Being Frank: Letters from Indiana

Netbook: Step up for me, but not for everyone

2010-09-18T04:13:00.001-04:00

I bought an Acer D260 Netbook to replace my Palm Pilot. I have the Tungsten E2 and it has served me well for several years. But I use it to take notes when covering meetings in my job as a newspaper editor.

I had purchased the Palm wireless keyboard on sale for $10 at Staples. Again, it served my needs but eventually it just wore out.

So, I was faced with the question, Do we buy a second notebook or do I get a Netbook?

My birthday was coming up and my wife asked me what i wanted, so, we went to Walmart and soon the Acer was in the car, heading home with us.

I really like everything about it. The 10-inch screen is good for my purposes. The keyboard is actually a pretty good size. The only time I have any problem is retraining my fingers to use the smaller Netbook keys after using the full size Dell desktop keyboard in the office.

I have ready many good reviews of Acer products and the criticism of Netbooks in general (small screens, limited power to run multiple programs, small keyboards, etc.) seem to stem from people who expect to use their Netbooks in place of a full size laptop or desktop computer. I wouldn’t suggest that.

Oh, I can edit video (using Movie Maker – the Acer came with Windows 7 starter edition), listen to my old time radio shows, and write and edit news stories. I even edit pdf files of newspaper pages at home before the paper goes to press.

So, I would definitely recommend the Acer D260 Netbook. Just don’t plan to use it to replace your other computer unless your needs are very limited.

Are we a nation of observers?

2010-05-27T13:27:00.003-04:00

Is it just me or do other people think we have become a nation of observers instead of participants?

Latest example: The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Last night for the first time I watched Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

She had a report on the 1979 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Her staff restored old video news footage of the oil spill that was, up to that time, the worst spill in world history.

It took nine months to finally end the spill by drilling a relief well. In the interim, the oil company tried to put a large funnel over the leak to capture the oil (then it was called a sombrero, today we call it a top hat), they tried dispersants and booms to round up the oil. All failed.

Not only was this leak in 200 feet of water, but no new plans have been developed to stop an oil leak in the last 31 years.

The only thing that has changed, as Ms. Maddow pointed out, is that we now drill wells deeper under the surface of the ocean. Instead of risking a major ecological catastrophe at 200 feet, we drill at 5,000 feet, making it that much harder to contain an ecological nightmare.

We have another oil pill at 5,000 feet and all we do is watch and wait.

Now we have the Internet and we can view a TV picture originating on the bottom of the ocean that shows the oil spewing from a broken pipe.

Then, BP officials debate what might work and why it might not work instead of getting off their keisters and doing something.

Don't just stand there, do something!

If the "something" doesn't work, then try something else. But don't allow the Gulf of Mexico to die just because BP officials want to protect their financial bottom line.

Our attitudes have changed for the worst and those attitudes are reflected in out TV shows and in other art forms.

In the 1960s, TV gave us "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and the nuclear-powered submarine "Seaview" and its crew actually did things.

In the 1960s, TV gave us "Star Trek" and the crew of the "Enterprise" did things.

In the 2000s, TV has given us "Stargate" and people dive into other worlds just to do what? To observe!

Don't just stand there, watching, do something!

'Morning Joe' revisited

2010-05-11T08:29:00.004-04:00

"Morning Joe" is MSNBC's dynamite morning news program featuring Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

I reviewed it for this blog about two years ago, before it found its feet and became the really great show it is today.

Joe has matured in his role as program host. He is still conservative in his viewpoint but seems to be much more comfortable with more liberal guests. At least he doesn't use the show as his bully pulpit, a lesson all of Fox News needs to learn.

Mika really needs to be more dominant. Unfortunately, too much of the time she is window dressing, albeit very attractive window dressing.

"Morning Joe" is the very informative, classy, well-done program deserving of the letters (MS)NBC.

Another really good podcast

2010-04-21T20:46:00.004-04:00

When I wrote praises for Buck Benny's podcast, I forgot for the moment about another really great podcast: "Two Chairs No Waiting."
It is an "Andy Griffith Show" podcast by Allan Newsome.
The title may not ring a bell, but it is taken from the fact that Floyd's Barber Shop had two chairs, no waiting, even though Floyd was the only barber in the shop.
Newsome likes to portray Floyd at Mayberry fan get-togethers.
I enjoy listening to the podcast just to hear Newsome's southern accent as much as to learn what I did not know about "The Andy Griffith Show," its cast and characters.
Newsome keeps each episode fairly short, less than 15 minutes, usually.
Everyone likes to spend some time in Mayberry. They aren't making any new episodes of "Andy Griffith," but visiting via "Two Chairs No Waiting" is a pretty good substitution.

My favorite podcast

2010-04-20T21:39:00.003-04:00

Have you checked out Buck Benny's podcast?
It is found on iTunes and Podomatic.
I found it while searching for Jack Benny shows on iTunes.
Buck Benny is a pseudonym for someone I deduce lives in the northwest part of the country, perhaps Washington or Oregon.
I think he is a professional person, perhaps a psychologist or a psychiatrist. I think I read something about him that indicates the same.
Anyway, Buck Benny has become my favorite podcast because he does a daily podcast that features an old time radio show from 60 or 70 years earlier.
Often Buck Benny introduces the show by giving a brief bit of information about that episode's offering. On one show he gave an impassioned plea to support Radio Spirits. Not because he personally benefits from Radio Spirit's sales but because the company finds and makes previously unavailable shows available to the public.
By the way, Buck Benny was the name of a personna Jack Benny took for himself, playing a comedic cowboy.
It's a great podcast. I highly recommend it and thank you, Buck!

Novel: "Living in Victory" available

2009-11-28T21:27:00.002-05:00

Over the past few years I have referred to my first novel. It is now published and available on the Internet.

It is titled, "Living in Victory." More information, including a free preview, is available at: http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=3884077

"Christmas in Connecticut" and "Eve's Christmas" reviewed

2009-11-08T17:09:00.005-05:00

Two new reviews of Christmas movies have been uploaded to my podcast.

In the first show I review the original and the revised versions of "Christmas in Connecticut."

Today I uploaded a review of a 2004 Christmas movie titled "Eve's Christmas" starring Elisa Donovan and Cheryl Ladd.

Hope you enjoy. Each review runs about 10 minutes.

Click on: http://frankphillips.mypodcast.com .

Podcast updates

2009-10-31T16:05:00.004-04:00

I posted two new episodes to my podcast this weekend.

The first was a conversation with John Grimes who celebrated 70 years of marriage to his wife, Lil, on Oct. 25. Lil has Alzheimer's and lives in a Crawfordsville nursing home but she enjoys listening to John play his harmonica for her. On this podcast he plays a sample for us.

The second episode is abut 20 minutes of Harvey Keller's 1999 Halloween morning show on WCVL-WIMC, Crawfordsville, Ind.

I hope you will enjoy both episodes.

My novel, "Living In Victory" has been published and is available on www.lulu.com. By the first of the year I hope it will be available on www.amazon.com. You can read a free sample of the story, purchase a paperback copy or purchase a download of the book in Adobe PDF format at www.lulu.com.

To hear my podcast, go to: http://frankphillips.mypodcast.com or subscribe free on iTunes. It is "Being Frank: Letters from Indiana."

Blog or Pod(cast)

2009-10-22T16:22:00.000-04:00

I am experimenting with doing "live" reviews of Christmas movies as podcasts.
You can "tune in" by pointing your browser to: http://frankphillips.mypodcast.com/

Please send your comments to: frank.phillips@gmail.com or by calling (765) 918-8915 and leaving a message.

Thanks!

Novel soon to be published

2009-10-09T08:36:00.004-04:00

After years of working and waiting, I am getting ready to publish my first novel, "Living in Victory."

It's a somewhat biographical novel about a college boy, a journalism major, who becomes a weekend preacher in the tiny village of Victory, Indiana, and his adventures.

The book begins with the town's destruction during a terrible spring storm and the story is told in flashbacks.

The ending might be a surprise to some and a shocker to others.

I plan to publish the book on Lulu.com within a week and at some point it will be listed on Amazon.com.

The novel will be available in print or as a download.

I hope many will find it enjoyable and inspiring.

Lucky days?

2009-09-02T13:53:00.005-04:00

Do we have lucky days?
If I believed in luck I would think so.
Take today for instance. I was home from work so Linda asked me to renew our license plates at the license branch.
She has done so in past years and too often it cost her a lunch hour as she waited in line for her turn.
So, I was glad to go today.
No line! I walked to the counter and before I could say anything, the lady invited me to come to her station to complete my business.
That has never happened to me before.
We had big lines when we lived in Elkhart, in Shelbyville, in Crawfordsville as well as Brazil.
When the lady completed my business and handed me a receipt, I told her, "I'm going to go buy a lottery ticket. This must be my lucky day!"
"If you win, let me know," she said with a laugh.
And I did win! I rode my scooter straight to the gas station and turned in some lottery tickets from past drawings.
I won $3!
The man behind the counter asked if I wanted cash and I told him, "No way! Let it ride!"
After all, today is my lucky day.
Actually, I don't believe in luck. I believe we are blessed and we are tried. Sometimes you never know how to interpret events.
After losing my job in 2007, struggling to obtain SEC and insurance licenses and not being able to make that financial advisory business go, I was hired by a newspaper. I returned to my previous profession in journalism.
Then we went though Linda's several cancer surgeries in 2008.
Last week she had another lumpectomy. But this was the first that was negative.
So, Linda's health is improving. I have a job I love. I belong to a church I love. I love my family.
But if you were to ask me which events were blessings and which were trials, I would have to say I'm really not sure.

Garry Meier should be on WGN's morning show

2009-08-25T23:36:00.002-04:00

Hey, WGN, here's an idea -- if you want to improve your ratings, why don't you move Garry Meier to the morning slot?
Actually, I don't know how WGN is doing in the ratings, but I sense John Williams is floundering and I know he came across much better in his afternoon slot.
My litmus test for radio personalities is to notice if I seek them out. I look for Garry Meier on my trips to and from my job as a newspaper reporter/columnist/paginator/etc.
Garry is a breath of fresh air -- much like Uncle Bobby Collins, God rest his soul.
Meier apparently grew up in Chicago. He is apparently fearless.
This afternoon, for example, I was headed home from work and caught the end of the Noon Show and Orion Samuelson's business report.
Then Meier came on and complained he hadn't had a good soybean all summer. Funny. Very funny.
Likewise, this morning, I tuned in John Wlliams to hear him say it was too bad all the clunkers were being taken off the road by the Cash for Clunkers program because some clunkers are still serviceable. Not entertaining. Not funny. Thought provoking, yes. But I don't like to think on my way to work early in the morning.
Both personalities have their place. I just think the guys need to be reversed. Let us laugh in the morning and think in the afternoon -- like the good old days.

Podcasts are fresh and fun

2009-08-21T00:04:00.004-04:00

I am really into podcasts. Some are really fresh and fun. And some are kind of ... well dorky.
But I also listen to old radio such as audio from NBC recorded Dec. 8, 1941; the morning after Pearl Harbor.
The network was picking up live reports from London with Charles Collingwood. The breaks were sloppy, there was a lot of dead air. It. too, sounded dorky in places. But it was fascinating because of the content.
Today, the networks are nearly flawless in their presentation and usually the content is boring.
Podcasts can put you on to really creative stuff that would never make it on network radio or TV. For example, I learned about Potter's Puppet Pals channel on YouTube from "The Leaky Cauldron" podcast. FUNNY Stuff, especially if you are familiar with the Potter books.

No cash for clunkers?

2009-08-19T11:26:00.003-04:00

I just watched a report on Bloomberg Television about the Cash for Clunkers program.
People are concerned the surge in car sales won't last after the program ends.
What the national media is not reporting (as far as I know) is what I learned when I did a local news story on the program two weeks ago.
At that time, virtually none of the new car dealers in Montgomery County, Ind., had received a dime from the program. They were making buyers sign forms that stated the buyers would pay the $4,500 promised by the government if the money didn't come through for whatever reason.
All the dealers had problems sending in the required forms over the Internet. The Chrysler dealer said his people were going in all times of the day and night one weekend to send the forms for the cars they had sold up to that time.
Another dealer was concerned about cash flow because it would be difficult for his dealership to carry tens of thousands of dollars on their books while waiting for the Feds to pay up.

Guys gone home

2009-08-08T11:26:00.002-04:00

Joey's brother, Bear, and Happy have gone home.
Joe and Bear are from the same litter and Ed owned Happy before he and Amanda were married.
We dogsat for Ed and Amanda while they were in San Diego.
They deplaned about 1 a.m. Friday and arrived at our house about 2 a.m. to pick up the dogs.
Joe wasn't letting the other dogs sleep (he has been the instigator since he was born) so Linda put him in his cage.
Ed and Amanda took the dogs home before we let Joe out of his cage.
He looked everywhere for them.
It was like he was saying, "What are you some freakin' magicians? What did you do with Happy and Bear?"
He looked and sniffed everywhere in the house, even under our bed (as if Labrador Retrievers could get under our bed.)
We kept telling him they went home. He seemed sad at first but the next morning we were back to our ritual.
I split a pack of strawberry Pop-Tarts with him and he got to ride in the car to Terre Haute with me this morning. So, life is back to normal and he seems happy to be the only dog in our family again.

Losing people

2009-08-05T02:24:00.007-04:00

It sounds really maudlin but we lost another one Tuesday.
Doug Hunt, who was a reporter for Crawfordsville's Journal Review passed away Tuesday afternoon.
It wasn't unexpected. Doug had been in poor health since before I met him in 1994. But Doug's health issues didn't make his passing any easier.
Writing the story of his passing fell to me and I'm afraid I may have botched it, despite my best effort.
My editor called to say I forgot to mention Doug had died in the story. I guess I was still hoping to find out reports of his death were premature.
I also wrote a column about the Doug I knew and I'm afraid it was too sentimental. I trust Jay Heater's managing editor magic to save both pieces.
Like Yogi Berra, I am feeling deja vu all over again.
When we moved to Elkhart many years ago, my wife said, "Now I can get to know your family." Within a few years my aunt and a cousin (who had been like a brother to me) had died.
I looked forward to returning to Montgomery County, Indiana, last year for many reasons, primarily family and friends but also to work with people like Doug.
I knew Joe Jarvis was too ill to work but Joe and I stayed in touch through e-mail and an occasional visit in his home. Then he called me to his bedside when he was a patient at St. Clare Medical Center before he passed away. I knew Harvey Keller was ill but we had opportunity to laugh together a few times before he passed away.
I admire Doug, Joe and Harvey for their contributions to the community and to my life in their various ways. Doug was a newspaperman. Joe and Harvey were radio guys.
When we moved back to Montgomery County in 1994, I was leaving the full time ministry and I remember someone asking, "What will you do now?"
I knew it would "work out" by God's grace.
It's been a wonderful and at times a bumpy ride in the past 15 years. I am privileged to have been an observer, reporter and for six years an editor, watching the passing parade.
I hope I can leave something in my wake when I am gone. Those three gentlemen certainly left me an example to follow.

Time to celebrate the Fourth and friends again

2009-07-01T23:09:00.005-04:00

We spent a pleasant evening at Forest Park in Brazil, Ind., tonight.
Wednesdays are some of my days off currently. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The other days are spent in Montgomery County, working for the Journal Review. I love my job but we put our house on the market more than a year ago and it hasn't sold (yes it is priced right, compared to nearby homes), I really appreciate not having to make that Wednesday round trip of 100 miles to the office.
What do I do? Well, the plan is to spend Wednesdays working on my free-lance writing that made it possible for usto be in the ministry when the kids were young.
I'm working on a novel that is shaping up to be Mayberry meets Petticoat Junction meets Lum 'n Abner. A quick Google search will fill you in if those names aren't familiar.
That is the plan. Today did not go according to plan.
A week or so agao I tangled with (and got tangled up in) some poison ivy while picking up broken pieces of brick to fill in a hole behind our big garage.
A day or so later I started itching. By Tuesday night I was a mess and Linda insisted I go to the doctor. She even called in for the appointment.
The doctor recoiled when she saw my red blotchy arms.
I was given a shot containing steroids.
I thought steroids were for building muscle.
She warned me my appetite would increase, but I certainly didn't plan to go out and lift weights.
I did stop itching and I became pretty sleepy. I think that may have been caused by lack of sleep for the past several nights.
So I took it easy today. Joe (our yellow Lab) and I napped in the morning.
In the afternoon I tried to write but was too spacy.
In the evening we drove the few blocks over to Forest Park to eat supper.
We ran into so many friends we've made in the past eight years we have lived here.
We saw Virgil and Mary Jo Butts.
There was a lady Linda works with at the bank and another lady who retired from the bank.
I talked to Mr. Schopmeyer who is active in politics through Indiana Farm Bureau at the Statehouse. We chatted about the recent Indiana budget impasse.
We visited with a new Rotary member as we bought our tickets for the big $10,000 giveaway after the fireworks Saturday.
We visited with Lynsey Lunsford, one of the two Edward Jones financial advisors in town I used to work with. We visited with the Browns who helped start the annual Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Festival, honoring on e of Clay County's native sons.
We visited with Todd Brackman who rns the local cable system and with Jesse Walker who does the weather on WTWO-TV 2 in Terre Haute. Jesse wrote a daily column for The Brazil Times for a number of years when I was the editor there.
We visited with Sheriff Mike Heaton, who is running for re-election next year and who then wants to become a teacher and coach after retiring from the sheriff's department.
We met a couple from Greencastle who are spending their retirment years selling ice cream from a trailer at various events like the Brazil Rotary 4th of July Celebration.
Darrell Taylor, if you ever read this, she said she practically raised you when you were growing up.
When I was very small, Mom always took me to the county fair in Winamac each year.
I tried to be patient while Mom and Grandpa Zellers walked through the barns, admiring the entries and visited with their old friends.
I loved the midway and the rides.
Now I am beginning to understand how important old friends are.
Whenever I cover a big event like a county fair or the Shelley Drain meeting in Crawfordsville, I always see old friends like Rita Hamm and Dick Munro -- people I met through work or through volunteer organizations.
People are the best part of summer or any of the other seasons.

CBS' 'Early Show' needs major changes

2009-06-24T07:44:00.005-04:00

My wife loves CBS' "The Early Show."
She is in the minority.
While the show's producers may tout it as the fastest growing early morning show, viewers are paying much more attention to NBC's "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning, America."
After being involved in media professionally since 1972, I have a few suggestions.
If CBS wants to do better in the ratings with their morning program they are going to have to do one thing. They must focus on the viewer instead of the hosts.
The absolute worst segment on network TV was aired in the midst of massive job layoffs around the country. What did "The Early Show" do? They sent the three hosts off on extravagant trips.
I realize the idea came from "Today's" segment on "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" But the "Today" segment was based on a educational computer game, "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"
CBS' version had no point, other than to say, "Look how special we are!"
I wanted to scream at the TV, "It's not about you!"
Another segment that illustrates the point was the mini version of "This is Your Life." Who were the subjects? The co-hosts, of course.
"It's not about you!"
Until recently, the bumpers around commercial breaks were all about -- you guessed it -- the hosts.
Who cares?
Now the bumpers seem to focus more on candid shots of their celebrity guests and that is an improvement.
I could mention the time Rodriquez insisted on quoting her banker as an authority when interviewing the head of the FDIC or some other real banking authority.
It's REALLY not about you, Maggie.
Recently Rodriquez and the other female host were "on assignment" which probably means someone decided to fix the show's network problems by tweaking the appearance of the women.
You know a show is in trouble when the substitute hosts do a much better job than the regular hosts.
It wouldn't hurt for the show to focus less on celebrity journalism. I really don't care about Jon and Kate and their eight kids. If I did, I would watch them on TLC.
When the show focuses on something newsworthy, it does a credible job.
While CBS has fallen from its height in TV news, it still has a few good reporters -- young and more mature reporters.
No one wants a morning show to be all hard news, but you should at least thing the hosts care about you. Harry Smith acts as if he cares about the viewers. I wish he could instill that in the producers and his co-hosts.
OUr local CBS affiliate, WTHI-TV, Terre Haute, does a wonderful job with local news, even in the morning.
They seem to care about the viewer much more than the "CBS Early Show" -- even when WTHI-TV completely misses a local cut away or the anchor hiccups through a news break.
Come think of it, I want to scream at here, "It's not about you." Maybe she belongs on the CBS "Early Show."

Tip for typing on laptops

2009-02-23T10:41:00.004-05:00

I just learned a way to avoid many typing errors while working on my laptop.
The problem has been that I accidentally touch the pad used to move the cursor around. It is located below the keyboard on many laptop computers.
As a result, the cursor is relocated and I find myself typing in the middle of text that is already on the screen.
Sometime ago I found a button at the top of the cursor pad that turned a lighted button orange from its typical blue. I learned it made the cursor pad inoperable.
"What is the good of that?" I thought with disgust. My problem at the time was keeping my HP laptop in working order, not stopping parts of it from working.
Then I learned that by turning offthe cursor pad, I could work with the keyboard more easily with fewer mistakes.
It's not a world beater discovery but I rank it up there with the automatic corrections features found on Word and in my Open Office Writer programs.

H-P has good computer support

2008-12-21T04:07:00.003-05:00

I must share this: H-P does a very good job supporting their computers.

It would be "great" but the online chat support is terrible. The people on chat told me I must get an address in the U.S. if I were to participate in the company's one-time enhancement program. Why did they think I lived outside the United States? Because I live in Brazil, Indiana!

But, when I called and spoke to a technician after the wireless network card quit working on my out-of-warranty laptop, the company was better than its word.

I was told it would take seven to nine days to repair my laptop. They turned it around in about six days.

The company sent me a shipping box by next day delivery from FedEx. I packed up the computer according to directions, dropped it off at a FedEx site in Terre Haute, and it was back in Brazil a week later.

All of this cost me nothing.

While participating in message boards on the H-P Web site, I was told all laptop manufacturers were having a terrible number of complaints about the wireless network cards but only H-P was actively fixing the problem free of charge, even for its customers who experienced the problem after their warranties expired.

I give a thumbs up to H-P for service. Just, stay away from the company's online chat support.

Christmas shopping follows hope

2008-12-21T03:35:00.003-05:00

We went Christmas shopping Saturday. A year ago, the best we could say was, "We hope we will go Christmas shopping in 2008." Or, "We believe we will go Christmas shopping in 2008."

