‘4 The Dailas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 19, 1994 TR Et The Dallas Post New board members risk losing influence Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. In less than amonth, newly-elected Lake-Lehman school board member Pat Gold seems to have gone out of her way to anger just about every- one except her most rabid supporters. First, she was quoted running down Parent-Teacher Association members in an article that appeared in The Times Leader. Then, at the board’s January 11 meeting, she demanded that Karen Whipple resign because she hadn't filed a financial disclosure form with the state. She's the board member appointed to replace Martin McMahon, who had moved out of his voting district. When Whipple's lapse was explained as an oversight that would be quickly corrected, Gold persisted in calling for her resignation instead of backing off gracefully. If this is a prelude of things to come, whatever good Gold and her compatriot-in-opposition Allen Moss hoped to accomplish will come to naught. Both seem to have forgotten for the moment that common courtesy and respect for others are more likely than self-righteous confrontation to move opinion in their favor. Lake-Lehman is just beginning negotiations for a new con- tract between teachers and the district. If past experience is any measure, this will be a trying year for everyone involved, and media coverage will be intense. Since Moss and Gold were elected largely on their stand that district property owners an't afford higher taxes to pay for teachers’ salaries, we can ‘expect them to lead the charge against a too-generous settle- ‘ment. That's certainly their prerogative; but if they proceed in ‘amanner that alienates them from the rest of the board and the majority of parents—not to mention teachers—they’re likely to ‘lose any opportunity to influence the discussion. New members of any organization quickly learn they haven't ‘been anointed with any special authority, and must earn the ‘respect of others. Let's hope that these two capable individu- ‘als soon realize that when the bull gets into the china shop, all that’ s left are broken dishes. Publisher's notebook Last week's accident in Bear Creek involving two school buses was not at all surprising. It happened at about 1 p.m., as the buses were taking home students who had been ‘dismissed early because of a snowstorm. In this case, early dismissal may have been a good idea, because the storm began in mid-morning and was forecast to last until evening. There have been several times this winter when early dis- missals made far less sense, and resulted in buses traveling roads before plow crews had time to clear them. On those days, ‘holding school for the full day would have meant safer travel. Snow days, early dismissals and delayed openings will always be judgement calls, but it often seems the bias is heavily tilted toward calling them. And, while entire days must and will be made up, half-days won't; they are included in the 180-day school calendar that is required by state law. That's not fair to students, and the true amount of time they spend in class should be considered when weighing the options on a snowy day. — a —— ——— So." Last week's attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan and the subsequent arrest of members of Tanya Harding's entourage was a new and shocking stage in the decline of sports as a repository of fair play and a diversion from everyday life. Despite past incidents like the attack in Munich or training scandals in East Europe, the Olympics have maintained an aura of higher standards and greater sportsmanship than strictly professional sports. This ruthless action will go a long way toward poisoning that image. 000 We're sending entries to the Pennsylvania Newspaper Pub- lishers’ Association Keystone Press Awards contest this week. We've entered each year since 1990, and have won a few prizes along the way. It's always interesting to take a fresh look at the previous year’s papers, and to select items we think were our best. We'll have to wait until April to find out if the judges, who are from Arizona, agree. a SR AA —_—S SG Headline from The Dallas Post, January 26, 1934. My how the meaning of some words changes over time. Social ‘Dallas Folk Among Gay Crowds Wintering At St. Petersburg Ron Bartizek The Dallas Post Published Weekly by Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 Telephone: 717-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek Charlotte E. Bartizek Editor and Publisher Associate Publisher Peggy Young TD ——_—————————— "_———]— T_T np," or" oa ——_— Grace R. Dove ; i Advertising Acct. Exec. Reporter Paul Rismiller Olga Kostrobala Production Manager Classified/typesetting Jill Urbanas Office Manager MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION AND THE PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION / ES A SE Ps AND NOW, on Wn 7 2 CRRA FY / A / 41473 es on [BIE V7 REA AU oe = SAL HES ASIII PLSD £7 2 a HLH A. Case for conservation Nature has many examples of cooperation By ALENE N. CASE “The widespread acceptance of Darwin's idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ as an important means of bringing about natural selection has directed attention to the competitive aspects of nature. As a result, the importance of coop- eration between species in nature has perhaps been underesti- mated.” Thus begins a short dis- cussion of symbiosis in a famous text on ecology by Eugene Odum. It appears that Dr. Odum spoke the truth. In fact, I scanned a wide variety of books on the sub- ject and found that cooperation among the species was often ig- nored altogether or only repre- sented bya few “classic” examples. Symbiosis is defined as “the intimate living together of two kinds of organisms.” This rela- tionship can be beneficial to both organisms (mutualism), to one of ~ the organisms without injury to the other (commensalism), or to one organism at the expense of the other (parasitism), Such rela- tionships can be between two different plants, two animals, one plant and one animal, or between bacteria or fungi and some plant or animal. One eminent ecologist states that “most conspicuous symbiosis is between very diverse kinds of organisms.” Let's look at some examples that might illustrate the impor- tance of such relationships. It has recently been discovered that various kinds of plants with long roots pull water from deep under- ground during the night and spread that water through the surface soil. In that way, smaller plants with shallow roots are aided by this “watering” instead of competing with the tree as one might at first suspect. The reason for keeping the soil moist around a tree such as a sugar maple may have very little to do with its fortu- nate neighbors. The roots of many trees maintain an intimate rela- tionship with fungi known a mycorrhizae. And we all know that fungi, such as mold, mildew ormushrooms, need plenty of water to thrive. The mycorrhizae associated with land plants have probably been there since plants first tried to colonize rocky shorelines along primeval seas. They aid the roots in obtaining nutrients - especially phosphorus - from the soil. In return, they obtain sugars that are manufactured by the plant. Some plants are so intimately associated with their fungi that they have lost the tiny root hairs that plants generally use to get water and minerals from the soil. The mycorrhizae function as root hairs. Plants are also often closely associated with animals. They provide nectar in exchange for pollination. Flowers are often shaped specifically to ensure that a visiting insect or bird will pick up pollen and deposit it in the proper place. Some flowers are exclusively visited by one type of pollinator. Other plants attract animals that help disperse its seeds. If seeds are to be scattered by birds, fruits are often colorful. (Birds have no sense of smell, so odor would be of no value.) Since bats feed at night, plants attract them by having fruit with strong musty odors. The birds and bats gain a meal and the plants are propagated. Cows and termites have one- celled organisms in their guts that make it possible for them to digest plant material. Otherwise, we would have no milk to drink and our forests would soon fill with undecayed trees. As is so often true, the oceans contain many examples of all kinds of symbiosis. One of the most important is that of various kinds of algae that live in the tissues of corals and other inver- tebrates. These algae are known by the general scientific name zooxanthellae. The coral polyps provide protection from being eaten, from too much UV radia- tion, and from being swept below the level where sunlight reaches. The algae provide the coral with food and oxygen. In fact, some corals have become so dependent on their zooxanthellae that they appear to stop feeding on other particles floating in the water. Sometimes one species will hitch a ride on another. Usually this is only abenefit to the “hitcher” because they gain transportation and sometimes food scraps from the host. But, I imagine you would think twice before picking up a crab that was transporting a sea anemone! So would the other animals that might like a crab dinner. One of the most fascinating stories of mutualism in the oceans regards the habits of “cleaner” fish. Small species of fish and the young of other types of fish seem to “set up shop” cleaning other fish. They station themselves in one area of a coral reef, advertise for business by doing a littledance, and then clean the fish that come by. They eat small parasites and loose scales that are on the body of the larger fish. These larger fish could easily eat the cleaners but they don't. They must recog- nize that the smaller fish are doing them a service. Some cleaner fish actually make “house calls” They go around the reef cleaning fish that are so territorial that they will not go to the usual cleaning areas. As you can see, nature pro- vides wonderful examples of co- operation. Scientists are only beginning to understand these relationships and their origins. Any theories about how ecosys- tems work must take such close relationships into consideration. As | was saying.. Stamp collecting 101: how to get started By JACK HILSHER As promised here are some “hows and wheres” which could get you started collecting stamps. Assuming many of you did not collect as pre-teens, some of this will have to be basic. For example, the album, where you will mount your stamps indi- vidually with small adhesive pa- per “hinges,” canbe a 3-ring binder with plain white paper ifyou wish. (Old fashioned “ledger” books used to be the rage.) Problem with plain pages is you'd have no “guide” to follow as you would with modern stamp albums spe- cially designed for the mounting and display of stamps. You should be able to tell where to mount a stamp, what stamps you are missing, and how your collection is progressing. Most modern albums have black and white illustrations of stamps in actual size, enclosed in a neat ruled box. Some are printed on both sides of the paper, which usually makes for a less-expen- sive album but less asthetically pleasing. You and your budget will soon decide what to get. You'll need to select a country, or a topic (planes, trains, birds, etc.) and you should learn where to get stamps, that is, besides asking your relatives for their hoards or envelopes from their mail. You'll be surprised what'll turn up if you ask. To browse locally there are only two places...BOSCOV'S hobby department on the second floor, and the Anthracite Coin and Stamp shop at 496 Main Street in Edwardsville. Both have enough variety to get