fair and Music Festival schedule announced

POSTED: April 17, 2008
Along with bluegrass festival favorite “Backwoods Experiment,” Earl Pickens and The Band Named Thunder headline this year’s West Branch School fair and music festival.

These two bands, and a host of others, will perform from noon to 7 p.m. May 10 at West Branch School, 755 Moore Ave. The fair features live music throughout the day, incredible food, arts and crafts and games for children.

“A tradition since the early years of the school, the fair is a wonderful event that brings together the school, alumni and the community to enjoy food, music, games and arts and crafts,” said Steve Hulslander, long-time teacher.

“This year the fair and music fest promises to have a special flair with a “Carnival of Animals” theme for children’s games and some fantastic music. There will be a variety of games and activities for children of all ages. Delicious shad dinners, gourmet salads, strawberries and cream, fresh-squeezed lemonade and a scrumptious dessert bistro are offered, along with more traditional fair food. In addition, we have WVYA’s very own Fiona Powell weaving her tales for children,” fair coordinator Anita Casper said.

Powell, a professional storyteller, has made a career out of her interest in Celtic folklore and speechways.

The daughter of a Welsh-American lawyer and a British actress, she has lived in Japan, France and Great Britain.

For a time, she worked as a shepherd in Somerset, Wales, and Scotland. In addition to appearing at schools, festivals and other events as a storyteller and performer, she is an announcer for WVIA, northeastern Pennsylvania’s public radio affiliate. She returns to the British Isles every year, spending most of her time in her beloved Wales, where she studies the folkways of her ancestors.

Tom Waffenschmidt, a parent at West Branch School said, “I came to the fair long before our daughter attended school here; that’s how I found out about the school. I come for the incredible food and great music!”

Children can play in the “bouncy house” join the dinosaur dig and duck-fishing pond, and visit the kitty corral, provided by Lycoming Animal Protection Society.

Mask-making, face painting, a school store, and a frog-flinger are other highlights. The human strength machine, scream-0-meter, an elephant trunk toss and a balloon man appeal to kids of all ages. A live llama will be wandering available for petting, too. For the wee ones, there will be a toddler area for the young ones, including a tunnel, and a toddler-sized “bouncy house.”

As part of the children’s games area, there will be a stuffed-animal contest. Children are invited to bring a stuffed animal and draw a picture or write a story about it. Awards will be given to all children. In addition, children are encouraged to bring used stuffed animals to donate to the Women’s Center, an organization that serves families of Montour and Columbia counties.

A line-up of folk, rock, blues and jazz music will be played at outdoor and indoor stages throughout the day. Artisans will be selling jewelry and other items.

A raffle drawing will be held at 7 p.m. for an 18k yellow gold diamond and sapphire earrings by James Meyer valued at $1,272, a family membership at the YMCA, Tennis Club Membership, box seats to the Orioles’ game, an overnight at the Peter Herdic Inn, show tickets, and more.

Tickets are $2 each or three tickets for $5. Tickets may be bought from current parents, the West Branch School or at the fair.

The fair has been a fundraiser for most of the school’s 36 years.

“When we lived in Newberry, we walked down the street and took our oldest children to the Fair,” Gail Landers said.

The Landers family has also become somewhat a tradition at the school, sending each of their five children to West Branch for more than 20 years.

Music has always been a big part of the West Branch School fair.

Members of the Uptown Music Collective perform indoors during the event, and the local nonprofit music collective also donates sound equipment for the day.

Local bands Infinite Bliss (rock), Lux Bridge (Celtic), The Back Pages (classic rock and folk) and Cletus Mergitroid (eclectic), round out the band lineup. Solo performers Bruce W. Derr, Mallory Scoppa, and Emily Hulslander also will perform outdoors.

Earl Pickens has enjoyed success as an “up and coming” performer in the region, and is certainly a name to watch out for. “Can I Turn On The Radio” is a minor hit local, and has been featured on radio stations in the region. The video, featuring Earl’s New York to Lewisburg unicycle ride, has been viewed more than 15,000 times on Youtube.com.

His remake of his own cover of “I’ve Been Everywhere (in Pennsylvania),” titled, “Obama Everywhere” garnered 23,000 hits on Youtube.com in one week.

Don’t expect a political message at the fair, however. Just flat out fun rock and roll that will have you swingin’.

