B. I. News on the 'Net, January 25-February 7, 2021
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 7, 2021
...and all of a sudden it's Super Bowl Sunday. Lots to do in preparation as I don't plan on cooking dinner tonight. This is our annual graze through appetizers dinner while glued to the television. With our cold weather, it's a good place to land for the evening. This is not a good day/night for a beach party!
Right now we have cloudy skies, 5°, feels like -12°, wind is from the west at 12 mph with gusts to 20 mph, humidity is at 72%, dew point is -2°, pressure is 29.94 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 4,900 feet. Today: Mostly cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 11F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight: Mainly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low around 5F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
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ON THIS DAY, on February 7, 1775, in London, England, Benjamin Franklin publishes "An Imaginary Speech" in defense of American courage.
Franklin’s speech was intended to counter an unnamed officer’s comments to Parliament that the British need not fear the colonial rebels, because “Americans are unequal to the People of this Country [Britain] in Devotion to Women, and in Courage, and worse than all, they are religious.”
Franklin responded to the three-pronged critique with his usual wit and acuity. Noting that the colonial population had increased while the British population had declined, Franklin concluded that American men must therefore be more “effectually devoted to the Fair Sex” than their British brethren.
As for American courage, Franklin relayed a history of the Seven Years’ War in which the colonial militia forever saved blundering British regulars from strategic error and cowardice. With poetic flare, Franklin declared, “Indiscriminate Accusations against the Absent are cowardly Calumnies.” In truth, the colonial militias were notoriously undisciplined and ineffective at the beginning of the Seven Years’ War. New Englanders, unused to taking orders and unfamiliar with the necessary elements of military life, brought illness upon themselves when they refused to build latrines and were sickened by their own sewage. During the American Revolution, Washington repeated many of the same complaints spoken by British officers when he attempted to organize American farmers into an effective army.
With regard to religion, Franklin overcame his own distaste for the devout and reminded his readers that it was "Zealous Puritans that had rid Britain of the despised King Charles I." Franklin surmised that his critic was a Stuart [i.e. Catholic] sympathizer, and therefore disliked American Protestants, “who inherit from those Ancestors, not only the same Religion, but the same Love of Liberty and Spirit.”
7 Events That Enraged Colonists and Led to the American Revolution
PATRICK J. KIGER
The American colonists’ breakup with the British Empire in 1776 wasn’t a sudden, impetuous act. Instead, the banding together of the 13 colonies to fight and win a war of independence against the Crown was the culmination of a series of events, which had begun more than a decade earlier. Escalations began shortly after the end of the French and Indian War—known elsewhere as the Seven Years War in 1763. Here are a few of the pivotal moments that led to the American Revolution.
1. The Stamp Act (March 1765)
To recoup some of the massive debt left over from the war with France, Parliament passed laws such as the Stamp Act, which for the first time taxed a wide range of transactions in the colonies.
“Up until then, each colony had its own government which decided which taxes they would have, and collected them,” explains Willard Sterne Randall, a professor emeritus of history at Champlain College and author of numerous works on early American history, including Unshackling America: How the War of 1812 Truly Ended the American Revolution. “They felt that they’d spent a lot of blood and treasure to protect the colonists from the Indians, and so they should pay their share.”
The colonists didn’t see it that way. They resented not only having to buy goods from the British but pay tax on them as well. “The tax never got collected, because there were riots all over the pace,” Randall says. Ultimately, Benjamin Franklin convinced the British to rescind it, but that only made things worse. “That made the Americans think they could push back against anything the British wanted,” Randall says.
2. The Townshend Acts (June-July 1767)
Parliament again tried to assert its authority by passing legislation to tax goods that the Americans imported from Great Britain. The Crown established a board of customs commissioners to stop smuggling and corruption among local officials in the colonies, who were often in on the illicit trade.
Americans struck back by organizing a boycott of the British goods that were subject to taxation, and began harassing the British customs commissioners. In an effort to quell the resistance, the British sent troops to occupy Boston, which only deepened the ill feeling.
READ MORE: The Townshend Acts
3. The Boston Massacre (March 1770)
Simmering tensions between the British occupiers and Boston residents boiled over one late afternoon, when a disagreement between an apprentice wigmaker and a British soldier led to a crowd of 200 colonists surrounding seven British troops. When the Americans began taunting the British and throwing things at them, the soldiers apparently lost their cool and began firing into the crowd.
As the smoke cleared, three men—including an African American sailor named Crispus Attucks—were dead, and two others were mortally wounded. The massacre became a useful propaganda tool for the colonists, especially after Paul Revere distributed an engraving that misleadingly depicted the British as the aggressors.
4. The Boston Tea Party (December 1773)
The British eventually withdrew their forces from Boston and repealed much of the onerous Townshend legislation. But they left in place the tax on tea, and in 1773 enacted a new law, the Tea Act, to prop up the financially struggling British East India Company. The act gave the company extended favorable treatment under tax regulations, so that it could sell tea at a price that undercut the American merchants who imported from Dutch traders.
That didn’t sit well with Americans. “They didn’t want the British telling them that they had to buy their tea, but it wasn’t just about that,” Randall explains. “The Americans wanted to be able to trade with any country they wanted.”
The Sons of Liberty, a radical group, decided to confront the British head-on. Thinly disguised as Mohawks, they boarded three ships in Boston harbor and destroyed more than 92,000 pounds of British tea by dumping it into the harbor. To make the point that they were rebels rather than vandals, they avoided harming any of the crew or damaging the ships themselves, and the next day even replaced a padlock that had been broken.
Nevertheless, the act of defiance “really ticked off the British government,” Randall explains. “Many of the East India Company’s shareholders were members of Parliament. They each had paid 1,000 pounds sterling—that would probably be about a million dollars now—for a share of the company, to get a piece of the action from all this tea that they were going to force down the colonists’ throats. So when these bottom-of-the-rung people in Boston destroyed their tea, that was a serious thing to them.”
5. The Coercive Acts (March-June 1774)
In response to the Boston Tea Party, the British government decided that it had to tame the rebellious colonists in Massachusetts. In the spring of 1774, Parliament passed a series of laws, the Coercive Acts, which closed Boston Harbor until restitution was paid for the destroyed tea, replaced the colony’s elected council with one appointed by the British, gave sweeping powers to the British military governor General Thomas Gage, and forbade town meetings without approval.
Yet another provision protected British colonial officials who were charged with capital offenses from being tried in Massachusetts, instead requiring that they be sent to another colony or back to Great Britain for trial.
But perhaps the most provocative provision was the Quartering Act, which allowed British military officials to demand accommodations for their troops in unoccupied houses and buildings in towns, rather than having to stay out in the countryside. While it didn’t force the colonists to board troops in their own homes, they had to pay for the expense of housing and feeding the soldiers. The quartering of troops eventually became one of the grievances cited in the Declaration of Independence.
6. Lexington and Concord (April 1775)
British General Thomas Gage led a force of British soldiers from Boston to Lexington, where he planned to capture colonial radical leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock, and then head to Concord and seize their gunpowder. But American spies got wind of the plan, and with the help of riders such as Paul Revere, word spread to be ready for the British.
On the Lexington Common, the British force was confronted by 77 American militiamen, and they began shooting at each other. Seven Americans died, but other militiamen managed to stop the British at Concord, and continued to harass them on their retreat back to Boston.
The British lost 73 dead, with another 174 wounded and 26 missing in action. The bloody encounter proved to the British that the colonists were fearsome foes who had to be taken seriously. It was the start of America’s war of independence.
7. British attacks on coastal towns (October 1775-January 1776)
Though the Revolutionary War’s hostilities started with Lexington and Concord, Randall says that at the start, it was unclear whether the southern colonies, whose interests didn’t necessarily align with the northern colonies, would be all in for a war of independence.
“The southerners were totally dependent upon the English to buy their crops, and they didn’t trust the Yankees,” he explains. “And in New England, the Puritans thought the southerners were lazy.”
But that was before the brutal British naval bombardments and burning of the coastal towns of Falmouth, Massachusetts and Norfolk, Virginia helped to unify the colonies. In Falmouth, where townspeople had to grab their possessions and flee for their lives, northerners had to face up to “the fear that the British would do whatever they wanted to them,” Randall says.
As historian Holger Hoock has written, the burning of Falmouth shocked General George Washington, who denounced it as “exceeding in barbarity & cruelty every hostile act practiced among civilized nations.”
Similarly, in Norfolk, the horror of the town’s wooden buildings going up in flames after a seven-hour naval bombardment shocked the southerners, who also knew that the British were offering African Americans their freedom if they took up arms on the loyalist side. “Norfolk stirred up fears of a slave insurrection in the South,” Randall says.
Leaders of the rebellion seized the burnings of the two ports to make the argument that the colonists needed to band together for survival against a ruthless enemy and embrace the need for independence—a spirit that ultimately would lead to their victory. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW that today is National Periodic Table Day?
On February 7th, National Periodic Table Day recognizes the publication of the first table of elements. We also take a look at how the periodic table has changed through the years.
The periodic table has a long history. It and the discovery of elements impacted science in many ways. Ancient man only knew of few elements. However, by the 1st century A.D., mankind knew about the elements of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, tin, mercury, sulfur, and carbon. Over time, we added arsenic, antimony, phosphorus, and zinc to our discoveries. By 1809, there were 47 discovered elements. It was time to organize, and Johann Döbereiner made one of the earliest attempts to do that. He organized the elements in 1817 into groups of three, or triads, based on similar qualities.
John Newlands
On February 7, 1863, English chemist John Newlands published one of the first table of elements. Newlands divided the known 56 elements into 11 groups based on the “Law of Octaves.” His table suggested that anyone element will have similar properties to elements eight places before and behind it on the table.
Arranging the elements according to increasing atomic weight, Newlands was one of the first scientists to detect a pattern to the properties of elements. As a result, his table left room for new discoveries. It even predicted future discoveries would complete the table. In fact, Newlands correctly predicted the discovery of Germanium.
Future Discoveries
While parts of Newlands’ periodic table contained flaws, so did other later proposed tables. In 1869, chemist Dimitri Mendeleev published a paper developing a new periodic table. Mendeleev’s table also arranged the elements based on atomic mass. By this time, only 60 of the over 100 elements we know today were discovered.
As on previous tables, inaccuracies were attributed to some of those elements. While Mendeleev corrected some of these inaccuracies, he didn’t correct them all. Mendeleev made assumptions about others causing elements to be placed incorrectly on the table. Like Newlands, Mendeleev also predicted discoveries, and he correctly predicted the properties of five elements and their compounds.
The discoveries throughout Scot William Ramsay’s career from 1892 to 1910, along with John William Strutt, Morris Travers, and Frederick Soddy led to the identification of the noble gasses. In 1904, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Ramsay for discovering five elements.
Henry Moseley
Henry Moseley, an experimental physicist, contributed to the development of the modern periodic table. In 1913, Moseley discovered that each element has a specific number of protons. As a result, four new chemical elements were later found, though not during his lifetime.
Since the early 20th century, the periodic table remains largely unchanged. However, the 21st century is still young. Some researchers suggest new approaches to the periodic table while maintaining its integrity as one of the most valuable tools in the science of chemistry. The current table tallies a total of 118 elements. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY ragamuffin (RAG-uh-muf-in) which means: a ragged often disreputable person; especially : a poorly clothed often dirty child. If you've guessed that rag or ragged is related to ragamuffin, you may be correct, but the origins of the word are somewhat murky. In Middle English, ragamuffin functioned both as a surname and generically to denote a ragged (and sometimes stupid) person, and in the Middle English alliterative poem Piers Plowman William Langland used the word to serve as the name of a demon. The muffin part of ragamuffin may have its origin in either of two Anglo-Norman words for a devil or scoundrel, but that too is uncertain. No matter its muddied history—the word has continued to develop in modern times. It can also refer to a type of music with rap lyrics and a reggae beat. (merriam-webster.com)
Denial
by Cindy Ricksgers
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 6, 2021
Ever get little snippets of memories? Happened to me the other day several times. Flying over the harbor with it's polished, sheen of clear ice - reminder of childhood days and skating there. Mike and Rose Martin getting married last weekend - reminder of Mike sitting on the old school steps and crying because Buddy could go to school and he wasn't old enough. Ruthie talking about feeding the deer and turkey - reminder of the time she trapped a chipmunk in a birdcage to have a new pet (she let it go when it went nuts in the cage. The list goes on and on and the memories flow in and out like a tide.
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Cloudy skies this morning, it's 11°, feels like -14° (explains why the little guys only took a split second to pee), wind is from the west at 21 mph with gusts to 33 mph, humidity is at 69%, dew point is 3°, pressure is rising from 29.62 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 5 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 3,000 feet. Today: Cloudy skies. Windy this morning. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High around 15F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 4F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
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ON THIS DAY, February 6, 1891, the Dalton Gang commits its first train robbery.
The members of the Dalton Gang stage an unsuccessful train robbery near Alila, California–an inauspicious beginning to their careers as serious criminals.
Bob, Emmett, and Grat Dalton were only three of Lewis and Adeleine Dalton’s 10 sons. The brothers grew up on a succession of Oklahoma and Kansas homesteads during the post-Civil War period, when the region was awash in violence lingering from the war and notorious outlaw bands like the James-Younger Gang. Still, the majority of the Dalton boys became law-abiding citizens, and one of the older brothers, Frank, served as a deputy U.S. marshal.
Ironically, Frank’s position in law enforcement brought his younger brothers into lives of crime. When Oklahoma whiskey runners murdered Frank in 1887, Grat took Frank’s place as a deputy marshal and recruited Emmett and Bob as assistants. Disillusioned by the fate of their older law-abiding brother, the three Dalton boys showed little respect for the law and began rustling cattle and horses to supplement their income. The brothers soon began to use their official law enforcement powers for their own ends, and in 1888, they killed a man for pursuing Bob’s girlfriend.
Such gross abuses of authority did not escape attention for long. By 1890, all three men were discredited as lawmen, though they managed to escape imprisonment. Taking up with some of the same hardcore criminals they had previously sworn to bring to justice, the Daltons decided to expand their criminal operations. Bob and Grat headed to California, leaving Emmett behind in Oklahoma because they felt he was still too young for a life of serious crime. In California, they planned to link up with their brother Bill and become bank and train robbers.
The Dalton Gang’s first attempt at train robbery was a fiasco. On February 6, 1891, Bob, Grat, and Bill tried to rob a Southern Pacific train near Alila, California. While Bill kept any passengers from interfering by shooting over their heads, Bob and Grat forced the engineer to show them the location of the cash-carrying express car. When the engineer tried to slip away, one of the brothers shot him in the stomach. Finding the express car on their own, Bob and Grat demanded that the guard inside open the heavy door. The guard refused and began firing down on them from a small spy hole. Thwarted, the brothers finally gave up and rode away.
The Daltons would have done well to heed the ominous signs of that first failed robbery and seek safer pursuits. Instead, they returned to Oklahoma, reunited with young Emmett, and began robbing in earnest. A year later, the gang botched another robbery, boldly attempting to hit two Coffeyville, Kansas, banks at the same time. Townspeople caught them in the act and killed Bob, Grat, and two of their gang members. Emmett was seriously wounded and served 14 years in prison.
Of all the criminal Dalton brothers, only Emmett lived into old age. Freed from prison in 1907, he married and settled in Los Angeles, where he built a successful career in real estate and contracting. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW USS MichiganThe Washington Naval Limitation Treaty was signed. The second USS Michigan was among the American vessels decommisioned as part of the treaty. The second vessel to be christened the USS Michigan was laid down December 17, 1906 by New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, NJ; launched on May 26, 1908; and commissioned on January 4, 1910. The Michigan and its sister ship South Carolina were both assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and were the US Navy's first class of dreadnoughts. Indeed, the design of the new battleships was highly influential. The layering of the main 12" guns and the placement of all turrets on the vessel's centerline were innovations which soon became the standard battleship arrangement. In the years following its launch, the Michigan operated in the North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and along the Atlantic Coast. During the First World War, the warship escorted convoys, trained recruits, and engaged in fleet maneuvers. On August 6, 1919, the Michigan was placed in limited commission and conducted various training cruises. Finally, the second USS Michigan was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on February 11, 1922 in accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited the naval armaments of its five signatories. The treaty had been signed by the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan at Washington, DC, on February 6, 1922. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY sere (SEER) which means:
1 : being dried and withered
2 archaic : threadbare
Sere has not wandered very far from its origins—it derives from the Old English word sear, meaning "dry," which traces back to the same ancient root that gave Old High German, Greek, and Lithuanian words for drying out and withering. Several nouns sere also exist; one is an obscure nominal form of the adjective, but the others are etymologically unrelated to the adjective or to one another. The most common of the nouns is a 20th-century coinage from the Latin word series (meaning "series"), which refers to a series of ecological communities formed in ecological succession.. (merriam-webster.com)
BIRHC Board of Directors SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE
Friday, February 5, 2021 at 4:00 pm
View video of the meeting HERE
NOTICE OF MEETING TO BE HELD ELECTRONICALLY, BEAVER ISLAND RURAL HEALTH CENTER, BEAVER ISLAND, CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, MICHIGAN
To: The residents and property owners of Peaine and St. James Townships, Charlevoix County, Michigan, and any other interested parties. Please take notice that a meeting of the Beaver Island Rural Health Center Board of Directors will be held on Friday, February 5th, 2021 at 4:00pm by electronic remote access; see included agenda. Electronic remote access, in accordance with Michigan law, will be implemented in response to COVID-19 social distancing requirements and limitations on the number of individuals in a meeting hall.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CALL IN TO ATTEND THE ZOOM SPECIAL MEETING AS FOLLOWS:
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/96411283979...
Meeting ID: 964 1128 3979
Passcode: 539745 Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adHAgwFGw
Member of the Board of Directors may be contacted prior to the meeting at the following:
Frank D’Andraia, President: francisdiandraia@gmail.com
Diane McDonough, Vice President: stjamestwp.treas.bi@hotmail.com
Ed Troutman, Treasurer: beavertrout@comcast.net
Carla Martin, Secretary: martincarla254@gmail.com
Cody Randall: codyrandall21@live.com
Kate Leese: kleese@kineticscompany.com
Kellie Sopczyknski, KSopczynski@versiti.org
Laurence Birch: laurencepbirch@gmail.com
Lori Taylor-Blitz: bihistory.director@gmail.com
Beaver Island Rural Health Center Board of Directors Special Meeting to be held on Friday February 5th, 2021 at 4:00pm
I. CALL TO ORDER & CALLING THE ROLL II. ANNOUNCEMENTS
A. Restaining of the Health Center: The Health Center attorney, Joseph G, Nuyen, Jr., has been asked to review the proposed contract award to restrain shingles of the Health Center.