you started. Buy what interests you most, plus hinges and tongs, the latter to handle stamps...never with the fingers! Next I strongly recommend that you consider subscribing to a stamp journal. “LINN'S STAMP NEWS" is the best. It comes out weekly and its 72 pages are packed with informative news and ar- ticles, and - most important - ads by the ton. You can spend days deciding what to send for first. You're certain to be doing busi- ness by mail, and wait until you getyour first batch of “approvals!” These you look over and either buy what you want or need, then send the rest back. Great fun, don’t take my word for it...try it once and you'll be hooked. A sample issue of LINN'S jour- nal is yours for the asking: this hasbeen a long-standing policy of theirs and I have confirmed that it is still in effect; no strings, no obligation. Write to Linn's Cus- tomer Service, 911 Vandermark Road, Sidney, Ohio, 45365. Or, if you'd rather phone, (513 498- 0801.) Later on you should consider a Scott catalog; they print the “bibles” of the hobby, illustrations and listings of most every stamp of every countryever issued, along with a numbering system in wide use, and a “catalog value” which, discounted, is the basis forwhata dealer will charge for a stamp, or what you should sell for. One day soon I'll have to give you some interesting countries to collect, and the pitfalls of others, but in the meantime if you have any problems or questions, write to me c/o The Post enclosing an SASE and I'll try to help. Happy Collecting! Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A ; Only in The Dallas Post T Only yesterday 60 Years Ago - Jan. 26, 1934 MANY IN BORO OWE PROPERTY TAXES One of the few log cabins in this section which once was dotted with such pioneering homes has been built by Neil Henry, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Henry with the assistance of three helpers on a wooded hillside on East Center Street, Shavertown. This unique home promises to be one of the show places of the community. According to a recent an- nouncement of the Dallas Bor- ough Taxpayers Association, land returns on school taxes in Dallas borough for years 1927-1932 inclusive amounted to $15,916.06. Of this amount, $3,207.06 is all that has been collected. Liens have been filed in the amount of $11,200 which is exclusive of the current unpaid taxes. These taxes do not apply to borough taxes but are applicable only to school taxes. You could get - Center cut chuck roast 10¢ lb.; rump of beef 25¢ lb.; carton of Lucky Strike ciga- rettes $1.19 carton. 50 Years Ago - Jan. 21, 1944 LANSBERY TO START AREA FARM AUCTION The 4th War Loan Drive had a bang-up start in Dallas Tuesday, with $1,925 in war bonds being bought at the Dallas Senior Women's Club booth in the post office, according to Mrs. Nelson Thompson. She says that if re- turns keep up at that rate, this district will more than surpass the quota of $7,500 by February L rolling the leads of other communities where established farm auctions have become im- portant factors in agricultural life, Lawrence Lansbery of Idetown has leased the farm owned by the Robinson Estate, near the Castle Inn with an option to buy and with cooperation of New Jersey interests plans to open a weekly farm auction there in four to six weeks. Deputy collectors of the Inter- nal Revenue Department will be at First National Bank, Dallas; Feb. 14, 15 and 16, to assist tax- payers with preparation of their income tax return for1943. 40 Years Ago - Jan. 22, 1954 SCHOOLEY. MEMORIAL FUND HELPS HOSPITAL Dr. Sherman P. Schooley Memorial Fund Committee, which last year rasied $2,830.20 as a memorial for the late Back Moun- tain physician, has turned over $2,000 to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for use in renovating a third-floor wing of the hospital, to be known as the Dr. Sherman R. Schooley Memorial Wing. The balance of the fund, $830.20, will be turned over to the Back Moun- tain Memorial Library as a memo- rial to the doctor for the preserva- tion of historical data and mate- rial pertinent to the Back Moun- tain region, where his forebears were early settlers. 30 Years Ago - Jan. 23, 1964 NEW A-FRAME HOMES ARE BUILT IN AREA A fire of unidentified origin gath- ered force on strong breezes and demolished the 4-level brick home of Thomas Metz, high on the hill above the old mill site in Carver- ton early yesterday afternoon. The new home has been occupied only since October. None of the six members of the family were home at the time. The Dallas Post's hanging sign has been facelifted. Leonard Selingo repainted it, and brought the lettering up to date. people have inquired about it while it was in the workshop. Two A-Frame homes, identical in structure, are under construc- tion in the Back Mountain, the first along Memorial Highway in Shavertown and the other in Harveys Lake. Considerableinter- est has been evidenced in the residence by many motorists passing the cite of erection across from Purcell's Gas Station below the Center Street intersection. 20 Years Ago - Jan. 24, 1974 T. NEWELL WOOD SEEKS REELECTION Many Dallas Borough taxpay- ers are receiving summary crimi- nal complaints for neglecting to file statements of their 1% earned income tax. H.A. Berkheimer Associates, the boro's collection firm, has filed complaints against J residents who did not return the community tax portion of their W- 2 firms. Council president Jerry Machell explained that many residents do not realize that the tax form must be filed even though an individual's employer may withhold the 1% tax for him. State Sen. T. Newell Wood, Harveys Lake banker and busi- nessman, announced last week he will seek re-election to repre- sent the seven counties compris- ing the 20th Senatorial District. Many > 4 3 o o ® 3) »
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers