MAY 1 - MAY 7, 1999
MAY 7, 1999
Good morning. It is too early to even admit what time it is. Here is something
I found interesting that came to me from Michigan by way of Buffalo.
Life in the 1500's-----
Anne Hathaway was the wife of William Shakespeare. She married at the age of 26. This is
really unusual for the time. Most people married
young, like at the age of 11 or 12. Life was not as romantic as we may picture it. Here
are some examples:
Anne Hathaway's home was a 3 bedroom house with a small parlor, which was seldom used
(only for company), kitchen, and no bathroom. Mother and Father shared a bedroom. Anne had
a queen sized bed, but did not sleep alone. She also had 2 other sisters and they shared
the bed also with 6 servant girls. (this is before she married) They didn't sleep like we
do lengthwise but all laid on the bed crosswise.
At least they had a bed. The other bedroom was shared by her 6
brothers and 30 field workers. They didn't have a bed. Everyone just wrapped up in their
blanket and slept on the floor. They had no indoor heating so all the extra bodies kept
them warm. They were also small people, the men only grew to be about 5'6" and
the women were 4'8". So in their house they had 27 people living.
Most people got married in June. Why? They took their yearly bath in
May, so they were till smelling pretty good by June, although they were starting to smell,
so the brides would carry a bouquet of flowers to hide their b.o.
Like I said, they took their yearly bath in May, but it was just a big
tub that they would fill with hot water. The man of the house would get the privilege of
the nice clean water. Then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the
children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was pretty thick. Thus, the saying,
"don't throw the baby out with the bath water," it was so dirty you could
actually lose someone in it.
I'll describe their houses a little. You've heard of thatch roofs,
well that's all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood
underneath. They were the only place for the little animals to get warm. So all the pets;
dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it
rained it became slippery so sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Thus
the saying, "it's raining cats and dogs."
Since there was nothing to stop things from falling into the
house they would just try to clean up a lot. But this posed a real problem in the bedroom
where bugs and other droppings from animals could really mess up your nice clean bed, so
they found if they would make beds with big posts and hang a sheet over the top it would
prevent that problem. That's where those beautiful big 4 poster beds with canopies came
from.
When you came into the house you would notice most times that the floor was dirt. Only the
wealthy had something other than dirt, that's where the saying "dirt poor" came
from. The wealthy would have slate floors. That was fine but in the winter they would get
slippery when they got wet. So they started to spread thresh on the floor to help keep
their footing. As the winter wore on they would just keep adding it and adding it until
when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. So they put a piece of wood
at the entry way, a "thresh hold".
In the kitchen they would cook over the fire, they had a fireplace in
the kitchen/parlor, that was seldom used and sometimes in the master
bedroom. They had a big kettle that always hung over the fire and every day they would
light the fire and start adding things to the pot. Mostly they ate vegetables, they didn't
get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner then leave the leftovers in the pot to
get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew would have food in
it that had been in there for a month! Thus the rhyme: peas porridge hot, peas porridge
cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."
Sometimes they could get a hold of some pork. They really felt special when that happened
and when company came over they even had a rack in the parlor where they would bring out
some bacon and hang it to show it off. That was a sign of wealth and that a man
"could really bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with
guests and they would all sit around and "chew the fat."
If you had money your plates were made out of pewter. Sometimes some of their food had a
high acid content and some of the lead would leach out into the food. They really noticed
it happened with tomatoes. So they stopped eating tomatoes, for 400 years.
Most people didn't have pewter plates though, they all had trenchers,
that was a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. They never washed their
boards and a lot of times worms would get into the wood. After eating off the trencher
with worms they would get "trench mouth." If you were going traveling and wanted
to stay at an Inn they usually provided the bed but not the board.
The bread was divided according to status. The workers would get the burnt bottom of the
loaf, the family would get the middle and guests would get the top, or the "upper
crust".
They also had lead cups and when they would drink their ale or whiskey. The combination
would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. They would be walking along the road
and here would be someone knocked out and they thought they were dead. So they would pick
them up and take them home and get them ready to bury. They realized if they were too slow
about it, the person would wake up. Also, maybe not all of the people they were burying
were dead. So they would lay them out on the kitchen table for a couple of days, the
family would gather around and eat and drink and wait
and see if they would wake up. That's where the custom of holding a "wake" came
from.
Since England is so old and small they started running out of places to
bury people. So they started digging up some coffins and would take
their bones to a house and re-use the grave. They started opening
these coffins and found some had scratch marks on the inside.
