The message forum is an ongoing dialogue between classmates. There are no items, topics, subtopics, etc.

Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful! Click the "Post Message" button to add your entry to the forum.

Janie Albright (Blank)

A number of our classmates are planning to take Jack Maxwell up on his offer to be our tour guide for the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Detroit on September 9 & 10. The list is growing. Jack says you can camp on his property or stay in a hotel with the rest of us. Lol  Donna is coming from Spain for Pete’s sake! Get with it and add your name to the list! There will be a lot of laughs and good conversation sitting around the campfire ?? and or a bar in the evenings. Your choice. :)  Let us know. Watterson1966@aol.com

Those going so far:

Clare Hummer

Donna Kelley

Sue Galbreath

Janie Albright

Fred Clem

Dave & Rachael Barbour 

Joe McCarthy 

Jack Maxwell

Michael McLeod

Sometimes I wish I was really retired and this is one of those times.

Sure will be with you guys in spirit when you are up there though, with Jack.

Gotta put the brakes on a bit after I get through this industrious patch I am in.

Speaking of industrious: My girlfriend just got back from visiting her daughter in Beijing (she flew back through Detroit, Jack) and what stands out to me from everything she's talked about is how hard everybody works over there, how tightly woven their families are, and how beautiful and big-scale it is there  -- well, apart from the smog and the police state and the fact that YOU CANNOT GOOGLE. The Internet access we take for granted is not a part of everyday life for private citizens though many people do have access to it in certain occupations. Nobody, among the common populace,  knows what happened in Tianamen Square a few years back, for example. And if they spoke about it too much, or mentioned it in an email to a friend, they are likely to get a visit from the police - and have to write a statement saying they won't ever speak of it or "spread false rumors" any more. Or else.

We, as a country, are quite lazy and overfed in comparison to the Chinese.

But I would not want to live in a place where opinionating is discouraged and you need to wear a mask on days when the pollution is bad. 

The key expression that resonates with me is the phrase:

"In China, there is no 'why.' "

So don't ask questions.

Whoa.

David Mitchell

Mike,

And meanwhile,,,,, keeping an ear tuned to the ongoing events in Hong Kong. 

Michael McLeod

On the other hand what's the difference between a country where people are not allowed to voice opinions and a country where people shout at each other so loudly you can't hear a damn thing above the din?

Answer me that, Gunga.

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Mike.........Freedom is the difference

David Mitchell

Mike, 

It seems to me;

One mouth may be loud, boysterous, at times rude and insulting - perhaps even lying and commiting slander. But it is permitted to be excercised.

The other is bound shut by fear. 

The crisis now is that we have approached a point where the former (when it includes the lying, concealing, and threatening) may achieve something no better than the latter.  

Maybe only courage matters in the end. Something utterly lacking in the leaders of both societies you refer to.

Michael McLeod

ok guys it was a rhetorical question.

Meanwhile there's something counterintuitive about using a sip of coffee to wash down my daily blood pressure pill.

John Maxwell

Kathleen Wintering (Nagy)

I agree with Mary Margaret. Freedom is  the difference. Kathy W.

Michael McLeod

Ok Jack that settles it. Next time I'm sending my girlfriend to Detroit.

David Mitchell

I had an itch. 

So I scratched it.

 But I'm still feeling old.

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Dave..........https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/454732-turning-point-usa-aide-fired-after-trump-appears-in-front-of-altered

James Hamilton, M. D.

It was hot here today. It was also one of my teaching days out at the Fort. That drive used to be relaxing but traffic in the Springs has changed drastically over the past 40+ years and, of course, we are at the height of tourist season. So here I sit listening to Music Choice TV regurgitating memories of life when those oldies were new tunes on our transistor radios. The "good old days". But were they? Sometimes those days seem better now than they were then. Maybe I'm just tired tonight and in a contemplative mood. 

Any thoughts? 

Jim 

​​​​

Frank Ganley

Jim, Listening to and singing along with some of the great songs of yesteryear, brings back memories and good feelings of the days of “when we were young”. It might be God’s plan only to let those good times back in the memory. Rarely do we conjure up bad memories or feelings. Just as we can not remember pain, only that it hurt, those thoughts are quickly washed away. If they weren’t a woman would have only one child! I’ve had one and the pain was horrific, no more! You speak of the “old  days when you moved out west, i moved to Tampa in 1981. Tampa had just started to grow. Today our main streets are 6,8 lanes wide , then just 2 lanes. We sit and stew about how bad the traffic is, and it makes no difference what season we always have vacationers. We sat and stewed then while waiting for a light to change but alas the idiot at the light is turning left and no end in sight. So it seems “ that the times are a’changin”  but stays the same. Was it better when we were in high school, yes i believe it was. Cyo dances, park of roses dances, jerry’s drive in, sock hops, all places were safe to go. Will future generations be able to enjoy carefree free time again such as we? Or will they be hunkered near the tv waiting and watching for disaster to strike. Ok so we practiced getting underneath our desks to escape a h bomb attack! Lol how silly it looks on tv now and knowing enough about a bombs etc who came up with, “ this desk will save or children. My conclusion , now is the time to be alive, now is the time to dream , now is the greatest of all time to remember because our generation has seen it all. We have seen everything modern  in our lives. We’ve enjoyed records, radio, the beginning of tv, all of the advances in science, we saw the first sputnik, we saw the first man on the moon, cds, computers, watches you can talk to , and we are still here for more. Rejoice, for all of the tensions in the world, for all the bad things around us they have always been here but we our generation has seen it all. Then think of 1966, we had it all, great times, great friends and innocence. Remembering is fun, as the bad things somehow have been erased

David Mitchell

Well put Frank.