My wife, Linda, was scheduled to have a tiny lump in her breast diagnosed right after Christmas 2007. It was so small, she didn't find it. Her doctor found it during a routine exam in his officer. She had gone to see him about some other issue that has escaped me in the year since.

I was driving home from Fountain County one gray, cold day, following hours of door knocking, trying to establish an Edward Jones office, when she called me with the results.

"It isn't good," she said.

Five surgeries later, we took our daughter, Amanda, Christmas shopping Saturday.

That seems pretty amazing to me.

I certainly thank the Lord we could do so.

Linda worked at Riddell National Bank Saturday morning and Amanda arrived at our house a little after noon, beating her mom by five minutes.

We had lunch at Steak & Shake in Terre Haute and then spent six hours going store to store, trying to fill Linda's Christmas shopping list.

Amanda and I had a few ideas, but it was Linda's day.

At one point, I left the girls in the mall and did some shopping for Linda. I didn't mind the two drivers who blew their horns at me because they thought I didn't move fast enough.

I was embarrassed at my own frustration because I couldn't find what I was looking for. After a few seconds of talking with God, I remembered something else Linda said she really wanted and I found it -- on a clearance table. Not just one, but three models of the item.

A stop at Hardee's on the way home for a quick supper and the evening concluded with Joey, our yellow Lab puppy entertaining us by demanding attention from everyone while Amanda copied music for her iPod rounded out the evening.

She will be a good mom. I don't know where she got the patience, but she managed to manipulate her laptop computer, her iPod and love the dog all at the same time.

Linda agreed to be the Relay for Life team captain for the bank where she works next year.

That is amazing in itself, because she has never shown such an inclination for leadership. But we both believe in the American Cancer Society. More strongly now than ever.

Christmas movies to be remade

2008-12-16T14:21:00.003-05:00

Have you heard about the latest trend in remaking classic movies? Now they are going to remake some Christmas classics.

"White Christmas" is to be remade. Madonna and Britney Spears are signed up to play the blonde sisters roles. No word on who will play the Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye roles. CBS' "Early Show" broadcaster has signed up to play the general who owns the inn.

"Miracle On the 34th Street" is ready for yet another remake. This time, reportedly, Donald Trump will put on the fake whiskers for the lead role as Santa.

"Christmas in Connecticut" will be remade with Arnold Schwarzeneger and Jessica Simpson in the title roles. This time, Simpson will take home Arnold for Christmas. He has been working in the jungles of South America, looking for oil. Somehow Simpson will end up in a bikini and Arnold in a loincloth as they stroll the streets of New York City as snow is falling.

And one other thing ...

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY a few months early!!!!

New podcast from yours truly

2008-10-12T00:00:00.004-04:00

I have a new podcast! Go to this Web address to find audio files ... letters from Indiana! The address is:
http://frankphillips.mypodcast.com/

The first show is an audio blog I made while covering the Barack Obama rally at Indianapolis on Oct. 7. I hope you find it amusing, informative ... anything but dull.

Amazing variety of podcasts -- a review

2008-09-21T06:22:00.006-04:00

Have you noticed the wide variety -- and quality -- of podcasts available on the Internet?

I have a nearly one-hour commute to work each day and aside from three public radio stations I can pick up in my Chevy HHR, there is really nothing to listen to.

Oh, WIBC-FM is available with the rantings of right-wing politicos that come across more like side show barkers than talk show hosts. But the only time I listen to WIBC is late at night, on my way home when Geroge Noory is on. He usually has guests who are UFO freaks and conspiracy theorists. At least he keep me awake at 12:30 a.m.

So, I download podcasts, burn them to CD and thank God the HHR plays MP3s.

I have long believed the Internet is in its infancy when it comes to content and the quality thereof. It's much like TV was in the early 1950s. Again, the variety of content makes that a good thing.

There are a handful of shows I listen to on my MP3 disks. They have to do with writing, science fiction stories and old time radio.

Although I'm not a fan of Mac computers (too much control at the corporate end and not nearly enough shareware available) I do like i-Tunes. I don't have an iPod and iTunes won't interface with any other company's MP3 hardware, I have tried a number of other podcatchers. But I always return to iTunes because it has the most useful interface I have found.

Anyway, I am going to unsubscribe from one of my podcast choices after more than a year of listening. It is "The Computer Show" from WBAI, New York.

In the past, the guys who are featured on the show were cutting edge and had great information about the world of personal computing.

When I experienced a question about Vista, I would listen to their show and they were on top of it. I learned about SP3 from them.

Lately, though, they spend more time trying to be cute and raising money for public radio than in sharing any information of use to me.

When I e-mailed them in disagreement about comments made on the show of a non-technical nature, I received an e-mail in return that basically said I didn't know what I was talking about and I misunderstood what was said.

Not cool. Public relations isn't a strong point for the show originating at the public radio station in New York City.

So, bye-bye WBAI's computer radio show.

That leads me to another point. Most of the better podcasts originate in radio stations or with people who have a broadcasting background.

Humphrey Carmadella Productions distribute very good podcasts about old time radio. I've picked up what is apparently the entire series of available Perry Mason radio shows. After 50 episodes, or so, the podcast no longer is distributed.

NPR does an excellent job. I really enjoy "Fresh Air" interviews. I could listen to them on WFYI on my way to work many days, but I am on the fringe of the station's broadcast area and it cuts in and out.

Another good example of a podcast comes from KUCI, a public radio station in Irvine, Calif. "Writers on Writing" nearly always has helpful content, but the show suffers from repeated technical problems with telephone connections to guests.

On the other hand, "The Writing Show" with Paula B (the podcast says she is Paula Bernstein, but she has taken Paula B. as her radio name) is very inconsistent on quality.

She devoted multiple episodes to relating her terrible experience trying to sell books through an Amazon.com store. Admittedly, I only listened to the first of that multi-part diatribe. On another recent show, she tried to analyze the fantasies of J.R. R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." She managed to express all the obvious things while giving no new insights.

For example, did you know writers of fantasy have to relate their created worlds to the real world? For example, a hobbit hole is not like a nasty hole in our world. Could you figure that out, given it is Tolkien's own explanation? DUH!

Sorry, but even though many podcasts are free, that doesn't give their producers the right to waste our time.

On the other hand, Mrs. B did an excellent job interviewing kids who are just starting their writing careers (and their adult lives) and her Christmas short story contest episode was very entertaining.

But that's all OK. If you get the opportunity, watch episodes of 1950s TV shows. They were poorly done by today's standards. But the 1950s is remembered as the golden age of TV. TV only got worse, content-wise.

This may be the golden age of podcasting.

Download iTunes, search for podcasts on your favorite subjects at the iTunes store, subscribe and enjoy!

The new swimming pool

2008-08-24T00:23:00.001-04:00

Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008
We bought a swimming pool today!
Not one of the little kiddy pools, but onethat is 18 feet across and 4 feet deep!
Linda and I went to Terre Haute today to buy Logan's birthday presents. We ate lunch at Red Lobster (she had the luncheon shrimp special and I had lunch soup and salad. Delicious! I highly recommend it.).
While we were waiting for our food, I told her I watched DIY network while she was at work and they had a show on building a rock garden. I would like to drastically reduce the amount of grass we have to mow (and buy gas to mow) and make our lawn more attractive. I really don't want to have to buy another riding lawn mower when this one quits – and it's on its sixth year.
We moved here shortly after 9-11 (2001). I went home to pack the afternoon after the planes hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. So, next month will mark our seven year in our home and we haven't had anyone interested in looking at the house since two weeks after it was listed ... and that was a couple months ago. So I think we will still be in the house next spring.
When we sold our house in Waveland, it took two years and three offers before we got it done. We had things packed in boxes behind the couch fr two years! We're not doing that again. We will continue living our lives and enjoying the house.
I think Linda's cancer surgeries have taught us to make more of each day. I've also learned what Carol, my old nursing home administrator boss in elkhart used to tell me.
“Don't sweat the small stuff ... and it's all small stuff.”
She was right.
When I mentioned the rock garden, I added, “And, if you want to get a swimming pool, we need to make room for that next to the big garage.”
“It's funny you should mention that,” Linda said. “I almost bought a swimming pool the other day.”
She got my attention. I thought she meant a pool that cost $300-$500.
“It was on sale for $150,” she said.
“Really? How big was it?”
“It was one of those that the wall rises as you fill it..”
Our neighbor across the back yard has one of those. They have put it up every summer we have been here, I think. Theirs is pretty big.
“How big is it?” I repeated.
“I don't know. Sue has one.”
Sue is Linda's office mate. I tried a different tact.
“Is it like the size of Terry and Becca's?”
“It's pretty big. They have them at Wal-Mart. We'll have to check them out when we're shopping for Logan's presents and I'll get my groceries at Wal-Mart.”
My mouth killed me after we ate at Mario Brothers Friday at noon. I have had three teeth pulled in recent days and managed to stab myself in the mouth with a chip. It hurt all day until I got home from work about 3 a.m. Saturday and brushed my teeth and rinsed with mouthwash. Dark blood came out with the mouthwash bt my mouth immediately felt better. So, I got the soup and salad for lunch Saturday. It was delicious and I had no desire to kill my mouth again.
I am glad we bought the swimming pool, though we robably won't set it up until next year.
We are dogsitting for the newlyweds. Ed and Amanda are at the wedding of some dear friends Amanda met when she first went to Purdue. She was so concerned about attending graduate school at a big university but Ted and Maria became two of her earliest friends and Amanda learned her fears over being swallowed by the University were unfounded.
This morning, after about 7 hours of interrupted sleep, I got up and let Happy Dog out of his dog crate. He wanted to play and I was grumpy.
This was not like me. I used to really enjoy playing with Billy, our Labrador Retriever, and with Butterball, Linda's Miniature Poodle (after he adopted me – he was her birthday present).
So, I felt I was really getting the middle aged grumps, even though I turned 56 this month and 50 is supposed to be the new 30.
So, I was glad to buy the swimming pool (it was n sale for $100 – the sign receipt said we saved $149). We will enjoy it. I have new motivation to eat healthy and become a little sleeker.
We didn't get to go to Florida this year, and we might not next year, Linda said. (My banker wife is keeper of the exchequer.)
It was a good day.

Vista: Definitely a downgrade

2008-05-22T23:55:00.002-04:00

OK, I'm prejudiced. I admit it (again).

But I really do not like Vista. It seems to be Microsoft's attempt to make its operating system as much a joke as Mac's OS.

I use XP. I put XP on my new HP laptop, despite warnings from HP to NOT do so.

Not only has my laptop NOT quit functioning, but I have found GIGABYTES of space on the hard drive that I did not have with the Vista that came pre-packaged on the machine.

I work with Macs every day. When someone says they never crash, it must be because they are willing to spend thousands of dinero to do nothing more than some light word processing ... in an un-networked environment.

Sure XP is not completely stable. Sure I have had trouble with programs that have hijacked my machine.

But, you know what? I would rather fight those problems than have to replace my expensive software with a version that (MIGHT) run on Vista.

Fortunately, I bought a copy of XP for my daughter when her college required the upgrade from 98 to XP.

Will I buy whatever comes out after Vista? Only if the majority of reviewers agree it is better than XP!

We lost our dog

2008-05-14T23:52:00.004-04:00

We lost our dog.
He had been sick a long time. I thought I was ready for it, but I wasn't. I don't think any of us were.
We kept hoping our 18-year-old miniature poodle would just go in his sleep and we could scoop up his remains and take them to the vet.
But it didn't work that way. I guess it seldom does.
Linda called me at work. She had taken Butterball (that was his name) to Dr. Froderman and Doc said it was time to put him to sleep. He was full of cancer, which didn't surprise us.
I was working nights and Doc asked Linda if he should do it while Butter was still there.
She refused and when she called me, I told her not to take him in alone.
"I thought you would want to say good-bye to him," she said.
So, I came home late that night. I tried to pet him. He was on the couch and he just growled at me. I think he was in pain.
The next morning, I picked him up and we took him to the vet's office. Linda drove.
I think he knew what was happening. He didn't growl this time, though he shook like he always did when we went for a car ride.
At the vet's office, a lady, leaving with her pet dog, exclaimed, "Oh, what a pretty dog," which didn't make me feel any better.
Inside, we were escorted right into the examination room where Butt had been so many times.
Doc brought in two syringes. One, filled with maroon medicine, was to be a sedative. The larger syringe was to do the deed.
I admit it. I started crying when I signed the paper, authorizing the doc to put him to sleep. Linda had already cried, but tears were welling up in her eyes, too.
Doc couldn't get the sedative in.
I tried holding Butter, the assistant tried holding him. But Butter screamed like I never heard him scream before. I think the syringe needle may have been going into a tumor; I don't know.
Finally, the doctor, alarmed at me crying and the dog screaming, gave up on the sedative and nearly slammed the syringe down.
He used the big syringe and Butter instantly became unconscious.
"I'm sorry," he said through his own tears as he walked out of the room.
"Thanks, Doc," I said. And I meant it. He did a good job taking care of our pet.
For $65, Butter was cremated and his ashes scattered over a beautiful garden, according to pictures in a brochure the vet's office gave us.
He loved the outdoors. Our back yard was really his.
I think his death got to me so much because of many reasons.
We got him in Kentucky when we lived there. When he was a puppy, he was extremely intelligent and would run through the house with the kids. Once in a while he would come, put his front legs up on the sofa and look at me with the same expression on his face Ralphie has when he asks for a BB-gun in the department store.
When we moved back to Indiana, I had to get up at 3:30 a.m. to go to work, so I went to bed much earlier than Linda.
Butter would tuck me in -- he would jump on the bed and stay with me about 15 minutes and then go back into the living room with Linda.
Butter became quasi-famous on the radio.
I was news director at WCVL-WIMC, Crawfordsville.
Every Thanksgiving, when we had a new morning man, I heard the same joke on the air.
"Your dog's name is Butterball? Does he get scared every Thanksgiving?"
He went camping with us and when he spooked a deer, there was no living with him. He thought he was really big stuff.
Then, about the time our grandson was born, Butter started getting old. He foot bothered him when we were camping, so we went to the vet and Butter spent the rest of that trip with one leg wrapped in an Ace bandage.
When he got cancer, we did what he vowed we would never do. We consented to surgery, which gave him about five more years.
But time finally ran out.
He was supposed to be Linda's dog. I had a black Lab named Billy. But Butter worked hard to become my dog, too.
With his passing, another link to my days as a full-time minister, when our kids were growing up at home was severed.
Linda is recovering from breast cancer and I was concerned how his death might affect her. But she seems to be OK.
"I never want another dog," she said. "I don't want to go through that again."
We still have Bonnie Lou, Amanda's cat. She is getting more attention now than she has received since Amanda went away to college.
We love Bonnie, too, but there is a big hole in our hearts where Butter used to live.
I admit, I got tired cleaning the carpets and mopping the kitchen when Butter had his many accidents. I wasn't as patient as I should have been.
He was a good dog, Linda said. As usual, she was right.

Back in the newsroom again

2008-05-01T05:01:00.006-04:00

I'm back in the newsroom again and delighted to be there.
After my brief adventure into the world of high finance, I was able to return to the first daily newspaper I worked for, Crawfordsville's Journal Review.
My career with Edward Jones didn't work out. I just couldn't sell enough securities and insurance. The company is great and I would recommend it to anyone, but I just couldn't get the job done, even though many people tried to help me.
But, I really enjoy working at the Journal Review, too.
I am writing news stories, columns, taking photos, editing and putting pages together.
This is my second week back and am succeeding, so far. I'm glad eight months out of the business hasn't left me too rusty.

Harry Potter (warning-spoilers!)

2008-04-13T19:52:00.005-04:00

Linda and I finished reading the Harry Potter series, an altogether satisfying experience.
We read a chapter a day, alternating reading aloud to one another.
To show how satisfying an experiencing, we are now buying hardback copies. I want to read them again and they are books I would like to pass on to our grandchildren in a few years.
I am also listening to the various podcasts dedicated to Harry, Hermione and Ron.
There are a few observations that I have not heard elucidated on the podcasts or written on the Internet.
First, Jo Rowling (aka J.K.) is to be commended for introducing young people to the joys of reading. One way she has accomplished this is by advancing the reading level in each book.
Look at the first book and compare it with the style of the last book.
"Deathly Hallows" is definitely an adult book. Not adult as in dirty books, but adult as in the texture, the complexity of character, even the language.
In the first book, we are introduced to a little boy who learns he can converse with a snake.
In the last book, Harry is a grown man who slays an adult snake.
And, how great is the Epilogue! Harry even names one of his children after his hated teacher, Severus Snape!
There are all kinds of adult themes running through the "Hallows"!
One of the themes that is definitely NOT apparent is the homosexual orientation of Albus Dumbledore. Yet, Miss Rowlng told a gasping crowd that Dumbledore was homosexual. That may have been in her mind/notes from the beginning but it is NOT indicated in the books, IMHO.
The series will go down as one of the premiere literary works of the 21st century. J.K. Rowling will be remembered alongside Dickens and perhaps revered better than Tolkien.
Will there be more Potter stories? Of course!
They may flow from the pen of J. K. Rowling or as fan fiction, but they will come.
As a Christian, I am not offended by the witchcraft theme of the books, any more than I could be affected by the old TV show, "Bewtiched," or "The Munsters" or "The Addams Family," though all are inferior to the Potter chronicles.
From my perspective, Potter is all about the triumph of good over evil with themes of the cost of war, the value of friendship and loyalty and coming of age thrown in for good measure.
On Saturday, we bought hardcover copies of the first two books in the series at our local Books A Million store. The clerk asked if we were just beginning to read them.
I laughed to myself, no just getting ready to look a little deeper.

Clinton, O'Bama attention disingenuous?

2008-04-12T06:57:00.003-04:00

WOW!
For the first time in 40 years Indiana matters to presidential candidates.
That is exciting and suspicious at the same time.
If I were still a newspaper reporter, this would be an exciting spring. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton keep criss-crossing the state; flying into Indianapolis International Airport and being chauffeured to Terre Haute, South Bend and elsewhere.
The last time I recall someone of their notoriety grabbing reporters' interest was Timothy McVeigh, who was executed at Terre Haute following the Oklahoma City bombing.
No, I'm not comparing presidential candidates to criminals, but the fact that Hillary's husband, former president Bil Clinton spoke at a Clinton, Ind., high school (brilliant!) while Republican nominee-to-be John McCain apparently has never heard of Indiana indicates a certain disingenuous interest in the state.
I wonder if the same qualities that make presidential candidates overlook Indiana are the qualities that make Indiana such a great place to live?

Pretty good show - "All Things Considered"

2008-03-28T21:26:00.004-04:00

Remember "All Things Considered"? You know, the radio show from National Public Radio that broadcasts Monday through Saturday?

Of course you do! It's still on the radio and just as good as ever.

Due to my nearly-every-day commute, I get to listen once again to the show I went to college with.

Back in the early 1970s our Christian College, preacher school college, had a radio station. WLCC-FM was an eclectic progamming melange (which is probably French for "mess") of high school basketball, UPI teletype news (from a real teletype, boys and girls) and episodes of "The Shadow" thrown in for good measure.

One day, we began carrying a new program from National Public Radio (aka "National Pubic Radio") called "All Things Considered.".

The station signed off in the afternoons so the Amateur Radio Club ("K9InGod'sBusiness") could go on the air and talk to missionaries around the world.

Then, at 4:59 p.m. Monday through Friday, the station would sign on for evening programming and the control board operator would hit the rewind button and one of the big reels of tape would rewind and be cued up so at exactly 5 p.m. the lilting notes of the ATC theme would begin playing.

In 1973, I laboriously taped an interview with a doctor who had served in a MASH unit in Vietnam. He brought back to central Illinois the methods used overseas to rescue car crash victims and other traumatized victims of accidents and violence and speed them to the nearest hospital emergency room.

I edited the tour down to about 6 minutes and we forwarded it to NPR in Washington for use on ATC.

To do so, we had to punch a paper tape and then use the tape to transmit the information via two-way teletype.

Then, we drove the tape to WILL, Urbana so it could be transmitted (by telephone, not satellite).

After all that, we learned there was an electrical hum on the tape. So, John Young, our radio station faculty sponsor and general manager, taped an interview with the doctor, at the radio station and I got to edit down the interview and we once again punched the paper tape, sent it via teletype to Washington and drove the recorded tape to WILL's studios on the University of Illinois campus.

But what a thrill I had to hear it on the air as part of "All Things Considered"!

Years later (more than 30 years later) I was being interviewed for a producer's job at a local TV station and I shared that memory.

"You know that really dates you," the news director said, teasing me.

Yes, but, I still get a kick out of listening to ATC on WILL radio on those daily commutes ... and remembering I was part of it, shortly after it all began.

Winamp, etc.

2008-03-15T13:13:00.004-04:00

Have you tried Winamp lately?
Winamp is a media file player and now it is so much more.
How many times have we listened to the new install play the words, "...whips the Llama's ass"?
Well it certainly whips other free mp3 and video software we've seen.
The latest version even acts as a podcast aggregator. The company is obviously trying to go head-to-head with iTunes for PCs and does a good job. I just wish Windows Media Player and/or Real Player would add podcasts to software.
You can look up podcasts from the suggested list or manually add a podcast url.
I have liked Winamp for years. I especially like the internet TV and radio stations it offers through Shoutcast.
Now, with Podcast capability, it is even better.
Oh, yes, Winamp now offers software to make your library available on any PC you choose (with Internet access). Check it out!

***

I have not been able to keep up with the sermon recordings on the Book of Revelation, due to my wonderful career. I mean that sincerely -- it is wonderful. There are just so many hours in the day and something always get left behind.
Speaking of which ... check out "43 Folders" on the web and sign up for the 43 Folders podcast, if you are at all interested in managing your time.

Treeboy to be on 'Ellen' this week

2008-02-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

WTHR's home and garden expert, Treeboy, to be on Ellen Degeneris' show.
Listen to audio file at top left.

Podcast now available

2008-01-12T23:00:00.001-05:00

After a few attempts, I finally uploaded audio that worked with Splashcast.

Hear my meandering review of the new WIBC by clicking on my Splashcast on the top left corner of this page.

WIBC is changing - but will it be for the better?