One out of 25 coffins were that way and they realized they had still
been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on their wrist and lead
it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have
to sit out in the graveyard all night to listen for the bell. That is how the saying
"graveyard shift" was
made. If the bell would ring they would know that someone was "saved by the
bell" or he was a "dead ringer".
MAY 6, 1999
Red Sky in the morning........
is a sure sign of bad weather and disturbing things to come. It is 57.4
degrees at 6:01 A.M.
Yesterday's article drew quite a bit of attention. Within moments of it being
posted we had some Bradford wisdom thrown right back at us.
"We can
waste no more of our children's' time in a place where the Bradford Area Alliance controls
all facets of life. They talk about tourism as if it is a panacea for the woeful economy
and deal with the growth of the community by upgrading the downtown facade (fake
side), never addressing the actual problems that face the citizens of this ever dying
town. They chase away any real competition knowing that it would eat away at their cache
of cheap labor and the dinosaurs in charge of local government are satisfied with their
way of life. This is a place where the school district thinks the way to eradicate drugs
and weapons from the high school is to perform supposedly unannounced dog searches at the
same time the students are locked in their rooms trying to take their SATs. Do you see a
problem there?"
We also heard from another local resident.
"This was the best article you have ever written about City
politics. Yes, the revision of the zoning code would open the Council up to criticism.
Yes, this is the first time that anyone has chosen to stray from the path Ray McMahon has
set for the dutiful servants of his (The Mayor and City Council - and don't leave out Mark
Hollenbeck who can't make a case unless Greg Henry writes it for him.). It will be most
interesting to see just how long Michele Corignani can hold up or when she will be turned
back to the dark side of the force. At least for now, it is interesting to watch as you
put so very well - the cat fights. And last I heard, the high heel fits Tom Shay very
well!"
And we heard from still another:
"I just wish we had the opportunity to revisit the term we gave to
Lee Doynow, or is that Lee Ann Lyons Doynow? I guess it depends on whether her mom wants
any more city services or not on what name she is using. Maybe she has to check with Dick
to see what name she should use, also."
And even from another who wrote:
"You have to be out of your mind. I love you and the way you write!
I want to kiss you for saying everything that I wish I would have said about City
Government and more. I loved the comment you made to Tom Shay about the high heel. I
wonder how he feels being hen pecked, or cuckold to a group of women who will have their
way no matter what the citizens think or want? I can say one thing with near certainty. On
election day it won't even be close. Maybe then the other ladies of City Council will be
forced to re-think their positions and begin the need millenium on the right foot. You are
a scream. I read you every day. Keep up the good work."
Also, there has been a whole lot of discussion about me
allegedly calling Cheri Maureen O'Mara a slut.
I did not.
Bob Hand used it in my supposed fair interview on
Monday, and as usual, Bob used the part of the fact he thought would be sensational. That
is the fact that someone did call Cheri O'Mara a slut and it was published in the
Mountain Laurel Review. Of course, everyone knows that I write all
of these letters myself (just kidding for those of you who believe I really go the the
Bradford Hotel and meet Jim Buck.) so, it really was me afterall. Let's look at it once
more. It was St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1999.
The day before I wrote about the persecution of Carolyn Gulnac
by the School Board, Cheri O'Mara, and their slime ball attorney, Fred Gallup. I wrote:
"The story about Carolyn Gulnac brought many of you out. From
what I can see by your response, you asked pretty much the same thing that I did. What was
the purpose? As for referring to Fred Gallup as a "slime ball" many of you
thought that I was being too kind. "
At that point, I published five (5) letters, five, from you,
agreeing that Fred Gallup was not only a slime ball, but more for the way he
systematically ruined Carolyn Gulnac, her life, and her reputation. All of you were
outraged to know that now he and the School District wanted to call the whole thing off.
Then came the sixth (6th) letter, six. It read:
"Thanks to you we have a forum that tells us the truth about
things. The Carolyn Gulnac story makes me sick to my stomach. Cheri O' Mara is a slut and
is not fit to be the superintendent of schools. She should resign along with the entire
school board for allowing this to take place. If there was a problem the whole thing
should have been kept quiet until it could have been determined where and to whom the
blame should be assigned. Instead they used a good woman for the scape goat and destroyed
her in the process. You should be proud of the service that you are providing to the
people."
Calling Cheri O'Mara a SLUT was none of my doing.
However, in light of what Cheri and her School Board did to Mrs.
Gulnac for the past two years, I would have to say that the word SLUT is very
kind.