Michael McLeod

I'll address the question you posed at the top of what you wrote, Jim.

I think of it often. Most recently I thought of it in terms of music.

We had the good fortune to be young and white at a time when the music we listened to reflected the innocence and optimism and, yes, the privilege of our lives. Think of the popular music of the mid to late fifties in this country. It reflected a childlike spirit, a simplicity, an embrace of uncluttered romance and fun. It was partly a joy we'd earned as a country from the trials of the war our parents fought and won, and partly an illusion because we hadn't yet addressed the social issues we've been confronting ever since.

I think anyone who grows up at any time in history can look back at their childhood and either consciously register or just emotionally sense what Bob Seeger one wrote into a song: "Sometimes I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." But I think that feeling may be keener for our generation because we emerged from an age of innocence as well as the natural innocence of our own as children. 

Yet I am thrilled to be alive right now and in a position to marvel at the issues we are confronting, nationally and globally. The human drama is acruing more and more drama, and acruing it faster and faster. Things are going to get better. Things are going to get worse. I regret not being able to stick around long enough to see how the whole thing turns out. 

David Mitchell

Frank's post reminds me of the day we first took delivery of our first TV. It was an RCA combination console with record player (with choice of 78, 33 1/3, or, with the additon of the fat spindle, 45s), a tuner selection panel, and lastly, a speaker filling one quarter panel. It looked roughly like this one pictured below. It was really a whole piece of polished mahogany furniture, and had to be carried in by two delivery men. My parents bought it at Grenner's, a combination car repair and appliance store that many of you I.C.ers will recall located against the ravine at the bottom of the northeast corner of Arcadia and High

The owners, a realy nice couple - Dick and Phoebe Grenner (spelling?) - were in Mom and Dad's bible study group and my folks did a lot of business with them - mostly car repair, but also washer & dryer, TV, etc.

I can recall going down to their showroom and looking at TVs and appliances. If it was with my mom, it often included a trip to our favorite "fast food" site, the White Castle right across High Street. (as I related earlier, Mom had been one of their first phone operators at their main headuarters in the late 20's or early 30's - on Goodale I think?

Anyway, The new TV arrived one day when I was (I think) three years old - which makes it a 1951 model. It had a  9 inch TV screen!  Imagine - NINE inches! I was mezmerized from the word go. I still remember my fascination with the RCA symbol of the sitting white dog listening to "his master's voice" from a large upright  "victrola speaker".  And remember, we got to enjoy the special extra treats of "test patterns" and "snow" - and we tweaked the antenna in the hopes of better reception.

And what wonderous things I saw as I switched across an amazing choice of three, yes, count 'em, 3 whole separate channels of programs. I saw Buck Rodgers and Pinky Lee. I patiently waited through Ruth Lyons and her 50/50 Club from Cincinnati and got to see Howdy Doodie, Clarabell, and Buffao Bob. Evenings with Kookla Fran and Ollie, Gary Moore, and Lassie and Dinah Shore - on sunday nights, Saturday mornings with My Friend Flika, Casper, and -- my favorite, will apear next post.  

(digressing - that bible study group was a coat and tie affair on Sunday nights about 6 times a year and included Monsignor Becker from the Jospehinium, Jack and Betty Rousseau (next door neighbors and Susie's parents), Tom and Kay Litzinger - Tom's parents, Dr & Mrs. Donley, Bob and Evelyn McNamara (Dick and Billy's parents), Don(?) & Donna Cox (Jerry's parents, class or 65), Anne and Quinn Weilbacher (Tommy's folks) on occasion, and a few others you wouldn't know.)  

David Mitchell

Saturday mornings were the best. Cartoons, and horses, and cowboys - Lash LaRue, The Cisco Kid (loved those guys) and an all-time favorite (complete with great theme song) 

Imagine, "a Fiery Horse with the Speed of Light" !  Oh, take me back.

Michael McLeod

By the way, Jim:

As I mentioned above, my significant other has been debriefing me about her amazing excursion to Beijing.

Obviously, apart from the tourist sites, she saw thousands upon thousands -- tens of thousands of people. She stayed with her daughter in a tiny high-rise apartment in the city, and traveled extensively through the rest of the country. So she saw China in a very extensive way not just a here are the tourist spots way.

And I asked her: how many overweight people did you see?

I'd love to make you guess at her answer but I will not keep you in suspense:

One.

It was a young boy.

She said: "His grandparents must be spoiling him." (grandparents traditionally do the raising of children in china).

Your thoughts?

Michael McLeod

Dave:

You are just showing off how rich you were.