B. Gift: The Health Center has been designated the beneficiary of a $10,000 life insurance policy. Because the policy maturity date is more than a decade away, copies of the agreement are being given for safekeeping to the Managing Director, as well as the Treasurer for placement in their respective files. The donor is paying the premiums. III. REVISIONS to AGENDA IV. FINANCIAL
A. Approval software maintenance contract with Common Angle of Petoskey, MI (Radionoff)
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Need: The Managing Director has requested entering into a contract with Common Angle (https://commonangle.com/history/) for software/Computer IT Managed and assistance and service. The Managing Directors has indicated there are no personnel on staff with software expertise. At this time the BIRHC pays Common Angle for assistance on an as need basis and this process has not been cost effective. The current and immediate past Managing Directors have found Common Angle easy to work with, reliable and very helpful. The company is located in Petoskey, which has been another plus. Having Common Angle under contract allows the Center to move forward with the installation of the new server and the implementation of a variety of other back office and patient centered services. Common Angle has proposed a 2 year service contract costing about $14,000. The contract offer is good until 2/09/2021. Because of past performance, as well as the fact that common Angle is used by other medical organizations, the Managing Director recommended entering into contact with Common Angle. In view of the immediacy I recommend the Board authorize use of Special Project Funds to cover the Common Angle contract expenses in lieu of Federal, State or Township funds. The Bylaws require the following action regarding contracts: Article IV Contracts, Checks, Deposits and Funds 4.01 Contracts The Board of Directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the Directors present may designate any Officer or Officers, agent or agents of the corporation to enter into any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the corporation, and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances, so long as they are consistent with the policies established by resolution of the Board Request for a Motion: A motion to designate the Managing Director be authorized to enter into a service contract with Common Angle for a 2 year period at a cost not exceeding $15,000.
B. Approval moving CD funds from the TIAA Bank (Ann Arbor) to the Charlevoix State Bank Money Market Fund (Troutman) The Treasure believes it’s critical to find financial products, services, and rates that meet BIRHC needs. He has evaluated large national banks vs. local banks and credit unions, and it is his recommendation that the size and location of an institution matters. In his analysis he considered such elements as convenience; cost; services; competitive fees and rates; and community engagement/involvement, as well as his experience in working with local financial institutions. He believes moving funds from the TIAA Bank to the CSB will:
Make transactions easier, because the State Bank is locally situated and has a branch on the island;
Encourage corporate support, for the CSB is part of the local economy, and they have a history of supporting local Island organizations.
History matters, for the State Bank and the BIRHC have a long and established relationship. The Treasurer knows what to expect and who to talk to when he has questions.
An attractive offer helps, because CSB has offered the Treasurer an attractive money rate; Request for a Motion: A motion to approve the Treasurer's request to move BIRHC CD monies from the TIAA Bank (Ann Arbor) into a Charlevoix State Bank money market fund on or before December 2021.
C. Approval to move $100,000 from checking at Charlevoix State Bank to a money-market account at CSB (Troutman) The Treasurer continues to review BIRHC accounts and has been in discussions with the Charlevoix State Bank to secure a competitive CD rate for BIRHC funds currently in a checking account at the CSB. Request a Motion: Approve the moving $100,000 from a checking account at the Charlevoix State Bank into a money market account at CSB on or before March 1, 2021.
D. Approval of the Revised Budget The revised BIRHC budget was previously distributed by the Treasurer and discussed by the Board at the meeting held on 1/7/21 but a motion to approve the revision did not occur. Request a Motion: Approve the revised BIRHC budget as distributed on 1/7/21. V. POLICY
Approval Pre-Employment Background Verification Policy and Procedures (D'Andraia)
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The purpose of this policy is to adopt a best practice policy concerning Pre-Employment Background Verification
All offers of employment at Beaver Island Rural Health Center (BIRHC) are contingent upon clear results of a thorough pre-employment background verification. Background checks will be conducted on all final candidates.
Background checks will include:
● Social Security Verification: validates the applicant's Social Security number, date of birth and former addresses. Mandated by the Social Security Act, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services maintains a list of excluded individuals and entities (LEIE), also called a sanctions list, to prevent people who have committed healthcare-related crimes to work in federally-funded healthcare programs. If an employer fails to run the OIG background check and hires someone whose name is on the sanctions list, the employer could be forced to pay civil monetary penalties. The employer is also potentially at risk for safety and liability issues.
● Prior Employment Verification: confirms applicant's employment with the listed companies/organizations, including dates of employment, position held and additional information available pertaining to performance rating, reason for departure and eligibility for rehire. This verification will be run on the past two employers or the previous five years, whichever comes first.
● Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, as well as the national database called Nursys, run by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Includes verification of applicable licenses are in good standing, as well as the public record regarding disciplinary action.
● Personal and Professional References: calls will be placed to individuals listed as references by the applicant.
● Educational Verification: confirms the applicant's claimed educational institution, including the years attended and the degree/diploma received. An educational verification check, must include verification that the applicant does indeed possess a valid and appropriate Michigan certification/credentials/license as claimed.
● Drugs and Alcohol: As part of the Pre-Employment screening process, job applicants may be required to be screened for drug and alcohol use.
● Criminal History: includes review of criminal convictions and probation.
The following factors will be considered for applicants with a criminal history:
○ The nature of the crime and its relationship to the position. ○ The time since the conviction. ○ The number (if more than one) of convictions. ○ Whether hiring, transferring or promoting the applicant would pose an unreasonable risk to the BIRHC, its employees or its patients and vendors
The following additional background searches will be required if applicable to the position:
● Motor Vehicle Records: provides a report on an individual's driving history in the state requested. This search will be run when driving is an essential requirement of the position.
● Credit History: confirms candidate's credit history. This search will be run for positions that involve management/oversight of BIRHC funds and/or handling of cash or credit Cards.
Procedure
Final candidates must complete a background check authorization form (needs to be created) and return it to the Center’s Managing Director.
The Center’s Managing Director will order the background check from a Board approved service
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upon receipt of written permission from candidates. The Center’s Managing Director shall review the results and consult with the Executive Board.
In instances where negative or incomplete inforefore an offer can be made, the Center’s Managing Director and the Executive Board will assess the potential risks and liabilities related to the job's requirements and determine whether the individual should be hired. If a decision not to hire a candidate is made based on the results of a background check, there may be certain additional Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requirements that will be handled by the Center’s Managing Director in conjunction with the employment screening service (if applicable).
Background check information will be maintained in a file separate from employees' personnel files for a minimum of five years.
The BIRHC reserves the right to modify this policy at any time without notice. Request for a Motion: A motion to establish written policy (as outlined above) for conducting a Pre-Employment Background Verification Policy and Procedure for all (new) BIRHC professional positions and positions that require personnel to handle funds. The policy would go into effect March 1, 2021. VI. DISCUSSION
A. Developing written policy and procedures governing use of BIRHC condo
The purpose of the proposed policy is to establish guidelines for the use of and the charges associated with the residential condo unit controlled by the BIRHC. The intent of the policy is to ensure consistent treatment of occupancy, to establish rates, if needed, to protect the interest of the Center, to comply with IRS Business Housing guidelines, and insure the general condition, appearance, and proper maintenance of the unit is maintained.
Occupancy: The BIRHC does not routinely provide housing to employees. The Health Center does, however, provide a self-contained residence for use by candidates being interviewed for full-time professional positions at the BIRHC; offer temporary use by new employees and their families while they search for a permanent residence, enable visiting care providers and other medical personnel associated with the Health Center use of the condo when seeing patients; extend condo privileges to those contracted by BIRHC to provide professional services, such as consultants and technology/IT personnel; to put up visiting personnel stranded on the Island due to a weather emergency, and, on occasion, at the discretion of the Managing Director, accomodate a special or temporary need that may arise, and depending on the duration of the stay, a charge to cover costs, such as utility charges and the like, may be requested.
Building Condition Inspections The BIRHC is responsible for inspecting the condition of BIRHC condo before and after occupancy and on a regular basis for such matters as deferred maintenance, health, safety, and code compliance.
Charges: Charges for use of the condo beyond 30 days should take into consideration such expenses as utility, insurance, and condo fees and related expenses. Rates will be developed by BIRHC Treasurer and annually evaluated. Rates are approved by the Board. In such cases where charges apply, a signed agreement specifying the length of occupancy and agreed upon charges is recommended.
Requested Action: Referral to the Finance Committee to prepare a written policy for review and adoption by the Board NLT June 2021.
B. Developing written Purchasing Policy The purpose of this policy is to adopt a best practice policy concerning purchasing procedures used by the BIRHC. The daft below is based on the model used by Peaine Township. A similar model is used by St. James Township. 1. Purchasing Policy: The objective of the Board shall be to provide services, materials, and supplies which offer BIRHC personnel the most effective and efficient means to perform their tasks. The policy of the Board will be to acquire these at a minimum possible cost, but taking into consideration the best interest of the Health Center. 2. Cost Control:
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a. In awarding purchases or contracts for services, the following shall be considered: 1. Price including shipping costs; 2. Quality of product; c) Service, delivery and maintenance of product; 3. suitability of product; 4. Conformance to specifications; 5. Past performance/interactions with the BiRHC; and 6. Vendor reliability.
b. The Board directs that all purchases from all funds under its control and responsibility be made after proper written documentation is obtained to support such purchases, excluding purchases of a minor or emergency nature. All purchases must be accompanied by a receipt or invoice providing adequate information.
c. Vendor competition in purchasing shall be practiced whenever possible.
d. Sufficient amounts must have been budgeted in appropriate accounts and sufficient funds be available in the appropriate account and in the budget approved by the Board.
e. The Managing Director is authorized, in the scope of their duties, to purchase any item, or group of items in a single transaction, costing up to $2,000.00 providing the Board has budgeted in the appropriate accounts and sufficient funds are available in the appropriate account, or line transfer approval given by the Board, and provided that appropriate discretion is used on the basis of requested quotations and reasonable cost comparisons.
f. Employees/designated persons are authorized to make purchases of up to $100.00 with approval of the Managing Director.
g. The Managing Director can authorize emergency expenditures up to $5,000. 3. Non-negotiatory Purchases: Non-negotiatory purchases can be made when there is only one supply source, provided that the Board has budgeted in the appropriate accounts and sufficient funds are available in the appropriate account, or line transfer approval given by the Board. 4. Bids:
a. The Board shall solicit bids for the purchase of materials, supplies, equipment or service in a single transaction costing more than $5,000.00.
b. The Board shall advertise for bids at physical posting locations commonly used by the Board, in a local newspaper, and on the BIRHC website.
c. The Board may reject any or all bids, and shall re-advertise in the event all bids are rejected, in the manner provided by law and this policy.
d. The lowest responsible bidder submitting a competitive bid quotation shall be awarded the contract. However, the Board reserves the right to accept or reject any bid which it feels is in the best interest of the BIRHC.
e. Bids received after the date and time specified shall be returned to the bidder unopened. Changes in the amount or condition of the bid will not be allowed once the bid has been received.
f. After a bid is awarded, a purchase agreement may be executed with the successful bidder. A performance bond,certificate of liability insurance or worker compensation may be required if applicable and appropriate for the contracted service.
g. A conflict of interest exists in the case that a Board member knows that he or she, or a member of his or her immediate family has a financial interest in a procurement. The BIRHC can enter into a contract with a contractor/vendor with which a Board member has a conflict of interest if when entering into a contract with this contractor/vendor the board member must not vote on the contract and must disclose any conflict of interest. A vote of two thirds of the full BIRHC Board must approve the contract.
h. In any case where competitive bidding is not practical or it is to the BIRHC’’s advantage to contract without competitive bidding, the Board, upon recommendation of the President of the Board, may authorize the execution of a purchase without competitive bidding, provided the purchase itself is approved by a vote of the Board at a public meeting. 5. Cooperative Purchasing: The BIRHC shall have the authority to join with other units of government or medical organizations in a cooperative purchasing plan when the best interest of the BIRHC would be served. 6. Competitive Bids On Building Construction, Renovations And Repairs: Prior to commencing construction of a new building or addition to or repair of renovation of an existing building costing $10,000.00 or more, the BIRHC shall obtain competitive bids on all materials and labor required to complete the proposed construction, addition, repair, or renovation. Said bids shall be approved by the Board. Requested Action: A motion to request the Finance Committee to review and evaluate and make recommendation(s) concerning the adoption of a BIRHC Purchasing Policy and to report back to the Board NLT the scheduled May 2021 meeting. C. Selecting a date for a (Zoom) discussion with R.A. "Chip" Hansen Jr., President Charlevoix County Community Foundation.
"Chip" Hansen,, President Charlevoix County Community Foundation has expressed an interest to address the Board about c3f operations and services, as well as answer questions Board members may have about the Foundation and Foundation interactions with the BIRHC. Requested Action: In order to reserve a date with Mr. Hansen, the Board needs to identify a month in which to invite Mr Hansen to either travel to the Island to meet with BIRHC Board members or, if COVID restrictions apply, identify a preferred month to conduct a virtual meeting via Zoom. VII. UP-DATES
6
A. PayPal (D’Andraia) Donations to the BIRHC may now be made online via PayPal. On 1/26/21, Next Level Solutions, the firm that is responsible for maintaining the BIRHC website, installed a PayPal [button] on the “Ways to Give Page” of the BIRHC website. Health Center donors, friends and supporters now have, in addition to mailing a check, three online options for making a gift to the BIRHC: Credit Card, Debit Card and PayPal.
B. Committee Assignments (D’Andraia)
1. Ad Hoc Committees: The Ad Hoc Committees working on the Good Samaritan Fund (Lory Taylor-Bliz, Chair) the Patient Surveys (Kellie Sopczynsk, Chair ) and the Strategic Plan (Larry Birch Chair) have all begun work on their respective charges.
2. Non Directors on Boards: At this time a total of five non Board members have been invited to serve on the following Committees: Ad Hoc Committee on the Good Samaritan Fund, the Building Maintenance Committee, and the Resource Development and Marketing/Funding Exploration.
C. COVID Vaccinations (Radionoff) A brief report on the efforts of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan to offer COVID vaccinations to island residents in January and on the planned vaccination clinic(s) scheduled for BI for February 2021.
VIII ADJOURNMENT
** In order to facilitate access to the remote meeting, BIRHC will reimburse any member of the public who is charged by their phone provider for this call in the amount of the actual charge for this call upon presentation of a bill to the Secretary demonstrating an itemized charge for this call. This does not apply to members of the public who have unlimited calling plans through their phone provider. **
In addition, you may submit any comments that you have prior to the meeting (to be read at the meeting) to the following address:
Beaver Island Rural Health Center
Attention Board of Directors-President
37304 Kings Hwy
Beaver Island, MI 49782
The BIRHC will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities upon 72 hours advance notice by contacting Carla Martin, Secretary, by email, phone, or mail at the following:
PO Box 91
Beaver Island, MI 49782
peainetownshipclerk@yahoo.com
231-448-3540
From Michigan Township Association
February 5, 2021
In-person public meetings prohibited through March 29
A revised Michigan Department of Health and Human Services "Gatherings and Face Mask" Pandemic Order announced yesterday to allow contact sports to resume also extends the prohibition on in-person township, and all public, meetings through March 29, 2021. The revised order continues to prohibit indoor non-residential gatherings to no more than 10 people from no more than two households. The order goes into effect on Monday, Feb. 8 and runs through March 29. Outdoor meetings can be held, with gathering restrictions. Other types of indoor gatherings or activities may be allowed under the order as long as persons comply with the safeguards in the order, including wearing masks. However, MTA notes because the Open Meetings Act prohibits turning a person away from a meeting of a public body, indoor public meetings do pose a different situation. Even though a township can refuse entry to its hall or other facility if a person seeks to enter without wearing a mask or following other required safeguards, the township does not have that ability when a person seeks to enter a meeting of a public body.
As a result of the order, the March board of review meetings MUST be held virtually or outdoors. As a reminder, “virtual” does NOT mean that everyone must participate via a computer. Most virtual platforms allow people to phone in, including using a landline phone or cell phone. MTA has updated our township facilities and meetings fact sheet to reflect the new order, and we also have resources for holding virtual meetings on our “Coronavirus Resources for Townships” webpage. You can find additional MDHHS pandemic order resources on our webpage as well.
Beaver Island Community School Weekly Update
Friday, February 5, 2021
Basketball Season Commences Next Week!
Thanks to the positive trends in the number of new COVID-19 cases across Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) lifted the prohibition on winter sports. The Islander Basketball teams have been conditioning for the past 3 weeks…and next week they get to try their hand in competition against Maplewood. There are still many details that need to be worked out for the upcoming season, one of which is the number of spectators we are allowed to have in the gym for home games. Watch this space and we will keep you posted. In the meantime, wish the Islanders luck as they travel to Maplewood next week!
ALL Students Eligible for Free Meal Program
Beaver Island Community School has been approved for a COVID-19 relief grant that allows us to provide a free breakfast and lunch for every student. This is part of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program for the 20-21 school year. All students are eligible to participate in this program, regardless of their family’s household income.
We are sending out letters today to parents with more information about this program and a copy of the Household Information Report that needs to be filled out for those students new to school meal programs. In addition to this program being available to all students, we are also able to reimburse parents who have been paying for their students’ lunches during this school. Please keep your eye on your USPS mailbox for more information on this program. If you need any additional information, please call the BICS office at (231) 448-2744.
School Board Meeting 6:30 pm on Monday!
The next regularly-scheduled business meeting of the BICS Board of Education is at 6:30 pm this coming Monday. Due to MDHHS orders, this meeting will be held via zoom. If you’d like to join us, click on this link a bit before 6:30 pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83516522070
Check out BICS Student Art!
BICS student art is being displayed to the community at the Beaver Island District Library! There’s a large beach collage in the Children's Room (this was a result of the Marine Debris Contest in which our students participated) and artwork in the display case near the front door of the Library. In addition, there is a slideshow on the school website that is updated every few weeks. To find it, go to www.beaverisland.k12.mi.us and scroll down to the bottom of the webpage.
Mark Your Calendars—Remote Instruction on Wednesday, February 17th
We are planning to have remote instruction Wednesday, February 17th so that we can host the clinic to administer the second dose of the Modera vaccine. I also want to give you a heads-up regarding February 18th. Given that the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines brings about a robust immune response, and all of our staff will be getting the second dose on the 17th, we may preemptively cancel school on February 18th. We will be making that decision based on how other districts who are ahead of us in the vaccination process fare after they are administered the second dose.
Together we are Islander Strong!
Vaccines, masks, social distancing, hand-washing, limiting gatherings—these are the weapons that we have in our arsenal to win the battle against COVID-19. This week, the school played an important role in helping the Island stay healthy. We are all in this together--A healthy Island community is a healthy school community. I want to thank our parents, students, teachers, Health Department staff members, and all the community volunteers who made this week’s vaccination clinic a success. The school stands ready to help get a vaccine into the arms of every Island resident who wants one. It might take several months before that happens, but we are in this for as long as it takes. Together we are Islander Strong!
Have a Great Weekend!
Dorothy Gerber Strings Concert
Kevin Richardson conducts rehearsal with the Junior Orchestra made up of students from classes in Boyne City, East Jordan, Elk Rapids, Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Beaver Island.
With permission of Dr. Reimer of the Dorothy Gerber Strings Program, BINN has captured video of the January 31, 2021, concert. BINN cannot take any credit for the excellent video work and audio work, nor for the wonderful sounds of this program.
The Beaver Island Strings students participated in this wonderful concert. The younger members of the orchestra from Beaver Island were Sophie McDonough and McKenna Turner. The Beaver Island stirngs players in the high school orchestra were Micah and Elijah Richards.
Watch video of the concert HERE
From Holy Cross Parish
February 5, 2021
Budget_Spreadsheet_V1.012321.December.Quarterly.Version
Holy_Cross_Letter_to_Parish.013121
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 5, 2021
We knew a storm was coming, so when we stepped off the plane yesterday morning, I asked pilot extraordinaire when it was due to hit. Mr Diplomacy firmly stateds, "It'll come five minutes after I get you home this afternoon." He was right on the money. We got home, it started. Thank you, Paul!!
I'm guessing that we've had 5 or 6 inches of snow but it's hard to tell in the dark and with the wind howling. Just suffice it to say that the ground is now white, the little dogs are NOT in love with dragging their bellies through the stuff, and it's a good day to be indoors.
As for the doctor visits. It seems that my COPD is worse but she gave me a four month supply of a new inhaler that is suppose to help. I'll also be having a test to see if I need to be on oxygen but that test can be done from here.
On to the eye doctor. It seems that I have a bad infection in both eyes that it affecting my vision. Have meds coming for it. I will not be getting new glasses at the moment as I also have cataracts in both eyes. We are looking at the removal for them in the spring with new glasses to follow. If my 90+ old mother can have cataracts removed with no problem, so can I. Why wait until spring? Because the weather gets so "iffy" in the winter. In the meantime, if I can't see to type I'll be saving YOUR eyes from reading 
sorta.
sorta.____________________________
It's snowing (big surprise there), 28°, feels like 11°, wind is from the NW at 15 mph with gusts to 23 mph, humidity is at 88%, dew point is 25°, pressure is rising from 29.11 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 3 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 700 feet. Today: Occasional snow showers. High around 25F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches. Heavier amounts in persistent snowbands. Tonight: Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 11F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
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ON THIS DAY, February 5, 1919, Hollywood heavyweights Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith joined forces to create their own film studio, which they called the United Artists Corporation.
United Artists quickly gained prestige in Hollywood, thanks to the success of the films of its stars, notably Chaplin’s The Gold Rush (1925), as well as the work of actors such as Buster Keaton, Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson. Chaplin directed UA films as well as acted in them, and Pickford concentrated on producing after she retired from acting in the 1930s. With the rise of sound during that decade, UA was helped by the talents (and bankrolls) of veteran producers like Joseph Schenck, Samuel Goldwyn, Howard Hughes and Alexander Korda. The corporation began to struggle financially in the 1940s, however, and in 1951 the production studio was sold and UA became only a financing and distributing facility.
By the mid-1950s, all of the original partners had sold their shares of the company, but UA had begun to thrive again, releasing such films as The African Queen (1951), High Noon (1952), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment and The Magnificent Seven (both 1960) and West Side Story (1961). In addition, the company was responsible for the James Bond and Pink Panther film franchises. UA went public in 1957 and became a subsidiary of the TransAmerica Corporation a decade later.
UA films garnered a slew of Best Picture Academy Awards over the course of the 1970s, for Midnight Cowboy (1969), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Rocky (1976) and Annie Hall (1977). Soon after that, however, five top executives left the company in a disagreement and formed the Warner Brothers-backed Orion Pictures. UA sustained an even more devastating blow in 1980, when it released the big-budget flop Heaven’s Gate, directed by Michael Cimino. Two years in the making and way over budget, the film earned less than $4 million at the U.S. box office. After that debacle, UA struggled throughout the 1980s. In 1981, MGM bought the company, merging with it in 1983 to become MGM/UA Entertainment. In a highlight of those relatively dark years, UA did release another Best Picture winner, Rain Man, in 1988.
In 1992, the French bank Credit Lyonnais acquired the corporation and changed its name back to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., abandoning the United Artists name altogether. The James Bond and Pink Panther franchises were revived, with varying degrees of success. MGM changed hands and was reorganized repeatedly over the next decade and a half, during which UA was repositioned as a boutique producer of smaller, so-called “art house” films such as Bowling for Columbine (2002), Hotel Rwanda (2005) and Capote (2006). In November of 2006, MGM gave the actor/producer Tom Cruise (star of Rain Man) and his production partner, Paula Wagner, control over the United Artists production slate, announcing the decision as a “reintroduction” of the UA brand in the spirit of its founders. Cruise and Wagner, whose former deal with Paramount Pictures ended amid reported acrimony earlier in 2006, released their first co-production with UA, Lions for Lambs, in 2007. Thereafter the UA brand was subsumed into MGM, and revived in 2018 as United Artists Digital Studios. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW Always celebrated on February 5th, National Weatherperson’s Day, which is also known as National Weatherman’s Day, honors all individuals in the fields of meteorology, weather forecasting, and broadcast meteorology. The day also recognizes volunteer storm spotters and observers as well as any others that work in the weather field.
This annual holiday commemorates the birthday of John Jeffries, born on this day in 1744. Dr. Jeffries, a scientist, and a surgeon, is considered to be one of America’s first weather observers. He kept weather records from 1774 to 1816. Additionally, Jefferies pioneered the field of ballooning in the United States and took his first balloon observation in 1784.
Those being honored during this celebration work hard to accurately forecast and report the always changing, and often unpredictable, weather. Despite all of the new technological advances, meteorologists continue to face challenges in forecasting the weather. Predicting “Mother Nature” and what path she may choose, is a very daunting task even with the most state-of-the-art technology.
Knowing the weather forecast is valuable to us in so many ways. We often look at the forecast to plan our activities for the upcoming days. It affects what we do, how we dress, where we go or even if we go at all. Being prepared for upcoming storms, hurricanes or tornadoes saves lives.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE:
“The primary mission of the Weather Service (NWS) forecast office is to provide the American public with the best possible warning service to save lives. Recent severe weather statistics show that we continue to improve our capability to warn the public of impending hazardous weather.
Nationally lead time for flash flood warnings improved from 22 minutes in 1993 to 78 minutes in 2008. Accuracy over the same time period increased from 71 percent to 91 percent. Lead time for tornado warnings has increased from 6 minutes in 1993 to 13 minutes today. Tornado warning accuracy increased from 43 percent to 72 percent. Winter storm accuracy in 2008 was 89 percent with an average lead time of 17 hours. Since 1990, the Tropical Prediction Center’s 24 to 72-hour tropical storm forecast track errors have been reduced by more than 50%. These more accurate and longer lead time warnings help communities stay safe.” (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY absolve (ub-ZAHLV) which means:
1 : to set (someone) free from an obligation or the consequences of guilt
2 : to pardon or forgive a sin usually as a sacrament
The act of absolving can be seen as releasing someone from blame or sin, or "loosening" the hold that responsibility has on a person, which provides a hint about the word's origins. Absolve was adopted into Middle English in the 15th century from the Latin verb absolvere, formed by combining the prefix ab- ("from, away, off") with solvere, meaning "to loosen." Absolve also once had additional senses of "to finish or accomplish" and "to resolve or explain," but these are now obsolete. Solvere is also the ancestor of the English words solve, dissolve, resolve, solvent, and solution. (merriam-webster.com)
Beaver Island Community School Committee of the Whole
Wednesday, February 3, 2021, at 5:30 pm
View agenda and meeting info HERE
View video of Zoom meeting HERE
(The editor had no time to view the video of this meeting because he was involved in the St James Township Board meeting, so this video was not edited.)
Timeout for Art: Quitting
by Cindy Ricksgers
St. James Township Board Meeting Documents
February 3, 2021, at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom
DRAFT Tele Ad Com Min 01212021 additions-1
monthlyfinancereport2_february.2021
PLAN OUTLINE TO PROVIDE REMOVAL OF SCRAP METAL version 2
SJTBagn02.03.21
SJTFCmin012521
supervisorslens2_Feb2021
120420-020121 Bills for approval
Draft Minutes 010621 regular meeting
Payroll 010121-020121
StJ Budget 0221
2020-02-03-01 Purchase of Avigation Easement Hites - replacing 2020-01-06-01
2021-02-03-02 Resolution - 2021County Parks Grant (1)
2021-02-03-03 Agreement to contribute financially to MiSAIL Partner Agreement
View video of the Zoom meeting HERE
Ice Reflection
February 3, 2021
Still some clear ice on the harbor, not sure of its safety for skating at this time.
Frosty Morning
February 3, 2021
The difference between hoarfrost and frost is that hoarfrost is dew-drops which have undergone deposition and frozen into ice crystals to form a white deposit on an exposed surface, when the air is cold and moist while frost is a cover of minute ice crystals on objects that are exposed to the air frost is formed by the same process as dew, except that the temperature of the frosted object is below freezing.
So, whichever this is, it is quite interesting to look at.
Visiting Spikehorns
February 2, 2021
The young buck that was visiting us last fall has returned with a friend, another young buck. Both are spikehorns, and a quick stop to check on the turkey feeder and to eat a couple pieces of corn seemed to work for them. Today, I threw out some apples to see if they are interested.
Community Mapping & Michigan’s New Redistricting Process
Voters amended the state Constitution in 2018 to put everyday Michiganders in charge of drawing the voting district lines that determine who we vote for to represent us in state and federal government. Now, an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is responsible for drawing Michigan’s voting district lines by November 1, 2021. An important requirement is that commissioners should keep information from communities of interest collected through public input in mind as they draw the districts.
What is a Community of Interest? Communities of interest can be a group of any size whose members share cultural, economic, historic, and/or other shared interests.
Communities all across the state now have an exciting opportunity -- for the first time in the state’s history -- to give input and make sure Michigan’s election district maps result in better representation for the people. The Commission will rely on voters like you to identify, show and explain where Michigan’s communities of interest are. It will be holding public hearings throughout 2021 to get public input. When you participate, you will give your community a voice.
For more information, you can click HERE
(Info from Nishta Bahtia)
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 3, 2021
Evidently Mother Nature and Jack Frost were out together last night, dancing under the clear, starry skies. It was a three dog night and we only have two! It's damn cold out there according to our two little guys. Added benefit, the harbor is froze solid.
There will be no posting tomorrow as we have an early flight off-island for doctor appointments. Hopefully we'll be back before the storm that's being talked about makes an appearance.
How cold can it get? I don't have a number, but I DO know that when we were growing up (well, as much as the Gregg family grows) that one winter it was so cold that even with the woodstove burning red hot, the dog's water dish under it froze solid - true story. Now that's cold! On windy days we'd have a wind chill rating in the kitchen so you didn't run around barefooted from November to May if you wanted to keep your toes.
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Right now we have clear skies, 9°, feels like 8°, humidity is at 905, dew point is 5°, pressure is at 30.12 inches, cloud cover is 10%, and visibility is 10 miles. Today: Sunny to partly cloudy. High 28F. Winds light and variable. Tonight: Considerable cloudiness. Low near 25F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
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ON THIS DAY, February 3, 1959, rising American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson are killed when their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashes in Iowa a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City on a flight headed for Moorhead, Minnesota. Investigators blamed the crash on bad weather and pilot error. Holly and his band, the Crickets, had just scored a No. 1 hit with “That’ll Be the Day.”
After mechanical difficulties with the tour bus, Holly had chartered a plane for his band to fly between stops on the Winter Dance Party Tour. However, Richardson, who had the flu, convinced Holly’s band member Waylon Jennings to give up his seat, and Ritchie Valens won a coin toss for another seat on the plane.
Holly, born Charles Holley in Lubbock, Texas, and just 22 when he died, began singing country music with high school friends before switching to rock and roll after opening for various performers, including Elvis Presley. By the mid-1950s, Holly and his band had a regular radio show and toured internationally, playing hits like “Peggy Sue,” “Oh, Boy!,” “Maybe Baby” and “Early in the Morning.” Holly wrote all his own songs, many of which were released after his death and influenced such artists as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney.
Another crash victim, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, 28, started out as a disk jockey in Texas and later began writing songs. Richardson’s most famous recording was the rockabilly “Chantilly Lace,” which made the Top 10. He developed a stage show based on his radio persona, “The Big Bopper.”
The third crash victim was Ritchie Valens, born Richard Valenzuela in a suburb of Los Angeles, who was only 17 when the plane went down but had already scored hits with “Come On, Let’s Go,” “Donna” and “La Bamba,” an upbeat number based on a traditional Mexican wedding song (though Valens barely spoke Spanish). In 1987, Valens’ life was portrayed in the movie La Bamba, and the title song, performed by Los Lobos, became a No. 1 hit. Valens was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Singer Don McLean memorialized Holly, Valens and Richardson in the 1972 No. 1 hit “American Pie,” which refers to February 3, 1959 as “the day the music died.”
In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, three performers — Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson — joined their pilot Roger Peterson for what was supposed to be a flight to their next tour stop. But the passengers and their pilot never made it to their destination. Instead, the four were involved in a deadly crash that took the lives of all aboard. This tragedy has been remembered as “The Day the Music Died.”
Holly had been the biggest star of the bunch, known for such hits as “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue.” The teenaged Valens was an up-and-coming performer having nearly made it to the top of the charts in 1958 with his ode to his high school sweetheart with the song “Donna.” Richardson, better known as “The Big Bopper,” was a Texas songwriter and radio DJ who caught the nation’s ear with the catchy tune “Chantilly Lace.”
After bad experiences with a tour bus, Holly decided to charter a plane
The three singers had each signed on to be part of “The Winter Dance Party” tour, which had a hectic schedule of 24 concerts in the Midwest over a three-week period. Dion and the Belmonts also performed with them on the tour. They had already played several dates before reaching the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2. By this time, Holly had enough of the freezing, unreliable tour bus and decided to hire a plane from a local flying service to take him to the next gig in Moorhead, Minnesota, to avoid another miserable night on the road. The plan was to fly to Fargo, North Dakota, which was close to Moorhead.
There was room for two more passengers on the flight, and those seats were originally intended for members of Holly’s band, Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings. Valens won Allsup’s spot in a coin toss, according to several reports. Richardson was feeling ill and convinced Jennings to let him have his seat on the plane. According to Jennings’ memoir, Waylon: An Autobiography, he and Holly joked about the change in travel arrangements. Holly told him that “I hope your damned bus freezes up again.” Jennings replied. “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.” This casual remark haunted Jennings for years.
The show at the Surf Ballroom had been packed—an impressive showing for a Monday night. After the concert, Holly, Richardson and Valens made their way to the Mason City airport for a 12:30 am departure. Roger Peterson had volunteered to fly the trio. The 21-year-old pilot may have been young, but he already had four years of flying experience. Unfortunately, he was unaware of a weather advisory that had been issued before he took off with his passengers.
Only a short while after the flight began, the plane ran into some trouble and crashed. Jerry Dwyer, the owner of the air service company, went out looking for the plane after it failed to show up in Fargo. He made a gruesome discovery only a few miles away from the airport. The bodies of Holly, Richardson and Valens been thrown from the plane in the crash. Peterson’s remains were trapped inside the cockpit.
The original investigation blamed the accident on pilot error and the poor weather conditions. Over the years, these findings have been brought into question. An aviation expert named L.J. Coon called for the incident to be re-examined in 2015, according to a report in the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune. He told the newspaper that “Roger would have flown out and about this airport at night, under multiple different conditions.”
The news of this fatal crash sent shockwaves through the music world. The New York Times, like many other newspapers across the nation, ran headlines reporting “Iowa Air Crash Kills 3 Singers.” The accident marked an abrupt end to three remarkable lives and their careers. Holly left behind a pregnant wife. Sadly, his wife Maria miscarried not long after learning about Holly’s death. Richardson’s wife was also pregnant at the time of the crash and later gave birth to their son Jay Perry. Valens was only 17 years old. The news made little mention of Peterson, who had only just gotten married to his high school girlfriend the year before.
The first tribute song, “Three Stars,” for the late performers came out shortly after the incident. This ballad remembered Valens as one “just starting to realize your dreams” and how Holly’s music “could make the coldest heart melt.” It also recalled one of the Big Bopper’s most famous catchphrases: “you know what I like.” The most famous ode to the lost stars, however, wasn’t released until much later. Don McLean scored a number-one hit in 1971 with “American Pie,” which remembered the crash as “the day the music died.”
Holly himself had a posthumous hit with “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” about a month after his death. His life has been the subject of numerous books and films, including the 1978 movie The Buddy Holly Story starring Gary Busey. Valens was also immortalized on the big screen with the 1987 film La Bamba with Lou Diamond Phillips as the teen singer. Richardson has lived on through his music, which has been featured on countless soundtracks. His son also spent years preserving his father’s legacy by performing as the Big Bopper Jr. before his own death in 2013. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW have you ever read the lyrics to "American Pie" by Don McLean? Here you go:
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music
Used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
Something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now, do you believe in rock 'n' roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage bronckin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin', bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
Now, for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
A quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin', bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now, the halftime air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singin', bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So, come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin', bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singin', bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
They were singin', bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die" (google.com/search)
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WORD OF THE DAY quisling (KWIZ-ling) which means one who commits treason : traitor, collaborator. Vidkun Quisling was a Norwegian army officer who in 1933 founded Norway's fascist party. In December 1939, he met with Adolf Hitler and urged him to occupy Norway. Following the German invasion of April 1940, Quisling served as a figurehead in the puppet government set up by the German occupation forces, and his linguistic fate was sealed. Before the end of 1940, quisling was being used generically in English to refer to any traitor. Winston Churchill, George Orwell, and H. G. Wells used it in their wartime writings. Quisling lived to see his name thus immortalized, but not much longer. He was executed for treason soon after the liberation of Norway in 1945. (merriam-webster.com)
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 2, 2021
It's Groundhog Day and would have been my dad's 96th birthday. It's tradition in our family to have burgers for dinner on this day as it was his favorite meal. One of his favorite drinks was a Manhattan, but none of us leap in line for that. I'll settle for my lemon Propel
With high water levels being discussed so much over the past year, I thought it might be interesting to take a step backwards to the year 2000. Ok, a giant step back to when the complaint was low water levels on Lake Michigan. These photos I took in the harbor by the marina from November 19th to the 25th, 2000, just to give you an idea of what things looked like then.
(Editor's note: This is the former Beaver Haven Marina, owned by Phil Gregg and Walker Hill. It was the Anderson's Beaver Island Marina, and now is the Beaver Iland Municipal Marina North.)
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We have clear skies this morning, 22°, wind is from the north at 4 mph with gusts to 6 mph, humidity is at 90%, dew point is 19°, pressure is falling from 30.19 inches, cloud cover is 10%, and visibility is 10 miles. Today: Partly cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 27F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight:
A clear sky. Low 16F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Sunset will be at 5:50 pm.
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ON THIS DAY, February 2, 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, it gets scared and runs back into its burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring.
Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal—the hedgehog—as a means of predicting weather. Once they came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in the Keystone State.
Groundhogs, also called woodchucks and whose scientific name is Marmota monax, typically weigh 12 to 15 pounds and live six to eight years. They eat vegetables and fruits, whistle when they’re frightened or looking for a mate (they’re sometimes called whistle pigs) and can climb trees and swim.
They go into hibernation in the late fall; during this time, their body temperatures drop significantly, their heartbeats slow from 80 to five beats per minute and they can lose 30 percent of their body fat. In February, male groundhogs emerge from their burrows to look for a mate (not to predict the weather) before going underground again. They come out of hibernation for good in March.
In 1887, a newspaper editor belonging to a group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club declared that Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, was America’s only true weather-forecasting groundhog. The line of groundhogs that have since been known as Phil might be America’s most famous groundhogs, but other towns across North America now have their own weather-predicting rodents, from Birmingham Bill to Staten Island Chuck to Shubenacadie Sam in Canada.
In 1993, the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray popularized the usage of “groundhog day” to mean something that is repeated over and over. Today, tens of thousands of people converge on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney each February 2 to witness Phil’s prediction. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club hosts a three-day celebration featuring entertainment and activities.
How Accurate Are Groundhogs?
While sunny winter days are indeed associated with colder, drier air, we probably shouldn’t trade in our meteorologists for groundhogs just yet. Studies by the National Climatic Data Center and the Canadian weather service have yielded a dismal success rate of around 40 percent for Punxsutawney Phil.
Staten Island Chuck, on the other hand, is reportedly accurate almost 70 percent of the time.
Groundhog Facts
Also known as woodchucks, groundhogs belong to a group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. They grow up to 25 inches long and can live for 10 years in captivity. (According to legend, Punxsutawney Phil is more than 125 years old thanks to the magical punch he imbibes every summer.)
Groundhogs spend the winter hibernating in their burrows, significantly reducing their metabolic rate and body temperature; by February, they can lose as much as half their weight.
When they’re out and about, the bristly rodents eat succulent plants, wild berries and insects—and they don’t mind helping themselves to garden vegetables or agricultural crops. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW February 2nd, National Tater Tot Day recognizes a kitchen staple. In the United States, we consume approximately 3.5 billion of these nuggets of potato goodness per year.
These bite-sized bits of golden deliciousness created from the scraps from making French fries once were used to feed cattle. But how do the cast-offs from making French fries become the bite-sized, kitchen-friendly morsels we love to devour today? Through persistence and ingenuity, of course!
Two brothers, Nephi and Golden Grigg, along with their brother-in-law started dabbling in frozen food when they rented a plant on the Oregon and Idaho borders in 1934. The focused on making French fries, but the waste fed to cattle seemed excessive. Was there a way to reduce the excess? Maybe, but instead they chose to create a product from the excess. Not only did the scrapped and shredded bits form into tasty bites when blanched and fried, but they also fit into their product line, too. They froze well, could be baked and were delicious! By 1952, they purchased the plant, forming the Oregon Frozen Foods Company that would later become Ore-Ida.
Seasoned with spices or baked into a casserole, tater tots make a meal, side dish, or a snack celebration. We dip them, pop them, or just savor them.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalTaterTotDay
What’s your favorite way to enjoy tater tots? We offer a variety of ideas to celebrate the day.
Add them to a burrito
Make a potato version of nachos by adding your favorite toppings to partially cooked tots and then heating through.
Create a tater tot buffet with a variety of dips and seasonings.
Add tater tots to your burger.
Top a homemade pizza with tater tots.
Tater tots and eggs go well together.
Build a kabab using vegetables and marinated meat. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY esoteric (ess-uh-TAIR-ik) which means:
1 : designed for or understood by those with specific knowledge or training : difficult to understand
2 a : limited to a small circle
b : private, confidential
3 : of special, rare, or unusual interest
The opposite of esoteric is exoteric, which means "suitable to be imparted to the public." According to one account, those who were deemed worthy to attend the Greek philosopher Aristotle's learned discussions were known as his "esoterics," his confidants, while those who merely attended his popular evening lectures were called his "exoterics." Since material that is geared toward a target audience is often not as easily comprehensible to outside observers, esoteric acquired an extended meaning of "difficult to understand." Both esoteric and exoteric started appearing in English in the 17th century; esoteric traces back to ancient Greek by way of the Late Latin esotericus. The Greek esōterikos is based on the comparative form of esō, which means "within." (merriam-webster.com)
Herring Gull
February 1, 2021
This larger gull was seen flying around the harbor area, and it finally decided to take a break and landed on the roof. Whatever it was seeking wasn't going to be easily obtained as the gull sat there for more than five minutes. The ducks were flying all over the place, but there was no eagle to chase them around. Wonder what the gull was interested in?
From the National Audubon Society; "Large, abundant, and widespread, the Herring Gull is among the most familiar members of its family.
Snowy Owl Once Again at Ballpark
February 3, 2021, 11:30 a.m.
The owl is once again on this same tree, same branch, and in the same position as usual. Resting in this same tree might provide the safey the owl seeks. It might explain the reason for the same location day after day. This is day four. Another owl has not been seen recently.
February 2, 2021, 1:30 p.m.
Same branch, same tree , a little closer to the trunk, but the snowy owl is resting quite peacefully at the ball park again today.
February 1, 2021, about 4 p.m.
The editor took the usual drive looking for things to record either on pictures or on video, but, when arrive at the point, the snowy owl seemed to be on the same branch in the same tree and in the same location exactly as the day before. The question that came up was, "Did somebody place a picture or a fake owl in the exact same position?"
The answer could not be determined without getting closer to the owl's location without chasing it away if it was a real owl. The first trip on the ball field from right field toward home plate, got the editor all the way to third base, but the owl's head did not move, nor did the neck or the eyes. The only way to find out if this was a real owl was to come up closer than third base.
Since the owl was in the pine tree directly behind the dugout on the first base line, it was determined that a walk with a camera should be made approaching home plate and getting as close as possible, but doing so quite slowly so as not to startle the snowy owl. She just kept staring at the camera the entire walk without moving a single feather or moving her head until almost home plate was reached, and then, without any warning, the real bird took off and flew up to the telephone pole behind the center field fence.
Yes, it was a real snowy owl, and was just resting, possibly sleeping with its eyes open and staring down the third base line at the editor as he approached. There was no movement until the owl took off and moved quickly away from the human that was approaching.
As the editor walked back out to the car and drove right by the power pole, the owl looked, but wasn't disturbed at all. What are the odds of the owl being in the same tree on the same branch, and not moving until the editor was about thirty-five feet away?
View video of this HERE
Beaver Island Airport Commission
February 1, 2021, at 12 p.m. via Zoom
airport commission 2 1 2021 regular agenda
DRAFT amended 20-21 and proposed 21-22 budget Airport Commission (1)
Oct 26 BIAC meeting minutes
The Beaver Island Airport Commission had a closed session in the middle of the meeting, but video of the other two halves of the meeting are available.
View the video of the meeting's Open Sessions HERE
Street Address Editorial
An Editorial on Street Address Signs
By Joe Moore
While no longer in the local EMS or the local fire department providing services, nor as an auxiliary officer of the CCSD, I find that this past year as a federal Census employee, I had a difficult time finding addresses on Beaver Island.
This seems really strange to me since I’ve lived here or visited here for over fifty years in total. Living here for forty-five years, you would think that I’d be able to find most addresses on the island, and I did find this a definite advantage when I was functioning first as an EMT and then as a paramedic.
I was not aware that there was an ordinance that required the posting of the address on each and every driveway here on Beaver Island that was passed by the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners. I was not aware that the sign needed to be green with white letters on both sides with the top of the sign five feet from the ground and adjacent to the driveway or on a mailbox adjacent to the driveway that is five feet to the top of the box. I also didn’t know that it had to be visible from both directions of the road that the address was on.
I was also unaware that the ordinance can have this post placed and the owner billed, in addition to a fine of $50-$100.
As a census employee, it was very difficult to find the many addresses that I was assigned, mainly because the ordinance was not enforced by the county, nor are some addresses posted following the requirements of this ordinance. My guess is that the visiting census employees not only cost more money to fly over to the island, have motel reservations, etc. but also having difficulty locating the addresses that they may have been assigned.
So, this editorial is really a request of property owners on the island. Please comply with this ordinance to help all the public service agencies on the island, and prevent the waste of funds involved in locating a particular property.
You may or may not be here on the island, but having all addresses shown on these signs can help during a serious emergency. I remember just one emergency down the East Side where it took us more than ten minutes to find the right driveway AFTER driving down there. Unfortunately, the patient did not survive.
Only the applicable parts of the ordinance are included here.
Beaver Haven Tales 3
by Glenn Hendrix
The Tire: Story #3
In the 1970's there was only one fire truck on Beaver Iland. It was a 1940's vintage truck with a large water tank. I suppose it must have had pumps also. I doubt it could put out a house fire, but perhaps could have been helpful to protect a neighbor's home or to put out a brush fire. The tank leaked, so it may not have been full of water when needed. This old truck was kept in the county garage behind the marina.
The marina was the only place on the Island that repaired tires. We repaired lots of tires. Phil taught us how to find the leak using a tub made from a drum split in half sideways and filled with water. We put air in the tire, then put it in the tank and rotated the tire until we saw where bubbles leaked out. Usually a nail caused the lead. We removed the nail, jammed a special tool in and out of the hole, then used the same tool to insert a rubber plug covered with special glue. It usually worked well. Sometimes we found huge nails, and once even a narrow gauge railroad spike in the tire, and these could not be patched. Sometimes we had to remove the tire from the rim and patch it from the inside. There was a special tool for removing and replacing the tires on the rims. We provided the power--no hydraulics like the tire shops have now! It worked fine on normal car tires, but larger tires were difficult. We charged $1.50 to fix a flat.
One day the fire truck had a flat. That would not do. Someone, prabably Don Cole brought the truck in for us to fix the flat. Melvin Napont and I were workign that day. These were big heavy truck tires, the kind that were held on the rin by special steel rings. First we had to jack up the truck and removed the tire, no easy task in itself. Then the ring had to be removed from the rim, then the tire. This tire was too large for the mounty tool, so we used tire irons. These are just flat pieces of steel used to leve off the ring and the tire, if you can. We managed to get the ring of, but we struggled for hours to get that tire off. We pried, levered, cussed, (Phil would say we cussed and discussed the matter), banged at with the sledge. Nothing would budge that tire from its rim, where it may have for forty years. Finally we took it to the crane Phil used to launch boats. Melvin started the crane and drove the caterpillar tread over that stubborn tire. I flattened the tire to the ground all right, but we still could not get it off.
What if there was a fire?
Then Stevie Kenwabikise came to work. He took a tire iron and popped that tire off in about 30 seconds! He sure laughed at us.
We patched the tire, remounted it on the rim, replaced the steel ring, put it back on the truck, tighteden the lugs, and lowered the fire truck back to the ground. We stepped back to admire our work and realized that these tires had an oriented "V" tread, like a tractor tire, and we had put it on backwards!
I suspect that tire remained backwards for a long time. Years later the water tank was removed from the truck, a winch was installed and the truck was used by the new transfer station to move heavy boxes of material to be recycled. I don't know what happened to it after that. Perhaps it is rustling away somewhere with a tire on backwards.
Joe's Junk Website Up
February 1, 2021
Hello Islanders!
My 100 year Joe's Junk clean-up project has officially started. After coordinating with the townships and others, our website is now public and we need your help with inventorying. Feel free to go to joesjunk.org and answer a few questions about your junk.
When we have a good idea of how much junk there is, we can approach potential buyers and coordinate logistics. But we need your help. And tell your neighbors and friends to help too. I recently learned there was a toxic clean-up job here in the 70's. It took years and made the harbor look awful. Let's avoid that. Join us today! Go to joesjunk.org. And remember, IT'S NOT ABOUT BLIGHT OR BLAME. IT'S ABOUT OUR WATER.
Barbara Rahn
A Different View
February 1, 2021
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 1, 2021
Two bits of news this morning. There will be no weather or posting on Thursday as I have doctor appointments on the mainland and an early flight off.
Second item and just as important, if not more so, is that we have just minted newly-weds on the island. Rose Hockey and Mike Martin tied the knot yesterday. Congratulations to them both!
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We have partly cloudy skies this morning, 15°. feels like 9°, wind is at 4 mph from the NE, humidity is at 91%, dew point is 13°, pressure is at 30.22 inches, cloud cover is 31%, and visibility is 10 miles. Today: Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High around 25F. Winds light and variable. Tonight: A few clouds. Low around 20F. Winds light and variable. Sunset will be at 5:48 pm.
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ON THIS DAY The Greensboro Sit-Ins were non-violent protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, which lasted from February 1, 1960 to July 25, 1960. The protests led to the Woolworth Department Store chain ending its policy of racial segregation in its stores in the southern United States. The Greensboro Sit-Ins were the first prominent sit-ins of the civil rights movement.
The “Greensboro Four,” the four young black men who staged the first sit-ins in Greensboro—Ezell Blair Jr. (now known as Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil—were students at North Carolina and Agricultural and Technical College. They were influenced by the non-violent protest teachings and strategies of Mohandas Gandhi, as well as the early freedom rides organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1947.
Blair, Richmond, McCain, and McNeil planned the protest carefully, enlisting the help of a local white businessman, Ralph Johns, to put their plan into action. That plan was simple. They would first stop at Ralph Johns’s store so he could contact a news reporter. They would then go to Woolworth’s Five and Dime store in downtown Greensboro and sit at the lunch counters where they would ask to be served. When they were denied service, they would refuse to leave. They would repeat the process daily as long as it took to desegregate the lunch counter. They also hoped their protest would attract widespread attention to the issue and pressure Woolworth to desegregate.
On February 1, 1960, the four sat down at the lunch counter inside the Woolworth store. Woolworth’s lunch counter policy was to serve whites only and the staff, which included black employees, refused the four men service. The store manager, Clarence Harris, asked them to leave, but the four men stayed until the store closed that night.
The next day, more than twenty black students joined the sit-in including coeds from Bennett College also in Greensboro. White customers harassed the black students and the lunch counter staff continued to refuse them service. News reporters and a TV cameraman covered the protests the second day as the Greensboro community and eventually the nation and the world learned of them. On the third day, more than sixty people came to the Woolworth store. On the fourth day, more the three hundred people took part in the protests which now included the lunch counter at Greensboro’s Kress store (now K-Mart).
As the sit-ins occurred in Greensboro, students from other North Carolina sites, including Winston-Salem, Durham, Raleigh, and Charlotte, staged similar protests. The sit-in movement spread to Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and Richmond, Virginia, by early March.
The Greensboro Woolworth’s finally served blacks at its lunch counter on July 25, 1960, when manager Clarence Harris asked four black Woolworth’s employees—Geneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones, and Charles Best—to change out of their uniforms and into street clothes. The employees then ordered a meal at the lunch counter, becoming the first African Americans to be served at Woolworth’s. Most lunch counters around Greensboro would be desegregated over the next few weeks.
The Greensboro Sit-Ins were the catalyst for the formation of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which would become one of most important organizations of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina, has collections related to the Greensboro Sit-Ins. (https://www.blackpast.org/africa.../greensboro-sit-ins-1960/)
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DID YOU KNOW that today is National Freedom Day?
National Freedom Day, always observed on February 1st, celebrates freedom from slavery. It also recognizes that America is a symbol of liberty. The day honors the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865. It was not ratified by the states, however, until later on December 18, 1865.
On this day many towns host festivals and celebrations. Others reflect on the freedoms that the United States honors as well as reflect on and appreciate the goodwill of the United States. For many years, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Liberty Bell traditionally marked the day. LET FREEDOM RING.
Other ways to participate include:
Read about or watch a documentary about the 13th Amendment.
Visit an art gallery or museum displaying pieces inspired by the 13th Amendment.
Attend a forum or lecture to discuss the 13th Amendment and its impact, then and now.
Read the 13th Amendment in its entirety.
NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY HISTORY
A former slave by the name of Major Richard Robert Wright, Sr. created National Freedom Day. Major Wright was looked upon as a great leader in the community. It was believed by Major Wright, that this day needed to be celebrated.
February 1st holds significance because that was the date Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery in 1865. On June 30, 1948, President Harry Truman signed a bill proclaiming February 1st as the first official National Freedom Day in the United States. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY gadabout (GAD-uh-bout) which means a person who goes from place to place in social activity. If you had to pick the insect most closely related to a gadabout, you might wryly guess the "social butterfly." But there's another bug that's commonly heard buzzing around discussions of the gadabout: the gadfly. Gadfly is a term used for any of a number of winged pests (such as horseflies) that bite or annoy livestock. Since gadflies are known for their nasty bite, it's not surprising that they are named after a sharp chisel or pointed bar used by miners to loosen rock and ore called a "gad." But, although a gadabout's gossip can bite, gadfly doesn't have any clear etymological relation to gadabout, which traces back to the Middle English verb gadden, whose etymology etymologists are still trying to catch. (merriam-webster.com)
Mute Swans on the Ice
January 31, 2021
Not much open water for the mute swans since most dock bubblers keeping the water open have ducks filling that open water.
Seven Deer in the Front Yard
January 30, 2021
The deer came across the Kings Highway, possibly smelling the corn in the turkey feeder. At that point there was only one deer. It ran across Carlisle into the woods by the medical center. The editor walked out on the front porch and decided to throw out some corn for this one deer.
The next thing that occured was that not two or three, but six or seven deer arrived in the yard. They all seemed to be hungry, and the corn was just lying out there in the yard, but the dogs in this house were going crazy making all kinds of barks and yips and whines. It didn't stop the deer. On they came into the yard with a few of them getting very close to the house, so these pictures could be taken.
The deer then departed the intersection, but must have come back because all the corn was gone this morning.
Ice on the Harbor
Viewing the point from the playground
Ducks and More Ducks Disturbed
January 30, 2021
View a small gallery of photos HERE
View video of the flying ducks HERE
Snowy Owl on Sunday
January 31, 2021
Ballpark Snowy Owl sleeping in the pine tree.
The snowy owl was still on this branch at 5 p.m.
View video clip HERE
Mass from Holy Cross
January 31, 2021, at 12:15 p.m.
Jacque LaFreniere was reader.........Father Peter Wigton was celebrant
View video of the service HERE
Christian Church Service
January 31, 2021, at 10 a.m.
Judi Meister did announcements and then played a prelude.
Pastor Gene Drenth...........Sue Oole did the reading
Patty Drenth did a reading......Pastor Gene Drenth gave the sermon
View video of the service HERE
Days to Remember
by Cindy Ricksgers
Phyllis' Daily Weather
January 31, 2021
This old brain is not fully functioning this morning for some reason, so no meandering memories today. Right now we have cloudy skies, 28°, feels like 14°, wind is from the east at 14 mph with gusts to 18 mph, humidity is 74%, dew point is 20°, pressure is at 30.17 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is at 3,300 feet. Today: Cloudy skies. High 26F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight: Overcast. Low 16F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Sunset will be at 5:47 pm.
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ON THIS DAY in 1930, 3M introduces "Scotch tape".
Despite the name, Scotch tape wasn't invented by the Scottish. It was invented by a college dropout named Richard Drew from Minnesota who worked for a small sandpaper company founded in 1902 called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, later known as 3M. The name "Scotch" itself has an origin story almost as interesting as the invention of Scotch tape.
Born Richard Gurley Drew in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1899, Drew spent a year at the University of Minnesota in the Mechanical Engineering program before dropping out. He paid for that time at school and his correspondence school course in machine design by playing banjo, and he included all of that information in his application to the open position of lab technician with 3M. He got the job and was set on the path to make history.
In the 1920s, a two-tone paint job was popular for cars and a headache for automotive painters. The two-tone look was created by painting the car one color, applying a barrier of some sort to the painted portion, and then painting the next section. In order to get around the difficulties of this type of paint job, painters and mechanics tested out different ways to achieve the look. Unfortunately, their attempts tended to be less than successful. Some automotive shops would glue newspapers over the already painted sections while others used tape to prevent paint transfer. However those techniques often left a sticky residue on the paint that was difficult to remove. Sometimes, it would even mean the painters had to do the entire paint job over again.
One of Drew's responsibilities at 3M was to deliver samples of sandpaper to local automotive shops for testing, where he often overheard workers who were painting complain about the problems with tape used for these paint jobs. The twenty-three year old then lab assistant got the idea to create a new tape that would create a seal so that the paint wouldn't get through and yet also come off clean without leaving any sticky residue that ruined the paint finish. Drew used the adhesive that 3M utilized in the construction of its sandpaper as a starting point. From there, it took him two years of experimentation with different types of adhesives that he applied to a crepe paper backing to come up with the right combination. Thus, what would be called "Scotch" Masking Tape was born in 1925.
The success of the Scotch Brand Masking Tape allowed Drew to move up the ranks at 3M. In 1929, his position as technical director at the fabrication laboratory allowed him to pursue another idea. Cellophane had recently been invented by DuPont and was being used by grocers and bakers as a neat way to package their groceries. However, there wasn't a good way to seal the cellophane with tape because the colored backing ruined the clear look. So Drew and his team of inventors worked to create a tape that used this clear cellophane as a backing.
Unfortunately, the machinery that 3M used in order to apply the adhesive to the cellophane backing tore the material, and the glue that worked for the masking tape appeared amber on the clear cellophane. The team ultimately invented new clear adhesive and modified machinery to handle the cellophane. The new tape was called Scotch Brand Cellulose Tape, but it appeared that it might have missed its opportunity with grocers and bakers despite ringing endorsements from several test clients. You see, DuPont had introduced into the market a cellophane that could be sealed with heat. Nonetheless, despite missing their original target market and being released during the Great Depression, the Scotch Brand Cellulose Tape thrived with various home uses.
So this all brings us back to how the term "Scotch" came to be associated with 3M's Masking and Cellulose tapes. When Drew and 3M began allowing car painters to test the new Scotch Brand Masking Tape, one painter supposedly complained about the lack of adhesive on the tape. One version of the story claims that the painter asked "Why so Scotch with the adhesive?" Another version states that the painter said "Take this back to your Scotch bosses and tell them to put more adhesive on it."
Whatever the case, in the 1920s, the term "Scotch" was a racial slang term that meant something or someone that was cheap or stingy. Based on the feedback, Drew applied more adhesive to the tape and ultimately branded the tape with the pejorative "stingy" name of "Scotch." (https://gizmodo.com/how-scotch-tape-was-invented-1666050615)
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DID YOU KNOW Private Eddie Slovik becomes the only U.S. serviceman executed for desertion during WWII.
During World War II, more than 21,000 American military personnel were convicted of desertion; 49 were sentenced to death, but only 24-year-old Private Slovik was executed.
The only American soldier to be executed for desertion since the U.S. Civil War, Slovik was born in Hamtramck, Michigan. Slovik was a petty thief who had spent part of 1942 in a reform school. A change in his draft classification from 4F to 1A led to Slovik's draft into the U.S. Army, where he served in Europe as an infantryman with the 28th Division. Slovik went AWOL twice, being returned to his unit both times.
Slovik's wife was not told of his death sentence. Slovik was buried in a secret cemetery with 94 American soldiers that had been executed for crimes of rape and murder. Thanks to the efforts of Bernard Calka, a former Macomb County commissioner, Slovik's remains were returned to the United States and buried next to those of his wife in 1987. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY nostrum (NAHSS-trum) which means an usually questionable remedy or scheme : panacea. "Whether there was real efficacy in these nostrums, and whether their author himself had faith in them, is more than can safely be said," wrote 19th-century American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, "but, at all events, the public believed in them." The word nostrum has often been linked to quack medicine and false hopes for miracle cures, but there's nothing deceitful about its etymology. It has been a part of English since at least the early 17th century, and it comes from the Latin noster, meaning "our" or "ours." Some think that specially prepared medicinal concoctions came to be called nostrums because their purveyors marketed them as "our own" remedy. In other words, the use of nostrum emphasized that such a potion was unique or exclusive to the pitchman peddling it. (merriam-webster.com)
Only Those With Appointments are Welcome at the School
January 30, 2021
Hello,
I just received a phone call from an Island resident asking if the immunization clinic was open to all Islanders.
Although I would love to say yes, the answer is no. The immunization clinic this coming Tuesday is limited to only those who are aged 65 and older and those who are front line workers (categories 1a and 1b). The vaccines are still in limited supply and this additional clinic is meant to immunize the folks who were not able to get vaccinated in the clinic held on January 19th.
As noted in the e-mail above, with help from COA and BIRHC, the Health Department has the list of individuals to be vaccinated and will only be able to bring enough doses for the individuals on that list. Please do not come to the school for a vaccine unless you have been contacted by the Health Department.
Thank You,
Wil Cwikiel
2021 Lake G Fishing Tournament
February 13, 2021, Dawn to Dusk
View notice HERE
Meeting a Road Grater
January 29, 2021
The gravel roadways on Beaver Island seem somewhat narrower in the winter time whether they really are or not. If you were to be coming up on this grater heading toward you, it might be a good idea to find a place to pull off the roadway and give it the right of way.
View a short video clip HERE
Skim Ice
January 29, 2021
The harbor has skim ice on the majority of the northern and western parts. The clear cold night last night probably helped to form this. It seems pretty late for the harbor to be covered with ice this year, but it is forming.
View a short video clip HERE
Home is Demolished
January 29, 2021
As stated in a previous story down below, the siding was removed earlier, but today the last of the home was demolished and ready for removal.
View a short video clip HERE
Full Wolf Moon
January 29, 2021
Technically, the full moon was on the 28th, but these were taken on the 29th because the sky was clear.
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not just to the full Moon itself.
It’s thought that January’s full Moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more often heard howling at this time. It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we know today that wolves howl for other reasons. Howling and other wolf vocalizations are generally used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.
(from Old Farmer's Almanac)
Phyllis' Daily Weather
January 30, 2021
It was a two dog night for sure. With this cold I'm positive that the island is now sporting a white petticoat around her shores. With the cold temperatures, come the birds. We, I should say Joe, has practically a drive-through restaurant set up for them. I'm thinking he needs to name it "On the Wing". Guests are offered everything from corn to black oil sunflower seeds, table scraps, etc. Yes, we have a turkey feeder - a huge barrel that feeds out corn for the turkey tribe. Joe has an ongoing battle with the squirrels who come in and try to terrorize all the other visitors. Here's a peek at some of those who zoom in for a quick bite, or just to visit.
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We have clear skies and a spectacular full moon. I'm snowing 6° on my home thermometer but other places are saying 16°. Having been outside already, I'm going with the lower one. It's arctic, frigid, chilly, damn cold! Thank goodness there is no wind. Humidity is at 87%, dew point is 3°, pressure is at 30.32 inches, and visibility is 10 miles. Today: A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 27F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Cloudy. Low 23F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Sunset will be at 5:45.
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ON THIS DAY , January 30, 1948, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the political and spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement, is assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu extremist.
Born the son of an Indian official in 1869, Gandhi’s Vaishnava mother was deeply religious and early on exposed her son to Jainism, a morally rigorous Indian religion that advocated nonviolence. Gandhi was an unremarkable student but in 1888 was given an opportunity to study law in England. In 1891, he returned to India, but failing to find regular legal work he accepted in 1893 a one-year contract in South Africa.
Settling in Natal, he was subjected to racism and South African laws that restricted the rights of Indian laborers. Gandhi later recalled one such incident, in which he was removed from a first-class railway compartment and thrown off a train, as his moment of truth. From thereon, he decided to fight injustice and defend his rights as an Indian and a man. When his contract expired, he spontaneously decided to remain in South Africa and launched a campaign against legislation that would deprive Indians of the right to vote. He formed the Natal Indian Congress and drew international attention to the plight of Indians in South Africa. In 1906, the Transvaal government sought to further restrict the rights of Indians, and Gandhi organized his first campaign of satyagraha, or mass civil disobedience. After seven years of protest, he negotiated a compromise agreement with the South African government.
In 1914, Gandhi returned to India and lived a life of abstinence and spirituality on the periphery of Indian politics. He supported Britain in the First World War but in 1919 launched a new satyagraha in protest of Britain’s mandatory military draft of Indians. Hundreds of thousands answered his call to protest, and by 1920 he was leader of the Indian movement for independence. He reorganized the Indian National Congress as a political force and launched a massive boycott of British goods, services, and institutions in India. Then, in 1922, he abruptly called off the satyagraha when violence erupted. One month later, he was arrested by the British authorities for sedition, found guilty, and imprisoned.
After his release in 1924, he led an extended fast in protest of Hindu-Muslim violence. In 1928, he returned to national politics when he demanded dominion status for India and in 1930 launched a mass protest against the British salt tax, which hurt India’s poor. In his most famous campaign of civil disobedience, Gandhi and his followers marched to the Arabian Sea, where they made their own salt by evaporating sea water. The march, which resulted in the arrest of Gandhi and 60,000 others, earned new international respect and support for the leader and his movement.
In 1931, Gandhi was released to attend the Round Table Conference on India in London as the sole representative of the Indian National Congress. The meeting was a great disappointment, and after his return to India he was again imprisoned. While in jail, he led another fast in protest of the British government’s treatment of the “untouchables”—the impoverished and degraded Indians who occupied the lowest tiers of the caste system. In 1934, he left the Indian Congress Party to work for the economic development of India’s many poor. His protege, Jawaharlal Nehru, was named leader of the party in his place.
With the outbreak of World War II, Gandhi returned to politics and called for Indian cooperation with the British war effort in exchange for independence. Britain refused and sought to divide India by supporting conservative Hindu and Muslim groups. In response, Gandhi launched the “Quit India” movement it 1942, which called for a total British withdrawal. Gandhi and other nationalist leaders were imprisoned until 1944.
In 1945, a new government came to power in Britain, and negotiations for India’s independence began. Gandhi sought a unified India, but the Muslim League, which had grown in influence during the war, disagreed. After protracted talks, Britain agreed to create the two new independent states of India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947. Gandhi was greatly distressed by the partition, and bloody violence soon broke out between Hindus and Muslims in India.
In an effort to end India’s religious strife, he resorted to fasts and visits to the troubled areas. He was on one such vigil in New Delhi when Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist who objected to Gandhi’s tolerance for the Muslims, fatally shot him. Known as Mahatma, or “the great soul,” during his lifetime, Gandhi’s persuasive methods of civil disobedience influenced leaders of civil rights movements around the world, especially Martin Luther King, Jr. in the United States.
6 Things You Might Not Know About Gandhi
1. Gandhi was a teenage newlywed.
At 13, Gandhi, whose father was the “diwan,” or chief minister, of a series of small princely states in western India, wed Kasturba Makanji (1869-1944), then also a teen and the daughter of a merchant. It was an arranged marriage, and Gandhi had been engaged to Kasturba since he was seven. The couple went on to have four sons. Even when Gandhi took a vow of celibacy in 1906 for reasons of spirituality, self-discipline and commitment to public service, his wife remained married to him until her death at age 74. She died at the Aga Khan Palace in present-day Pune, India, where the Gandhis had been interned by the British since 1942 for their political activism.
2. Gandhi got his start as an activist in South Africa, not India.
In 1888, Gandhi left India to study law in London, England. When he returned to his homeland in 1891, he had difficulty finding employment as a lawyer, so in 1893 he traveled to South Africa, where an Indian firm had given him a one-year contract to do legal work. In South Africa, which was then under control of the British and the Dutch (known as Boers), he, like other Indians there, encountered frequent discrimination. This mistreatment prompted Gandhi to begin campaigning for the civil rights of Indians in South Africa, and he eventually developed his concept of “satyagraha” (“firmness in truth”), or nonviolent resistance. Despite being arrested and imprisoned multiple times, Gandhi remained in South Africa until 1914. Afterward, he returned to India, where he became a transformative figure and led the nonviolent social action movement for his homeland’s independence.
3. Gandhi was murdered by a fellow Hindu.
While walking to a prayer meeting in New Delhi on the evening of January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot three times at close range by Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse. The gunman blamed Gandhi for going along with the 1947 plan that partitioned British India along religious lines into two new independent states: Hindu-dominated India and Muslim-dominated Pakistan. (In fact, Gandhi had opposed the partition, but later stated: “Partition is bad. But whatever is past is past. We have only to look to the future.”) Following the partition, riots broke out across India between Hindus and Muslims, and Godse was angered by Gandhi’s calls for an end to the bloodshed and believed the pacifist icon was pandering to Muslims. Godse was quickly apprehended after Gandhi’s murder, and in November 1949 he and a co-conspirator were hanged for their crimes. Another group of men involved in the plot, including Godse’s brother, received prison sentences.
4. Gandhi was a man of peace, but never won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Gandhi was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1947, but never received the award, which was first handed out in 1901. He also was nominated in 1948, the year he was assassinated, but the Nobel committee opted not to bestow him with the award posthumously. Instead, the committee announced there was “no suitable living candidate” that year and no winner was named. American civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner, acknowledged Gandhi‘s work in his acceptance speech, and the 1989 Nobel winner, the 14th Dalai Lama, called his award a tribute to “my mentor, Mahatma Gandhi.” In 2006, the Nobel committee publicly expressed regret that Gandhi had never been given the prize.
5. Gandhi was extremely shy as a child.
When Gandhi was growing up, few people would’ve predicted he’d one day attract millions of followers, be considered the father of his nation. In fact, as a boy, Gandhi was a middling student and extremely shy. He even described running home from school so he wouldn’t have to talk to anybody.
6. Mohandas and Indira weren’t related.
Despite sharing a last name, Mohandas Gandhi and Indira Gandhi (1917-84), India’s prime minister from 1966 to 1977 and 1980 to 1984, weren’t kin. Indira Gandhi was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), the first prime minister of independent India , from 1947 until his death. After Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards, she was succeeded as prime minister by her son Rajiv (1944-91), who served in the position until 1989. He too was assassinated, in a suicide bombing blamed on a terrorist group from Sri Lanka. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW that today is National Croissant Day?
In the United States, National Croissant Day recognizes a flaky pastry enjoyed at every meal. Croissants are buttery, crescent-shaped rolls that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
The key to a perfect croissant is laminating the dough. You laminate the dough by folding butter into the mixture creating multiple thin layers of butter and dough. The result is a mouth-watering flaky crust and airy body.
Legend surrounds this pastry, as is often the case with a popular, worldly treat. What is known, is that crescent-shaped breads have been found around the world for ages. One of these was the Kipferl which originated in Austria as far back as the 13th century. This nonlaminated bread is more like a roll.
Credit for the croissant we know today is given to an Austrian military officer, August Zang. In 1939 he opened a Viennese bakery in Paris introducing France to Viennese baking techniques. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY retrocede (ret-roh-SEED) which means:
1 : to go back : recede
2 : to cede back (something, such as a territory)
Retrocede is a 17th-century adaptation of Latin retrocēdere, which was formed by combining the prefix retro-, meaning "back" or "backward," with the verb cēdere, "to go or move away." Retrocede has a bit of a twist, however, because cēdere can also mean "cede" ("to yield or assign") and English cede traces back through French and Latin to this other meaning of cēdere. Other descendants of cēdere include accede, concede, intercede, precede, recede, secede, and even cede itself. (merriam-webster.com)
Another Burger Night
Back by popular demand! The Beaver Island Elks Auxiliary is planning another Burger Night. February 10, 5:00 PM, Gregg Fellowship Hall Drive-thru. This time we will have 2 drive-thru lines: One line for Call-in Pre-order, and the other line for no-reservation drive-thru pick-up. (The call-in number will be posted here a few days prior.) Free will donation. All proceeds will go to the Elks Charitable Giving accounts. (None of the revenue will go to a Building Fund.)
Beaver Island Community School Weekly Update
Friday, January 29, 2021
***Notice—Remote Learning on Tuesday, February 2nd **
The Health Department of Northwest Michigan (HDNW) informed us this afternoon that they would like to use the school for an immunization clinic for eligible 1a and 1b category Beaver Island residents who did not yet receive the vaccine. The late notice is due to the current unpredictable nature of the vaccine distribution—they just got their allotment for next week this afternoon! In order to ensure that we do our part to help keep Beaver Island safe, we will have a day of remote learning on Tuesday, February 2nd to facilitate this clinic. The Health The Department Team, along with help from the COA, BIRHC, and the Charlevoix County Emergency Management Coordinator, have developed the list of folks and will be contacting individuals to schedule their appointment times. Please do not call the Health Department’s scheduling line, as this will confuse the process.
There will be NO Basketball practice on Tuesday, February 2nd due to having Clinic in the building and we will be doing the cleaning that evening before students return to the building.
“Meat and Potatoes”
The next two months of school (between now and spring break) are often called the “meat and potatoes” time of the school year. The time when teachers and students tuck into learning a heaping plateful of hearty academic content. It’s always a mad dash to finish out the school year after spring break. Our students have done remarkably well so far this year…and we thank you for your support. Let’s keep the learning going as we dive into our meat and potatoes!
Mark Your Calendars—Remote Instruction on Wednesday, February 17th
In order to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and community members, we are planning to have remote instruction Wednesday, February 17th so that we can host the clinic to
administer the second dose of the Modera vaccine for all Islanders who got it last week. We will have more detailed information for parents and students as we get closer to the date, but for now, plan on having a day of Zoom learning. As well, I am in communication with health care professionals regarding the common reactions to the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. As staff at other schools and businesses get their second dose before we do, we will be keeping an eye on the number of staff members that are not able to work due to side effects. If it seems like a significant percentage of our staff may not be able to function at 100 percent, we may also have a remote day on February 18th .
We Can Do This!
It seems like this pandemic is an exercise of one step forward and two steps back. Just as we have renewed hope in it being over soon with the distribution of vaccines, we have three new genetic variants of COVID-19 entering the United States. In some ways, it feels like we are in the middle of a bad sci-fi movie! However, I am confident we can do this. We know that mask wearing, hand washing, limiting gatherings, and social distancing work. The more we can vaccinate, and the more we can stop the spread of COVID, regardless of the genetic variant, the etter. I know we can do this with our continued vigilance and support for each other. So, for the benefit of everyone, keep rocking those masks, washing your hands, and visiting your friends and family on Zoom!
Have a Great Weekend!
BITAC Minutes
BITACmin012121
Phyllis' Daily Weather
January 29, 2021
Dang, it's invigorating out there this morning when I let the little guys out. I'm sort of amazed that they aren't connected to the ground via golden pedestals. Our Yorkie really, really doesn't like the cold the older he gets. The Chihuahua was so busy barking at invisible critters he didn't even notice the cold.
Most of the winter snows/blizzards have traveled around us, either north or south so we've been having a rather mild winter. Haven't even heard a snow mobile racing past.
Years ago we used to get major storms where snowfall was measured in feet not inches. Haven't had anything like that in well over 15 years. I'm including a some winter photos taken over the years from blue ice to the incredible ice caves to snow sculptures made by Mother Nature. Wish we'd have snow like that again just to snow the newbies what it was like back then.
All pictures by Phyllis Moore
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Partly cloudy skies this morning, 19°, feels like 12°, wind is from the west at 7 mph with gusts to 9 mph, humidity is 70%, dew point is 10°, pressure is 30.45 inches, cloud cover is 50%, and visibility is 10 miles. Today we can expect flurries or snow showers possible early. Sun and clouds mixed. High 24F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. For tonight: Mostly clear early followed by mostly cloudy skies overnight. Low 19F. Winds light and variable. Sunset will be at 5:44 pm.
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ON THIS DAY, January 29, 1820, ten years after mental illness forced him to retire from public life, King George III, the British king who lost the American colonies, dies at the age of 81.
In 1760, 20-year-old George succeeded his grandfather, George II, as king of Great Britain and Ireland. Although he hoped to govern more directly than his predecessor had, King George III was unable to find a minister he could trust, until 1770, when he appointed Lord North as his chief minister. Lord North proved able to manage Parliament and willing to follow royal leadership, but George’s policy of coercion against the American colonists led to the outbreak of the American War for Independence.
The subsequent loss of England’s most profitable colonies contributed to growing opposition to the king, but in 1784 his appointment as prime minister, William Pitt (the younger), succeeded in winning a majority in Parliament. After Pitt’s ascendance, the king retired from active participation in government, except for occasional interference in major issues such as Catholic Emancipation, which was defeated in 1801.
In 1765, the king suffered a short nervous breakdown and in the winter of 1788-89 a more prolonged mental illness. By 1810, he was permanently insane. It has been suggested that he was a victim of the hereditary disease porphyria, a defect of the blood that can cause mental illness when not treated. He spent the rest of his life in the care of his devoted wife, Charlotte Sophia, whom he had married in 1761. Following his retirement from public life, his son, the Prince of Wales, was named regent and upon his father’s death in 1820 ascended to the throne as King George IV. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW Actor Tom Selleck was born in Detroit, Michigan. Tom Selleck was born on January 29, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in Detroit, and attended college at the University of Southern California. While he initially intended to be an architect, he selected acting when the architecture class he wanted turned out to be full. He quickly discovered an aptitude for acting and became hooked. In 1980, Selleck was asked to be the leading role in a television series called "Magnum P.I." He played Thomas Magnum, a private investigator working in Hawaii. The show soon became a major hit and Tom Selleck became a respected actor and popular celebrity. In 1983, he received the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series," for his role in Magnum P.I. Since then, he has made many major motion pictures, including Three Men and a Baby (1987), Her Alibi (1989), An Innocent Man (1989), Quigley Down Under (1990), Mr. Baseball (1992), Crossfire Trail (2001), and Monte Walsh (2003). Tom Selleck has always maintained an interest in his home state of Michigan, especially in the Detroit Tigers baseball team. For example, his character in the Magnum P.I. series could often be seen sporting a Detroit Tigers baseball cap. Indeed, he joined the Detroit Tigers in 1992 for spring training. As a pinch hitter, he took an at-bat in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. Facing the Reds' famous pitcher Bobby Ayala, Selleck stuck out after fouling away a few pitches. Tom Selleck remains an active and respected actor, and is one of Michigan’s favorite sons. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY categorical (kat-uh-GOR-ih-kul) which means:
1 : absolute, unqualified
2 a : of, relating to, or constituting a category
b : involving, according with, or considered with respect to specific categories
The ancestor of categorical and category has been important in logic and philosophy since the days of Aristotle. Both English words derive from Greek katēgoria, which Aristotle used to name the 10 fundamental classes (also called "predications" or "assertions") of terms, things, or ideas into which he felt human knowledge could be organized. Ironically, although those categories and things categorical are supposed to be absolute and fundamental, philosophers have long argued about the number and type of categories that exist and their role in understanding the world. High-level philosophical disputes aside, the word categorical continues to sometimes describe an absolute assertion, one that involves no conditions or hypotheses—for example, the statement "all humans are mortal." (merriam-webster.com)
Memories and More Memories 6
By Joe Moore
In this year of 2021, I’ve been retired for almost five years, but the retirement doesn’t stop the adrenalin dump and the alertness whenever the scanner shows the local EMS, fire department, or deputy sheriff is/are headed out to another call. It also makes me wish I could turn back the clock, so that I could help my friends and neighbors like I did for almost thirty years. Even the county road trucks’ communications keep my interest as they go about their business of plowing the snow and sanding the roadways. They certainly do an efficient job nowadays compared to fifteen years ago.
Read the rest of the story HERE
Birds Near Carlisle Road Feeders
January 28, 2021
There are two pair of cardinals that visit our feeders, but it seems that the males are less likely to come to the feeders when there are quite a few other birds around. The European Starlings seem to stalk the feeders and attempt to chase the smaller birds away. The bluejays are not intimidated by the starlings. The smaller birds seem to flit in quickly to get a little taste and then fly quickly into the cedar hedge. Here are a few pictures of the birds here this morning.
2021 State of the State by Governor Whitmer
BIPARTISAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Governor Whitmer highlighted a number of bipartisan actions she took with the Republican legislature last year, including signing two bipartisan budgets, creating the bipartisan Michigan Reconnect Program, and passing and signing historic Clean Slate legislation to make Michigan’s criminal justice system more fair.
MI COVID RECOVERY PLAN
Governor Whitmer called on the Michigan Legislature to work with her to pass the Michigan COVID Recovery plan focused on distributing vaccines, getting our kids back on track, supporting small businesses, and jumpstarting our economy. The governor’s plan will support small businesses long after the pandemic is over. The governor’s MI COVID Recovery Plan includes a call on the Michigan Legislature to permanently extend unemployment benefits from 20 weeks to 26 weeks.
FUNDING FOR LOCAL ROADS
Governor Whitmer called on the Michigan legislature to work with her to provide local communities more options to fix local roads and bridges, which has received bipartisan support. Last year, Governor Whitmer announced the Rebuilding Michigan Bonding Plan to create and sustain tens of thousands of jobs and start fixing the damn roads without an increase at the pump. Since then, our hardworking construction workers have completed the I-496 Rebuilding Michigan project in November, with hundreds of more projects on the horizon, Including heavily traveled sections of I-96 in Oakland County, I-69 in Calhoun County and I-94 in Berrien County.
MI CLASSROOM HEROES
The governor announced the MI Classroom Heroes grants of up to $500 for teachers and support staff. These grants will go out in February, and will help offset some expenses and the extraordinary efforts Michigan’s educators have made throughout the pandemic.
GOOD JOBS FOR MICHIGAN
The governor called on the legislature to pass Good Jobs for Michigan legislation to retain and grow our businesses and create jobs. Pfizer was the first business to utilize Good Jobs for Michigan, and did so to build their sterile drug manufacturing plant and create 450 good-paying jobs in Portage. Passing this legislation will be good for our families, our businesses, and our economy. Let’s get it done.
MI CLEAN WATER
The governor called on the legislature to pass the MI Clean Water plan, a $500 million comprehensive water investment in Michigan's water infrastructure that she announced last year. MI Clean Water will direct dollars to communities for safe, clean water to residents and expanding green infrastructure, and it supports over 7,500 Michigan jobs.
LOWERING THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
The bipartisan Prescription Drug Task Force that the governor announced last year has developed a plan to lower prescription drug costs and create more transparency in how drugs are priced. The governor announced that members of her cabinet worked with bipartisan, bicameral members of the legislature to support legislation that requires transparency, holds accountable those profiting from skyrocketing prices, and makes necessary medications affordable for all Michigan families. She called on the legislature to pass this legislation and send it to her desk.
FIXING THE DAMN ROAD AHEAD
The governor announced the “Fixing the Damn Road Ahead” tour to engage with and learn from Michigan voters – whether they’re Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. She will engage with people across the state to focus on what unites us, improve how we talk to each other, and fix the damn road ahead.
To watch Governor Whitmer's full 2021 State of the State Address or read more about the priorities listed above, visit Michigan.gov/MISOTS21 today!
Phyllis' Daily Weather
January 28, 2021
As most of you know, the island is full of special characters who are well loved. I thought I'd post a few of them as the winter goes on. First up to bat is Jim Wojan. I've known him all his life and will attest to the fact that he's a good guy. There isn't an aspect of island community life that he hasn't touched. He helps decorate the town Christmas tree every year, served for years on the St. James Township Board, the Medical Center Board, has his own excavating business, three great kids plus 4 grandkids, he's the Sunday head usher at Holy Cross Catholic Church, he is a volunteer fireman, he helps Mike McDonough when we have electric outages, he loves to tease, and he's always ready to lend a hand where ever it's needed. I'm sure there is much more, but the coffee hasn't kicked in yet. Person of the day is Jimmy Wojan.
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Cloudy skies, 18°, feels like 4°, wind is from the NW at 12 mph with gusts to 21 mph, humidity is at 70%, dew point is at 10°, pressure is rising from 30.50 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 3,200 feet. Today: Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 21F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Low 18F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Sunset will be at 5:43 pm.
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ON THIS DAY at 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school social studies teacher from New Hampshire, won a competition that earned her a place among the seven-member crew of the Challenger. She underwent months of shuttle training but then, beginning January 23, was forced to wait six long days as the Challenger‘s launch countdown was repeatedly delayed because of weather and technical problems. Finally, on January 28, the shuttle lifted off.
Seventy-three seconds later, hundreds on the ground, including Christa’s family, stared in disbelief as the shuttle broke up in a forking plume of smoke and fire. Millions more watched the wrenching tragedy unfold on live television. There were no survivors.
In 1976, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled the world’s first reusable manned spacecraft, the Enterprise. Five years later, space flights of the shuttle began when Columbia traveled into space on a 54-hour mission. Launched by two solid-rocket boosters and an external tank, only the aircraft-like shuttle entered into orbit around Earth. When the mission was completed, the shuttle fired engines to reduce speed and, after descending through the atmosphere, landed like a glider. Early shuttles took satellite equipment into space and carried out various scientific experiments. The Challenger disaster was the first major shuttle accident.
In the aftermath of the disaster, President Ronald Reagan appointed a special commission to determine what went wrong with Challenger and to develop future corrective measures. The presidential commission was headed by former secretary of state William Rogers, and included former astronaut Neil Armstrong and former test pilot Chuck Yeager. The investigation determined that the disaster was caused by the failure of an “O-ring” seal in one of the two solid-fuel rockets. The elastic O-ring did not respond as expected because of the cold temperature at launch time, which began a chain of events that resulted in the massive loss. As a result, NASA did not send astronauts into space for more than two years as it redesigned a number of features of the space shuttle.
In September 1988, space shuttle flights resumed with the successful launching of the Discovery. Since then, the space shuttle has carried out numerous important missions, such as the repair and maintenance of the Hubble Space Telescope and the construction of the International Space Station.
On February 1, 2003, a second space-shuttle disaster rocked the United States when Columbia disintegrated upon reentry of the Earth’s atmosphere. All aboard were killed. Despite fears that the problems that downed Columbia had not been satisfactorily addressed, space-shuttle flights resumed on July 26, 2005, when Discovery was again put into orbit.
The Space Shuttle program formally ended on August 31, 2011 after its final mission, STS-135 flown by Atlantis, in July 2011.
5 Things You May Not Know About the Challenger Shuttle Disaster
1. The Challenger didn’t actually explode.
The space shuttle was engulfed in a cloud of fire just 73 seconds after liftoff, at an altitude of some 46,000 feet (14,000 meters). It looked like an explosion, the media called it an explosion and even NASA officials mistakenly described it that way initially. But later investigation showed that in fact, there was no detonation or explosion in the way we commonly understand the concept. A seal in the shuttle’s right solid-fuel rocket booster designed to prevent leaks from the fuel tank during liftoff weakened in the frigid temperatures and failed, and hot gas began pouring through the leak. The fuel tank itself collapsed and tore apart, and the resulting flood of liquid oxygen and hydrogen created the huge fireball believed by many to be an explosion.
2. The astronauts aboard the shuttle didn’t die instantly.
After the collapse of its fuel tank, the Challenger itself remained momentarily intact, and actually continued moving upwards. Without its fuel tank and boosters beneath it, however, powerful aerodynamic forces soon pulled the orbiter apart. The pieces—including the crew cabin—reached an altitude of some 65,000 feet before falling out of the sky into the Atlantic Ocean below. It’s likely that the Challenger’s crew survived the initial breakup of the shuttle but lost consciousness due to loss of cabin pressure and probably died due to oxygen deficiency pretty quickly. But the cabin hit the water’s surface (at more than 200 mph) a full 2 minutes and 45 seconds after the shuttle broke apart, and it’s unknown whether any of the crew could have regained consciousness in the final few seconds of the fall.
3. Relatively few people actually saw the Challenger disaster unfold on live television.
Though popular wisdom about the 30-year-old tragedy holds that millions of people watched the Challenger’s horrific fate unfold live on television—in addition to the hundreds watching on the ground—the fact is that most people watched taped replays of the actual event. All major networks carrying the launch cut away when the shuttle broke apart, and the tragedy occurred at a time (11:39 a.m. Eastern Time on a Tuesday) when most people were in school or at work. CNN broadcast the launch in its entirety, but cable news was a relatively new phenomenon at the time, and even fewer people had satellite dishes. Though the general public may not have been watching live, NASA had arranged a satellite broadcast onto TV sets in many schools because of McAuliffe’s role in the mission, and many of the schoolchildren who watched remember the disaster as a pivotal moment in their childhoods.
4. In the aftermath of the tragedy, some suggested that the White House pushed NASA to launch the shuttle in time for President Ronald Reagan’s State of the Union address, scheduled for later on January 28.
NASA officials apparently felt intense pressure to push the Challenger’s mission forward after repeated delays, partially due to difficulties getting the previous shuttle, Columbia, back on the ground. But the rumors that pressure was exerted from above, specifically from the Reagan White House, in order to connect the shuttle or its astronauts directly in some way with the State of the Union seem to have been politically motivated and not based on any direct evidence.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Reagan postponed his annual message to the nation (the first, and so far only, time in history a president has done so) and addressed the nation about the Challenger instead. Widely regarded as one of the best speeches of his presidency, the 650-word address ended with a moving quote from the poem “High Flight,” by the American pilot John McGee Jr., who was killed while flying for the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II.
Of the Challenger astronauts, Reagan said: “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’”
5. More than a decade after the Challenger disaster, two large pieces from the spacecraft washed ashore at a local beach.
Within a day of the shuttle tragedy, salvage operations recovered hundreds of pounds of metal from the Challenger. In March 1986, the remains of the astronauts were found in the debris of the crew cabin. Though all of the important pieces of the shuttle were retrieved by the time NASA closed its Challenger investigation in 1986, most of the spacecraft remained in the Atlantic Ocean. A decade later, memories of the disaster resurfaced when two large pieces of the Challenger washed up in the surf at Cocoa Beach, 20 miles south of the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. NASA believed the two barnacle-encrusted fragments, one measuring more than 6 feet wide and 13 feet long, were originally connected, and that they came from the shuttle’s left wing flap. After being verified, the newly found parts were placed in two abandoned missile silos with the other shuttle remains, which number around 5,000 pieces and weigh in at some 250,000 pounds. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW in 1847, Francis Troutman and four other Kentucky slave catchers arrive at the home of the Adam Crosswhite family— Kentucky slaves who had escaped to Marshall.
Troutman, who planned to return the Crosswhites to their former master, was confronted by several hundred Marshall residents who threatened the slaveholders with tar and feathers. While Troutman was being charged with assault and fined $100, the Crosswhites fled to Canada. A Kentucky court assessed the Michiganians with fines equal to the Crosswhites' value. Despite local tradition that held that the Crosswhite case played a role in Congress's adoption of a more stringent Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, this was not true. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY jeopardy (JEP-er-dee) which means:
1 : exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or injury : danger
2 law : the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense
Geoffrey Chaucer employed the word jeopardy in his late 14th-century masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, but its Middle English form can make it hard to spot: it appears in the phrase "in jupartie" with a meaning very much akin to the word's meaning in the modern phrase "in jeopardy"—that is, "in danger." The spellings of what we now render only as jeopardy were formerly myriad. The Oxford English Dictionary reports that between the late 14th and mid-17th centuries the word was spelled in a great variety of ways, among them iuperti, yoberte, iepardye, ieoberye, and jobardy. (merriam-webster.com)
Paradise Bay Beautiful Sky
January 27, 2021
This sky shown in the pictures was only present for just over fifteen seconds, and the editor felt fortunate to get a chance to capture the beauty. Owl hunting wasn't successful, but the trip was worth the time.
Nels and Bussy LaFreniere's House is Missing the Siding
January 27, 2021
Although the editor has talked to no one, it was obvious that some of the siding, actually most of the siding was gone from this house. It was a former house of Nels LaFreniere and Bussy LaFreniere down on Main Street next to the Shamrock Restaurant and Bar. It certainly looks a lot different, and the editor is not sure of the plans.
View some video of this house HERE
Lots of Ducks
January 27, 2021
Besides the mergansers, the mallard, and the golden eye ducks seen in the harbor, there are also red head ducks and lots of them. It's amazing to see so many ducks in one area. Many of the ducks are diving ducks. Others, like the mallards, come seeking corn and food from caring residents of the island.
COVID Statement
January 27, 2021
View and/or download the statement HERE
B. I. Community School Meetings
January 27, 2021
2021 Meetings Schedule
Committee of the Whole Mtg 2021
Beaver Haven Tales 2
by Glenn Hendrix
Story 2: The Trash Run
Beaver Haven had a contract to empty trash barrels at the township parks. Usually Melvill NaPont and I did it. We used the marina's old green Willys station wagon and pulled a mall trailer. I don't know how that thing ran, but it always did. It was so rusty the sides would flap in and out over evey bump in the road. I droe, which was an adventure in itself.
We did a weekly trash run from the marina, Walker's Rustic Villa Cabins, the ballpark, the township campground, and a few other places. The campground was the worst because people threw away fish guts there, and they became quite ripe. I won't forget the smell of the maggoty fish in old steel drums. We dumped everything in the trailer, took it to the old township dump, backed to the edge, and shoveled it all into the pit. Then we swept all the maggots out of the trailer with a broom. Yuck!
Once Melvin had me stop on the Back Highway where there was an old couch under a big oak tree. People used to sit there and drink beer, and there were lots of beer cans. We cleaned up all the cans and took them to the dump. I don't think this cleanup was in the contract, but Phil may have suggested it to Melvin.
Welcome to the February 2021 Edition-B I Christian Church Newsletter
10 a.m. SUNDAY SERVICE
VISITING PASTORS
February 7 – Pastor Gene Drenth
February 14 – Message from Chris Bass
February 21 – Pastor Dan Johnson
February 28 – Pastor Gene Drenth
View and/or Dowmload the Newsletter HERE
Timeout for Art: Papermaking IV
by Cindy Ricksgers
Thank You !
by Bob Sramek | Jan 25, 2021
A heartfelt Thank You to all of our generous supporters. The response to our year end request for help demonstrated your commitment to the betterment of our Beaver Island community. Your generosity raised over $2300.00 to help continue our important work.
Your investment helps the Beaver Island Association to:
Provide a forum for discussion of island governance and property taxes
Represent membership concerns through township government liaison
Support preservation and wise use of natural resources, plants, and wildlife of Beaver Island
Collaborate with tribes, environmental organizations, schools, and government agencies
Propose environmental conservation policies and / or methods
Sponsor environmental education programs and public lectures and presentations
Publish a semi-annual newsletter and maintain a continuously updated website
Monitor and control invasive species
Clean up beaches, campgrounds and help with forest fire prevention
Work to bring High Speed Internet to Beaver Island
Co-operate and support other organizations like the Beaver Island Dark Sky Project, The Beaver Island Birding Trail, The Great Lakes Island Coalition, The Waterways Trail and The Northern Lake Michigan Islands Collaborative
We pledge to continue working to improve the quality of life on our beloved Beaver Island.
To paraphrase an old saying, “Society grows great when older people plant trees, whose shade they know they shall never sit in”……THANK YOU FOR INVESTING IN THE FUTURE!
With Gratitude,
The Beaver Island Association Board of Directors
Phyllis' Daily Weather
January 27, 2021
It used to be that the harbor area was decorated with huge fish net racks to dry the nets. They were round and the nets were spread on them and turned. Fishermen could repair torn nets right then and there. I think there might still be one just past Crandall's place behind the next building. Names are escaping me this morning.
For many years fishing is how many of the islanders made their living. Kenwabikise, Naponts, Martins, Coles, Larson, etc., would work at keeping their nets in good shape. If they didn't have a rack, they would spread the nets out on the ground.
Buying fish for dinner wasn't a problem. You could meet the fishing boats coming in, stop at their little stores, often they would deliver freshly caught to your door. Now days, one has to either buy it from McDonough's or on the mainland as nobody seems to be out fishing. One of my favorite things was smoked fish and we don't see that often either.
I found a few photos of island fishermen to share with you. It was extremely hard work and dangerous. We're proud that these hard-working men put the island on the map with their jobs of procuring fish for folks all over the country. It seems to be a lost art as once you'd see tug after tug heading out the mouth of the harbor and now, nothing.
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It's 19° outside this morning, calm, humidity is at 81%, dew point is 14°, pressure is rising from 30.30 inches, visibility is 0.99 miles. Today expect mainly cloudy with snow showers around this morning. High 21F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Tonight will be overcast. Low 16F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Sunset will be at 5:41 pm.
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ON THIS DAY January 27, 1945, Soviet troops enter Auschwitz, Poland, freeing the survivors of the network of concentration camps—and finally revealing to the world the depth of the horrors perpetrated there.
Auschwitz was really a group of camps, designated I, II, and III. There were also 40 smaller “satellite” camps. It was at Auschwitz II, at Birkenau, established in October 1941, that the SS created a complex, monstrously orchestrated killing ground: 300 prison barracks; four “bathhouses” in which prisoners were gassed; corpse cellars; and cremating ovens. Thousands of prisoners were also used for medical experiments overseen and performed by the camp doctor, Josef Mengele, the “Angel of Death.”
Listen to HISTORY This Week Podcast: Episode 4: January 27, 1945 Surviving Auschwitz https://podcasts.apple.com/.../history-this.../id1493453604
The Red Army had been advancing deeper into Poland since mid-January. Having liberated Warsaw and Krakow, Soviet troops headed for Auschwitz. In anticipation of the Soviet arrival, SS officers began a murder spree in the camps, shooting sick prisoners and blowing up crematoria in a desperate attempt to destroy the evidence of their crimes. When the Red Army finally broke through, Soviet soldiers encountered 648 corpses and more than 7,000 starving camp survivors. There were also six storehouses filled with hundreds of thousands of women’s dresses, men's suits and shoes that the Germans did not have time to burn. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW National Chocolate Cake Day celebrates the cake more people favor. And more often than not, we celebrate our special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays and weddings with cake. Why not enjoy chocolate cake on January 27th every year?
In America, chocolate was consumed primarily as a beverage until the 1830s or 40s. Chocolate cakes, as we think of them today, mostly did not exist then. According to the Dover Post, the chocolate cake was born in 1765 when a doctor and a chocolate maker teamed up in an old mill. They ground up cocoa beans between huge millstones to make a thick syrup. The liquid was poured into molds shaped like cakes, which were meant to be transformed into a beverage. A popular Philadelphia cookbook author, Eliza Leslie, published the earliest chocolate cake recipe in 1847 in The Lady’s Receipt Book. Unlike chocolate cakes we know today, this recipe used chopped chocolate. Other cooks of the time such as Sarah Tyson Rorer and Maria Parloa all made contributions to the development of the chocolate cake and were prolific authors of cookbooks.
The first boxed cake mix was created by a company called O. Duff and Sons in the late 1920s. Betty Crocker released their first dry cake mixes in 1947. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY itinerant (eye-TIN-uh-runt) which means traveling from place to place; especially : covering a circuit. In Latin, iter means "way" or "journey." That root was the parent of the Late Latin verb itinerari, meaning "to journey." It was that verb which ultimately gave rise to the English word for traveling types: itinerant. The linguistic grandparent, iter, also contributed to the development of other English words, including itinerary ("the route of a journey" and "the plan made for a journey") and errant ("traveling or given to traveling," as in knight-errant). (merriam-webster.com)
CAKE CISMA Surveys for Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: What is it?
- Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is a tiny invasive insect native to Japan.
- It targets and kills hemlock trees. HWA sucks moisture and nutrients from tree needles and shoots.
- HWA are best seen on the undersides of branches and at the base of needles
- More than 176 million hemlocks in Michigan are at risk of being affected by this invasive insect.
- If you notice white, waxy material at the base of the needles on a hemlock tree, do not move it from the site; take photos, note the location and report it.
CAKE CISMA: Who are we?
- We are your local organization that coordinates all invasive species management and conservation engagement for the county!
- Please reach out to us, if you have any questions about invasive plants in the community or on your property.
Want your Hemlock Trees surveyed, for free?
CAKE CISMA has been sub-awarded funds from The DNR to survey Hemlocks in our area. The goal is to determine how far north HWA has spread from southwest MI. These funds allow us to include private property in the survey at no cost to the landowner.
If you would like your Hemlocks surveyed for HWA, contact us to fill out a permission form.
Phone: 231-533-8363. Email: cakeisst@gmail.com.
Kirk Acharya (he, him, his)
Coordinator | CAKE CISMA
Charlevoix, Antrim, Kalkaska, & Emmet Counties
Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area
4820 Stover Road Bellaire, MI 49615
Office: (231) 533-8363 ext. 5
Take a look at the permission and other info HERE
Hemlock Rescue!
Collaborating to stop the spread of Hemlock woolly adelgid
You can now access a recording of the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/5630898525502609923.
If you attended the webinar or viewed the recording, and haven’t done so already, please take a moment to complete a short, 5-question evaluation for the webinar at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/notmispecies1-22-21.
For more information about Hemlock woolly adelgid please visit www.michigan.gov/HWA
Upcoming webinars in this series and recordings can be found at https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-3308_3333-539592--,00.html.
Lake Levels Workshops Highlight the Need for Information Sharing
January 26, 2021
There is so much information being shared by all these individuals and part of the SeaGrant program, that it seems improper not to share all of this with BINN readers, at least for those that are interested in this. The editor admits he has not viewed them all, but the topics do tweak an interest.
In light of last year’s high water levels in Lake Michigan and other Great Lakes, repeatedly breaking monthly records, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) brought together resource managers, experts, scientists and community leaders in October to improve understanding of changing lake level impacts and management implications. The group began a process of sharing information and ideas.
While lake levels reached a high mark in 2020, not long ago, in 2012−13 in fact, Lake Michigan’s water level was at a record low. At the time, hydrologists and others were concerned about ships navigating in shallower waters and the need for dredging, among other issues.
Conversely, record and near-record high water levels in 2020 led to submerged docks, flooded transportation infrastructure, including Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, inundated coastal areas and eroding shorelines. Higher water levels can cause irreversible, lasting damage to the shoreline and structures, as well as to habitats.
The virtual workshops, which took place over four afternoons, were focused on the southwestern Lake Michigan region, which includes Chicago and industrialized areas south of Chicago and in Indiana, as well as unique stretches of precious coastal habitat such as the Indiana Dunes National Park, along with other state-protected natural areas.
With 30−40 participants each day, the sessions combined presentations with small group discussions to identify specific issues and define available and needed resources. These conversations brought some common themes to the front.
“Participants stressed the need to keep up with the best available science and experts in the field,” said Veronica Fall, IISG climate specialist. Fall, along with Carolyn Foley, the program’s research coordinator, organized and hosted the workshop series.
In addition, the discussions brought out the need to apply information to long-term planning and management, given projections for increased water level variability, and, specifically, water safety concerns were highlighted.
The group also focused on the need to share information, stressing the importance of knowing people’s expertise so that it is clear whom to contact with questions. Participants expressed the importance of engaging and sharing information with diverse audiences.
“They agreed on the need to pull together lists of available resources for use by Lake Michigan shoreline communities, and ensure these are being equitably shared,” said Foley. “Some participants have already indicated that they will be revising how they share information in response to thoughts shared during these workshops.”
You can find the workshop report in IISG's publications database. Presentations by workshop participants from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cook County Emergency Management and Regional Security, the Illinois State Geological Survey, and more are available via IISG’s YouTube channel.
WORKSHOP VIDEOS
- John Allis – Great Lakes Water Levels
- Laurie Smith-Kuypers – Improving Great Lakes Communication About Changing Lake Levels
- Dave Handwerk – Improving Communication About Changing Lake Michigan Water Levels: USACE Chicago District
- Kim Nowicki – Regional Response to Rising Lakefront Water Levels
- Ricky Castro – National Weather Service Lakeshore Flood Services
- Vidya Balasubramanyam – Prairie Research Institute & Illinois DNR Coastal Management Program Support for Shoreline Management
- Mark Wagstaff & Margaret Boshek – Communication Strategies for Lake Level Change
- Luke Zoet – Coastal Shoreline Research from University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Deanna Apps – Great Lakes Water Levels: Short-term Impacts
- Robin Mattheus – High Lake Levels & the Illinois Coast: Some Insights from Illinois Beach State Park
- Lauren Fry – Great Lakes Hydrology
- Brandon Krumwiede – Understanding Long-Term Coastal Impacts of Water Level Changes in Lake Michigan
- Cam Davis – Coastal Communications for Impact
- Mark Breederland – Coastal Resiliency Communication: A Flipped Classroom Case Study in Process
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.
Writer: Irene Miles
Contact: Veronica Fall
Phyllis' Daily Weather
January 26, 2021
After so many years of reading my posts, you already know I'm rather warped. I was looking through some old pictures and was reminded of my life before retirement, back when I was a librarian. Do you remember the "Left Behind" series? It was, I think 17 books about the Rapture. You might want to read it.
You know how sometimes, after you've left the house, you wonder if you shut the coffee maker off or unplugged the iron? Today, May 21st, I had to run back to the library to double check if I'd locked the front door. Obviously I hadn't as this was what I found - six folks who had been "chosen". Check out the photos below. I guess they were enraptured with the library, huh?
It's a little known secret, but some islanders - at least these six - came to town commando - as they were minus underwear. Just thought I'd share that little tidbit. I ought to point out that I am not one of them
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It's partly cloudy this morning, 22°, feels like 16°, wind is from the NE at 7 mph, humidity is at 73%, dew point is at 15°, pressure is at 30.00 inches, cloud cover is 45%, and visibility is 10 miles. For today, expect Cloudy skies. High 22F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight will be cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 18F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Sunset will be at 5:40 pm.
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ON THIS DAY in 1875, mistakenly believing Frank and Jesse James are hiding out at their family home, a gang of men–likely led by Pinkerton detectives–mount a raid that leaves the outlaws’ mother permanently maimed and their nine-year-old half-brother dead.
The Chicago-based Pinkerton Detective Agency had been pursuing the James brothers and their gang since 1874, when several big railroad companies first hired the Pinkertons to stop the outlaws. Responsible for a string of bank and train robberies, the James brothers were already famous for their daring style, and some even viewed the men as modern-day Robin Hoods. The Pinkertons, though, had no such romantic illusions about the outlaws. One of their best operatives working on the case, John W. Witcher, had been found dead from a bullet wound to the stomach, with his head, shoulder, and face eaten away by wild hogs. The Pinkertons were convinced Jesse James and another gang member had murdered Witcher, and they were determined to stop the outlaws.
In late 1874, the Pinkertons learned that Jesse and Frank James periodically returned to their old family farm in Clay County, Missouri, to visit with their mother and other family. On the night of January 26, 1875, a gang of men surrounded the James farm in the mistaken belief that the James brothers were inside. In an attempt to flush the outlaws out of the house, the gang threw several flares through the windows. Unexpectedly, one of the flares exploded instantly, killing Frank and Jesse’s young half-brother and blowing away their mother’s arm. Though the identity of the gang members has never been determined with absolute certainty, contemporary admirers of the James Brothers and modern-day historians agree that the Pinkertons were probably responsible. Regardless, the incident gave credence to the popular view that the men were innocent victims of the powerful railroads that had hired the Pinkertons to wipe them out.
After the attack on the James farm, the Pinkertons appear to have backed off from their more aggressive tactics. One of his own gang members, not a Pinkerton operative, killed Jesse James for a bounty in 1882. Frank James surrendered shortly thereafter, but no jury would convict him, and he remained a free and law-abiding citizen until his death in 1915. The grave of Jesse, who was buried in the front yard of his mother’s farm, became a popular tourist attraction. For many years, tourists could pay Mrs. James to visit the grave and listen to her tearful and melodramatic account of how venal Pinkertons and evil railroad barons had so unjustly persecuted her good and utterly innocent sons. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guides a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, effectively founding Australia. After overcoming a period of hardship, the fledgling colony began to celebrate the anniversary of this date with great fanfare and it eventually became commemorated as Australia Day. In recent times, Australia Day has become increasingly controversial as it marks the start of when the continent's Indigenous people were gradually dispossessed of their land as white colonization spread across the continent.
Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish an agricultural work camp there for British convicts. With little idea of what he could expect from the mysterious and distant land, Phillip had great difficulty assembling the fleet that was to make the journey. His requests for more experienced farmers to assist the penal colony were repeatedly denied, and he was both poorly funded and outfitted. Nonetheless, accompanied by a small contingent of Marines and other officers, Phillip led his 1,000-strong party, of whom more than 700 were convicts, around Africa to the eastern side of Australia. In all, the voyage lasted eight months, claiming the deaths of some 30 men.
The first years of settlement were nearly disastrous. Cursed with poor soil, an unfamiliar climate and workers who were ignorant of farming, Phillip had great difficulty keeping the men alive. The colony was on the verge of outright starvation for several years, and the marines sent to keep order were not up to the task. Phillip, who proved to be a tough but fair-minded leader, persevered by appointing convicts to positions of responsibility and oversight. Floggings and hangings were commonplace, but so was egalitarianism. As Phillip said before leaving England: “In a new country there will be no slavery and hence no slaves.”
Though Phillip returned to England in 1792, the colony became prosperous by the turn of the 19th century. Feeling a new sense of patriotism, the men began to rally around January 26 as their founding day. Historian Manning Clarke noted that in 1808 the men observed the “anniversary of the foundation of the colony” with “drinking and merriment.”
In 1818, January 26 became an official holiday, marking the 30th anniversary of British settlement in Australia. As Australia became a sovereign nation, it became the national holiday known as Australia Day. Many Aboriginal Australians call it "Invasion Day." (history.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY obeisance (oh-BEE-sunss) which means:
1 : a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission : bow
2 : acknowledgment of another's superiority or importance : homage
When it first appeared in English in the 14th century, obeisance shared the same meaning as obedience. This makes sense given that obeisance can be traced back to the Anglo-French obeir, a verb meaning "to obey" that is also an ancestor of English's obey. The other senses of obeisance also date from the 14th century, but they have stood the test of time whereas the "obedience" sense is now obsolete. (merriam-webster.com)
Phyllis' Daily Weather
January 25, 2021
MRI results are in and Henry B. Nine did not acquire a friend! I go across again on the 4th to see the lung doctor and to get my eyes checked for the first time in almost 10 years. It'll be sooo nice to see clearly again.
Not much of a story today, but thought you might enjoy a step back in time. Remember when I told you about walking to school in the winter and how we'd race for the power plant to warm up? Well, here's a couple photos of that building. One as a storm was about to pass over and the other from a different angle and on a different day. The power plant was located where the Veteran's Park is today. Jewell Gillespie was the man in charge. I remember in grade school he gave us a tour of the interior. It was so loud from all the machines. For many, many years this was the only source of electricity for the island with its huge generators and was very much appreciated by those who benefitted from it.
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It's 21° outside this morning, feels like 13°, partly cloudy skies, wind is from the NNW at 8 mph, humidity is at 71%, dew point is 13°, pressure is falling from 30.10 inches, cloud cover is 40%, and visibility is 10 miles. Today should be sunshine and clouds mixed. High near 25F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight expect considerable cloudiness. Low 18F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Sunset will be at 5:38 pm.
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ON THIS DAY, January 25, 1905, at the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa, a 3,106-carat diamond is discovered during a routine inspection by the mine’s superintendent. Weighing 1.33 pounds, and christened the “Cullinan,” it was the largest diamond ever found.
Frederick Wells was 18 feet below the earth’s surface when he spotted a flash of starlight embedded in the wall just above him. His discovery was presented that same afternoon to Sir Thomas Cullinan, who owned the mine. Cullinan then sold the diamond to the Transvaal provincial government, which presented the stone to Britain’s King Edward VII as a birthday gift. Worried that the diamond might be stolen in transit from Africa to London, Edward arranged to send a phony diamond aboard a steamer ship loaded with detectives as a diversionary tactic. While the decoy slowly made its way from Africa on the ship, the Cullinan was sent to England in a plain box.
Edward entrusted the cutting of the Cullinan to Joseph Asscher, head of the Asscher Diamond Company of Amsterdam. Asscher, who had cut the famous Excelsior Diamond, a 971-carat diamond found in 1893, studied the stone for six months before attempting the cut. On his first attempt, the steel blade broke, with no effect on the diamond. On the second attempt, the diamond shattered exactly as planned; Asscher then fainted from nervous exhaustion.
The Cullinan was later cut into nine large stones and about 100 smaller ones, valued at millions of dollars all told. The largest stone is called the “Star of Africa I,” or “Cullinan I,” and at 530 carats, it is the largest-cut fine-quality colorless diamond in the world. The second largest stone, the “Star of Africa II” or “Cullinan II,” is 317 carats. Both of these stones, as well as the “Cullinan III,” are on display in the Tower of London with Britain’s other crown jewels; the Cullinan I is mounted in the British Sovereign’s Royal Scepter, while the Cullinan II sits in the Imperial State Crown. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW National Irish Coffee Day kicks off January 25th each year with a mug of strong coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and topped with a layer of cream.
On a cold, wet day in 1942 weary travelers to the small Shannon Airport in southwest Ireland found their way to a restaurant and chef Joe Sheridan. To warm his guests, he served them hot coffee, spiked with whiskey and topped with whipped cream. The passengers asked if the beverage was Brazilian coffee. Sheridan responded that it was Irish coffee.
A travel writer, Stanton Delaplane, brought Irish coffee to the United States after having it at Shannon Airport.
Delaplane brought the idea to the Buena Vista Cafe on November 10, 1952. After much trial and error, sampling, and a trip back to Ireland for a taste of the original, Delaplane, along with Buena Vista owners Jack Koeppler and George Freeberg, were able to replicate the delicious coffee and the method for floating the cream on top of the coffee.
How to Make an Authentic Irish Coffee
Starting with a warm glass, fill 2/3rds full of freshly brewed coffee. Stir in a heaping teaspoon of sugar. Add 1 ounce of Irish whiskey.
Adding the cream, so it floats is the tricky part. According to the Buena Vista account, and at the suggestion of San Francisco’s mayor, a dairyman, cream that is 48 hours old, is best. However, others recommend whipping cream (not whipped cream) that has been lightly whipped or foamed.
When the coffee has stopped swirling from stirring in the sugar, pour the foamy cream over the back of a spoon. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY optimization (ahp-tuh-muh-ZAY-shun) which means: an act, process, or methodology of making something (such as a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible; specifically : the mathematical procedures (such as finding the maximum of a function) involved in this. Optimization started its gradual perfection in mid-19th-century English, when it was derived from optimize, a word first used in the early part of that same century with the meaning "to make the best or most of." In basic applications, optimization refers to the act or process of making something as good as it can be. In the 21st century, it has seen much use in technical contexts having to do with attaining the best possible functionality, as in "network optimization" and "search engine optimization" (SEO). Like the words optimum and optimism (which refer, respectively, to the amount or degree of something that is best or most effective, and to a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future), optimize and optimization derive from Latin optimus, meaning "best." (merriam-webster.com)
Carlisle Road Visitor
January 23, 2021
Yesterday and close to dark and after dark, Carlisle Road had visitors. The only pictures obtained was just at dusk and just outside the front window. The later visitors were only after dark, and they could not be seen, let alone get pictures of them. Between the Moore household and the Joe McDonough household, just before 8 p.m., there were two owls that could be heard, but not seen. Approximately ten minutes later they moved further away toward Mike McDonough's house and Mike and Kelly Collin's house, and by 9 p.m. the owls were gone, but coyotes could be heard off in the same direction. Wishing for an infrared camera, the editor walked down the King's Highway trying to locate these, but they were never seen, just heard.
Besides the turkey feeder next to our driveway, the turkeys come in larger groups of twenty to thirty, so the editor throws corn out to get them from fighting over the feeder and chasing each other around and around the feeder. The bluejays love it when that is done. This young buck also liked the left over corn in the front yard.
Mass from Holy Cross
January 24, 2021, at 12:15 p.m.
Joanie Banville reads.........Father Peter Wigton listens
Father Peter gives the sermon.
View video of the service HERE
Christian Church Service
January 24, 2021, at 10 a.m.
Judi Meister welcomes.....Judi Meister plays.......Sandy Drost reads............Bob Bass reads
Lee Bracey gives an excellent sermon.
View video of the service HERE
Phyllis' Daily Weather
January 24, 2021
When you come to the island now days, you see our "new" school, not the one that so many of us attended. You can barely see the "old" school, McKinley, in the background. When I was in school, the part with all the windows was the "new" part and the section that rather resembles a house was referred to as the "upstairs". Back then we had four grades to a room. The nuns had their hands full with that many preps for classes. The old buildings are now just a memory as are the majority of trees.
I can't see the "upstairs" part without remembering Mary Gillespie Palmer jumping out of her seat every cotton-picking time a car would go by. The nun made straps to keep her seated - didn't work, she broke through them in nothing flat when someone hollered, "Hey, the Coast Guard boat is coming in!". It wasn't, but Mary had to check it out anyhow. We love you, Hannah!
On Friday afternoons, provided all lessons were accomplished, the nuns would find special entertainment for us - bad weather, we stayed in the room and had a sing-along; warm nice weather we would head for the school playground for some baseball (I can't remember who did it, either Larry McDonough or Tony McDonough hit a line drive and the ball hit Sister Euphrosine in the belly - she did a backward summersault but was ready for the next batter); and when it got cold and the harbor froze, it was ice-skating out in front of the church hall/playground.
It was special going to school here and I'm so glad I had the experience.
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It's lightly snowing, 26°, feels like 25°, wind is from the south at 4 mph with gusts to 5 mph, humidity is at 88%, dew point is 23°, pressure is at 30.17 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 3 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 3,400 feet. Today's weather: Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 20F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Sunset will be at 5:37 pm.
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ON THIS DAY Canned beer makes its debut on January 24, 1935. In partnership with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivered 2,000 cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream Ale to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond, Virginia. Ninety-one percent of the drinkers approved of the canned beer, driving Krueger to give the green light to further production.
By the late 19th century, cans were instrumental in the mass distribution of foodstuffs, but it wasn’t until 1909 that the American Can Company made its first attempt to can beer. This was unsuccessful, and the American Can Company would have to wait for the end of Prohibition in the United States before it tried again. Finally in 1933, after two years of research, American Can developed a can that was pressurized and had a special coating to prevent the fizzy beer from chemically reacting with the tin.
The concept of canned beer proved to be a hard sell, but Krueger’s overcame its initial reservations and became the first brewer to sell canned beer in the United States. The response was overwhelming. Within three months, over 80 percent of distributors were handling Krueger’s canned beer, and Krueger’s was eating into the market share of the “big three” national brewers–Anheuser-Busch, Pabst and Schlitz. Competitors soon followed suit, and by the end of 1935, over 200 million cans had been produced and sold.
The purchase of cans, unlike bottles, did not require the consumer to pay a deposit. Cans were also easier to stack, more durable and took less time to chill. As a result, their popularity continued to grow throughout the 1930s, and then exploded during World War II, when U.S. brewers shipped millions of cans of beer to soldiers overseas. After the war, national brewing companies began to take advantage of the mass distribution that cans made possible, and were able to consolidate their power over the once-dominant local breweries, which could not control costs and operations as efficiently as their national counterparts.
Today, canned beer accounts for approximately half of the $20 billion U.S. beer industry. Not all of this comes from the big national brewers: Recently, there has been renewed interest in canning from microbrewers and high-end beer-sellers, who are realizing that cans guarantee purity and taste by preventing light damage and oxidation. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW Beer Can Appreciation Day recognizes the great day in 1935 when beer was first sold in cans.
Credit for the first beverage can goes to the Krueger Brewing Company of Richmond, Virginia. Made of steel and weighing in at almost 4 ounces, these hefty canisters opened with a church-key.
While Krueger Brewing Company sold the first beer in a can, American Can Company made canning drinkable beer possible. Krueger took the risk with American Can Company just weeks before the repeal of Prohibition. Weighing in at 4 ounces, the hefty steel cans opened with a church-key. Loyal Krueger’s drinkers favored the can over the bottle 9-1.
Significant Dates in Beer Can History
1935 -Cone-Top – G. Heilemann Brewing Company – La Crosse, WI – Introduces cone-top cans that fit existing bottling lines convenient for small brewers with small budgets.
1963 -Pull Tab – Pittsburgh Brewing Company – Revolutionizes the beer can when it introduces Iron City Beer in self-opening cans with pull tabs, also known as pop tops. With their sharp edges, the pull tabs became the feared litter at beaches, parks, backyards, and anywhere beverages were consumed.
1975 – Stay Tab- Falls City Brewing Company of Louisville, KY introduces the Stay Tab removing the pull tab’s environmental impact.
This day provides people with the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the many different kinds of beer cans. Around the world, collectors seek rare, novel, and unique varieties. A collector may have hundreds of beer cans in many different sizes, types, and ages.
HOW TO OBSERVE #BeerCanAppreciationDay
Enjoy a beer from a can. While you do, explore the art behind the beer can. As more craft beers hit the market, designing the labels become as much an art form as the can and the beer do. Learn more about beer making and the types of craft beer. Tour local breweries. Explore their canning process. As always, invite someone to join you. It is the best way to #CelebrateEveryDay! When you do, use #BeerCanAppreciationDay to post on social media. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY insouciance (in-SOO-see-unss) which means lighthearted unconcern: nonchalance. Don't worry; be insouciant. Perhaps your mind will rest easier if we explain that English speakers learned insouciance (as well as the adjective insouciant) from the French around the early 1800s. The French word comes from a combination of the negative prefix in- and soucier, meaning "to trouble or disturb." Soucier, in turn, traces to sollicitus, the Latin word for "anxious." If it seems to you that sollicitus looks a lot like some other English words you've seen, you're on to something. That root also gave us solicit (which now means "to entreat" but which was once used to mean "to fill with concern or anxiety"), solicitude (meaning "uneasiness of mind"), and solicitous ("showing or expressing concern"). (merriam-webster.com)
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Driving Beaver Island Roads SafelyJanuary 23, 2021An Editorial by Joe MooreLet’s just say that logging is taking place down the west side of Beaver Island, ten miles from Beaver Island Marine, and let’s pretend that the logs are going to be shipped off the island to the mainland. I would also suggest that this pertains to any truck or trailer hauling anything on the island. |
Ways to Give to BIRHC
The Beaver Island Rural Health Center raises only 28% of the funding it needs to operate from patient and insurance payments. The rest comes from property taxes, grants and donations.
There are several ways you can support the Health Center and the essential services it provides:
Amazon Smile
Did you know that much more funding than just patient payments are needed to support our health center operations? We are now a registered charitable organization on Amazon Smile! When you designate BIRHC as your charitable organization and shop through Smile.Amazon.com, Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the Health Center. Amazon Smile is the same Amazon you know… same products, same prices, same service. Support the Beaver Island Rural Health Center by shopping at smile.amazon.com.
To do this, go to http://www.Smile.Amazon.com, and enter “Beaver Island Rural Health Center” as your charity of choice. Then shop under “Smile.Amazon.com” when purchasing products. Every bit counts!
AmazonSmile: You shop. Amazon gives.
smile.amazon.com
The BIRHC Special Projects Fund
This fund is held with the Charlevoix County Community Foundation. Its purposes are twofold: To fund new and improved programs and to serve as a contingency fund from which the board can borrow to operate the Health Center during times of negative cash flow. This is especially important due to the seasonal fluctuations of property tax receipts and patient revenue. The Special Projects Fund is always kept in liquid investments that do not vary with market conditions. This fund can be spent down to zero in emergency situations. To contribute to this fund click on the Charlevoix County Community Foundation link below and follow the site’s instructions. Specify “BIRHC Special Projects Fund” in the appropriate box on the page.
The BIRHC Endowment Fund
This fund is a permanent endowment fund also held at the Charlevoix County Community Foundation. It was the brainchild of the late Dr. Phil Lange. It is invested under the direction of the Community Foundation’s Finance Committee, is designed to grow over time, and is subject to the Foundation’s spending policy, which provides an annual distribution to the BIRHC. Because the fund is endowed, the principal can never be invaded. So donating to the BIRHC Endowment is a way to “do good forever.” The long-term goal of the BIRHC Board is to build a 1.5 million dollar endowment that could eliminate the current need to hold several yearly fundraisers in order to keep the Health Center doors open. Endowment Fund donations of $10,000 or more are recognized with engraved plaques on the “Legacy Tree” wall sculpture located in the reception area of the health Center. Gifts can be paid over up to five years.
Checks, made payable to the “Charlevoix County Community Foundation,” with BIRHC Endowment on the memo line, can be sent to the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, P.O. Box 718, East Jordan, MI 49727. Contributions can also be made online at www.c3f.org.
(from biruralhealth.org)
BIRHC Meeting
January 7, 2021, @4 p.m.
View meeting notice, agenda, and documents HERE
View video of the Zoom meeting HERE
St. James Township Board Meeting
January 6, 2021
SJT Finance Notice of Special Meeting January 4, 2021
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Beaver Island Waste Management Committee Member Posting 12 2020
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PLAN OUTLINE TO PROVIDE REMOVAL OF SCRAP METAL (1)-1
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View video of the meeting HERE
BITA Meeting Schedule
View/download HERE
Transfer Station Website Up and Running
August 19, 2020
View the website HERE
Transfer Station Prices Increase 10/1/2020
Due to some large increases of the American Waste company, the transfer station prices will need to be increased. There is a list here that you can see the increased prices beginning on the first of October 2020.
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY TRANSIT SERVICE HOURS/INFORMATION ON BEAVER ISLAND
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY TRANSIT IS COMMITTED TO ASSISTING RESIDENTS OF CHARLEVOIX COUNTY REMAIN HEALTHY AND SAFE.
DAYS/HOURS OF SERVICE MONDAY-FRIDAY 10:30AM – 2:30PM
DISPATCH OFFICE HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM
231-582-6900 OR 1-844-792-6900
FARE RATES DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS:
PASSENGER RIDES:
Seniors Free (thank you Commission on Aging)
19-59 Years Old $2.00
3-18 Years Old $1.50
Students $1.00 (discounted fare going to/from school only)
Under 3 Years Old Free with adult rider
SERVICES AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE DURING BUSINESS HOURS:
DELIVERY OF MEALS, GROCERIES, PET FOOD (UNDER 25#), ETC. THROUGH DECEMBER 31
DELIVERY OF PRESCRIPTIONS THROUGH DECEMBER 31
DELIVERY OF MAIL THROUGH DECEMBER 31
DELIVERY OF OTHER ESSENTIAL ITEMS THROUGH DECEMBER 31
PREMIUM RIDES/DELIVERIES AVAILABLE OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS $10 PER PERSON/DELIVERY PER TRIP (based on driver availability)
WE SUGGEST PRE-SCHEDULING DELIVERIES AT LEAST ONE BUSINESS DAY IN ADVANCE. PLEASE MAKE ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE BUSINESS FOR PAYMENT OF ITEMS PRIOR TO REQUESTING DELIVERY.
**Passengers Must Wear a Face Covering or Mask While Onboard Transit Vehicles and Sanitize Hands (provided) Prior to Boarding **
The Founding Documents for the Airport Commission
The Intergovernmental Agreement
The Rules for Procedure
Township Agreement with BIRHC
As I've already posted the challenge to the townships to begin posting all the agreements with all commissions, committees, and authorities, along with any governing documents and changes to those documents, it became necessary to begin a search for those that seem to be questioned nowadays. Thanks to the person that sent me this copy of this agreement. I believe that everyone should read these agreements and make certain that they are being followed. This agreement was signed in August 2002. No changes to this agreement have been able to be found using search engines.
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Posted on 9/6/18 at 9:15 a.m. Reposted 10/13/2020
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