I want to point out that on that particular day we had a total
of thirty-four (34) thirty-four e-mail letters about what O'Mara, The School Board, and
Gallup did to Carolyn Gulnac. Every single one of them was against what they did and
solidly behind Mrs. Gulnac.
As I wrote then, I repeat now:
"HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS UP TO CAROLYN GULANC? HOW DO YOU
GO ABOUT REPAIRING HER REPUTATION? WHY DID YOU DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE?"
No, calling Cheri O'Mara a SLUT is very minor compared
to what she did, and allowed to be done, to Carolyn Gulnac. Personally, I do not know
enough, beyond bar room hear say, to rule one way or another on Cheri O'Mara being a SLUT.
I have been wrong about her in the past. I called her a Kindergarten Teacher and in fact
she was not. I accused her of having a shopping mall mentality. While that is cute, I
can't really comment on her mentality one way or another - especially after the ASBESTOS
COVER-UP.
All in all, I would have to say that Cheri O'Mara probably is
not a SLUT, and, I would now give the person who wrote the letter to come forth
and reconsider their choice of names. Myself, I have always been partial to cartoon
characters - except in the case of Fred Gallup. There is nothing cartoon like or funny
about him or what he does to people.
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 5, 1999
Cat fights
Good morning. It is 52.5 degrees at 5:49 A.M. It is another lovely
morning and promises to be another great day. Enjoy it and make the most of it for
yourselves.
Yesterday's Era featured a letter to the editor from the Mayor of the
City of Bradford and three members of council. Ironically, the first two words of
the letter made up the name of the one member of council who did not sign the letter.
Instead, Michele Corignani was the target of the free political ad provided by The
Bradford Era. I know how that works. I have been the target of a few myself.
The letter, no doubt engineered by the wife of the mayor's campaign manager, now
calling herself Lee Doynow instead of how we have all grown to know her, Lee
Ann Lyons Doynow. The name change in itself is quite a story - Lee Ann, now Lee, is
still smarting because her mother embarrassed her by acting like a taxpayer and demanded
the services the city suddenly stopped providing when her daughter came to her position of
prominence. Incidentally, Lee Ann, er' Lee, was the head of that particular department.
But that's another story; however, it does serve to demonstrate the level that we
are dealing with in Council Chambers. Back to the letter.
It accuses Michele Corignani of playing politics with the zoning issue. It goes on to
elaborately point out that there are specific procedures that must be followed, perhaps
even getting approval from the Pope in the Vatican, and at the very least the Archbishop
of Canterbury, before Council could conceivably begin the arduous task of fixing something
that is so outdated and ancient that it was probably written on parchment scrolls with an
eagle feather pen.
I can understand Councils' reticence in attempting change. Change is never easy.
What if someone would object? What would happen if more than one person objected and a
whole lot of people came to a City Council meeting and saw who was really running the show
and calling the shots? Do you think the people might catch on that Mayor Cavallaro is
really a puppet who has no original ideas of her own?
There is a curious division of power in City Hall. Connie has the parking
space and the front office, but nothing is done there unless Doynow and Councilwoman
Katherine Graff are in there with the door closed telling the mayor what should and should
not be on the agenda.
Mrs. Doynow enjoys that position. She, in essence is controlling City Government
by "guiding" the Mayor in the direction that she, and ultimately her boss over
at UPB, wants it to go. Next time around, who knows? Doynow for Mayor? Will it be Lee Ann
Lyons Doynow for Mayor; or, will it be Lee Doynow; or whatever? Maybe even Lee for County
Commissioner! My goodness!
On the day to day administrative front, Peggy Comilla has that covered for Connie. The
Mayor has plenty of time to get her hair done because Peggy does the job for her and keeps
her informed of what was done after the fact. Also, it should be noted that the hot line
between Peggy and Ray McMahon is up and very functional. So, what does the Mayor do?
Certainly she was not in the fore front in getting the old McKean Theater torn down.
Doesn't Main Street look great now that the wall of the Downbeat Restaurant is exposed!
Connie would take credit, along with Ray McMahon for getting the new Senior Center funded.
But in reality, I walked into the Office of the Secretary for Aging on March 17, 1997 and
spoke personally with him to insure the funding would be put in place. "You fund
Bradford," I told him. "And we will use Community Development Block Grant Funds
to help the other five senior centers." That is what happened.
Keep in mind that Katherine Graff was brought on to City Council because of the
insistence of her friend - Michele Corignani. Now it seems that Graff has changed sides
and is with the Mayor on the issue of delaying the needed revision of the zoning
code. Why? Graff doesn't speak for herself. She speaks with the group. Where is The
Era when you need it? Why aren't they probing into the Graff/Corignani split? What is
the real story? Did someone wear the wrong dress to an affair or something? Is it over
hair styles? Where is The Era when you need it?