A tv like that put you in the upper bracket, back in the day.

I hate you in retrospect.

James Hamilton, M. D.

First of all, I am enjoying the reponses to the questions I proposed in Post #5826. Keep them coming and maybe some of the ladies could add their thoughts. 

Mike, having just finished mowing the lawn (more like my natural weed patch complete with deer droppings in my backyard), I think I sweated off a pound or two. Obesity is obviously a major problem in the USA and other countries. Among children it is even more important. Several years ago Janet discovered an old panoramic, black an white photograph of her second grade First Communion class. Not one child was even overweight! When I entered med school in 1970 Type 2 diabetes was essentially unknown in children. Today it is - to use an overused medical term - "not uncommon". 

What is the cause of this​​​​? In our childhood we probably all consumed a lot "bad foods"  - high fat, high sugar, no sugar free sodas, red meats at most dinners, whole milk, etc. -  the list goes on. Yet obesity was rare. Sure, there were some kids who were overweight and there may be genetics involved or even endocrine problems. What we did not have were computers and computer games. Our play was usually outside and physically active. We had feet and heavy bicycles for transportation, not skateboards. ​​​​​

Many ​​​​of the jobs today are also sedentary and computer based. Instead of walking down the hall to talk with a colleague we text or email them. There are so many ways we conserve energy (calories) in our everyday lives because of modern conveniences, and America leads the way.

​​​​​​All that taken into account, many Americans just plain eat too much and exercise too little. Our diet is certainly different from that in China and many other places in the world. Not being a world traveler, I can't speak for individual countries and will not attempt to do so. However, more "advanced" civilizations seem to have this problem. 

I believe that obesity is a complex, multifactorial disorder that deserves more research, particularly regarding genetics. The current treatment consists of diet, exercise, drugs (most of which are not good and some dangerous), devices, and bariatric surgery (some good, some not so good and some terrible). 

Sorry, Mike, another long answer to a short question. 

Jim 

​​​​​​

​​​​​​

​

David Mitchell

If you want to count obese people you just need to come down to my local Bluffton Golden Corral. The number of extremely obese African-American women would frighten you. I guess our broiling hot weather and high humidity (keeping you less active and indoors) and generations of greasy fried cooking habits does that to you. 

But I recall years ago my dad saying that TV would turn us into a "sedentery nation". And he objected strongly to my being glued to that beautiful "piece of furniture" he bought at Grenners Appliance.

------------

And Mike, if you lived in my neighborhood, I would have invited you over to watch Home Run Derby on Friday nights - - on my 9 inch screen !

Just think, 30 minutes of slow easy pitches being tossed up to Rocky Colavito vs. Hammerin' Hank Aaron - - WITH coke and popcorn!  And sometimes pizza with Tommy Litzinger staying over. 

(or maybe Kookla, Fran, and Ollie a few years ealier)

It didn't get much better than that.

Michael McLeod

Thanks for the response, Jim.

Another thing about China that is fascinating:

You know the ap that people use to track how far they walk in a day?

There is a program in China in which people use that ap and publicly post their walking that day.

It's this communal contest of sorts to see how everybody is doing.

And if you walk a certain number of steps or travel a certain amount of miles, I forget which, they plant a tree in your honor.

Freaking genius!

They may be polluting like hell over there, and yes it is a police state and yada yada yada - but that doesn't mean they aren't doing something we could emulate. If it works it works.

This whole business of planting trees as a means of reducing pollution and offsetting climate change has rather captured my attention giving that some people still want to argue about it.

Can we put all the differences and ego clashing aside and agree on something simple as a start - that trees are a good thing?

Go ahead. Somebody call me a tree hugger. I'll take it as a compliment. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mike, 

Yet another point on which we agree: I love trees! 

After ​​​​43 years of mountain morning fall forays into the forests to try to capture a perfectly positioned picture of autumn aspens, I still get psyched as I anxiously approach the stately syncytial stands of these tall trees. (How's that for alliteration?) 

Jim 

​​​​

David Mitchell

Mike,

You may recall, I lived in a deep woods (on Yaronia) above Overbrook ravine. I thought my Dad was the original naturalist. The only time my dad ever spanked me was when I chopped down a little tree (about 1 inch in circumference) in our side yard. I was about 7 or 8 and I was fascinated with saws, knives, and hatchets (and oh yes, the matches Tommy Litzinger taught me how to put to creative use). That marked the end of my career as a lumber jack. It used to cause Dad agony whenever we had to have a few large trees removed, after one had fallen over the house and damaged the roof. For a few years we bought live Christmas trees, and would replant them in the yard after New Years day. The one I remember most is still in it's place in that front yard. 

I still miss those days, playing in, and running through those deep woods from near Indianola, all the way to the bottom of those steep hills on Cooke road, and then the "other" woods over between Wynding Drive and the back side of Glenmont Grade School. we bult forts and played Robin Hood, or Cochise, or Sitting Bull.

The only downside was that I had to rake about 6.4 billion leaves every fall. But we made some fun out of that. Does anyone remember raking a large pile of leaves and then jumping into the soft pile?