IEDITORIALS | 4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, December 29, 1999 Building codes are a burden worth bearing Decades after other states adopted minimum construction standards for homes and offices, Pennsylvania has joined them. The new statute, if it is properly enforced, will assure home owners that their dwelling is built with safety and security, as well as style. This would seem to make sense; it's not reasonable to expect home buyers to have either the skills or the time to ride herd on subcontractors who they may not even know are working on their home. And, while the vast majority of builders are conscientious, there are always a few bad apples in the basket who won't be exposed unless someone knowledgeable catches them in the act of cutting corners. One complaint about the law that has some merit is that someone will have to pay for inspections that are part and parcel with regulations. The state has bent over backward to ease the burden, allowing small towns to pool resources or to contract with nearby communities that have building inspec- tors on staff. Still, there will no doubt be added expense to the towns, which will most likely be passed on in the form of higher building permit fees. And the cost of construction may rise a bit if it turns out homes haven't been built to meet these basic codes, but a little extra to insure the integrity of construction seems like a solid investment in the long run. Beyond towns’ and homeowners’ concerns, uniform build- ing codes should mean fewer risks for firefighters, police and medical personnel, who now are called to emergencies that are caused by substandard construction, and made more danger- ous because of it. : There are still voices raised against the codes, contending they are an unnecessary burden and expense on towns and homeowners, and will stunt growth. Judging by Back Moun- ~ tain communities, that is a hollow complaint, since the only va place that has both codes and a full-time inspector — Kingston Township — has seen steady development for many years. All in all, assuring that homes are built to accepted standards seems more sensible than leaving everyone at the mercy of contractors’ consciences. Publisher's notebook Like father, like son. That seems to be the case with the Bush family, as George W., better known as “W,” showed recently. You probably recall that during the 1992 presidential cam- paign, incumbent George H. W. Bush pooh-poohed Bill Clinton's criticism of the slow economy. While Bush ‘defended the nation’s performance, Slick Willie’s camp adopted the slogan “It’s the economy, stupid,” and hammered away at whatever weaknesses they could ferret out. Now, Dubya says he doesn’t believe figures that rank Texas . as second worst for hunger among the 50 states, and nearly the same for “food insecurity,” translated as the share of people ~ who worry about having enough food. Given the chance to “feel the pain” of those who don’t have enough food, he chose instead . to question the accuracy of the survey, which of course makes him look as if he doesn’t care about folks who can’t even manage to keep food on the table. I think I know the root of the Bushes’ problem, and there's very little they can do about it, since it’s been inherited, along ~ with millions of dollars. You see, W has never been hungry and ~ doesn’t know anyone who is, just as his dad didn’t have any acquaintances who were doing poorly in the early 1990's economy. Despite their best efforts to portray themselves as self-made men, neither can escape a privileged background that denied them the opportunity to see firsthand how most of us live. The result is they relate to most Americans only in - theory, not practice, and it’s hard to compare a grumbling tummy with a shortage of caviar. W's father tried to bridge the gap with beer and pork rinds, * but no one believed he preferred them to brie and chardonnay. Dubya may have to try a new tactic, especially since no one today wants to admit they're really not rich, even if they're just a step ahead of foreclosure. Maybe he could try wearing Dockers pants and Old Navy fleece, the uniform of the middle class, and paying for them with a credit card that’s charging 22 percent interest. It might do him a world of good. Your news is welcome The Dallas Post welcomes submissions about Back Mountain people and events. In order to plan each issue, we must adhere to self- imposed deadlines, as well as those of our printer. To have the greatest likelihood of publication, items should be received at our office by 4 p.m. the Friday prior to each issue. Items will be accepted until 4 p.m. Mondays, although much of the paper is already assembled by that time. Send or bring items to: The Dallas Post, 607 Main Road, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Our normal business hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. A deposit box is located at the front of the building for after-hours submissions. The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 