Really, the revision of the zoning ordinance is not rocket science. Even my
buddy John Cleland says it needs revised! So why have four of the five members of council
joined forces against Michele?
Could it be that they are mad that they didn't think of it first?
This has been a rubber stamp council. It has given Ray McMahon and Peggy Comilla
everything they want - including the albatross called Old City Hall. There has not been
one dissenting vote cast since Connie became Mayor. Ray and Peggy saw to that.
Now, all of a sudden, out of the blue, Michele Corignani has grown up and began
thinking for herself. That must have scared the living daylights out of Doynow who lets
President McDowell do her thinking for her. Think about what confusion must have set in on
poor Connie! She must have gone into immediate conference with Peggy and Ray in an attempt
to just get her feet back on the ground.
Independent thought on City Council! Imagine that! And it isn't even part of
the Y2K problem! How could that have happened?
I would imagine they all believed that there was some sort of "grandfather"
clause against the idea of independent thought. I would also imagine that Peggy and Ray
are scared to death that someone might have broken ranks. If that is true, imagine the
skeletons and all the dirty laundry that just might come out in the open.
No, Corignani's call for an immediate start on the revision process is not a
political move. It is a damn good idea and the "ladies" of council are just
jealous. Oh, by the way Tom, I didn't forget you. If the high heel fits, wear it.
Council had better wake up. The people want change, not feet dragging as we
move into the 21st Century and the second millenium since Christ. Politics aside, it
is an idea that is long overdue and waiting on the COG, or the Comprehensive Plan, or even
the second coming, is way out of line and not in the best interests of the people.
Comment on this at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 4, 1999
Sorting out the truth
Good morning. It is 48.9 degrees at 6:18 A.M. It is one of those especially
nice mornings. One of those mornings you don't mind waking up to and then going outside on
the porch or walking in the grass bare footed with a cup of coffee. If anyone was ready
for a morning like this one, I was.
Yesterday was one of those days!
I opened up the morning newspaper and saw a 51 year old version of Howdy Doody
on the front page lecturing the graduating class of the University of Pittsburgh at
Bradford to "crank up your courage."
If that wasn't enough to turn my stomach, then I had my fifteen minutes of sparring
with the local radio station's boy wonder. That was especially discouraging, because after
very artfully and without error, reading a claim about how the next fifteen minutes was
designed to be fair and deal with issues pertinent to the campaign, he
immediately began asking questions that were not in any way shape or form issues.
Someone wrote a letter and called Cheri O'Mara a slut. I included it in my morning
column and then published it in the magazine. Aside from the name, it was a very valid
letter. Even with the name, it was a valid letter. Still, what did the letter have to do
with my qualifications to be County Commissioner? How does the letter affect my ability to
continue to bring funding to this county and continue to allow this county to have a voice
that is heard statewide? Boy wonder failed to ask that question.
I am quite a target. I have made myself one. At one point I had tee shirts made
with a bulls eye on the back with the words "Take your best shot!"
While that might sound cavalier to some and while it might have its attraction to
others; believe me, it does get tiring. It was especially tiring yesterday when I believed
that the radio personality would extend to me the same courtesy that he had to the five
candidates that preceded me, and he didn't. But, as he pointed out after the alleged
interview: "(I) deserved it." And I guess he was right. I probably do deserve
it.
After all, no one told me to start pointing out flaws. But then again I was asked a
question four years ago and the young woman, who was working for the Kane Republican
was very sincere. "Are you going to be able to separate your role as a publisher and
a writer from your role as a County Commissioner?" I answered that I believed I
could. I guess the question this year is whether or not the media can. It appears that
they cannot.
Striving for excellence (and awards) seems to center around how clever you can be when
you attempt to take me down. The Asbestos cover up at the High School was a question the
boy wonder asked. I quickly pointed out that it had nothing to do with the election but
that answer was not good enough. In his estimation I should not have appeared in the movie
that I financed totally with my own money and produced with my sweat. If I was not seeking
notoriety, according to him, I should not have appeared in it so close to the election.
No matter what, no matter the issue, it seems to all come down to me. While he, as news
director of the radio station, participated in, and continues to participate in the cover
up of a very serious situation, I become the center of focus instead of the issue itself.
Something is horribly wrong with that picture.
Days like yesterday are very discouraging. It is almost laughable when Judge John M.