2007-12-10T20:13:00.000-05:00

WIBC's owners are giving Indiana an early present: 93 days of Christmas music.
It was a fairly warm day in October when I tuned across the FM band to hear ... Christmas music?
I know digital slip ups occur and I thought I was tuning into one. But after the song, a "liner" came on announcing the 93 days of Christmas music on 93.1 FM.
Interesting! Linda and I enjoy Christmas music and 93.1 has been locked into place on our car and truck radios.
Sometime during the month of November, I learned my old friend, Dan Jensen, was no longer with WIBC. He now reads the news during Morning Edition on WFYI, Indianapolis' public radio station.
I have not been able to contact Dan -- his email was through WIBC and I got a fax warble when I tried calling WFYI one morning.
But 93.1 has since been running teaser promos about the new WIBC on FM!
For decades WIBC has been a staple on the AM band at 1070.
It hasn't been consistently good and that may be why the station's owners, Emmis Commnications, are going boldly in a new direction.
I can't put my finger on what was bad about the old WIBC. I think the programmers just assumed too much.
They took it for granted that the 50,000 watt AM signal would dominate radios, regardless of the programming.
The weekend programs have been much better than the Monday-Friday shows. Cooking, car repair and pet care were three programs that kept me tuned in.
On the other hand, Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura , Dave Wilson and Jeff Pigeon just didn't make it. There was too much to be found on other stations, more excitement, more humor.
I think I would characterize the old WIBC as a cross between WGN and public radio -- and not doing well .
So, Dec. 26 will bring a new day to WIBC (as the promos say). Will it be more edgy and less safe? More exciting and less boring? And if Dave Wilson is on the new WIBC-FM, will he fire that annoying idiot who laughs at everything he says?
We will see.
And what will be on WIBC-AM? Even ESPN on the radio would be better than Rush!

NEW! Hear my review of the new WIBC on SplashCast (top, left of this/front page).

Home made ice cream in summer (almost)

2007-09-23T20:23:00.000-04:00

We had home made ice cream at Bob and Marianne's today.
The whole family was there. Bob and Marianne are my in-laws.
It was great.
I played catch with Logan, our 4-year-old grandson, played with Cailin, our 3-year-old granddaughter. She had a book and she had a baby doll, and I'm not sure what we played, other than we visited.
Sitting at the table, reminiscing with everyone about times when our kids were little, my memory went back to when I was little and we had family get-togethers at Grandpa Phillipses.
On some occasions during the summer, we met at the lake for a cookout.
Grandpa didn't make home made ice cream, but he, too grilled out. He gave me his charcoal grill and we had it for years. It finally burned out when our kids were little.
Grandpa would have the grill set up in front of his cottage at Magician Lake in Michigan. Aunt Jessie and Uncle Brownie would be there. Aunt Jessie would have her ever-present camera and big smile.
Rick, my cousin, would be there with his parents. Sometimes his sister, Lou Ann would be there, too. But Rick is 6 years older than me and Lou Ann is six years older than him, so I have to go back a long ways to remember when Lou Ann was there.
In addition to the adults talking, we could hear the motor boats droning down n the lake. Grandpa's cottage was on the bank, high above the lake, giving us a good view of the lake.
When I got older, I could go for a walk around part of the lake.
Ten, we could always go down the steps (that seemed like they numbered 50 to a thousand, depending on my size at the time, and walk out on the pier Grandpa built.
We could also sit on the benches down at the end of Grandpa's neighbor's pier and watch the boats.
Grandpa was a fisherman and had little use for the water ski boats. Personally, I thought they were pretty cool.
At the local marina, I got to see some of them up close. They were shiny, made of fiberglas, various colors, but I was partial to red and white.
I liked to fish (and still do), but going out with Grandpa meant wearing a heavy orange life jacket that was so hot in the summer time. I don't remember catching a fish during those excursions. But I do remember the dragon flies that would play on the end of my pole. They provided some welcome entertainment and distraction from the heat.
I ma not have caught any fish, but I loved the bluegill Grandpa caught. I can still taste their delicious white flesh and feel the bones. Sure, you would burn your fingers nce in a while on the hot fish, but who cared. They were so good.
Grandpa had a cat clock on the wall above the dining room table. Its eyes moved from side to side in time with its tail. I guess it was supposed to remind us that cats liked fish too.
We had a fantastic time. today.
Bob and Marianne really started something neat when they were married nearly 60 years ago.
Bob turned to Rebecca, our daughter-in-law, and said, "See what can happen in the next 60 years?"

Warning, Will Robinson, warning ... turn off your cruise control!

2007-07-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

We spent the day on the road today.
First, north to Covington, Ind., for a look around at what may become our future home. The weather was nice, so we rolled down the windows and threw open the sunroof.
Somewhere on U.S. 41, near the Fountain County line, raindrops started hitting the windshield, the sunroof and windows were closed and I had to be reminded to turn OFF the cruise control.
Why?
A few months ago, our daughter was wondrously saved from harm when she lost control on Interstate 65 and spun, hitting the guardrail, tearing off the rear of the car and part of the guardrail.
She was driving in a rainstorm with her cruise control on.
Last week, I was at our State Farm agent's office, waiting to buy some health insurance, when I picked up a notice from the home office.
It didn't mention Amanda, but said a 36-year-old woman lost control of her car and totaled it under similar conditions.
She was not injured either, but the letter told agents to remind clients to turn off their cruise controls when driving in a rainstorm.
The letter acknowledged that for years drivers have been told that cruise control was a safety and economic boon. Not so when pavement is slick with rain, it seems.
After lunch at Benjamin's and a look around town, it was off to West Lafayette to see our daughter and eventually, home.
I didn't use cruise control until we were in Putnam County, on the way to buy groceries at Wal-Mart at Greencastle. The pavement was dry and I vowed to remember the advice I received from our insurance agent, John Howes and remember what happened to our family. When the windshield wipers go on, the cruise control goes off.
And, now, I have passed on the advice to you.

Book review: "A is for Alibi"

2007-07-26T14:31:00.000-04:00

Sue Grafton introduced us to P.I. Kinsey Millhone in "A is for Alibi" in 1982.
Although she is one of the writers Stephen King says he reads, I did not find her until 2007. (One of those projecting down through the years things King talks about in "On Writing" no doubt.)
Would I read the whole series? Probably not. Did I like the first one? Yes -- with reservations.
The last third of the book kept me up longer than I intended. I had to find out not only who did it but would they get away and what price would Kinsey pay for exposing the murderer?
The story progresses very nicely. But it does go on a bit. It may be a guy thing, but I'm really not into all the description of everything. I don't need to know what every bit of clothing looks like nor do I need to know whether Millhone turned right or left to find someone's office.
Would I recommend the book?
Well, sure.
Any writer who is up to "T is for ..." in a series has something going for her.

GE Dishwasher recall

2007-07-26T02:20:00.000-04:00

Here's a recall you probably haven't heard about in the media: Your dishwasher could set fire to your house!
According to a letter from GE, several of its dishwashers, including those marketed under other brand names, could short out and catch fire.
The dishwashers were manufactured between 1997 and 2001. Not all dishwashers made by GE are affected; only those with certain model and serial numbers.
GE is offering two solutions: they will send you a rebate coupon worth $150 or $300 on the purchase of a new dishwasher or they will send a repairman to your house to replace the affected wiring in your dishwasher.
We chose the latter, obviously. I start a new job Aug. 6, but have been out of work since July 3.
The problem appears to be that if you use a liquid drying agent in the dishwasher (such as Jet-Dry) the liquid can break down the wiring insulation and cause a short if the wiring touches metal inside the dishwasher.
There is a reservoir for Jet-Dry in the door of the dishwasher, so why wouldn't someone use it -- unless they want spots on their glassware.
Two questions:
1. Why is the dishwasher so poorly designed that liquid can contact the wiring insulation?
2. Why, with all the food recalls of late, have the news media people ignored the GE recall?
I realize more people eat than use dishwashers, but with all the models listed in the recall letter, it would seem to affect thousands, maybe millions of consumers.
Makes you wonder if there is a conscious control of the news you see and read or if journalism schools aren't doing their job.

It happened again (disposable society)

2007-07-24T11:01:00.000-04:00

It happened again today.
For the umpteenth time I hauled what should have been a slightly used, perfectly good product to the curb for a) someone to pick up or b) the garbageman to dispose.
This time it was a Bissell Pro Heat carpet cleaner. If you are in the area and want to pay someone to fix it, by all means, load it up, come to the door and I'll give your the owner's manual.
We bought the thing about and year and a half ago. Correction - we bought the second one a year and a half ago.
We bought the first unit at Wal-Mart, took it home, and a part broke before we could finish cleaning the carpets in our little two-bedroom house.
So, I repacked everything and hauled it back to Wal-Mart where they cheerfully exchanged it for a new one.
About two weeks ago, we wanted to clean the carpets before a birthday party. We have a dog and a cat and -- well, that's why we thought we needed a carpet cleaner.
It wouldn't squirt. It squirted out the upholstery brush, but not out the bottom of the unit onto the carpet as you would want a carpet cleaner to do.
We did what the manual said. My son, our family's mechanical genius -- I mean that -- came on July 3 and partially disassembled it before announcing we need a new pump. He promised to come back and re-assemble it after I ordered the part.
OK.
So, right after the 4th of July, I called Bissell and spoke to someone who obviously resides in New Delhi or elsewhere overseas.
She could not understand my Hoosier English and I couldn't understand her whatever it was she was speaking.
I told her I needed a pump.
"What pump?" she asked.
"The pump that squirts liquid on the floor," I insisted.
"There is no pump," she insisted.
Then she tried another tactic.
"Put liquid in the tanks and I will help you diagnose the problem," she said.
"I know what the problem is -- it won't squirt liquid on the floor!" I said. "Besides the machine is in parts on the floor."
"Put it back together and call me again. Goodbye. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"
Well, I got it back together with only four screws left over.
I called back today.
I did what the lady told me -- this one spoke English.
She said, "I can give you the telephone number and location of your nearest authorized service center."
Here is the kicker.
When I called the Chosen One, he politely told me it probably only needed to be cleaned and the cost would be $30.
BUT, I had to drive to either Lafayette, Shelbyville, Greenwood or Indianapolis from our home in Brazil, Ind.
So, for the cost of buying a new model exactly like the one I tried to fix, I could haul it to the repair center! Lucky consumer me!
Magical Me!
Getting rational: We probably spent as much on the unit as we would have spent to rent a cleaner twice (about the use we got out of it) or have a commercial cleaner clean three rooms once.
It's just irritating that they make things as cheaply as possible to lure people into buying them insitead of making a quality item (to paraphrase Cousin Eddie in "Christmas Vacation") and selling it at a reasonable profit.
Lou Dobbs is right -- there is no longer a middle class and people are really getting fed up as the rich get richer at the expense of workers.
And I don't think raising the minimum wage alone will change things.

What th- ? Drew Carey new host of 'The Price Is Right'

2007-07-23T23:42:00.000-04:00

According to CBS.com, Drew Carey is announcing he has come to an agreement with the producers of "The Price Is Right" to be the new host when the show's 36th season begins this fall.
Carey will replace Bob Barker, who retired after 50 years on TV.
You know, Carey is a great choice! He has a great sense of humor, he is from the Midwest and there is probably nothing offensive about him.
We won't even discuss rumors Rosie O'Donnell was Barker's first choice.
Congratulations, Drew! Best wishes!!
I couldn't think of a better choice, though he certainly wasn't an obvious choice.

Why do we still care about the death of TV's Superman?

2007-07-23T12:26:00.000-04:00

I care about George Reeves, but sometimes I am at a loss to understand why.
I think there were several things that came together to make him as popular today as he is.
My generation watched first-run TV "Adventures of Superman". But, there were all those reruns on TV. I watched WGN-TV channel 9 on Sunday mornings for the show. That was before there was cable and satellites were scientific objects few and far between, floating around the earth. No TV signal from them. No superstations.
Certainly we could all tie a towel around our necks and pretend to be Superman. We could even "fly" for short distances, if there was a soft mattress beneath us when gravity pulled us to ground.
George Reeves was so identified with Superman, that we saw his image and could easily pigeon-hole him in that role.
That is important for children.
Kids have trouble seeing adults in multiple roles of life not only in films.
Last night I was watching the serial Superman starring Kirk Alyn and learned he didn't get screen credit. They just said they hired the real Superman because no actor could live up to the real guy.
Think of the time in history when George flew, too.
UFO sightings were big in the '50s. Science fiction movies and movies about monsters were big, too. A strange visitor from outer space with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men just fit into the genre.
The tragedy -- as is always true with suicides -- is that George never understood his importance in TV. If he was murdered, that is another ball of wax, but I'm not convinced it was anything but suicide and a botched investigation.

Have you tried 'Morning Joe' on MSNBC?

2007-06-26T08:47:00.000-04:00

"Morning Joe" is the replacement for "Imus in the Morning" on MSNBC.
It showcases Joe Scarborough, who has "Scarborough Country" in the evenings on the same cable network.
The show is a welcome replacement for Imus, who outlived his entertainment/news value years ago. In fact, the best thing MSNBC did with Imus was to a) cancel him and b) cut into the show when the first plane struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Morning Joe" is an improvement, but it still needs some work.
Scarborough is not a morning host. Sorry Joe. I think it could still be called "Morning Joe" as in "joe" is slang for coffee, without him.
He is too abrasive for the hours in which the show appears.
I have been a fan of Mika Brzezinski for quite a while and am glad to see she has a regular slot on a network show. However, Scarborough and Brzezinski do not mix well.
For example, the show is on as I am writing this (yes, I am unemployed after my separation from The Brazil, (Ind.) Times -- but I am not writing this while sitting in my underwear and I hope to be gainfully employed soon).
This morning, Joe kept interrupting Mika as she was trying to read the news. I think the fight was over whether Paris Hilton is news (NO!) and if Richard Lugar's decision to disagree with the president over Iraq should be the lead story (YES!).
Apparently, "Morning Joe" has not been given the green light to continue -- except provisionally. It should stay on the air with Mika, but some fine tuning is in order.

Rosie on "The Price Is Right"?

2007-06-20T06:24:00.000-04:00

Rosie O'Donnell as Bob Barker's replacement on "The Price Is Right"? Are you nuts?
I cannot believe the reports that Bob Barker, listed as Executive Producer of "The Price Is Right" is supporting Rosie to be his replacement.
I guess it is time for Bob to retire!
This isn't about gay bashing. It's about a loud mouth woman who insists on stirring up controversy everywhere she goes. Hello -- who hasn't seen the clips from "The View"?
Bob Barker made it for so many years becase he is likeable and easy going.
Know who would be the best new host for "The Price Is Right"? Howie Mandell! The host of "Deal Or No Deal" is a joy to watch as he interacts with the contestants and the audience. Howie -- he's the person to replace Bob Barker, not Rosie O'Donnell or the other people who have been mentioned in the media.

Father's Day and miracles

2007-06-17T18:06:00.000-04:00

Today is Father's Day.
I hope you are having a great day ... or had one.
I guess the only connection between Father's Day and miracles I have is a very tenuous one. It was during a Father's Day breakfast at Alamo Christian Church that I began telling Gerald Wilbur about some odd "coincidences" which I consider too strange to be such. I have to believe they involve God's higher power.
You decide.
I don't even know how the subject came up this morning. But I found myself telling him, and anyone else at the table who would listen, about two experiences.
The first happened at our house.
I was in the ministry (full-time - only "professional" priority -- however you want to state it) from 1976-1994.
Then I became a reporter for a Crawfordsville, Ind., radio station (WCVL-WIMC); later joining the staff of the Journal Review and six years ago, becoming the editor of The Brazil Times, Brazil, Ind.
Linda and I were talking one day and I mentioned I would like a new Thomspons Chain Reference Bible.
"I thought you had one," she said.
I had been given one for Christmas in 1969. I bought one (this time a New International Version) about 20 years ago.
The first one is a King James Version -- not all that reliable for Bible study, though many fundamentalist Christians would disagree.
The NIV Bible I used daily until the binding was falling apart and the plastic cover that came on it was worn out.
I thought sure I threw it away. Linda hadn't seen it in years, either.
"I'm going to the Christian book store in Terre Haute tommorrow," she said. "I'll see how much they are."
The verdict: expensive. About $100.
So, I thought about asking for one for Christimas or my birthday.
A day or so later, I was sitting in our recliner, thinking about the subject when I happened to look at the end table across the room, next to my wife's chosen chair.
Laying on it was my old NIV Thompson Chain Reference Bible.
Naturlaly, I thought Linda had found it.
When she got home from work I learned differently.
"I don't know where it came from," she said.
I bought a new cover for $8 and am using it today.
* * *
A few weeks ago, our daughter, Amanda, was involved in a brutal car wreck.
She was driving our Mercury Sable to Ohio for her summer graduate work.
A terrific rain storm hit central Indiana. She lost control on I-65, spun out and hit a guard rail, tearing the rear half of the car off and damaging the guard rail as well.
"Dad, I'm all right," she said, when she called.
I knew immediately by those words she had been in a wreck.
The miracle came because Amanda is legally blind without her glasses.
While in Florida, she caught an eye infection and couldn't wear her contact lenses, so she was wearing her glasses the day of the wreck.
After spinning around at least three times and hitting the guard rail with tremendous force, her glasses flew from her face.
But when she put her hadn down, next to her, they were neatly folded, ready for her to wear.
I have to believe there was an angel riding with her that day -- one that couldn't be seen.
She has God's work to do here before He calls her home. And, we're delighted to have our little girl (who will turn 25 this fall).
Miracle or coincidence -- you decide.

U.S. Rep. Ellsworth speaks at Jefferson-Jackson dinner

2007-04-27T21:20:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Not only is Brad Ellsworth happy to be Indiana's 8th District Congressman, but he seems to be a little like the country mouse that went to visit his cousins in the city.
In the first few weeks of the 110th Congress, members were given small buttons with "110" printed on them to identify elected officials.
Hoosiers greet one another, often when they haven't yet met. So, when Ellsworth smiled and waved at his fellow lawmakers wearing the little white buttons, they looked the other way and didn't look back.
Later, he said he learned they were Republicans.
"If we can't smile at each other and greet one another, how are we ever going to work together?" he asked approximately 125 fellow Democrats at Friday night's Jefferson-Jackson Day at Traditions in Brazil.
He had another story to tell about these days of his freshman term in our Capitol.
"People ask me, 'Whose seat did you take?'" he said.
"I tell them, the people of the 8th District of Indiana."
"'No,' they say. 'Whose seat did you take?'"
Ellsworth made the point that as much as he appreciates John Hostettler's years of service, it is not Hostettler's seat nor Ellsworth's seat, but the seat belongs to the people of Indiana.
Democratic City Council candidate Brad Deal made an impression on Ellsworth.
During the candidate introductions, Deal said, "It's time for a big change in Brazil and I think one is coming."
Ellsworth quoted Deal and said that has already begun in Washington. Americans put Democrats in the majority in Congress.
The congressman has great faith in his fellow elected officials. He believes they all have America's best interests at heart.
Ellsworth emphasized he does not always agree with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, regardless of what his opponents say.
"I got beat up pretty bad over Nancy Pelosi in this district," he said. "But we don't agree on everything."
He would like to see the President put in a room with the Congress and no one allowed to leave until they came to an agreement on Iraq. He emphasized no spin doctors or other observers be allowed to comment on the proceedings until agreement was reached.
He praises the current debate in Washington over Iraq and other issues, saying that's what makes America great -- the ability to disagree without fear.
"Speaker Pelosi has never said anything in any meeting I've attended but to say, 'Do what's right for the people, what's right for America.'"
Ellsworth recently spent a week in Iraq.
"God bless America," he said. "God bless our troops. I have never been more proud of our soldiers or more confused about what's going on in the Middle East."
Ellsworth sounded very much opposed to the war in Iraq when he said America will be attacked by the Taliban and others who don't like us because of our abundant lifestyle. We could fight in Iraq and in Afghanistan "forever" and we will still be attacked.
"Democrats are not soft on homeland security," he insisted.
Finally, Ellsworth said he supports increasing the minimum wage, giving tax breaks to small business and taking them away from large corporations. He recently filed a bill that would require companies to certify they have paid their taxes before they are allowed to get government contracts. He said six companies owing more than $1 billion were recently awarded contracts.
He credits the House for passing PAGO -- pay as you go legislation that will require a balanced budget.
"I've supported all these changes," he said.
Ellsworth is a members of House Armed Services Committee, the Agriculture Committee and the Small Business Committee.
"What are we going to leave these children?" he asked, indicating youths in the audience. "Let's reduce the national debt and leave the world safe."
Ellsworth received a standing ovation when he took the podium. There was another standing ovation before he sat down.

Review: "Guys and Dolls" at Indianapolis

2007-04-01T08:57:00.000-04:00

Name 50-year-old Broadway shows that are actively in production around the country today.
Go ahead. I'll wait.
Time's up.
There is "Sound of Music" and "Guys and Dolls" and -- what?
Certainly "Guys and Dolls" would have to come in near the top of your list. One reason is the crisp writing inspired by O. Henry's stories of the guys and dolls that populated New York City of his day. Back when cops spent their time breaking up illegal gambling and teen gangs and drugs were still largely a thing of the future.
Linda and I met our friends Mr. and Mrs. George Begonis of the Crawfordsville Begonises for dinner and to see "Guys and Dolls" at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, just off Michigan Road near The Pyramids in Indianapolis Saturday night.
George has a morning radio show and was reviewing the show for his audience Monday. He and Mrs. Begonis will go on the radio and chat about the musical.
George has played Big Jule in "Guys and Dolls" on many occasions. He has even had his own dice with no spots made.
Big Jule tells the Guys he memorized where the spots were "for good luck" and sonofagun if he doesn't win time after time while throwing his unmarked dice.
The cast, led by Tony Lawson and Sky Masterson and Eddie Curry as Nathan Detroit does a fine job, as one would expect from an Indianapolis professional cast.
To be honest, we liked the Brazil production, performed a few months ago at the Lark Theatre, in two respects: the actress playing Miss Adelaide did a more credible job of portraying the heartbreak of a girl who has been engaged 14 years and the number, "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" was definitely sang with more vigor in the Brazil production. That is a compliment to the Brazil company, not meant as criticism of the Indianapolis troupe.
But, the bigger budget of the Beef & Boards bunch certainly meant a more professional looking set and costumes. Although this review did not start out to be a comparison of the two productions, the Beef & Boards company is larger as well.
George and I disagreed on one bit used by Beef & Boards. A toy airplane was propelled along the top edge of the proscenium to indicate a chage of lcoation from NYC to Havana. When the plane flew the right direction, it was a cute gimmick that drew laughs, but I thought the plane flying backward to indicate Sky and Sarah were flying back from Havana to NYC was a bit much. But, George liked it, so it just goes to show that reviewers and weathercasters can both keep their jobs, even when they disagree.
I think all four at our table would recommend seeing "Guys and Dolls" at Beef & Boards.
The cast also includes Krista Severeid, Ali Martin, Larry Whalen, Jon Lambert, Ran Burns, Cindy Collins, Adam Chandler, Jeff Diebold, Daniel Scarbrough, Doug King, Eric Karwisch, Miki Berg, Heide VanSlambrook and Jennifer Ladner.
The house orchestra was undoubtedly in the finest form we've heard in a few years: Debbie Myers, Ernie Coleson, David Coleson, Tim Kelly and Kristy Templet.
The production continues through May 13.Call the box office, (317) 872-9664 for more information or to order tickets.
One other thing -- Mrs. Begonis echoed my thought: the ice cream used to make the ice cream sundaes is out of this world. Maybe they should change the name from Beef & Boards to Ice Cream a go go! Or not.
The weather is nice these days -- we are apparently beyond the snows of winter -- so the drive to Indy's north side isn't bad at all. Do yourself a favor; see the show and then drive home singing.

You should also know:

The Glenn Miller Orchestra will be at Beef & Boards April 30. Tickets cost $28-$39 including buffet and concert.
This band was formed in 1956 with the authorization of the Miller Estate in response to strong popular demand following the release of "The Glenn Miller Story" starring James Stewart and June Allyson.
This will be a concert and dance.
Call (317) 872-9664.

Still discovering 'Still Standing'

2007-03-30T17:35:00.000-04:00

For some reason TV shows seem to do better when they are stripped (syndicated 5 days a week) than in their original run. "Still Standing" is a case in point.
Linda and I love watching the show about the Millers and I don't even remember watching it when it was on CBS TV. In fact, thanks to cable we can watch different episodes pretty much continually from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Take the episode that just ended.
Bill and Judy Miller, the antithesis of the couple on the Donna Reed Show and light years away from Ozzie and Harrie, have met a new couple. The couple seems to like them both but then begin working things out so they can be with Judy and not Bill.
Bill and Judy think it's because one of them is the Marian in the Fitz and Marian couple they know.
Marian doesn't seem to fit in with anyone. So, Bill and Judy begin competing to prove which one of them is "the Marian".
Meanwhile, their brainiac son, Brian (Taylor Ball), and his friend happen upon a video Judy's sister made for her husband. It gets Brian's friend's hormones worked up and he talks Brian into getting a photo of a mole on Judy's sister's butt because it looks like it might be a melanoma.
It turns out Brian's friend is just a voyeuristic guy who thinls the aunt is hot.
If you haven't seen the show, how can I explain it to you?
The Flintstones in the 1990s? Yeah, that would pretty much sum it up.
Judy is definitely hot (played by Jami Gertz). Bill (Mark Addy) is definitely a neaderthal, whose best years as a high school football player are really behind him. Now he sells bathroom fixtures at a Chicago area mall.
The family is rounded out by daughters Lauren (Renee Olstead) and Tina (Soleil Borda).
The sister, Linda (Jennifer Irwin), spends way too much time at Bill and Judy's. Linda was obviously dropped on her head once too often as a child.
It's just a really fun show and I was disappointed when I learned it had been cancelled before we started watching.
Check out imdb.com for more information on the show and the actors.

Good grammar and spelling still count

2007-03-09T18:39:00.000-05:00

By Frank Phillips

Memo to self: Keep hammering away at basics in the newsroom.
Friday, March 9, 2007 9:26 AM CST

“Don't reporters and editors proofread their papers any more?”

The question came at the end of a talk I was asked to give at a Terre Haute Exchange Club meeting Tuesday.

My assigned topic was, “Challenges of being a small town newspaper editor.”
*

Bob Kulow, Brazil, had invited me to speak.

I told the group I was far from an expert on anything, but more like the definition of a spurt - a drip under pressure.

The pressure comes from deadlines and involves staff and community teamwork.

The man who asked the question is not a regular reader of The Brazil Times (I don't think.) During the discussion that followed, he was commenting on newspapers in general.

I agreed with him - too many errors of grammar and spelling do slip through. As an editor, I am responsible for that, but I'm not the only cause.

There is a difference between being responsible and causing a problem, as the latest government problem, the debacle at Walter Reed Army Hospital indicates. Heads rolled, but those people, alone, were not the cause of the problem, they were just responsible.

The questioner's point was again driven home Thursday as I helped judge another state's newspapers for the Hoosier State Press Association. That state's press association will judge Indiana newspapers, including entries from The Brazil Times later this year.

I saw articles with misspelled words, even missing words. Yes, you can catch those errors in this paper, too, unfortunately, but these were contest entries.

The reporters hoped to be recognized and receive awards for the articles they submitted.

The top five entries in the two categories I judged - spot news and best news reporting - were crafted with care, not just thrown together and then thrown at an editor so the reporter could get on to the next story or go home.

One losing entry read like a rather poorly written press release. Some entries had entire paragraphs that were not understandable.

During a break, I was told about a small town newspaper front page photo that was obviously taken during a meeting. A group of people were sitting around a table, talking. Not a good picture by any standard. But the photo stood out because in the background of the photo appeared to be a bandaged body laying in a coffin. And there was no explanation. The reporter had attended a meeting and he (or she) had taken a photo of the board, wrote about the meeting, and no one thought to ask about the body in the picture!

Frank Phillips is The Times editor. He also has a Web blog at

frankphillips.blogspot.com.

He can be reached at frankphi@hotmail.com.

Review - 'Damn Yankees' gives us heart

2007-03-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS

frankphi@hotmail.com
Friday, March 9, 2007 9:27 AM CST

Young Joe Hardy is back in town. So are Lola, Mr. Applegate and the Washington Senators!

If that sounds like a big crowd, it is. “Damn Yankees” is a big production for our little theater on National Ave. There are 30 cast members, some in dual roles.

Community Theatre of Clay County Inc. presents “Damn Yankees” tonight and Saturday with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the show beginning thereafter.
*

The cast did a marvelous job overcoming opening night jitters and there were no muffed lines or miscues from where we sat.

The show features wonderful 1950s music with lines like, “What Lola wants, Lola gets!”, “You've gotta have heart ...” and “Good-bye, old, girl; my old girl ...”

The plot revolves around a die-hard Washington Senators fan in the 1950s when Mickey Mantle & the New York Yankees absolutely dominated baseball. The show asks the question, “What would it take for the Yankees to lose the Pennant, just once?”

The answer is a visit from the devil of a flashy dresser, Mr. Applegate, who persuades Joe Boyd, an overweight, 50-ish, real estate salesman to sell his soul for a chance to lead the Senators to victory over the Yankees and the rest of the league.

Matt Tribble and Michelle McCrea are standouts as Joe and Meg Boyd. Squint and Tribble looks like a very young Tab Hunter.

T. J. Sneddon is delightful as the devilish Applegate; so is Julia Kapke as Lola.

The rest of the cast does a great job as well, including David Maurey, Micahlyn Allen, Carl McKinney, David Landes, Jim Garber, Bernie Jackson, Kevin McCrea, Jordan Allen, Mike Allen, Ashton Swearingen, Chris Swearingen, Bob Lambrecht, Harold Burton, Melody Lunsford, Carolyn Warner, Jo Ann Stearley, Rebecca Beyers, Bob Pell, Candace Johnson, Amy McCluskey, Mikki Mears, David Swearingen, Trey Reberger, Jase Glassburn, Caroline Disney and Katie Walsh.

The show comes on the heels of last month's “Jim Garber ... And Friends!”, an “informal evening musicale” put together by Garber.

Although this reporter was out of town and didn't get to attend, the Feb. 16-17 offering also featured a large ensemble including the Greengrass Strings, the Brazil Choral Society and the Wabash Silver Cornet Band.

Some of the memorable music included “O Susanna”, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”, “Deep River”, “The Preacher ad the Bear”, “I'm My Own Grandpa”, “Puttin' On the Dog” and “Old Man River”.

Truly, our local theater troupe is one of Clay County's gems, attracting 14 visitors from Crawfordsville last night. Visitors from all over Indiana and elsewhere make it a practice to attend performances at the Lark Theatre, across from Riddell National Bank, on National Ave.

For tickets and more information about upcoming shows, call Barbara Randall, 448-8772.

Thomas law office has new owners

2007-03-09T18:36:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS

frankphi@hotmail.com
Friday, March 9, 2007 9:27 AM CST

A downtown Brazil landmark will have new owners.

For years, John, Amos, David and Andy Thomas used the brick building at the corner of Franklin and National streets as their law offices. They were joined at one time by Ed Pease, who went on to become this district's congressman.

Now, Amos Thomas continues his law practice and is the 44th District State Representative, but John is retired and David and Andy work for the State of Indiana in Indianapolis.
*

So, the building has been for sale.

It has been sold.

Linda and Ron Harms, owners of Re/Max Homes and Land real estate agency have bought the building for the agency.

The Harms plan to relocate their business to the building at 33 W. National Ave. by April 1.

Meanwhile, the Thomas name will remain on the door: Amos has leased office space from the Harms.

A grand opening time will be announced at a later date.

77-year-old man and his dog rescued after they broke through ice near Seelyville

2007-03-09T18:34:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS

frankphi@hotmail.com
Friday, March 9, 2007 9:27 AM CST

A rural Terre Haute man fell through the ice on a pond and nearly drowned Thursday, reported Indiana Conservation Officer Max Winchell.

Around 8:30 p.m., Mrs. William Trinler, 9230 E. Petiford Ave., Terre Haute (near Seelyville), called Indiana State Police to report her husband, William, age 77, had fallen through the ice on a pond near their residence. William had walked on the pond to rescue the family dog, Mrs. Trinler said.

“Charlie”, a two and a half year old Keeshond, had walked out near the middle of the half acre pond and broken through the ice. Mr. Trinler had held onto the edge of an aluminum boat, that he kept on the pond, and attempted to walk out to the dog when he fell through the rotten ice, the press release stated.

When Vigo County Sheriff's Deputy Jim Palmer arrived, he saw that that Mr. Trinler was in the water, about 45 feet from shore, still holding onto the board.

Deputy Palmer walked out on the ice and got to the boat when he also broke through the ice. He managed to get into the boat and get Mr. Trinler into the boat as well.

William told Deputy Palmer that he could not hold on to the boat any longer and that he thought he was going to die. He had been in the icy water an estimated 30 to 45 minutes.

Charlie, the Keeshond, was still in the water, holding his head above the water with his chin on the edge of the ice when William was rescued.

Indiana State Police Officer Chris Wright and Indiana Conservation Officer Max Winchell wearing scuba dry suits, broke ice about 80 feet from shore and rescued the dog.

Charlie was taken to a veterinarian and treated for hypothermia.

Tomy's Thomas train sets well worth the price

2007-03-04T19:42:00.000-05:00

"Poppaw, do you have a train?"
Our 3-year-old grandson lives for trains. He knew we had to throw away our old battery powered Christmas tree train after the plastic parts began to harden with age and break.
Linda and I had decided we would have to get a new train set before the grandchildren came to visit again.
I wanted an electric train. My old American Flyer is still in pretty good shape, considering its age. But the power pack no longer powers it and prices for AC power packs are rather steep.
I thought about getting a Lionel, but this poppaw would rather spend his "free" time reading or at the computer than playing with trains.
I also looked at the big "G" scale trains, and actaully found a set (aka a circle of track, engine and a car or two) for $300 at the toy train show in Indianapolis.
"I thought you would get it," my better half said.
But this poppaw tends to be rather cheap (except when it comes to family)and although Logan was with me, neither one of us got too excited about the big train.
But we both loved "Thomas". He loves the Thomas stories and I love him, so we spent most of the time watching a Lionel Thomas set chug around a miniature mountain and Logan spent some time playing with a battery-powered Thomas set in an area set up for such a purpose.
So, our selection came down to either the Fisher Price remote-controlled battery powered set or the Thomas battery powered set (no remote control) made by Tomy.
We found the Thomas set heavily discounted at Toys 'R' Us last week.
I had my doubts about the quality, but was pleasantly surprised.
This is not your old American Flyer! One of the first memories I have of my American Flyer from 1956 was poking one of the metal train tracks into my finger. It hurt and I bled.
The Tomy product is made for the 21st century!
The plastic train snaps together, held in place with triangular tabs.
All the track is reversible so you don't have to hunt for the right or left curve or even turnout (what we used to call swtiches).
The printing on the various industries and railroad stations is perfect. The plastic is colorful. There are even battery powered buses that run on gray roads that intersect the track at railroad stations.
One word of caution: Thomas and Percy have to be expertly squeezed and pulled apart to load and change the battery. I broke Percy and we never did get the battery out of Thomas.
But James has a coal tender and the load of coal easily tips out to get at his battery. I recommend you look for engines with a coal tender!
The industries and railroad station are animated, just like the Lionel trains.
There is a gate that swings open for the train to pass and against the roadway at the same time. Cars are stopped at the railroad crossing until you push the green button that allows them to go.
There is an ore crane that will stop the train and pretend to load it before letting the train go. There is another device that loads little plastic balls onto a special car. On the next trip around the track, the car tips and dumps the balls into the loading apparatus.
What about battery life? I made sure we had plenty of batteries in the house, but after a weekend of play, none of the batteries had to be replaced! That was a space age miracle in my book!
Tomy is a British company and Thomas is a British creation, so it is only fitting that Tomy should capitalize on Thomas's popularity in this country.
But I would hope that the company will bring out a line of American train equipment that runs on the same track and roadway.
No, the Tomy product won't be taken seriously by model train fans.
But this grandpa and grandma sure had fun playing on the floor with their grandkids. (By the way, we also bought a castle and assorted toys for Cailin, our granddaughter, to play with. Both kids spent part of the time with the trains and part of the time with the castle.)
The Tomy toy train products are excellent values.

Let the poor girl R.I.P.

2007-02-19T16:55:00.000-05:00

If anyone needs to have R.I.P. put on their headstone, it is Anna Nicole Smith. Why can't we let the poor girl alone?
The answer to that question is found in one word: Playboy.
Each year, thousands of rich people, many more attractive that A.N.S., die and they get a passing mention. But let a former Playboy star die and wow, you would think she was Chandra Levy.
Poor Chandra (I hope I spelled her name correctly) was The Topic in the days leading up to 9-11-2001. In fact, it was almost a joke: Nothing else was apparently going on in the world and MSNBC, every day, had the Big Story: Chandra Levy is still missing!
It was right up there with the old bit on "Saturday Night Live": Gen. Francisco Franco is still dead.
Then 9-11 came along and BAM! Chandra Levy was not mentioned for a good long while and when her name did show up in the news, it was because there was actually news about her.
I've seen the Playboy factor at work before.
In college, another student and myself produced a cable talk show as a class project.
It was mostly received with polite (ie. faint) praise until one day we announced the guest would be a former Playboy bunny who had left that life, became a Christian, married and started a family.
The only thing people apparently read or heard was we were going to have a Playboy bunny on the show! ZOUNDS!
As the middle-aged, attractive hostess of the show muttered, "Do people think she is going to be on the show nude?"
Yes, Anna Nicole Smith was worth potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. Did the courts ever settle who would get her late husband's estate? Yes, she has an infant daughter to be cared for, but the child has loving grandparents who want her.
I feel sorry for A.N.S. She suffered more than an overweight woman whose son died tragically shortly after the birth of her daughter, who once took her clothes off for Playboy magazine should ever have to suffer.
R.I.P., Anna Nicole!

How to see the Super Bowl in HD

2007-02-19T11:33:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
Friday, February 2, 2007 10:55 AM CST

frankphi@hotmail.com

“I think I'm ready for the Super Bowl. Let's see ... snacks (check), recliner (check), drinks (check) ... what else?”

How about watching the Big Game on an HDTV?

If you are one of the fortunate ones who already have a High Definition TV (HDTV), you probably know you can watch the Super Bowl in HDTV by using an outdoor antenna.

If you want to see the game in the greatest possible clarity on a big screen at home, you still have tonight and Saturday to drive to your electronics store and make your purchase, IF you can take the new TV home with you or IF you can get the store to deliver and set up your HDTV before Sunday night.

The biggest Colts game in 26 years will be broadcast locally on WTHI-TV, channel 10.
*

The station's Web site offers the following tips for seeing the big game on HDTV:

High Definition television provides the viewer with a greatly improved picture and sound quality, free of “ghosting” and “snow interference”. HD has six times the number of pixels on the screen of a traditional analog television, resulting in an image that is brilliantly clear and realistic. The wider 16:9 screen ratio also allows viewers to see more.

WTHI's digital station, WTHI-DT, is broadcast over the air. Here's how to receive WTHI's HD programming on your new HDTV set:

WTHI-DT is not difficult to receive over the air. WTHI-DT channel 10.1 (WTHI-HD) and 10.2 (Doppler Radar) are broadcast on channel 24 from our broadcast tower in Farmersburg, Ind., but will be identified as channels 10.1 and 10.2 on your digital HD receiver.

Our HD signal covers essentially the same area as analog WTHI channel 10 and we have regular over the air HD viewers all over the Greater Wabash Valley.

The best type of antenna to use to receive WTHI's over the air HD signal is a horizontally polarized (the antenna rods mounted horizontally) rooftop or tower mounted UHF/VHF “yagi” antenna. In lieu of a rooftop antenna you can use an attic mounted or indoor antenna, but bear in mind that these types of antennas are a compromise - especially indoor antennas - so these antennas need significantly more careful placement and adjustment to obtain adequate HDTV reception. ...

Most HDTV sets have the same general setup procedure: Once you have an over the air antenna in place and connected to the ‘antenna' input on your HDTV set/receiver, you'll then want to check in your set's menu that you have its antenna input selected for ‘antenna' or ‘over the air' and NOT “cable” reception. From the menu you'll next need to do a digital TV (DTV) channel scan . Your set should then detect and memorize all digital/HDTV channels it can receive.

Tune to channel 10.1 and you're watching WTHI-HD! It's as simple as that.

For details applicable to your specific set, refer to your set's owners manual.

Check reception of standard analog channels from your antenna. If you can receive at least a ‘watchable' (even a slightly snowy) analog picture over the air from most analog stations you should have excellent reception of WTHI-DT. If not, you'll need to give your antenna system some attention.

Questions?

If you need help with your antenna systems or just have questions about HDTV, feel free to e-mail the station or call 812-232-9481.

On the Net:

WTHI-TV:

http://www.wthitv.com

NHS Coach George Gettle feels blessed by time with Bears QB Grossman

2007-02-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
Friday, February 2, 2007 6:04 PM CST

frankphi@hotmail.com

It was in the late 1990s when an experienced high school football coach, George Gettle, took the position of Quarterback Coach with Bloomington South High School. He had coached teams at Terre Haute North and Jennings County high schools before going to Bloomington.

He soon learned he would work with a player whose talent comes around but precious few times in a coach's career.

"Coach (Mo) Moriarty prepped me for the job," Gettle said Friday afternoon. "He told me how special the kid was I would be working with and how high expectations were for the team.

"It was obvious (Rex Grossman)had as much talent as I had ever seen in a high school football player."

The Rex Grossman everyone will be watching Sunday night, the Rex Grossman who is the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears, is the third generation who have been recognized for their football prowess.

Grandfather Rex played for the Baltimore Colts and the Detroit Lions. Father Rex is Dr. Rex Daniel Grossman Jr., a former all-state quarterback, who played for IU.

But the family resemblance doesn't end there.

"Little Rex" who will play for Chicago Sunday night also has an aunt who was married to the late Terry Cole, who played for the Colts and the Dolphins and was in Super Bowls III and VI, according the Chicago Sun-Times Web site, http://www.suntimes.com.

"I cherish the time I was (at Bloomington South)," said Gettle, Northview's head football coach, who led his team to Northview's first undefeated season."It was a real blessing to be able to work with someone like him."

"I take no credit for (Grossman's) success," he said. "He was destined to be in the Super Bowl."

Does Gettle anticipate coaching another player with the stature of Rex Grossman?

"I won't say never, but such kids are few and far between," he said.

So, when the coin is tossed at Miami and the game begins Sunday night, who will Coach Gettle be rooting for?

"I will most definitely be rooting for Rex Grossman," he said. "He deserves the very best."

Record electric use set in cold weather, Duke Energy reports

2007-02-19T11:29:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
Wednesday, February 7, 2007 9:24 AM CST

frankphi@hotmail.com

Indiana set a new snowfall record for Feb. 6 with 5.2 inches officially recorded at Indianapolis. The amounts varied across central Indiana, including 3.8 inches, officially, at Terre Haute.

Some would agree with the man who told The Brazil Times, “I swear we got 8!”

Regardless of how much snow is on the ground, it has been cold and people have used electricity and propane (as well as wood,natural gas and even corn) to heat their homes.

Duke Energy set a new record for electricity use on Monday, breaking a two-year record set Jan. 18, 2005.

At 9 a.m. Monday, electricity demand by Duke Energy customers reached 5,701 megawatts compared to 5,528 megawatts set on Jan. 18, 2005. A megawatt is 1,000 kilowatts or 1 million watts, compared to the 60-watt lightbulbs in many lamps.
*

Duke Energy offers these Top 10 tips for lowering energy bills:

1. If your windows allow cold air to leak into your home, the most cost-effective measure is to seal the entire window with a layer of plastic for the winter. New heat-shrinking films are airtight and easy to see through.

2. Install the proper amount of insulation in exterior walls, roofs, ceilings and floors above cold spaces. If you currently have no insulation in one of these areas, installing insulation will cut your energy bills dramatically.

3. If you have ductwork in the attic or garage, be sure it is covered with at least 6 inches of insulation. Seal the seams and joints in these ducts with a duct-sealing compound sold at hardware/home centers.

4. Lower your thermostat temperature to the lowest temperature that is comfortable to your family. You may save as much as 3 percent on your energy bill for each degree you lower your thermostat.

5. If your home has a crawl space with air vents in the walls, close the vents and seal with insulation from the inside during the winter.

6. Never switch a heat pump to the “emergency heat” setting on the thermostat, unless the unit is malfunctioning. This switch will turn off your energy efficient heat pump. Using only your backup electric furnace without the heat pump could double your heating costs.

7. Most fireplaces that are open to the living space will increase winter heating costs. Do not use a fireplace during periods of extreme cold. Keep your fireplace damper closed tightly when not in use. Consider installing doors over the fireplace opening to cut down on drafts and heat loss through the chimney.

8. Consider adding a heat pump to any electric, gas or oil furnace to take advantage of a “dual fuel” heating system. The electric heat pump will heat a home for much less for most of the winter heating hours. The new heat pump will also serve as a new air conditioner and could save up to 50 percent on cooling costs, compared to a 15-year-old air conditioner.

9. Energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs use up to 75 percent less energy than standard bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

10. A new ENERGY STAR® refrigerator can use approximately one-third less energy than a 15-year-old model. Refrain from leaving the old refrigerator plugged in as a backup.

In addition to lighting their homes and perhaps heating and cooking with electricity, many people have propane furnaces, stoves and water heaters.

Ferrellgas, a leading provider of propane gas, reminds those with propane gas to be careful. If you smell gas (it is made to smell like rotten eggs or garlic), follow these safety tips:

Immediately extinguish any smoking materials or other open flames. Do not operate light switches, telephones, or other appliances. Sparks from these devices can trigger a fire, or even an explosion.

Leave the area immediately. Get everyone out of the building or area where you suspect gas is leaking.

If it is safe to do so, turn off the gas supply valve on the propane tank. To close the valve, turn it to the right (clockwise). If your gas service is metered, use a tool to close the gas valve located at the meter.

Report the leak. From a neighbor's home or other location away from the gas leak, call your propane retailer right away. If you cannot reach the retailer right away, call 911 or the local fire department.

Do not return to the area until your propane retailer determines it is safe to do so.

These suggestions were compiled by Ferrellgas, the National Propane Gas Association, and the Propane Education & Research Council.

On the Net:

Duke Energy:

http://duke-energy.com

Ferrell Gas:

http://www.ferrellgas.com

Center Point may get high-speed Internet service

2007-02-19T11:27:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
Friday, February 9, 2007 9:28 AM CST

frankphi@hotmail.com

Residents of Center Point may soon get high-speed Internet service.

At the town council meeting Tuesday, Keith Vanwey, a JOINK representative, answered questions about the proposed service.

JOINK is proposing a seven-year contract with Center Point to provide that service.

The proposed service would originate at an antenna attached to the top of the water town and be sent to personal computers in residents' homes.

There is already an REMC radio antenna atop the water town and the council asked there not be any interference with it.
*

Mr. Vanwey stated he had tried unsuccessfully, so far, to reach the REMC representative to discuss the additional antennae. He assured the council there would be no transmission interference due to the different frequencies they each use.

There needs to be some electric connection and maybe a small building for equipment near the bottom of the water tower. JOINK is asking the Town for an investment of $10,000 to $14,000 for the total equipment and installation.

Mr. Vanwey was asked if other communities had also contributed a like amount.

He answered that no other community had been asked to help offset the installation fees due to other towns having a business that needed the high speed connection and had paid the initial installation fees; then other residents were able to connect with just a home installation fee.

Once began, the installation process would take 30-60 days. Each residence that applies for the service would need to pay a $199 installation fee.

A JOINK service person would then come to their home and check for a “good signal” potential.

If the residence was located in an area that did not have a good reception potential for the service to work properly, the resident would be refunded their installation deposit.

Mr. Vanwey added that most residences within a 2-3 mile radius from the water town (some as far as 7 to 8 miles) would be able to obtain the service.

Some residences farther than that may be able to have access, but some closer may not have access, depending on terrain, trees, valleys, etc.

People with older computers may need to purchase a $50 air card from JOINK to receive service.

Mr. Vanwey added JOINK does not usually like to have customers mail in monthly payments, but suggests an automatic charge to a credit card or bank account draft.

The council agreed they could understand a problem with some payments as they experience the same with some water and sewer customers.

Vanwey said Internet e-mail spam should not be a problem because JOINK provides protection that should be adequate for most residents' computers.

A resident asked if JOINK had approached the county to see about installing the antenna atop the county's tower on C.R.100 N (just outside of town). Mr. Vanwey said the water tower was preferable.

Another person asked if JOINK was responsible for anything that may happen to the water tower as a result of their hardware. Mr. Vanwey said they had liability insurance for any unseen circumstances.

The Center Point Town Council will discuss the matter further at a future meeting.

In other business:

The town is waiting on storm drain repairs. Another hole was found in a storm drain just south of the Tucker residence.

People who have been living in the former Kaiser property have been moving out.

Their water meter will need to be shut off. And whoever bought the house will need to pay the outstanding January water-sewer bill before the water can be re-connected.

The council voted to remove the liability insurance on the patrol car since there is no longer a town marshal.

The clerk treasurer will contact the insurance agent with that information.

Note: The above information was submitted by Center Point Clerk-Treasurer Roger Campbell.

We appreciate the information and encourage other area town to also send in their town board meeting minutes.

Farmers speak against corn checkoff in State Senate committee meeting

2007-02-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 9:50 AM CST

frankphi@hotmail.com

Farmers who oppose corn checkoff - in any form - were represented Monday morning at the Statehouse.

Jack Knust, Ivan Hoffman and Steve Bussing spoke before the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. They were joined by Josh Butt and Leland Stevenson who attended the meeting, but did not speak to the legislators. All farm land in Clay County.

The five are fighting an uphill battle. Senate Bill 158 is supported by Indiana Farm Bureau and the Indiana Corn Growers Association. A similar bill in the House, HB 1121, would change the present checkoff from $.005 per bushel to one-half of 1 percent of the value of the corn sold.

“It's time for Indiana farmers to step up to the plate and support the corn checkoff," Indiana Farm Bureau President Don Villwock said recently, as quoted in the Richmond, Ind., Palladium-Item Web site.

State Rep. Phil Pflum (D-Milton), a farmer and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, supports the bill.

“I've talked to a lot of farmers back home on this. The overwhelming percentage are in support of it,” Pflum is quoted as saying in the Richmond newspaper's Web site.

So, why are these five Clay County farmers opposed to corn checkoff?

The corn checkoff program allows farmers to donate a small amount of the money paid for their corn to research new ways to use and sell corn, such as ethanol production.

“They want to use our money to do research for other industry,” said Butt Monday night following the Clay County Extension Annual Meeting at the fairgrounds.

The Senate bill “provides that 30 percent of the money collected by the corn marketing council from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2010, must be distributed to the department of agriculture to be used for grants for economic development to businesses that use corn” according to the digest of the introduced bill.

But the corn checkoff costs farmers two ways, said Knust. It takes money from their pockets and gives it to companies doing research to create better corn, but then those companies charge farmers more for the seed developed in part with corn checkoff money.

“I don't think they need corn checkoff money to do research,” Knust said.

The ethanol boom was fueled by high oil prices, not by money supplied by the corn checkoff, Knust said.

Another financial concern is what Josh Butt sees as an unfair burden on Hoosier farmers.

“Indiana would pay more than any other state,” Butt said.

Knust also opposes voluntary corn checkoff because of additional paperwork for those who choose not to participate. If a farmer does not want to participate in the corn checkoff program, he has to file a written request within 60 days to get the amount of the checkoff refunded. SB 158 extends the refund filing deadline to 180 days. During that time, the farmer's money is tied up and not available to the farmer.

“If it was voluntary, you could say, ‘I don't want to participate in it.' But they want you to file for a refund” instead of not paying the corn checkoff at the time of the grain sale.

“I'm not for the corn checkoff - period,” Knust said.

Both sides of the question were represented at the committee hearing. There was no response given those who gave testimony. But Knust thinks his side made their point.

“The committee didn't know there was so much opposition to (the corn checkoff),” he said.

On the Net:

Richmond, Ind., Palladium-Item:

http://www.pal-item.com

Senate Bill 158:

http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2007&session=1&request=getBill&doctype=SB&docno=0158

WIETS benefits employers and employees

2007-02-01T09:50:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS

frankphi@hotmail.com

WIETS has a variety of programs benefitting adults, youth and employers.

Services are provided free of charge to clients and employers. WIETS is funded through state and federal programs.

Clients are eligible if they are out of work or underemployed, over age 18, and have an income within stated guidelines.
*

Employers benefit when WIETS refers qualified applicants to them according to standards the employer sets. WIETS can also train current employees and prepare incoming staff for the tasks they will be required to perform.

WIETS was established in 1983 and serves Vigo, Clay, Parke, Putnam and Vermillion counties.

WIETS is not welfare. It does not give a handout, but offers a hand up.

It seems only fitting that St. Vincent Clay Hospital and WIETS should work together.

WIETS, St. Vincent Clay help those who want to be self-reliant

2007-02-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS

frankphi@hotmail.com

ares to take Wilburn Jones' blood pressure Tuesday afternoon at St. Vincent Clay Hospital. -Frank Phillips photo

In a perfect world there would be no need for WIETS, or St. Vincent Clay Hospital.

In a perfect world, there would be no misfortune, life would turn out exactly as we hoped, everyone would make perfect decisions and no one would become ill.

In a perfect world, the Indianapolis Colts would be going to the Super Bowl for the 41st time, not the first time in 26 years.
*

WIETS and St. Vincent Clay Hospital don't influence the NFL, although St. Vincent Health works closely with the Colts through the year, particularly with the Colts Kickoff Kid program.

St. Vincent Health and St. Vincent Clay Hospital exists to minister to the bodies, minds and spirits of those in need, because the world isn't perfect.

WIETS (Western Indiana Employment & Training Services Inc.) also exists because the world isn't perfect. There are people who find themselves unemployed or underemployed, sometimes through bad decisions made by themselves or others and sometimes through absolutely no fault of their own.

When people are energetic and trying to be self-reliant, they sometimes need a hand up, rather than a handout.

Take Mandy Wood, for example.

Mandy, 21, a single mom with a 17-month-old son, remembers the day she applied for financial assistance to make ends meet.

She was referred to IMPACT (Indiana Manpower Placement and Comprehensive Training ), and then placed in the WIETS youth program, where she was assisted by Audrey Harbison.

Mandy has always been a nurturing person. She thought about going into veterinary medicine, but after working with animals, she decided she would rather help care for humans.

She took the opportunity to job shadow at St. Vincent Clay. That experience helped her decide to take a three-week class and become a Certified Nursing Assistant. She was hired by St. Vincent Clay Hospital and now attends Ivy Tech where she hopes to enter the nursing program as soon as possible.

CNAs answer patient call lights and work with patients if the services of a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) aren't required.

Mandy's experience with WIETS and the hospital is not unique. Once or twice a year, WIETS approaches the hospital about someone in their program who might be a good fit for the hospital. Four people in the past three years have been placed at St. Vincent Clay through WIETS, said Andrea Baysinger, RN, BSN, St. Vincent Clay Hospital Clinical and Community Health Coordinator.

Mandy likes the variety of her work.

“It's really nice to do something different all the time,” she said.

WIETS picks up some of her expenses, such as day care, paying for her scrubs (the blue clothing she wears on duty) and some travel expenses. The program also pays a stipend to interns, said Sharon White, who works with WIETS and the IMPACT program in Clay County.

Mandy is grateful to WIETS for all they have done.

“They have really helped with the financial part,” she said. “This couldn't have happened without them.”

She is taking general education classes and hopes to get into the nursing program at Ivy Tech

Mandy credits WIETS with the ability to earn a living for herself and her son.

“This helps us to fulfill our mission,” Baysinger said. “It truly is a win-win situation for everyone.”

Being Frank: What a weekend!

2007-01-25T13:39:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
Monday, January 22, 2007 9:17 AM CST

frankphi@hotmail.com

January is about 3/4 over and this weekend we got our first snowfall, our first trip to the Super Bowl and our first chance to hear from our “freshman” state legislator (not necessarily in that order).

While I try to avoid “personal matters” in my columns (You have your own life, right?), I had to tell you about this weekend from my perspective.

It started Saturday morning at the Cory Firehouse with the Crackerbarrel meeting. You English teachers may debate whether Crackerbarrel should be one word or two — until the dust settles I will spell it as one.

Now, I love these political meetings. They are part of our heritage.

I understand the meetings get their name from the old cracker barrel that set in general stores across America in the 19th century. My grandfather had one in his store in Pulaski County, near Winamac.
*

The guys would gather around the stove in the winter and sample the saltines in the barrel while talking and playing checkers. What an opportunity for the local politicians to share news and ideas with constituents!

This Crackerbarrel was better for me than past ones because our “freshman” state legislator, Amos Thomas, participated. So many of us in the 44th District (and elsewhere) called Amos “friend” before his election to the General Assembly.

It was great to hear him share his wit and wisdom as well as listen to his constituents on issues such as the corn check-off (a small portion of each load of corn is held by the elevator and used to promote ethanol) and full-day kindergarten.

From Cory, our exotic feline (our Mercury Sable) took me home to write my reports on what the legislators had to say during the previous two hours.

That task was completed about 3 p.m. (with time off for lunch). Then the cat headed north to see the kids and grandkids. We spent part of last Monday in Lafayette, where we met our daughter, Amanda’s, new boyfriend. Ed is a graduate student in mechanical engineering. I understood part of what he told me he did. I’m sure Amanda appreciated the fact that I listened.

Saturday night was Terry and ’Becca’s turn.

After a nice visit, we took them to Steak & Shake.

Logan sat across from me and Mammaw and Cailin was on my left.

Like her good Aunt Amanda, Cailin will keep me on my toes. If I didn’t pay enough attention to her, she tried pushing her china plate filled with chicken and fries on the floor.

After Mr. Logan finished most of his supper, we had strawberry shakes (mine made with yogurt). I shared with Miss Cailin, of course, and she kept me busy, doling out tiny spoonfuls of frozen bliss into her waiting mouth.

Sunday found our first “tracking snow” of the season. It precluded our Sunday morning trip to Alamo Christian Church, where I have been their interim preacher for about 12 years.

I have wanted to hear Gary Scroggins preach for a long time. We didn’t know how many people we would know at the Presbyterian Church, but found many of our friends there. The service was inspiring and I will remember Gary’s illustration about the man with dementia — the importance of forgotten treasure — for quite a while.

We were able to enjoy lunch at Pappy’s Bar-B-Cue. It’s great to have that restaurant in Brazil, though they may want to add employees.

Then, Sunday night — what can be added to that Colts game? WOW! I couldn’t watch the whole thing. The first two quarters were too depressing.

But switching back, the last 5:00 on the clock was so great!

Some 20 years ago, I followed the Bears march to the Super Bowl — and their victory over New England! How great will be this Super Bowl!

(By the way, here’s a quiz: Can you write out Super Bowl 41 using Roman numerals — without looking it up?)

The last line of “Christmas In Connecticut” is “What a Christmas!”

I can truthfully say, “What a weekend!”

Farmers resist change to corn check-off

2007-01-20T20:46:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
There are 400 bills before the Indiana House of Representatives. The last day to file a new bill was Tuesday, Rep. Vern Tincher said at the Clay County Farm Bureau Crackerbarrel meeting at the Cory Firehouse Saturday morning. About half of those bills were filed on the last day.
One idea that farmers who were present at the meeting don't want to see enacted is the idea of mandatory corn check-off on the value of a corn crop.
As farmer Steve Bussing explained it to the legislators, a proposal favored by Indiana Farm Bureau (not necessarily Clay County Farm Bureau) would lower his profits by $5,000 per year on his corn crop.
At $4 per bushel corn prices, the difference between 1/-cent per bushel check-off and a check-off based on 1/2 cent per bushel would take $1 million out of Clay County and cost farmers in the state $16 million per year. That amount could be reduced if the price of corn goes down, Bussing said.
David Schopmeyer, who is employed at the Statehouse, said the bill to watch is HB 1121.
The money generated by the check-off is used to investigate and promote ethanol, which is 85 percent corn alcohol and 15 percent gasoline.
There are two ethanol plants operating in the state and 21 plants are eventually planned, Rep. Vern Tincher (D-Riley) said.
Tincher, Rep. Clyde Kersey (D-Terre Haute) and Sen. Richard Bray (R-Martinsville) voted against a corn check-off bill last year and planned to vote against a bill to expand the check-off if it comes to them this year.
However, Rep. Amos Thomas (R-Brazil) said he would listen to what all the constitutents in his district says.
Putnam County Farm Bureau was for the corn value check-off, he said. He had not yet talked to people in the Parke County Farm Bureau.
"I am listening to what everyone says," Thomas said. "My mind is open."

Clay County sheriff seeks help from state concerning cougar, other wild animals

2007-01-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
There are apparently more wild cats running around Center Point than at first thought, Sheriff Mike Heaton told the Clay County Farm Bureau Crackerbarrel meeting Saturday morning.
The cougar that has been on the prowl, outside its cage since it escaped from its cage with a 14-foot high fence and a second, much lower fence, is only the first reported escape, the sheriff said. And that word, reported, is important.
"This has been our first reported escape, but if you ask neighbors, there have been other unreported escapes," Heaton said.
In those instances, owner Joe Taft was able to coax the animals back into their cages, the sheriff said.
Since Jan. 5, the sheriff's department has received many calls from people who believed they saw the escaped cougar and those calls are eating away at his budget in a way he and the county council hadn't anticipated.
Heaton has learned the federal government really doesn't regulate exotic animals, such as the nearly 200 wild cats housed at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center near Center Point. He wants the county and state to start regulating the animals.
The rescue center is in a heavily wooded area. If a tornado cause trees to crash down on the fences, lions and tigers as well as cougars could escape and begin hunting in a populated area.
The problem is not limited to Clay County, the sheriff said. Other counties in the state are home to wild animals that are being housed by residents.
He cited an instance when a black bear escaped for its cage and had to be captured.
Clay County Commissioner Charlie Brown and Dept. of Natural Resources Director Rob Carter are working on the problem, said Rep. Amos Thomas (R-Brazil). Carter lives in Clay County and is aware of the problem.
"I will (also) talk to the DNR director and see if he has any ideas, said Rep. Vern Tincher (D-Riley).

All-day kindergarten idea favored, but how will it be funded, lawmakers ask

2007-01-20T20:44:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Little children may one day have to go to kindergarten all-day long (which probably seems daunting to a 5-year-old) but before that happens, lawmakers will have to figure out how to pay for the program.
Sen. Richard Bray (R-Martinsville) supports the governor's plan.
"I think it has merit, but I don't know where the money is coming from," he told about 50 people at the Cory Firehouse Saturday morning. The occasion was the first of three planned Crackerbarrel meetings sponsored by Clay County Farm Bureau.
The other elected officials in attendance, Rep. Clyde Kersey (D-Terrre Haute), Rep. Vern Tincher (D-Riley) and Rep. Amos Thomas (R-Brazil) , seemed to agree all-day kindergarten is a good idea, but they shared Bray's quandry about paying for it.
Clay Community Schools Board member Terry Barr finds it "alarming" that Gov. Mitch Daniels' all-day kindergarten proposal would not require mandatory participation by all eligible students. That is "ludicrous" she told the legilslators.
However, not everyone agreed all-day kindergarten should be mandatory.
"A lot of children are not ready for all-day kindergarten," Kersey said.
It should be a decision made by parents on a child by child basis, the right of parents to decide, he said.
However, Tincher agreed with Barr and favors mandatory all-day kindergarten, if the program is initiated.
"Some children need as much early intervention as they can get," Tincher said.
Kersey agreed all-day kindergarten is a wonderful thing, but it can be prohibitively expensive.
Verderburgh County tried all-day kindergarten decades ago. The dropout rate went down, students all seemed to do well, "But it nearly bankrupted the school district," Kersey recalled.
The governor's plan is estimated to eventually cost more than $200 million when implemented statewide. There are about 1 million students in grades k-12 throughout the state, Tincher said.

General Assembly marked by cooperation, so far, legislators say

2007-01-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
There seems to be healthy air of cooperation and fraternity among the legislators in Indiana's General Assembly, according to remarks made by four of the five legislators representing Clay County.
Sen. Richard Bray (R-Martinsville), and State Representatives Clyde Kersey (D-Terre Haute), Vern Tincher (D-Riley) and Amos Thomas (R-Brazil) spoke to about 50 constituents at the Cory Firehouse Saturday morning during the first of three scheduled Crackerbarrel meetings.
Sen. John Waterman (R-Shelburn) did not attend.
Here are the highlights of the legislators' opening remarks before taking questions:
* Kersey -- "There is one thing we must do this session and that is to pass a budget."
He opposes taking money from local school districts to fund all-day kindergarten.
He likes the idea free textbooks, but doesn't think there is a enough money to fund all-day kindergarten and free textbooks. Indiana is only one of 10 states that require parents to pay textbook fees.
On privatization of the state lottery -- he wants to study the issue.
He liked what he heard in much of Gov. Mitch Daniels' State of the State address including: cooperation on the state budget is needed and Democrats and Republicans need to investigate privatization.
He called the 2 percent circuit breaker legislation, to limit tax increases, "good for property owners but bad for local governments."
* Tincher -- Welcomed the governor's call for cooperation. He believes the first two years of the governor's administration showed a district lack of cooperation -- "It was his way or no way," Tincher said.
Privatization of the Hoosier Lottery is a bad idea.
Tincher has concerns about the proposed local option sales tax. He said that because so many Clay County people shot in Terre Haute, the local option tax would benefit Vigo County, but take money out of Clay County.
He would rather see the state sales tax increased by 1 percent.
Tincher wants to see legislation passed that would plug gaps in the Open Door Law. He cited the decision to fire Bob Knight by Indiana University, saying the school's president met with the university board in small groups to prohibit public involvement in the decision.
Tincher favors a bill that would allow teenage boys to register for selective service at license branches. Sixteen-year-olds would fill out the paperwork and it would be filed when they turned 18.
Tincher would like to see the state crack down on illegal immigrants by holding their employers responsible. He sees the problem a state problem because the federal government has been indecisive about the problem.
* Bray --
He believes all-day kidnergarten has merit (see accompanying story).
Bray does not favor free textbooks because a survey of his constiutents indicate parents don't mind paying for their children's textbook rental.
He said Gov. Daniels is "very bright" and has more initiatives than any governor in Bray's lifetime. But some of his ideas are good and some are bad.
"He doesn't always do a good job selling his ideas," Bray said.
The division in Indianapolis is not just Republicans and Democrats but it is also rural versus urban. He would like to see the fuel tax formula changed to include pick-up trucks and SUVs when gas tax money is returned to counties.
* Thomas --
He believes being a freshman representative gives him an advantage because he doesn't know all the details about debates on the issues.
He also thinks his maturity and experience gives him an advantage over his younger freshmen legislators.
"It's harder to fool me," he said.
He has taken up the mantle of the fuel tax formula.
He has introduced a bill that would force all state agencies to examine their energy use.
A bill he co-authored with State Rep. Dale Grubb (D-Covington) has passed the House. It will provide some money to help maintain covered bridges in Indiana. It has yet to go to the State Senate.

Whare are they now? Eddie Curry is producer

2007-01-17T05:41:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS

frankphi@hotmail.com
Tuesday, January 16, 2007 8:15 AM CST

Eddie Curry not only remembers Terre Haute and ISU fondly, he has remained a Hoosier since he graduated in 1989.

This is Eddie’s 19th season at Beef & Boards, though he was not full-time for the first five years. He had roles on stage in one or two productions a year until he became a show producer for the company in 1994.

About eight years ago, Eddie began doing some TV commercials as a hobby, but now he is looking more seriously at a career in TV and films.

Last summer, he worked in three 15-minute films shot in Indiana, to showcase the talents of the film’s creator. Last weekend he was involved in a multimedia project at Ball State University. The project involved film, TV and live stage work and was broadcast live on a Muncie public television and on the Internet. A DVD will soon be available.

“I couldn’t watch it, obviously, but my wife said it blew her away,” he said.

Eddie can be contacted at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, 9301 N. Michigan Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46268, (317) 876-0505.

Where are they now? Retired ISU prof. has returned to acting

2007-01-17T05:40:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS

frankphi@hotmail.com
Tuesday, January 16, 2007 8:15 AM CST

Lew Hackleman plays General MacKenzie, one of 10 guests in a home on Indian Island in Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s production of "Ten Little Indians." The Agatha Christie murder mystery is on stage now through Feb. 11. For more information, visit http://www.beefandboards.com.

Lew Hackleman is doing what he likes. His passion is theater and in 38 years, teaching at Indiana State University, he has nearly done it all.

"I taught everything except costuming," he said.

Lew, a slight, rather short man with gray hair was sitting in the green room, backstage at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis.
*

"This is a great cast," he said. "These people are so talented and it's just like family."

Lew is spending his retirement doing what he likes and what he likes is acting.

His former student, Eddie Curry, got him this gig, playing Gen. MacKenzie, a quite daft, retired army officer, who insists his dead wife "is here. I'm going to sit here until she comes to get me."

The play is Agatha Christie's murder mystery, "Ten Little Indians," also known as "And Then There Were None," a quite ominous name for a mystery set in the 1930s in which bodies are piled up like so much cord wood in the study of the mansion on an island off the coast of Massachusetts.

It is not type casting. His decades of dedication show in his performance.

He points out the following fellow actor Jeff Stockberger has in each performance. Lew is certainly not jealous, but he is obviously glad to be a part of the Beef & Boards family.

This is the first show he has been in since he retired from ISU two years ago. He hopes to pick up more acting jobs, just not too many. He is retired and he likes to spend time with his wife, Kathy, and the rest of his family. His daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren live in England and the couple spend as much time there as possible. Lew and Kathy continue to call Terre Haute home.

Is he ready to for other acting jobs?

"I'm available," he said. "This came up and Eddie offered me the role."

He remembers Eddie as one of his promising students.

"My favorite thing was 'Pump Boys and Dinettes'," he said. "I try to stay in touch with my students.

Eddie met Lew in the fall of 1985 when Eddie was a freshman at ISU. After one theater class under Lew’s tutelage, Eddie changed majors.

“He believed in me before I believed in myself,” Eddie said in a telephone interview Monday.

Lew was the main reason many students chose ISU, Eddie recalled. Each summer, Lew had an intensive two-week theater camp for high school students each year. In those two weeks, Lew was able to communicate his passion for theater and made believers of soon-to-be college students.

Fast forward to two years ago. Lew’s former student, Eddie Curry, had become a producer for Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in 1994. Lew retired from teaching at ISU and decided to return to his first love: acting.

“We try to use age-appropriate actors at Beef & Boards,” Eddie said. “If a part calls for a 40-year-old, we try to find a 40-year-old actor.

“When we did ‘You Can’t Take It With You’ two years ago, I wanted Lew to play Grandpa, but he had planned a trip and wasn’t available.”

When the part of Gen. MacKenzie came up in “Ten Little Indians,” Lew was delighted to get the part and be reunited with his former student.

"It's a nice life," Lew concluded.

Review: "Ten Little Indians"

2007-01-14T20:52:00.000-05:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
"Ten Little Indians" is a treat for mystery fans. I am not a devotee of Agatha Christie, the author of this engaging whodunit, but the play is a charming brain teaser.
I guessed wrong; the character I thought responsible for the bodies piled up like so much cord wood in the study proved to be innocent.
It is set in the romantic 1930s, on an island off the coast of Massachusetts.
Eight guests and two servants are gathered at the invitation of a lady named "Owen." They all received invitations from someone known only as U. N. Owen, a lady who is not present to greet her guests.
This is a cracker jack story. It has murders, 10 people gathered in a mansion on an island from which there is no escape. It even has a dark and stormy night, a device writers are supposed to avoid, but masterful in the hands of Agatha Christie.
This is a top-notch cast; it would have to be such to perform this story. One moment out of character would ruin the show. But their portrayals successfully make the audience suspend reality and get drawn into the on stage living room. One suggestion: the cast should slow down the dialogue in the opening scene. It seems to be due to nervousness, but the opening lines were difficult to catch. Quickly, though, the cast found their rhythm and the speeches were easily understood by this member of the audience.
The cast includes: Nina Edgerton as the stunning, redheaded secretary, Vera Claythorne; Lew Hackleman, a former Indiana State professor who plays General MacKenzie. Watch for a profile of Mr. Hackleman in upcoming edition of The Brazil Times this week Michael Haws as Dr. Armstrong; Nicholas Horton as Anthony Marston; Carrie S. Neal as Mrs. Rogers, the cook and housekeeper; Gene Raye Price as Emily Brent. Watch for her on the CBS miniseries, "Comanche Moon," in February. Whit Reichert as Justice Lawrence Wargrave; David Schmittou as Philip Lombard; J. R. Stuart as Rogers; and Jeff Stockberger as William Blore. Jeff has gained a following (and many laughs) for his comedic roles in "A Beef & Boards Christmas," "South Pacific," "Crazy For You," "Peter Pan" and "Anything Goes."
The production is directed by ISU alumnus Eddie Curry, who for the first time since graduation has been reunited with his former teacher, Lew Hackleman.
This is a ensemble production. There is not just one star, one lead. The cast is killed off one by one and some are on stage for only a short time.
"This is a great cast," Hackleman told me after the show Friday. "These people are so talented and we are a family."
There is something special about watching a mystery acted out live on stage. There is a quality you simply cannot experience in front of the TV set.
"Ten Little Indians" is on stage at Beef & Boards Tuesdays through Sundays, through Feb. 11.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call (317) 872-9664, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.
On the Net:
Beef & Boards: http://www.beefandboards.com

What's the DISH on Distant TV Networks and Satellite TV?

2006-12-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

— or — some days they can send my satellite TV DIRECTly to Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire!

In the beginning ...

God created fire and he saw that it was good.

And people sat around their portable fires in their caves or outside their dwellings and talked, telling stories and singing with their families.

Later ...

Man invented the radio. And he thought it was very good. Eventually, the electric box brought Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Lone Ranger and even the NBC Orchestra into his home.

Then, he invented television. And, not sure what to put on it, he filmed Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly and The Lone Ranger. The classical music didn't go over too well, so he played that on Sunday afternoons. But Dick Clark found out that popular music could draw an audience when vivacious teens danced on camera. So, "American Bandstand" and a host of imitators were created.

Americans loved quantity more than quality, so man said, "If half a dozen channels on TV are good, 30 or even 130 channels would be better." (He didn't care what he put on those channels, just as long as there were more and more channels filled with the same stuff and different people.)

So, cables were strung from high towers and even the tops of lofty mountains, down into the valleys so people could receive many more channels. It was the same drivel, but static and snow on the picture were reduced.

Then man saw people would pay a monthly price for their cable-TV and man thought, "Aha! What if we could provide people far out in the country with hundreds of channels and charge them each month for their reception?"

And man invented satellite television.

But there was a problem called the FCC -- the Federal Communications Commission.

One day, in a move to protect local network TV stations and, perhaps, cable TV companies, the FCC passed a ruling (i.e. the same thing as a law for all intents and purposes). The ruling said, "Thou shalt not offer distant networks to people who receive signals from satellite TV."

And DISH satellite customers became very wroth.

People in Brazil, Ind., received conflicting information from DISH network (Direct TV did not carry local channels). Some people were told, "You won't be affected. You will still get ABC-TV from WRTV in Indianapolis." Others were told, "Yes, you will lose your ABC channel from Indianapolis."

Then Dec. 1 came and people in Brazil lost both WRTV-6 (ABC) and WTHR-13 (NBC) from Indianapolis.

And the DISH technical support people promised TV antennas would be installed on their customers' houses free of charge, so those people could receive Indianapolis TV, free of charge. But the DISH people forgot why cable-TV was invented -- that normal antennas don't pull in distant TV stations very well.

So, DISH operators called their customers in Brazil and said, "We'll have to buy better antennas for you -- make an appointment for a few months down the road."

The future hasn't' been written yet, but I would not be surprised if one day I read in The Brazil Times:

"Wife calls 911 when her husband tears out their TV equipment, starts fire in the back yard, and begins singing."

Thank goodness for books and libraries! (and newspapers!)

Frank Phillips is The Times editor. He can be e-mailed at frankphi@hotmail.com — assuming his e-mail is working.

Annual presentation spreads joy to community

2006-12-03T17:31:00.000-05:00

By FRANK and LINDA PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Last Thursday through Saturday, Community Theatre of Clay County Inc. presented its annual Christmas show.
This year's offering was "Christmas at the Lark: Bell Birthdays and Heralds of Christmas" and it was really great.
Like an old-fashioned Christmas card, it opened to more than one page.
Through it all, the cast had past Christmases in mind. Christmases when two of the much loved theater cast were able to participate.
The much-loved Jean Sneddon-Martin took part in the shows. Not many years ago she tap danced on stage, her daughter-in-law, Susan Sneddon, recalled. Jean passed away unexpectedly last week. Christmases when Carl McKinney sang on stage after building the sets, some of which may have been used last week. Who can forget his enthused and energetic portrayal Nicely Nicely Johnson in "Guys and Dolls" earlier this season?
Carl suffered a broken shoulder in a car accident a week before the current Christmas show began.
Nevertheless, "the show must go on" as The Christmas Band director Col. Matt Huber has been known to say, and the show was wonderful.
Open page one of our community Christmas card and you see and immensely entertaining production called, "Heralds of Christmas" featuring the herald, Herald (David Maurey), and his brother Herald (Nick Ellis), whose job it is to get Santa Claus (Lee Reberger) to stop for the first time in their tiny village of Tater, at the end of the North Pole runway.
Herald's idea is to flash red lights at Santa during takeoff, so Rudolph gets disoriented and crashes. The townspeople do and Rudolph does. Santa's reply -- "all you had to do is write me a letter." Like the rest of the world. Duh!
Other cast members were Ashton Swearingen, Chris Swearingen, Elaine Clarke, Carol McConnell, Michelle McCrea, Amber Payne, Melody Lunsford, Nancy Kulow, Ashley Clarke, Becca Maurey, Kendra McCrea, Alyssa Clarke, Elizabeth Emmert, Katie Perkins, Misty Rissler, Kendra England, Bonnie Hutchins, Revecca Beyers, Trey Reberger, Samuel Beyers, Chandler Downing, David Swearingen, the Rev. Edward Randall, TJ Sneddon, Keri Fagg, Becky Taken Jim Garber, Julie Marey, Harold Burton and Kevin McCrea.
The Christmas Band featured Matt Huber, Allen Basore, Steven Garlits, Jeff Shively, Andy Whittington, Miranda Goodale, Darlene Shephard, Betty Niswonger, Janelle R. Huber and TJ Sneddon.
Rita Rothrock was the dinner theatre pianist and Barbara Randall the dinner theatre coordinator.
Turn the page and we find "Bells and the Birthday of Christmas" featuring a reverent look at the season in words and music.
Several of the songs were written by cast members.
"The Shepherd's Song" was written by Rev. Randall, "Jesus in the Manger" was written by Kevin McCrea and "A Mother's Prayer" was by Mitchell Lunsford, in honor of his brother, a Marine stationed in Iraq.
It was a wonderful evening of music, food and laughter, surrounded by dear friends and family members.

Review -- Beef & Board's Christmas Spectacular

2006-11-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

By FRANK & LINDA PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
It's difficult to review Beef & Board's annual Christmas Spectacular without sounding like advertising copy for the show, but here goes.
For the past eight years Linda and I have attended the Beef & Board's Christmas Spectaculars and each year they seem to get better.
Many of the songs are repeated year to year, but they are welcome numbers and we would miss them if they were left out of the program.
The show stopper this year has to be Gerald Atkins' rendition of "O Holy Night," for which he received a standing ovation Saturday.
A crowd of ladies from Brazil also attended the performance Saturday night.
They were enthusiastic about the show and particularly Mr. Atkins' solo.
"What did you like best?" I asked them on their way out.
Without hesitation, the answer was, "That man who sang, "O Holy Night"!
Linda was impressed with Mr. Atkins, too.

"I love that man!" she said. "His singing is great!"

I agree. That solo is something one would expect to hear in heaven.
But, not all the show was so reverent; there was a lot of fun, too.
Act One included such favorites as "It's the Holiday Season," "Sleigh Ride," "White Christmas," Winter Wonderland," "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and "Silver Bells."
A relative new favorite that one doesn't hear except at Beef & Boards is "Indianapolis Indeed," a beautiful melody extolling the virtues of our state's capitol city.
The act was capped off with "Santa Baby" performed by Wims and a chorus of beauties.
The sections, "A Jinglin' Christmas," "Home for the Holidays" and "Traditional Christmas" comprised Act Two.
Who can forget the sight and sound of a man in the uniform of a United States Marine singing, "I'll Be Home For Christmas." What a lump rises to one's throat when we think about our servicemen and women stationed around the world, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Of course, Santa Claus was present for much of the show, along with his very shy elf, Jingle, played for the greatest comedy relief by Jeff Stockberger.
There are many new faces and voices in this year's Christmas Spectacular.
Kenny Shepard and Deb Wims serve as your hosts, bringing the variety show together in a most pleasing way. It didn't take Frank long to see parallels between this variety show and productions like the old "State Fair Variety Show" and the TV variety shows: Ed Sullivan, Garry Moore and even going back to Tennessee Ernie Ford. (Linda is too young to remember such TV shows.)
Christmas Spectacular is for the whole family, balanced and blended to be enjoyable for everyone from the oldest senior to the youngest child on his knee.

Stunning election

2006-11-11T06:29:00.000-05:00

The election is over and the results leave me stunned.
I cannot refrain from saying, "I told you so." About the war in Iraq. About Rumsfeld.
American leaders must learn we can never again invade another country to plant democracy. Saddam was evil? Yes. But he was contained. All we have succeeded in doing is opening up Iraq for every terrorist and thug who wants to go in.
We tried in a few short years to plant deomcracy among people who didn't want it. We thought we could do for them what our forefathers in this nation fought and died to do for themselves? Come on.
But the oil companies get richer and richer. At our expense.

The wonders of the shire (a.k.a. Nashville, Ind.)

2006-10-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

We went to Nashville, Ind.,with friends Tuesday of our vacation.
We like to drive through the hills of Brown County. It was more spectacular for us this year, because the leaves were near their colorful peak.
The town doesn't change much from year to year.
I'm sure the shop owners come and go; their inventories vary slightly. But the old man stands in front of the Artists Colony Inn, singing and playing his guitar for donations. Inside the inn is posted a big sign saying he is not a scientist, neither is he on the lam. He is a a musical artist who chooses to live his life on the streets of Nashville, adding to the ambiance.
The inn welcomes artists wishing to spend the night. The famed T.C. Steele rented rooms there. A state historic site remembering his contribution is located nearby .
But the shops and their tiny yards fascinate me.
The shops are located in tiny houses on tiny yards of a bygone era. They remind me of my grandfather's house in Winamac, Ind., and they certainly remind me of Bag's End in J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings".
Each room (that is open to the public) is filled with various treasures as well as things that would on;y appear to a select few. That is probably the genius of Nashville: Artists sell their wares to anyone who would be interested. ("Don't like my work. That's OK. Thought you might want it in your home, that's all.") Shopkeepers likewise seem to look for items on eBay or through Google searches or wherever else that are not available anywhere else I've been.
I saw work by a 9-year-old artist with a list price of $50. I saw works that (in my not-so-humble-opinion) were not better than what you or I could do, if we took the time. Of course, if you live in rural Brown County, it undoubtedly seems as if time stands still. You would have to really seek the outside world -- it would never be thrust upon you.
There are also treats from our youth. Several places sell homemade fudge. We watched a lady working it on a marble table using a huge, two-fisted spatula. It threatened to run over the edge as it was setting us and at one point, it did, but magically, she took her flat spatula and managed to clean the top and side pretty well with one swoop.
I even found a store that sells the same kind of old-fashioned candy Mr. Allen used to sell in his gas station, just down the street from Westside School in my hometown.
They had the sugar buttons on strips of paper and even Nikl-Nips -- those wax bottles of flavored sugar water. I remember an adult telling us when were were small that "When I was a girl, that was the only chewing gum we had."
Those wax confections lose their flavor pretty quick, as I recall. I didn't venture to try one yesterday at Nashville.
The shops are also filled with music and other sounds ("Yes, the music you hear is for sale!" placards proclaimed.)
We bought my father-in-law a squirrel stick for his birthday. You fasten an ear of field corn on one end and it has a counter weight on the other. A pivot point in the middle attaches it to a tree or post. A video showed a squirrel jumping on the stick to get to the corn, making the stick twirl around, like an amusement ride.
The yards of the shops are filled with flowers and other greenery. I told Linda we should do that with our yard -- less grass to mow in the summer.
One shop overdid the ambiance: The aisles were choked with dried flowers (Linda thinks they were imitation) and the sidewalks outside the flower shop were choked with vegetation. I had to wonder what would happen in case of fire and why the local fire chief didn't warn the owner about the dangers.
So, we ate at the Artists Colony Inn. Our late lunch consisted of things like Reuben sandwich with sun fries (french fries made of sweet potatoes with a brown sugar sauce for dipping), broccoli cheese soup and onion rings.
The bill for four came to less than $50, not bad at all for sit down dining with a view of beautiful downtown Nashville, Ind., Linda and I thought.
No, it wasn't our first trip to Nashville -- Linda and I try to go every year. One year we stayed overnight at the Abe Martin Inn at Brown County State Park and went to the show at the Little Nashville Opry House. But we try to spend the day with friends when we go. Good friends, relaxing trip -- great combination.

Get U.S. out of the U.N.?

2006-10-19T17:03:00.000-04:00

I was driving down the highway in central Indiana many years ago when I saw a homemade sign on the side of the road. It read: "Get U.S. out of the U.N.".
It was obviously homemade -- it had none of the seamless perfection of the billboards that dot and sometimes overwhelm the landscape.
Having nothing better to do, I turned that message over in my mind. What does it mean, get the United States out of the United Nations. The message was clear, but I wondered what brought that on.
Two decades later, it is abundantly clear, even if I don't agree with the message.
The United Nations has, if nothing else, provided us with a forum for the world's representatives to sit down and listen to one another's viewpoints.
Sometimes we all listened, many times we didn't.
Kruschev beat his shoe on the table -- a Soviet version of the child's "I can't hear you."
In the past few days, the North Korean delegate walked out of the U.N. after saying sanctions against his country would be considered an act of war.
Then, Condoleeza Rice and our president, George W. Bush, appeared on TV saying things like, "North Korea won't listen to the world. They have violated the expressed mandate of the United Nations and must be punished."
Interesting.
Wasn't it the United States that decided to invade Iraq after the United Nations said no?
Maybe the United States should be punished, using the same logic.
As a Christian, I am a firm believer in "Vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord of hosts" and "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap".
If George and Condy are right and I am wrong, then the U.S. will be blessed. But if what I fear is happening, we may be taken to the woodshed. (That means we will be disciplined for the sophisticates not used to Hoosier lingo.)
I do believe we can't have it both ways. If North Korea was wrong for testing a nuclear device because the U.N. said so, then the U.S. was wrong for invading Iraq. The U.N. was just as vocal about that, before we decided to go in with a very small group of countries who have proven to not be very committed to the project.

Election issues: Are we lazy or what?

2006-10-17T10:11:00.000-04:00

A friend stopped by to see me this morning. He is quite involved in
state politics, not as an elected or appointed official, but as a
volunteer in the Statehouse. He is also involved in Farm Bureau.
One of his jobs is to answer the telephone at the Statehouse when the Indiana General Assembly is in session.
He takes calls on all subjects; in fact, at one point the telephones were backed up 500 calls during the last session.
One of the points he made today was, anyone can lobby for any cause they
wish. But, they have to go to Indianapolis and see the people who make
the laws and plan the state's two-year budget.
A few people will do so, but most won't, he said.
Why?
Do we expect the organizations we join to lobby for us?
I belong to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP),
though I doubt I'll ever be financially able to retire. I'm not even
sure I would want to retire, if I had good health. I always plan to
write, as long as I can hold a pen or produce typos on a keyboard.
But I'm also a member of Alamo Christian Church, Alamo, Ind. To my
knowledge, none of our members lobby on my behalf. We have no paid
lobbyists, according to the monthly financial reports.
I also belong to the Clay County YMCA. Any lobbyists there? Maybe, but I'm not sure.
This all reminds me of something one of my bosses said about a decade ago.
People complain about "special interest groups" running the country,
but we're all part of a special interest group.
Ahh, yes. But that's the rub.
I am a member of several special interest groups. I cannot be defined by just one of my memberships.
Not all retired persons are Christians -- they are certainly not all
members of the little church I attend. I'm sure many members of AARP do
not share my values. As an American I support their right to be
different and I stand up for my right to be an individual as well.
I guess I had better take time to visit the Indiana General Assembly, or not
complain because the state isn't doing what I think is best.
I vote in each election.
Usually, since I began voting in the early 1970s, I have voted Republican
(except for some state and local races). I voted for Gerald Ford
(against Jimmy Carter), I voted for Ronald Reagan (twice) and I voted
against Bill Clinton and against George W. Bush (twice each).
But I never really told any politician how I felt on the issues.
I think my friend was right this morning. You have to be your own lobbyist.

Looking for election to be over

2006-10-16T17:34:00.000-04:00

"What can we do about the negative ads?"

It's finally happened.
I have finally arrived at the point where I said, "Uncle!" to all the election campaign commercials.
I want this election to be over!
It has nothing to do with the fact I work for a newspaper that accepts paid advertising from candidates. Those ads are civilized, fair and decent.
No, I'm upset by the TV ads that seem to have reached a new low attack and counterattack. They seem to be for candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives.
I understand. The Republicans have a narrow lead in the House and they quite possibly may lose control of the House to the Democrats.
But it seems the ads are worse this year than in years past.
One example: Have you noticed the most negative ads are not presented by the attacker, but by the national party? Both Democrats and Republicans are airing those ads in Indiana.
At a recent Rotary meeting, one club member asked a candidate who spoke that day, "What can we do about the negative ads?"
The candidate spoke for at least 10 minutes (by my internal clock) and never did answer the question!
In other words, as long as we are paying the freight for TV to carry those ads, you must endure.
You can't change the station. The ads seem to be everywhere, except on PBS and NPR.
Maybe that's why I turn to a nearby National Public Radio station every time I get in the car.

Weather brings early trick -- no treat in sight

2006-10-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
The weather was all trick and no treat on Wednesday, almost three weeks before Halloween.
The National Weather Service issued a Freeze Watch effective Thursday night through Friday morning, but the freeze came early.
At 5:30 this morning, the temperature had dipped to 29 degrees at Northview High School, according to Weather Bug, and the thermometer on Riddell National Bank downtown was at 28 degrees at 6 a.m.
The lesson for gardeners was, if you waited until the last day to cover your plants, you waited one day too long.
The National Weather Service did issue a Freeze Warning, effective from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday, still a little late for people who went to bed before they heard the weather forecast Wednesday night.
The weather service warning stated:
“ARCTIC AIR WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO INDIANA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SKIES WILL BECOME MOSTLY CLEAR TONIGHT WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING. TEMPERATURES WILL DECREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT TO FREEZING OR A LITTLE BELOW. THEY SHOULD INCREASE ABOVE FREEZING AFTER 9AM ON FRIDAY.
“A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION.”
The warning is in effect for most of central Indiana.
The good news is that temperatures are expected to warm up to near 70 degrees by Tuesday and should reach the lower 50s today, according to The Weather Channel.
To find local conditions, weather watches and warnings and the forecast for Clay County, turn to http://www.thebraziltimes.com, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

'South Pacific' a triumph

2006-10-12T15:18:00.000-04:00

In brief:
• Evening performances are offered Tuesday-Sunday with doors opening at 6 p.m., buffet served 6:30-7:30 p.m. And the show beginning at 8 p.m.
• Weekday matinee shows are on Wednesdays and select Thursdays. Sunday matinees are also offered. Doors open at noon, buffet is served 12:15-1 p.m. And the show begins at 1:30 p.m.
• Ticket prices range from $29-$51 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (317) 872-9664.
• Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre is located in front of the pyramids, east of Michigan Road on Indianapolis's north side.

By FRANK and LINDA PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
“South Pacific” is a triumph for Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre and for its star, Deb Wims.
In 1999, we first saw and reviewed “South Pacific” at Beef & Boards. Some could argue that cast was more experienced and had been around more than the 2006 cast. And, we must admit, we wondered if Mrs. Wims could carry the production as “Nellie Forbush.”
She has been in many shows at Beef & Boards over the past decade, but I do not think she has ever been given the lead.
We were not disappointed. If the measure of a production is its ability to move the audience, then Mrs.Wims and her fellow cast members succeed.
Linda saw Cynthia Thomas (Bloody Mary) and Steven Edward Moore (Emile de Becque) as strong performers, of course. We were both taken with Deb Wims' Nellie and Jeff Stockberger's Billis.
I thought Stockberger's Billis character came across a little too strong at times. It was in danger of going over the top, but Linda disagreed. She just thought he was just funny.
Seven years ago, Billis was played by a different actor. The 2006 Billis is much funnier and relies far more on physical comedy – get the picture. But the whole cast is just excellent.
Joseph Sark as Lt. Joe Cable has a voice as good as Moore's, though higher, as a tenor.
The two little children who play de Becque's half-Polynesian, half-French children, are just as cute as can be as well as talented. They are Courtney Kramer and Mitchell Siefker.
The rest of the large cast does a fine job supporting Wims and Moore.
“South Pacific: is a fine fall production, just what one needs to get ready for the Christmas season.

Voters invited to ask the candidates

2006-10-07T00:44:00.001-04:00

When: 6 p.m. Monday
Where: Clay County Fairgrounds
What: Meet the candidates on the Clay County ballots, question candidates for key races in a public forum
Who: Everyone is invited to attend

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
“Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government;...” --Thomas Jefferson to Richard Price, 1789.

Helping people become well-informed is a goal of the newspaper industry. Newspapermen and women understand the truth of Jefferson’s words.
With that in mind, The Brazil Times, Clay County Farm Bureau and the Clay County Chamber of Commerce are presenting a candidates’ forum at 6 p.m. Monday at the Clay County Fairgrounds on S.R. 59, south of Brazil.
Since this series began five years ago, we have followed a format that has proven popular with candidates and voters.
Candidates in three races have agreed to participate. They are Clay County Sheriff candidates Mike Heaton (R), Rob Gambill (D) and Larry Pierce (I); 44th District State Representative candidates Amos Thomas (R) and Richard Thompson (D); and 46th District State Representative candidates Reid Dallas (R) and Vern Tincher (D).
Program schedule:
6 - 6:50 p.m. — Sheriff’s candidates
6:50-7 p.m. — Break for refreshments
7-7:30 p.m. — Other candidate introductions.
Candidates in races other than those listed above will have two minutes to introduce themselves.
7:30-8:20 p.m. — 44th District State Representative candidates
8:20-8:30 p.m. — Break
8:30-9 p.m. — 46th District State Representative candidates
The format of the question-and-answer sessions will be as follows:
Each candidate will have two minutes to introduce themselves.
Written questions from the audience will be collected and given to the moderator, who will then relay questions to the candidates in the order the moderator chooses.
Each candidate will have two minutes to answer each question.
Every candidate will have the opportunity to answer the same question — questions may not be directed to one candidate.
Note: If questions are lacking, the program may be abbreviated, so candidates are asked to arrive early.
The Brazil Times news reporters will also be present to meet you and report what the candidates have to say in Tuesday’s edition.
We hope everyone will take advantage of this opportunity to meet the candidates face to face, and ask your questions, because you want to be informed.

Review -- "I Hate Hamlet" is a winner

2006-10-07T00:42:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Don't you -- yes, YOU, the TV watching public -- don't you dare miss "I Hate Hamlet" at the Lark Theatre tonight or Saturday night.
OK, that's too cheesy, but this is a great comedy and more people should see it this week.
The show is about an out-of-work TV actor who takes a part in New York's Central Park, playing the lead in "Hamlet."
Perhaps the most famous Hamlet of all, John Barrymore (a relative of Drew's) is conjured up. Like the angel in "The Bishop's Wife," Barrymore (T.J. Sneddon) cannot return to heaven until he helps young actor Andrew Rally (played by Matthew Tribble) accomplish something. In this case, Barrymore must help Rally succeed in the great role of Hamlet.
The cast is filled out by the slightly daffy real estate agent, Felicia Dantine (Carol McConnell); the actor's agent, Lillian Troy (Amber Payne); Rally's 29-year-old girl friend, the virgin Deidre McDavey (Janelle Huber); and writer-director-producer Gary Peter Lefkowitz (Carl McKinney).
Right up to the time of Central Park’s opening curtain, Rally strongly considers not playing Hamlet. He is pulled between Lefkowitz who arranges a $3 million deal to play a teacher/superhero in a TV series on one side and Barrymore and Deidre on the other side.
Playwright Paul Rudnick uses humor to present a message -- not unlike the "MASH" TV series. In fact, I kept thinking how Alan Alda would play the TV actor, but I was very pleased with Mr. Tribble's interpretation.
The message? Oh, something about the value of the theater and how there is just too much money in bad TV productions these days. You will have to see the play and second guess me for yourself.
Janelle Huber is delightful as the girl friend. She brings an innocence to the part, not unlike one would expect from an actress playing Lucy in "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe."
Carl McKinney has a touch of larceny about him as the high-roller TV executive and who would have thought T.J. Sneddon could play the rogue with such conviction?
Amber Payne is great as the agent and Barrymore's one-time conquest.
Carol McConnell as Felicia Dantine is surely talking to some spirit during the seance scene, if not her character's dead mother; she is that good.
In short, there is a touch of "Arsenic and Old Lace," "Hamlet" and situation comedy, rolled into a very entertaining production.
I liked it, even if Barrymore doesn't care for newspaper critics!
Tickets cost $25 for all dinner theater shows and buffet. Call Barbara Randall, 448-8772 for reservations or purchase tickets at Riddell National Bank, across National Ave. from the theater.
Community Theatre of Clay County's upcoming productions include the children's theater musical, "The Shoemaker, the Elves & the Magic Shoes" -- tickets cost $5 for adults and $2 for children through high school -- Nov. 3-4; "Christmas At The Lark: Bells, Birthdays and Heralds of Christmas!", Nov. 30, Dec. 1-2; "A Musical Evening with Jim Garber and Friends," Feb. 16-17; "Damn Yankees," March 8-10; and "A Musical German Maifest (Mayfest!)" featuring Col. Matt Huber and his German Band.

Everyone contributes, everyone is responsible

2006-10-07T00:40:00.000-04:00

By Frank Phillips
We had a close call Friday, Sept. 22.
By “we” I mean we as a community.
Yes, I subscribe to the theory, “It takes a village to raise a child.” At
least, I believe the village influences the way the child is raised. Each
adult is also part of the community. When things go wrong in a person’s
life, it touches everyone in the community.
Things could have gone so wrong Friday if Deputy Jon Lambert had not chosen
to surrender peacefully after his 14-hour standoff with police.
The authorities are to be congratulated for being patient. We have seen live
TV coverage of situations that turned out much differently. I remember the
Waco debacle as being one such incident.
Nevertheless, while Mr. Lambert is safe and sound in jail, it is more than a
shame that his family and friends have to bear the brunt of seeing him
charged with various crimes, though innocent until proven guilty.
This incident, with others that have gained national attention in the past
few years in Clay County, underscores the great responsibility parents and
spouses have to their families.
I will never forget receiving a telephone call at the office one day after a
man was arrested on drug charges.
His wife called to tell me I “had ruined their family” by putting the report
in the newspaper.
I understand that people say things in times of stress they may not say upon
later reflection. But I also wanted to say, “I think your husband did
something to contribute to the problem. It isn’t all in the newspaper’s
hands.”
I didn’t say that, of course. But it underscores the real problem: lack of
personal responsibility for our actions, before tragedies occur.
I know it’s easy to blame the media for reporting bad news. It’s also easy
to blame the media when they fail to report an important story.
I cherish our American freedoms and abhor censorship. I am glad CNN and The
Brazil Times have the freedom not only to disseminate news good or bad, but
everyone, not just reporters, has the ability to learn things through the
Freedom of Information Act and Indiana’s Open Door Law.
I sometimes think people would rather live in a society where police and
government officials are not accountable to the people they serve rather
than in America where we have access to information those same officials
would probably rather not see published.
In fact, it seems media is becoming more restrained rather than bolder as
time goes on. Read the old newspapers from the early 1900s. Attempted
suicides, alleged thefts, drunkenness — whatever the situation, newspapers
named names, sometimes not differentiating between alleged crimes and people
found guilty in a court of law.
That leads to another issue that arose Friday night.
“Why did The Brazil Times not publish Lambert’s name when other media did?”
The reason was simple: reporters were not allowed close to Lambert’s home.
His telephone number is not listed in the phone book. Though “everybody
knew” it was Jon Lambert, there was no official verification.
Can you imagine the uproar if it was not Mr. Lambert in the house? Can you
imagine the lawsuits? Apparently some other media do not care if they have
the facts or not or if they open themselves to libel or not. The Brazil
Times does care and tries to be accurate.
Remember the recent coal mine disaster, when morning newspapers reported
most of the coal miners were found alive? Before those editions hit the
streets, the mistake was learned. Most of the miners were found dead, not
alive. What an uproar ensued!
That brings us back to our original thesis: people must take responsibility
for their actions.
Frank Phillips is The Brazil Times Managing Editor. He can be reached at
frankphi@hotmail.com or at the office.

Celebrating patriotism

2006-10-02T16:39:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Times are changing. The military is changing the way it deals with America’s enemies. But one thing remains constant: Patriotism.
Some local people were honored Saturday night at the Brazil Armory for their support of the United States through the local National Guard unit.
First Sgt. Neil Stough, Readiness NCO, B Company, gave a brief history of the unit, outlined current missions and talked about the future of the unit during the program preceding the dinner.
Stough emphasized the unit’s commitment to community service over the years, helping with snow removal as one example and the unit’s service in other states, particularly aid following Hurricane Katrina.
“We carry on tradition,” he said, describing the citizen soldiers’ attitude as that of “discipline and respect.”
“They expect more of themselves that I expect of them,” he said. “We are family here.”
Recruiting numbers have been increased and the unit has retained 17 of 20 soldiers whose time of enlistment was ending.
The unit helped with this weekend’s Popcorn Festival, providing a climbing wall; offering the armory for the funeral of a volunteer firefighter who died in the line of duty; and ready to help with K-Day, even though the parade was rained out.
The unit also has programs in place to improve communications with soldiers far away and their families here at home.
LTC Walter E. Colbert then spoke about the coming transformation of 38th Main Support BN.
The army is transforming because the enemy is different than the enemy during the Cold War.
“That is what we learned in Desert Storm,” he said.
This enemy fights differently than those that threatened America in the past.
Whatever else the transformation brings, there will be “tremendous opportunity for our young soldiers,” he said.
Local Guard members on active duty and retirees were recognized.
Special recognition went to SFC Neil Brown, a recruiter, B Co., and to members of the community for their service.
Les Walden accepted an award on behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1127.
Tammy Young and Jami Wythe were honored for the work of American Legion Post 2. One of their many projects has been to purchase walkie talkies requested by soldiers.
The Brazil Times was honored for its cooperation and willingness to tell the stories of the local Guard unit. Edie Campe accepted the award on behalf of The Brazil Times.
Stough praised the efforts of The Times, saying its reporters were sensitive to information that would help or hinder the Guard’s work.
“I look forward to continued cooperation between the National Guard and The Brazil Times over many years,” he said.
Mayor Tom Arthur concluded the program with a speech, “What does it mean, being a patriot?”
The local Guard plans to host the program and dinner every two years.
“I would love to fill this place next time,” SSG Tammy Ninesling, Squad Leader, B Company, said after the program. “I just love this!”
She hopes to expand the invitations to include churches and other organizations that support the Guard throughout the year.

Everyone contribbutes, everyone is responsible

2006-09-28T17:02:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
We had a close call Friday, Sept. 22.
By “we” I mean we as a community.
Yes, I subscribe to the theory, “It takes a village to raise a child.” At least, I believe the village influences the way the child is raised. Each adult is also part of the community. When things go wrong in a person’s life, it touches everyone in the community.
Things could have gone so wrong Friday if Deputy Jon Lambert had not chosen to surrender peacefully after his 14-hour standoff with police.
The authorities are to be congratulated for being patient. We have seen live TV coverage of situations that turned out much differently. I remember the Waco debacle as being one such incident.
Nevertheless, while Mr. Lambert is safe and sound in jail, it is more than a shame that his family and friends have to bear the brunt of seeing him charged with various crimes, though innocent until proven guilty.
This incident, with others that have gained national attention in the past few years in Clay County, underscores the great responsibility parents and spouses have to their families.
I will never forget receiving a telephone call at the office one day after a man was arrested on drug charges.
His wife called to tell me I “had ruined their family” by putting the report in the newspaper.
I understand that people say things in times of stress they may not say upon later reflection. But I also wanted to say, “I think your husband did something to contribute to the problem. It isn’t all in the newspaper’s hands.”
I didn’t say that, of course. But it underscores the real problem: lack of personal responsibility for our actions, before tragedies occur.
I know it’s easy to blame the media for reporting bad news. It’s also easy to blame the media when they fail to report an important story.
I cherish our American freedoms and abhor censorship. I am glad CNN and The Brazil Times have the freedom not only to disseminate news good or bad, but everyone, not just reporters, has the ability to learn things through the Freedom of Information Act and Indiana’s Open Door Law.
I sometimes think people would rather live in a society where police and government officials are not accountable to the people they serve rather than in America where we have access to information those same officials would probably rather not see published.
In fact, it seems media is becoming more restrained rather than bolder as time goes on. Read the old newspapers from the early 1900s. Attempted suicides, alleged thefts, drunkenness — whatever the situation, newspapers named names, sometimes not differentiating between alleged crimes and people found guilty in a court of law.
That leads to another issue that arose Friday night.
“Why did The Brazil Times not publish Lambert’s name when other media did?”
The reason was simple: reporters were not allowed close to Lambert’s home. His telephone number is not listed in the phone book. Though “everybody knew” it was Jon Lambert, there was no official verification.
Can you imagine the uproar if it was not Mr. Lambert in the house? Can you imagine the lawsuits? Apparently some other media do not care if they have the facts or not or if they open themselves to libel or not. The Brazil Times does care and tries to be accurate.
Remember the recent coal mine disaster, when morning newspapers reported most of the coal miners were found alive? Before those editions hit the streets, the mistake was learned. Most of the miners were found dead, not alive. What an uproar ensued!
That brings us back to our original thesis: people must take responsibility for their actions.

Frank Phillips is The Brazil Times Managing Editor. He can be reached at frankphi@hotmail.com or at the office.

What you didn't read about the police standoff, 9/21/06

2006-09-25T17:20:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com

Friday was dark and rainy.
My wife, Linda, took me to work (it was too wet to ride the scooter -- Vinny (the Yamaha Vino 125) got to stay in the garage while I went out into the dark world.)
Around 10:30 a.m., I got a call from one of our television colleagues, telling me somethign was going on in Brazil. It sounded like a hostage situation, according to the scanner traffic, he said.
We couldn't hear what he was hearing, but I promised to stay in touch.
At 12:30 p.m., Linda and I were eating lunch at Mario Brothers, a favorite Mexican restaurant in downtown Brazil.
A professional friend called my cell phone.
"Frank, I just got the strangest call," she said.
It was from Jon Lambert, a deputy on the Clay County Sheriff's Department. He wanted to talk to her Saturday or Sunday, but not Friday.
As we talked, we began to put 2 and 2 together. It looked like Lambert might me the officer involved in the situation my frend had alerted me about.
I told Linda what I knew and asked her to not repeat any of it, because it was really circumstantial and we had no facts to go on.
I took her back to work and went home for a while.
I phone my tipster friend and gave him the name we believed was connected to the situation.
I learned U.S. 40 was blocked off near C.R. 675 W.
Back at work, we were able to verify two-way radio traffic heard by a colleague that indicated school children weren't allowed to go home.
I called the sheriff and verified there was a situation involving a deputy, but that was all he could say.
It is interesting that at no time Friday until the situation ended peacefully after midnight did the authorities release Lambert's name. Yet some media ran with it any way.
Our company has been sued for getting a name wrong in the public record. It wasn't our paper, but I remembered that. I guess some media just don't care about libel issues.
I sent one of our reporters to take pictures, if he could get close enough. He came back and was unable to get anything.
I began updating our Web site, http://www.thebraziltimes.com, as soon as the sheriff verified a situation existed.
The reporter who spoke with Lambert on the phone called me back after 2 p.m. and immediately went to the scene when she found out what was going on.
As she called in reports, I updated our Web site and stayed in touch with The Associated Press in Indianapolis.
ON Monday I found out through our reporter that the TV stations and newspapers covering the standoff (not a hostage situation) were watching our Web site for updates. Really cool! We were feeding information to the other media.
We found this out through a person who was sending reports to the Fox news network. He promised to give us credit for anythign we shared with them. I doubt the other media (except The Associated Press) did so.
We had to put the Saturday paper to bed at 11:35 p.m. Friday. Within an hour, Lambert gave himself up and was taken into custody.
This is going to be an ongoing story and I hope you follow it at our Web site, http://www.thebraziltimes.com.

Duke Energy committing $2.5 million for clean coal research

2006-09-10T20:15:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Duke Energy, the company that recently merged with Cinergy/PSI, the electric company in Brazil and many Indiana communities, is investing $2.5 million in clean coal research. The money will be spent over the next five years, to be given to the Indiana Center for Coal Technological Research at Purdue University, according to information from the company. Duke will give the center $500,000 a year.
The center, created in 2002 by the Indiana General assembly, supports research into technologies that can use Indiana coal in a way that is environmentally and economically sound.
It is not yet clear what impact the study will have on Clay County coal.
“The development of new coal technologies is a critical component in our state’s economic engine,” said Indiana Utility Consumer Counselor Susan L. Macey. “Indiana will benefit greatly from Purdue’s research – both in the short-term and in generations to come.”
The funds are part of a merger-related agreement reached in December 2005, with the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), the staff of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) and the PSI Industrial Group.
Indiana state regulators approved the agreement in March and Cinergy and Duke Energy completed their merger in April.
Duke customers in Indiana are also receiving $40 million in rate credits. Customers started receiving those credits in June.
“The combination of customer rate credits and a contribution to this worthy fund helps get our merger off to the right start,” said Duke Energy Indiana President Kay Pashos. “Because of merger savings and benefits, we expect future customer rates to be about 3 percent lower than they would have been without the merger.”

Thomas resigns 44th District seat, joins attorney general's office

2006-09-01T20:14:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
State Rep. Andy Thomas (R-Brazil) has a new job. He now works for Indiana Attorney Gen. Steve Carter.
He resigned his seat in the General Assembly Thursday to become a deputy attorney general serving in the Administrative and Regulatory Litigation Division of the Indiana Attorney General’s office. The announcement was made Thursday afternoon.
The Associated Press reported Friday Thomas will be paid $52,000 in the new position.
Thomas and Indiana Attorney Gen. Steve Carter were interviewed at The Brazil Times office.
Thomas will focus on issues concerning the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), though he may be asked to work on other issues as well, Carter said.
Carter anticipates litigation with FSSA providers as Gov. Mitch Daniels works to change Indiana’s system.
“The state’s largest agency has a lot of litigation,” Carter said. “It is really helpful to have legal counsel with a background, not only in respect to laws, but to have someone who has talked to people in his community.”
Carter appreciates the perspective Thomas can offer to state policymakers.
There are 120 attorneys in the state attorney general’s office, Carter said. About half of those lawyers deal with litigation and about 10 will be working with Thomas from time-to-time on FSSA matters, Carter said.
The state attorney general is confident Thomas can do the job, pointing to his 19 years in private practice.
Shortly after Thomas announced his decision to not seek re-election, Gov. Mitch Daniels told The Brazil Times he had looked forward to Thomas’s continued partnership in the Indiana General Assembly and he hoped Thomas would find a place of public service in the future. But the governor did not contact either Thomas or Carter.
Instead, Thomas’s new boss read about his decision to not seek re-election and wanted to talk to him. Carter tries to identify “talented people” outside of Marion County to improve the mix of attorneys in his office.
“I think (Thomas) will be pretty impressed with the group we have,” Carter said. “We’re excited about it.”
Thomas is “very excited” about being recruited by the state attorney general.
“I respect the job (Carter’s) doing in several areas,” Thomas said. “I want to help out as I can.”
Thomas, too, is confident he has the experience needed to do assist Carter.
In addition to being a lifelong resident of Clay County, Thomas worked in the Indiana Attorney General’s office, in consumer protection, while in Valparaiso University School of Law “and loved it.” Since 2002 he has served District 44 as state representative. Earlier this year, he decided to not seek re-election, citing his desire to spend more time with his family.

Letters from Iraq: What it's like over there

2006-08-30T14:34:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
For two months, The Brazil Times has been printing letters from Iraq by Monte Porter, a Brazil native, who is serving in the National Guard in Iraq.
Monte’s father, Randy Porter, of Brazil, told The Brazil Times Monte is having difficulty sending e-mail from Iraq due to the war, but Monte is all right and has nine months left on his tour of duty before he is scheduled to return to the United States.
Randy has not received any e-mails from Monte for more than 30 days because, “his service has been blown up or cut almost as fast as it is repaired,” Randy said.
Monte has been in touch with his brother who works for the Department of Defense in Kansas City through secure lines or satellite phone.
“All seems OK,” Randy said. Monte reports he is, “working 18-hour days and temperature is extreme — 144 to 150 degrees during the day down to 110-120 degrees at night.”
In his last letter, published in The Brazil Times, Monte told the story of a young man killed in the line of duty and how that death impacted him and his fellow soldiers. He has seen at least two more soldiers killed since he arrived in Iraq.
Monte’s unit “has restrictions on returning or engaging the enemy,” Randy said. “Then, again, they don’t know who the enemy is since one day they are friendly and the next day they are hostile.”
Monte tells his family they are losing two or three vehicles a day due to hostile fire.
Randy also relays Monte’s appreciation for the support and e-mails Monte is getting from home.
The Brazil Times will publish more of Monte’s letters from Iraq as soon as they are available.
For Monte’s e-mail address or more information, call Randy Porter, 448-8758.

Too many billboards?

2006-08-26T08:58:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Tuesday night, City Councilman Martin Beasley asked the council to consider the number of billboards in downtown Brazil. He has had calls concerning them.
Mayor Tom Arthur concurred, saying he had also received calls.
One sign at the site of the new Walgreens building on National Avenue was removed only to be replaced by one twice as large as the first.
It was suggested during the brief discussion the city would not eliminate billboards downtown, but control the number and size.
“We don’t want to limit income people are receiving for the signs,” said Councilman Beasley.
“But I doubt any of them are getting rich from the signs,” said the mayor.

Congressman speaks on energy, Middle East during Brazil stop

2006-08-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

U.S. Congressman John Hostettler (Ind. 8th District) spoke to about 40 Rotarians Wednesday at the Brazil Family Restaurant.
The congressman updated the group on the immigration debate, contrasting solutions considered by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives; high energy prices; the need to prevent a tax increase; and the situation in the Middle East.
After the meeting, Hostettler said he would like to participate in the candidates’ forum on Oct. 9, at 6 p.m., at the Clay County Fairgrounds, but was waiting to see when Congress recesses. Hostettler’s opponent, Brad Ellsworth, has not yet confirmed his plans, either.
Sheriff candidates Mike Heaton, Rob Gambill and Larry Pierce plan to attend. So do 44th District State Representative candidates Amos Thomas and Richard Thompson. Other candidates in attendance will be introduced and given two minutes to speak during the program. Watch The Brazil Times for further information.
The forum is sponsored by The Brazil Times, the Clay County Chamber of Commerce and Clay County Farm Bureau. The public is encouraged to attend.

HEAR IT NOW: Rep. John Hostettler’s speech can be heard in its entirety at:
http://mysite.verizon.net/res0x644/thebraziltimes222/

County needs to develop ethanol policy, says consultant

2006-08-19T10:25:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Clay County needs to develop a policy to decide “what you are going to do if an ethanol plant pops up,” Economic Development Specialist Jim Coffenberry told the Clay County Economic Redevelopment Commission Wednesday.
An unnamed group at Clay City is interested in starting an ethanol or biodiesel operation if they can received help and State Sen. John Waterman is interested, Coffenberry said.
Biodiesel may be more feasible for Clay County than ethanol, he said.
A big problem with ethanol is the cost of production and distribution, Coffenberry said.
Usually, the corn waste product from ethanol manufacturing is used as a cattle feed, therefore ethanol plants should be located near cattle operations to minimize transportation costs.
The current process of producing ethanol destroys much of the nutrient value of the corn by-product through distillation, said commission member Brian Wyndham. If more of the nutrients can be saved, it’s possible the corn residue could be sold for more money. Until value is added to the ethanol process, it won’t be economically feasible, Wyndham said.
Ethanol is 85 percent of the E-85 fuel becoming available at gas stations. Only engines made to use E-85 can burn that fuel.

Navistar grand opening is Friday

2006-08-19T10:24:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Navistar’s new operation will have its grand opening Friday at 11 a.m.
The building occupies the former Red Bird Garage location near the I-70 and S.R. 59 interchange.
Navistar’s property acquisition was made possible in part by infrastructure improvements to the area made with tax increment financing (TIF), said Jim Coffenberry, economic development specialist with West Central Indiana Economic Development District Inc., at Wednesday’s meeting of the Clay County Economic Redevelopment Commission meeting at the courthouse.
Because of tax captured from Navistar, “We’ll have more to invest as time goes on, if anyone is interested in developing the area,” Coffenberry said.
A TIF district captures tax money and uses it to improve the district.
“We can do more infrastructure improvements as needed,” he said.

International Service Center opens

2006-08-19T10:22:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
Clay County has a new repair facility for trucks and buses.
Wiers International had a grand opening Friday at its new location, on the frontage road, just north of the I-70 and S.R. 59 interchange, across from Tonus Home Sales.
The dealership will handle International parts. The dealership was moved from its Terre Haute location, where it sold International Navistar trucks, to Brazil under the ownership of Tom Wiers. Wiers also owns nine other International dealerships in Michigan and Indiana.
“Navistar is to International, what Chevrolet is to General Motors,” he explained.
The business will be open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
It opened Aug. 4, International spokesperson Patti Jelen said.
There are eight bays in the garage, remodeled after it was purchased from Red Bird.
Among those participating in the ribbon cutting were Wiers, Clay County Economic Redevelopment Commission members Jack Braden, Brian Wyndham, Mary Jo Alumbaugh and Jan Howell, Mayor Tom Arthur and Clay County Commissioner Charlie Brown.

Dierdorf wins Grand Champion Meat Pen at state fair

2006-08-10T14:23:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
They are like three peas in a pod with nearly perfect fur and lots of meat on their bones.
What are they? They are rabbits raised and selected for a rabbit meat pen entry that not only made it to the Indiana State Fair, but were selected as the Grand Champion Meat Pen on Tuesday.
The proud owner is Joey Dierdorf, son of Joe and Diane Dierdorf of Clay County.
“I was shocked,” Joe said Thursday morning in a telephone interview on his way back to the state fair. “I didn’t know what to say. I was so happy.”
In recent years, the Grand Champion Meat Pen has brought $4,250-$5,000, Joey’s father, Joe Dierdorf, said. The record is around $15,000.
Dad plans to encourage bidding by calling the various manufacturers that contributed to the winning rabbits’ growth — such as the company that manufactured the feed used by Joey Dierdorf.
“It’s good advertising for them,” Joe said.
He hopes that with a heads up, the manufacturers will work to outbid one another and drive up the price of Joey’s meat pen.
Joey plans to buy another goat (which he also raises) or put the money from the auction into his college fund.
It’s hard to say who is more excited — Joey or his father.
“It’s probably the most exciting thing I’ve ever gone through,” Dad said.
The rabbit meat pen consists of three rabbits, 3-5 pounds each, not over 70 days old.
The pen is judged on meat, uniformity of weight and the appearance of the rabbits’ fur.
“You have to breed the bucks to the does (rabbits) and pick out the three from the litter that are the most alike,” Dad said Thursday. “It’s an art. The biggest thing is luck.”
Joey picked the three rabbits for his meat pen Tuesday.
The hot weather did not facilitate raising rabbits this summer. The animals did not eat as much as they usually would and that meant there was less nutrition than normal.
There were 42 meat pen entries Wednesday. Each rabbit in each pen has to be weighed and examined individually as well as together by the judge. Judging began at 9:15 a.m. and concluded at 12:30 p.m.

Hospital opening free clinic

2006-08-09T18:29:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
St. Vincent Clay Hospital is opening a free community health clinic for people without health insurance.
Appointments are encouraged. Residents should call Michelle Arnold, 442-2741, for more information.
The clinic has grown out of community programs such as “Cover the Uninsured Week” and the “Poverty Experience,” according to Andrea Baysinger, RN, BSN, with the hospital.
“It is through these experiences and efforts that a common need was recognized ... the need for health care for the uninsured,” she wrote in a recent press release.
The hospital has established the community Health Access Worker position and the Medication Data System to enhance the hospital’s ability to serve those in need.
The free clinic is called the St. Vincent Oak Park Clinic because the original Clay County Hospital was built in 1928 on a wooded tract of land called Oak Park, Baysinger said.
Appointments are being made for the free clinic on Monday, Aug. 28, 8 a.m.-noon.
Patients age 18 and older will be treated. Proof of household income and identification are required.

"Great Times," Chapter 30

2006-08-06T17:19:00.000-04:00

Copyright 2006, Terry F. Phillips Sr.
All rights reserved.

Chapter 30
As things worked out, Howard wasn’t interested in any stories about why or how they disappeared from the train between New Mexico and Los Angeles. They were young people, and he assumed, they found ways of passing the time he needn’t know anything about.
“We do think you need to press on with your television plans,” Ted said.
“You do?” Howard said, not really believing him.
“Yes, we do,” Connie said.
“Well, I’m not so sure,” Howard said. “Instead of waiting on you two, I went ahead and talked to some of my contacts in the movie industry. They are discouraging the idea. They claim they will fight the widespread growth of the television industry. They say they learned their lesson when radio came along and offered live entertainment inside the home.”
“What about ‘Time For Beany’?” Ted asked.
He thought a minute. What was that string of words Smith had used? Color TV? Nothing there. Satellite TV. Hmm.
Ted strained to think what the word meant. He would have to think back to his high school science class for the answer.
Finally, it occurred to him - satellite. One body floating around another. The moon is a satellite of the earth.
Sadly, he could think of no way to connect the moon with what little he had seen and heard about television.
Another tact would be necessary. But, Connie was ahead of him.
“Of course the motion picture studios will try to discourage television,” she said. “They will never allow new movies to be shown on TV. TV is black and white and many of the best movies are made in color.
“But, what about some of the older pictures, some of the older sound pictures?”
She thought of her brothers who spent so many Saturdays at the local movie house.
“What about those old black and white serials? You know, Buck Rogers and the others.”
Ted picked up her line of thought.
“Sure,” he said. “And, what about the old westerns? No movie house shows them any more. Maybe they could be packaged for TV.”
Howard, who felt like a sucker for their youthful enthusiasm, was caught up in it nevertheless.
“That is an avenue to explore,” he said.
“Well, I can’t afford to build a TV station right now,” he said. “It’s going to take more capitol than I realized. I’m about ready to go home. How about you two?”
Ted and Connie were surprised by the statement. They anticipated being in California longer than this!
“We thought we might be able to do a little sight-seeing while we were here, Mr. Howard,” Connie said.
“And you could have, young lady, if you hadn’t spent so much time off the train! I’ve been here for a week and a half. I have conducted my business and done all the sightseeing I care to do.
“Now, I plan to be on the train at 8 a.m. tomorrow. If you two plan to work for me in the future, you will be on the train, too! Now, good night!”
There was nothing left but to leave Howard’s room.
“I guess we better make the most of tonight,” Ted said.
“I suppose,” Connie replied. “But, I certainly don’t feel like going out. Not after what happened the night we arrived with Mr. Howard - you know, the first time.”
The two had stopped walking. They were in front of Connie’s room.
Ted looked into her eyes and, finding the courage he had lacked since he met her, he took her in his arms and kissed her lips.
“Oh, Ted,” she said, when he let her go. She handed him her room key and said, “Let’s make the most of tonight!”

'Heeeeere's Mel!'

2006-08-05T19:42:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
“Heeeere’s Mel!”
Mel Brown is getting comfortable on the stage as a stand-up comedian.
The Brazil man is used to speaking in public — he is working on some seminar material and he wants to develop a humorous, after-dinner speech.
So, he found himself on stage at Crackers Comedy Club in Broad Ripple last March.
“I’ve wanted to do this for years,” he said. “I finally decided, ‘Either do it or don’t!’”
The club gives first-timers three minutes and six minutes their second trip to the mike.
“I got some applause my first time,” he said. “They told me, ‘Amateurs never get applause,’ so I guess I did all right. It was kinda scary to be in front of the lights.”
The second time Mel performed, he was on stage six minutes (”It felt like forever,” he said.) but he felt hurried and his timing was off. No applause that time.
The audience reaction mystifies Mel.
Sometimes he uses material he thinks is really funny but the audience doesn’t laugh. Other times he uses materials that he thinks is only so-so, but the audience laughs.
“Then you think, ‘Why are they laughing?’” he said.
Mel is planning to go back to Crackers in September.

Candidates invited to forum

2006-08-05T19:41:00.000-04:00

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
The Brazil Times, Clay County Farm Bureau and the Clay County Chamber of Commerce are planning a candidate’s forum on Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. at the 4-H Fairgrounds on S.R. 59 south of Brazil.
We have invited 8th District Congressional candidates John Hostettler and Brad Ellsworth, 44th District State Representative candidates Amos Thomas and Richard Thompson and Clay County Sheriff candidates Mike Heaton, Rob Gambill and Larry Pierce to participate in one-hour question-and-answer sessions.
Other candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot in Clay County will be given two minutes each to introduce themselves. The public is urged to attend.
Candidates are asked to RSVP to Editor, The Brazil Times, 100 N. Meridian St. Brazil, IN 47834 or by e-mail to news@thebraziltimes.com or by phone to (812) 446-2216, ext. 231 as soon as possible.
All candidates are also invited to submit an article introducing themselves “in their own words” with a photo of their choice. Articles will be published in the order received, up to one week before the Nov. 7 general election.

Fritz Maurer wants to serve as 44th District state representative

2006-08-05T19:40:00.000-04:00

Fritz Maurer wants to serve 44th District as state representative

By FRANK PHILLIPS
frankphi@hotmail.com
A Brazil pharmacist has spent his adult life serving the medical needs of people, now he wants to expand that service by being elected to the Indiana General Assembly.
“I have been a public servant for 33 years, but not a political public servant,” Fritz Maurer said during a campaign visit to The Brazil Times. “I’m going to take another step forward and go into political public service.”
On Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Putnam County Courthouse Annex, Greencastle, Maurer and other hopefuls will be considered by Republican leaders for a spot on the Nov. 7 ballot vacated by 44th District Rep. Andy Thomas.
Maurer is not new to the inner workings of Indiana politics at the state level.
For nine years Maurer lobbied for patient and healthcare rights at the statehouse. He is the past president and a current board member of Community Pharmacies of Indiana.
There are four points that come to mind when he is asked about that service.
The first bill he lobbied for was to recognize pharmacists as health care providers in the eyes of government.
He also supports the right of patients to obtain medicines at the pharmacy of their choice and the right of patients to purchase a three-month supply of prescription medicine from their local pharmacist. People have been able to buy a three-month supply over the Internet for years. The insurance industry’s rules have often prevented such local purchases, Maurer said.
Fritz has also attended a committee meeting and offered advice in support of a State bill to limit the purchase of over the counter medicines used to make Methamphetamine. He also advised Judge Blaine Akers on the subject.
Maurer is a worship leader and is on the pastor-parish committee of Harmony United Methodist Church.
He doesn’t want to change his values, but realizes a state representative must compromise with other representatives to accomplish good for the state’s residents.
Fritz said pharmacists are in the top three most trusted professions in America and a person has to be honest and honorable to be trusted.
Maurer thinks education and using the Major Moves interest income will be hot topics in coming years.
“I would like to put some common sense back into paperwork for teachers,” he said.
Maurer believes teachers should have more time to teach and that means reducing the burden of paperwork now required.
He would also like to be in a position to hold the state accountable for the money entrusted to legislators. He is particularly interested in getting the most benefit from the money accrued from the Indiana Toll Road lease, better known as Major Moves.
He thinks he knows what is important because, “I’m out there in business every day, working with the folks who are trying to get through life.”
Fritz graduated from Brazil High School in 1968 and from Purdue University in 1973.
In July 2005, he sold his Brazil pharmacy and converted the business into a Wellness Center, concentrating on helping people through natural medicine, a concept, “to work with people’s bodies to get them well instead of working against the body as most prescription medicines do,” he said.
By selling his pharmacy, Maurer has time to run and serve in state government, he said.
In May, 2002, he received certification in Clinical Nutrition and became a Doctor of Natural Medicine in October, 2004, at the Pan-American Institute of BioEnergetic & Naturopathic Medicine, Nevis, West Indies.
He and wife, Judy, have four children, Elisha (Ryan) London, Mitch, Marc and Michael; and a granddaughter, Ella Grace London, 2 months old. The Maurers have been married 30 years.
“I’ve served you as a pharmacist,” he said. “I would like to serve you as a state legislator.”

"Great Times," Chapter 29

2006-08-05T09:46:00.000-04:00

Copyright 2006, Terry F. Phillips Sr.
All rights reserved.

Chapter 29

After making preparations, Ted and Connie were placed in hospital beds and their arms were affixed to what appeared to be futuristic intravenous tubes.
Soon, injections were made to relax their bodies for the return trip to 1947.
They would be placed at the scene of the crash, just moments before the mechanical time machine appeared.
Once again, Ted and Connie smelled cinnamon as they awoke in the outdoors of the Brazel ranch.
This time, they were partially hidden in some of the natural scenery of the crash site.
Shortly after they awoke, Ted began to hear a sound that seemed to be between a while and a “whoosh.” Looking to the horizon, he saw the craft flying overhead and, in his mind’s eye, could imagine the look of horror on the faces of the travelers inside the machine.
Then he saw the crash, the flames and heard the accompanying roar.
“Ted, let’s see if we can help!” Connie said, jumping to her feet.
But, Ted pulled her down.
“Remember, we can’t change history. The crash victims have to be found and removed. Our job will be to find the living member of the travelers and inject him with the serum. Hopefully, his own people will be able to find him by the homing beacon they gave me and pull him back to his own time.”
“I just hope the trip doesn’t kill him,” Connie said, rubbing her head. “It is definitely not a comfortable feeling. I’ll take the train club car any day.”
Ted and Connie stayed out of sight, but managed to watch the ambulance as it made its way to the crash scene.
Ted and Connie were wearing “antique” medical uniforms of 1947 that were supplied by Smith and Phillips. They wandered into the area as medical personnel pulled bodies from the wrecked aircraft.
“What do you make of this?” one asked.
Another commented on the odd appearance of the faces and bodies.
“We’ll take over now,” Ted said, indicating Connie. “Dr. Smith and Nurse Jane Peters. We came out before you people arrived on the scene.”
The medic shrugged and went off to help another crew. Ted and Connie crawled into the ambulance with the “alien” bodies shortly before the ambulance took off, bumping across the sun-baked earth.
A hastily set up morgue was located in Roswell. There, the bodies were unloaded and Ted and Connie carefully made their way among the time travelers’ bodies, looking for the one with a sign of life.
On the third try, they found one still breathing, though barely.
“This is him - or her,” Ted said.
For the first time he got a good look at the future representatives of the human race and it did not much please him.
“I don’t know what our next generation is going to do, but I hope they learn something from our generation and our forbears,” he whispered.
Looking about the room, Ted pulled the homing device from his pocket and placed it next to the thin, frail person laying before him.
Then he pulled a syringe from beneath his white medical frock and injected its contents into the traveler.
Quickly, he and Connie left the room and the building.
Outside, they doffed their medical apparel and made their way to the nearest bus station, all according to plan.
“I do hope he makes it to his own time,” Connie said. “Though saying so sounds very odd.”
"I just hope he is one of Eddie's buddies and not one of the aliens, or we may changing the future.
“But, yes, now if we can get to Los Angeles and catch up with Howard, we’ll be all set,” Ted added. “We have to work up a cover story as to what happened and why we weren’t on the train with him when it arrived in L.A.”.