570-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OFFICE MANAGER Gregory Culver ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kasia McDonough REPORTER Joanna Cease OFFICE/TYPIST/CLASSIFIEDS Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER 7) PRINTED WITH PENNSYLVANIA SOY INK] NEWSPAPER Guest column [353A HET From his earliest beginnings, man has had an obsession with time. There is evidence he lined up stones and carved marks into bones to help him keep track ofits passage. Eventually systems were de- veloped to track the seasons and to determine the appropriate date to hold religious rituals. The phases of the moon and the “jour- ney” of the sun were the guide- posts to which ancient priests and shaman hitched their pro- nouncements. With the advent of agriculture, more precise calcu- lations were needed. Keen obser- vation of the heavenly bodies en- abled many men from different civilizations to create what we today call calendars — a device for fixing the beginning, length and division of year — and for arranging days and longer divi- sions of time such as weeks, and months into a definite order. The first of these devices came into being more than 4,000 years ago, but the word calendar we get from the Latin “kalendarium” —mean- ingamoneylender’s account book. The idea of clearing the books and paying off one’s debt before be- ginning a new year is still deemed honorable in China. It is interesting to note the universal habits of man. There appears to be more that unites us as human beings, than that which divides us. The world has become internationalized, and even those who cling to old calendars, based on religious beliefs, have adopted the standardized Western solar- oriented calendar called the Gregorian Calendar. It was the Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XIII who, with the help of an astrono- mer named Christopher Clavius, Calendars mark more than time introduced the presently accepted civil calendar on Friday, October 15, 1582; It quickly replaced the Julian calender, which had been in use since the days of Julius Caesar. It was immediately adopted by the Roman Catholic countries throughout the world. Japan, China, Egypt and most of the other Western countries soon found it expedient, but England and its American colonies refused to adopt the Gregorian Calendar until 1752. George Washington, who was born on February 11, 1731, (Julian Calendar) aged 11 days, overnight when the new style calendar went into effect. Today we celebrate his birthday on February 22 — or President's Day. There had been an 11-day discrepancy from the old to the new. In just a few days (on January 1 — because that is when Roman consuls used to take office) we will begin using a calendar mark- ing the year 2000. You can throw away, or keep for posterity, the the last calendar of this century prefixed with “19.” Although there is one more year left in the 20th Century, from now on you must remember to write “2000” and hope that your computer does likewise. Butwhy 1999 and 20007? Other people have been marking time and keeping calendars longer than we have. The Hebrew calendar begins at the Creation, having occurred 5,760 years ago. The Chinese will be celebrating the year of the dragon, 4698. More than 1.2 billion people will be saying “Ganged Hoy Fat Choy!” to one another on the second full moon after the winter solstice (February 5). Buddhist countries count the years since the year the Buddha became enlightened. The people of Thailand are approaching the year 2574. The Muslims start their calendar on what we would term July 16.622 .— the date Muhammad fled from Mecca to Medina. The Islamic year is only 354 days long, so the months move backward through all the seasons. Over the centuries literally hundreds of calendars have been created by the likes of the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the people of Indian and Africa. The aborigines of Australia, the Mayans, Incas, Aztecs and even the less civilized tribes of the Americas had so- phisticated methods of keeping track of time. All of these systems had their time and place in the scope of human history — and they all worked well in a localized fashion. In the complex, modern, inter- national world in which we pres- ently live, it is apparent that in order to make airlines run on time, or keep financial markets and Internet connections func- tioning; we must all be on the same page of the same calendar. And that calendar, the most widely used today, is referred to by some as the Christian Calendar be- cause, in AD 520, a monk named Dionysisu Exiguus, suggested that the years be counted from the birth of Christ (thus giving us AD anno Domini “the year of the Lord,” or BC, "before Christ”). Some who prefer to keep the cal- endar secular use the term CE ( Common Era). A case can be made that our calendar is an interna- tional amalgamation of ideas and names. We have months named for Roman gods and emperors, and days of the week named for pagan Teutonic deities. The Jews borrowed the concept of a seven- day week from the Babylonians and the idea was adopted by all of Christendom. There are those who would mess with the currently accepted calendar. Some would have a “Uni- versal Calendar” or a “Perpetual Calendar” — or even a “Fixed Calendar” with 13 equal months of 28 days. But don’t worry, it won't happen in our life time. There is too much cultural resis- tance. We human beings don't like to change too many things to ~ fast. The dawning of a new mil- lennium is about all most of us can cope with at the moment. Prepare yourself! It is just 365 days away. That's right the new 21st Century does not begin until January 1, 2001. Regardless of what the president says, you're stuck in the 20th Century for one more year. I suspect that man’s preoccu- pation with calendars and clocks has something to do with his de- sire to conquer and control time. For me it has always been a futile effort. Inever seem to have enough of that precious commodity. Natu-§ ralist John Burroughs once said: “I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take and all the books I want to read. But the longer I live the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and the wonder of the world.” I wish I could give you the gift of time, and tell you it was a full measure that would last for eter- nity. Unfortunately no amount of money can buy time or years, { even though modem medicine appears to have found ways to prolong our days on this planet. At the moment of your birth you were given an indeterminate num- ber of hours, days and years. How you choose to use them is up to you. We hope our simple gift will remind you to use time wisely and glance at a calendar you will also’ remember that we wish for you - another day of health and happi- ness - and another year of life and prosperity. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Jerry Shilan grew up in Lehman, and graduated from Lake-Lehman High School. He moved to Califor- nia after serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve and attending Wilkes 4 well, and each day, when you kK) College (now University), wher? gE he worked for the Hollywood Citi- zen-News newspaper, spent sev- eralyears with Gene Autry’s radio and television operations and eventually formed his own public relations agency. He moved back to Outlet Rd. in Lehman in 1997. ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - Dec. 28, 1929 ROTARY DONATIONS HELP TO BRIGHTEN HOLIDAYS Dallas Rotary Club presented 17 Christmas baskets to the needy families of Dallas, Shavertown, Trucksville, Harveys Lake and Noxen. Each year at Christmas time, Rotary endeavors to main- tain some community or club ser- vice, and this year following its procedure of the previous year, Now playing at Himmler The- atre, “The Girl in the Glass Cage” with Carol Nye. 60 Years Ago - Dec. 29, 1939 ICE SKATERS BELIEVED TO HAVE STARTED HL BLAZE A fire, believed to have been started by skaters who broke into the building to warm themselves, destroyed the sunimer home of Richard Horton, Nanticoke, on Wednesday afternoon and dam- aged neighboring cottages. To- gether, the firemen saved the cot- tage of Carter Bache, Nanticoke merchant, and Stanley BozimskKi, Nanticoke. You could get - Turkeys for 25¢ /1b; chickens for 19¢ /1b: Heinz ketchup 17¢ for a large bottle; Ritz crackers 11b package, 20¢. 50 Years Ago - Dec. 30, 1949 RICHARDSON TO INTRODUCE NEW CARS The new Dodge cars which will be introduced Jan. 4, will have a fresh styling appeal, new low body lines, and many refinements in ) design, according to L.L. Richardson who has returned from a dealer preview in New York. Mr. Richardson cordially invites everybody to his gala open house. Jan. 4 through 7. 40 Years Ago - Dec. 30, 1959 KT PURCHASES NEW POLICE CRUISER, DUMP TRUCK Kingston Township Officials accepted delivery of two new 1960 pieces of equipment that will add to the efficiency of the Police and Street departments. Harold C. Lewis of Luzerne Motors, handed over the keys to a new Ford police cruiser and Ford dump truck. Kingston Township supervisors have invited the public to an open house to be held Sunday after- noon from 2 until 5 in the new Kingston Township Building. The supervisors will hold their first meeting of 1960 on Monday night. 30 Years Ago - Dec. 30, 1969 4 RESCUE CREWS BATTLE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS Dallas ambulance and two township trucks combined in a mercy mission during Friday's driving snow storm to rush an ailing man to General Hospital. Ambulance attendants had to walk from their homes to the fire hall because of the depth of the drifts, while township road crews mounted a snow removal project at the home of Fred Hughey, Fernbrook. The team found even main roads barely passable, due to drifted snow. 20 Years Ago - Dec. 26, 1979 HL WOMEN’S CLUB REACHES OUT TO LESS FORTUNATE > | Harveys Lake Women's Service Club members delivered “baskets hA g) " ve { of cheer” to, 225 needy elderly = persons in the Harveys Lake area. 4 Y
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers