Thoughts Bouncing Off My Window VII

It's been awhile since I used that title but my clippings folder was getting full. It's time to clean it out.

It is with trepidation that I'm waiting to see what my gas budget will be for the coming heating season. In a piece in the Vindicator a couple of weeks ago it was said the price of natural gas is up 74% since last year. Ouch! The article was about drilling for new natural gas wells and said that with Ohio's 63,654 natural gas wells we may get some relief. Columbiana County has 1,900 active wells and drilling for new ones continues. Wasn't too long ago there was news of Buckeye Water District allowing some company to do some exploring on their land for gas.

Speaking a gas... Last Sunday's Post-Gazette had a chart of gasoline prices in 27 different countries. The prices were from June average prices and the US was ranked ninth as having the less expensive gas prices. The cheapest gas to be found was in Venezuela at $o.25/gallon with the most expensive in the Netherlands costing $10.05/gallon.

Gasoline prices have come down a bit lately. Isn't it funny we're jubilant when it comes down? We're happy to see it at $3.65 or so. Do you think it's a marketing strategy by the petroleum companies? Jack it up so high you have to starve your kids to be able to afford gas to get to work and then lower it a little so we'll quit complaining? Last month I had to spend $4.099/gallon and that's the highest price I've paid so far. A year ago in July I was paying $2.999/gallon. Now you see why I'm skeptical.

I enjoyed Jo Ann Bobby Gilbert's piece on "Staycations" in last Sunday's MJ. She told us about places in the county I would like to see someday. A "Staycation" is a vacation where you get away from the house but get back home every night. There are many interesting things to see in this county, too many to see all in one day. The best part is that they aren't that far away and don't cost you an arm and a leg on food, lodging and gasoline. Jo Bob said there were too many to see in a week's time.

There was a follow up piece about the threat of cell phone electromagnetic radiation possibly causing brain tumors last week in the Pittsburgh paper. It was written by Eric Swanson, an associate professor of nuclear physics at Pitt. In essence Professor Swanson says cell phones don't emit enough energy for the electromagnetic radiation to alter our DNA and consequently cause tumors. Incidentally the doctor I wrote about is initiating a study at UMPC Cancer Center along with another outfit to check out this possibility. It was interesting to note that the author of the rebuttal says he doesn't own a cell phone.

If ain't coal dust it's sewage stink causing problems in that part of the village. They think that the problem is that the liquid sludge holding tanks at the treatment plant haven't been cleaned out in over six years. It was reported from this week's Council meeting that they are working with the Village Solicitor to see if there is a way to get around the bidding process to hire someone to get the tanks cleaned. Sh, er stuff like this happens when you're strapped for cash. You neglect some basic needed house cleaning.

Also from Council meeting reports we were told that Council is looking into reducing the Wellsville's cost of health insurance for village employees. Tony Cataldo was reported as saying we are spending $240,000 a year on health insurance for 16 village employees. That works out to $15,000 per employee. That's steep and I would say that Wellsville is ten to 15 years behind most businesses in getting this cost under control. Of all the places I've worked since getting out of the service decades ago each one required a portion of each pay go to the cost of insurance. Just like gasoline prices it kept going up every year. For many it is prohibitive in today's times. Many small businesses don't even offer health insurance in their benefit packages. It's a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. It's a situation that needs to be addressed especially from the national level. The AMA & insurance companies don't want to hear it but the words are social medicine. It works in other countries. It's past time to consider it in the US.

Hootch2 got permission to block off Riverside in front of the Elks again. They are planning a Chili Festival on September 13 as a fund raiser for next year's Riverside Reunion. Along with the chili they are dragging out their big screen t.v. so we can enjoy a football game. Who's playing?

The lady that ran over one of the new trees on Broadway is balking about paying for a replacement. She says it is doing quite well. Dawn Johnson of the Shade Tree Committee is saying their tree expert tells them the tree will be dead by this time next year. According to Dawn tree killing insects will infest the tree where the bark got peeled off and it won't make it through the winter. That lady that ran over it is going to mess around, get dragged into to court, have to pay a fine & court costs plus pay for a new tree. Such drama!

The WHS Athletic Hall-of-Fame will be having an induction brunch on August 30 for the new honorees. Susie Haugh has all the particulars for that event on wellsville.net along with bios of this year's class. By the by, Susie H-A-U-G-H has accepted a seat on the Shade Tree Committee recently. Hey Erin Colella: note the spelling of the last name. It is not Hall.

In attempting to mainly concentrate on the ville on here I normally try to stay away from East Liverpool happenings. However, I can't resist Gary Bonnell, President of the EL Board of Education. He's on a mission and in the process is making a mockery of himself and dragging the board along with him. Seems with Gary there are no gray areas in life. He wants to hang some kids that corrected a wrong in a deal with the police and the school superintendent made to everyone's satisfaction, except Gary. Along with the scrapped school desks he was wrongly accusing someone with stealing culvert pipes. Now he has lost all credence with the board and members of the EL school district. Gary seems to be the Don Quixote up in that neck of the woods. The only difference is that Gary fights dirty.

Man! That Tom Giambroni from the MJ keeps right on top of things. In this morning's paper he reported that the OEPA has issued the second of three permits that the Baard people need to go ahead with the ORCF plant. This one is for the waste water discharge. That's two down and one to go. The third one has gotten tentatively approved and is awaiting the public hearing portion that is required. Wonder if Kanfer & Peya are sucking down the Rolaids today?

To wrap things up I can't help myself but I have to mention the lady from California that spent $50 grand to have her pet dog cloned in Korea. Is this a case of more money than brains or what? She got six pups out of the deal and after they wean from their surrogate mother she'll get to pay to transport them back to California. There are too many alternatives to replace a pet that would only cost a fraction of what her total bill will be.

What a country!

ole nib