For more information visit www.westbranchschool.org or 323-5498.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Ellen Tinsman on John McCain

Who's being laughed at?

POSTED: August 17, 2008

By many accounts, John McCain's "Celebrity" attack ads against Obama are a success, so much so that he's loading the airwaves with a series of them.

However, it makes me wonder if McCain supporters should be celebrating this kind of success, or if they should be offended.

What these ads say to voters is: Since you're too lazy to be interested in the issues, we'll just entertain you with some personality-bashing. You'll buy right into the fact that a brilliant, well-educated man with a distinguished career and a loving family is just like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

These ads say to you: You, the voter, are not smart enough to care about the issues that directly affect your lives, like health care, the Iraqi war, the energy crisis, the economy. So instead of talking about how McCain or Obama intend to deal with these very real problems, we'll create a diversion that you'll buy into.

John McCain must think you're awfully shallow.

Of course, a man who comes from one of the richest families in Arizona, who can't remember the last time he pumped gas into his own car, who has 11 houses and is married to an heiress worth over $100 million, and who admitted he doesn't even know how to turn on a computer, probably doesn't know much about the issues affecting everyday Americans.

It doesn't look like McCain's making fun of Obama. Seems to me he's laughing at you, the voter.

Ellen Tinsman

Trout Run

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Chris Carney, and T. Boone Pickens target foreign oi

Published August 09, 2008 05:08 am - It’s like the setup for some politically witty punch line: So a Democratic Congressman and a Texas billionaire oil tycoon walk into a bar...

Carney, tycoon target foreign oil

By Damian Gessel
The Daily Item

MIFFLINBURG — It’s like the setup for some politically witty punch line: So a Democratic Congressman and a Texas billionaire oil tycoon walk into a bar...

Actually, it wasn’t a bar. U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-10 of Dimock, talked recently with T. Boone Pickens — BP businessman, philanthropist and supporter of alternative energy — over a cup of coffee. Blowing curls of steam away from their cups, they chatted over heady matters.

Namely, what to do about the fact America is wildly dependent on foreign oil.

Pickens, at 80, is as staunch a Republican as there is. He’s a private sector man through and through. Carney hasn’t yet cracked 50, is a professor and military man turned politician. And a Democrat.

But on the matter of oil independence, they think surprisingly alike, Carney said Friday. Both favor a conservatively balanced approach (start drilling on U.S. shores for oil to tide America over until the big switch and make use of clean coal technology), but both believe that with a little roll-up-your-sleeves American ingenuity, the country can ween itself off foreign crude.

“I don’t see any reason why we can’t someday be the Saudi Arabia of energy,” Carney told a roomful of residents at a town hall talk in Mifflinburg Friday. “We just need the political will to do it.”

Carney wants the United States to turn to every available alternate energy source, from nuclear to solar.

“Everything,” he said, “is on the table.”

Pickens just ponied up $10 billion of his own money to build a wind mill farm in west Texas. His plan is to generate enough wind energy to reduce America’s estimated $700 billion annual dependence on foreign oil, thereby freeing up natural gas for transportation.

Here’s a snippet from Carney and Pickens’ coffee session:

Pickens, to Carney: “You’re sitting on top of 2 trillion gallons of natural gas.”

Carney: “Is that a lot?”

Pickens: “Hell yes, that’s a lot!”

Turns out, Pennsylvania is riding on the second-largest store of natural gas in the country, Carney said.

Carney and Pickens may be different in every other way, but they both say they see the writing on the wall — and it isn’t written in oil, the congressman said.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Jacobs-Baldys Engagement

JACOBS-BALDYS

Lynn and Mark Jacobs of Valley Cottage, N.Y., announce the engagement of their daughter, Lauren Michelle, to Matthew Baldys, son of Mary Lou and Rick Baldys of Williamsport, Pa.

Lauren graduated from Nyack HS and from Ithaca College with a BA in sociology. She will graduate with a teaching certificate in elementary education from East Stroudsburg State University in December. Matt graduated from Williamsport Area HS and from Ithaca College with a BA in philosophy. He will graduate with a teaching certificate in secondary education from East Stroudsburg in May.

A June 2005 wedding is planned.
http://www.nyjnews.com/celebrations/announce_details.php?type=E&id=C5381629