Cleland gave me the words I needed to get through the day. It is surprising where you can
receive solace and the will to go on. I can almost hear his words as he speaks to me, glad
to be part of the team that is working for change and the betterment of the county.
"Crank up your courage, Bud," I can hear him saying. "Stick with it and
don't give up. Better days are ahead and if you don't do it, no one else will. We are all
depending on you."
Do you believe that? Would you like to buy some prime land overlooking the Grand
Canyon, too?
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 3, 1999
Feedback about politics
Good morning. It is 43.3 degrees at 6:02 A.M. It is not a rainy Monday. In fact
it appears that today is going to be just as nice as it has been all weekend. The Buffalo
news says this great spring weather is going to continue until Wednesday.
That brings me to the obvious question as to why so many of you were not
outside? Judging from my mail, too many of you were inside on your computers. For that
reason, this column is yours. Here is what you have to say.
-"Where do I report seeing people taking your signs down? That is really ignorant
and just because these people have a relative running against you, that is no reason to be
ignorant and tear down signs that you have gone to the time to put up. I was going to give
one vote to you and the other one to him but now I am going to vote for just you. Making
him County Commissioner, after seeing how his family acts and I am sure it is with his
blessing, shows me what we will have in store for us. I am glad I saw it with my own two
eyes."
Publisher's comment: There is no place to report them. As you have noticed I
removed the names of the persons who took them down. What you saw is evidently not an
isolated incident. Signs from all over the county are disappearing. Others are being
defaced. That is politics in McKean County. Maybe you should call the candidate directly
and tell him how you feel.
-"Why Mayor Cavallaro speaks out against the public service that you have
performed at your own expense then that is too much for me. It is time to take her out of
office and I intend to do that by voting against her in the Primary.
"She is openly critical of the documentary you made about the kids in the high
school being exposed to asbestos. She was angry that you showed the movie at the Senior
Center. She said that you had no right to even be there. I am outraged. Who made her the
boss of the Senior Center?
"Senior Citizens are not all senile and feeble. We are not stupid and we can make
up our own minds. I have seen the movie you made three times now and each time I have
learned something new. The Mayor says that you are desperate and will do anything to be
re-elected but that isn't the way I see it. You placed your re-election in danger by doing
what you always do and that is speak out and tell us the truth. I am and a whole lot more
of the seniors are with you. Don't let them grind you down."
and more about Mayor Connie:
-"Connie Cavallaro has called your movie a lie and any money you make for the
Senior Center dirty money. She has no room to talk. I remember her in the bar with her
husband. Was that clean money? She took men's hard earned pay checks from them and let
them drink all night while their families went without. So much for Connie saying you make
dirty money."
and more about her:
-"I am voting for Michelle and was going to do so because I think Connie is too
old for the job and I don't believe we need Ray McMahon and Peggy Comilla doing her job
for her. But now I am even more convinced. She is angry about you showing your movie about
asbestos at the Senior Center. She is calling the donation for the Senior Center dirty
money. If anyone would know dirty money it is Connie. She invented it. Just look at the
way City Hall is being run these days."
and even more:
-"Now Connie Cavallaro is an expert on asbestos. She is openly discrediting the
movie you made about the improper handling at the high school. She has called Dave Hickey
and Clint McLaughlin your stooges. She says it is all politically motivated. I wonder if
she has sat down and watched the movie? I have. It is nothing like what the ERROR
reported. It is an in depth examination of what two workers saw, and at great risk
to themselves, came forward and tried to tell us what was going on. When the ERROR covered
it up, you did what you always do. You reported it and put it out in the light for all of
us to see. Hickey, McLaughlin, and you are all to be commended for what you've done. I was
on the fence about her and Michelle but this negative commenting on your movie has changed
my mind for sure. I thought the old woman deserved on more term but her meanness has
showed me that she wasn't worthy of the first term. Live and learn!"
Publisher's comment: There is no question that I support Michelle Corignani
over Connie Cavallaro. It has nothing to do with what she has to say about me or my
documentary. It has everything to do with her continued support of Ray McMahon and the way
she turned on the people who elected her. Specifically, Mayo Funari !
Mayo was a fine man. Mayo worked hard to see that Connie got elected in a near
impossible special write in election. She not only won, but won overwhelmingly. I was
pleased but not as much as Mayo. "Beck," he told me. "For once we have
something in City Council. With Connie as Mayor and Michelle (Corignani) as a Council
Person, we can get things done in this town." I agreed with Mayo as did a lot of
other people. We were all disappointed.
What she and Mark Hollenbeck tried to do to Mayo is unforgivable. She
was angry that Mayo spoke his mind and voted with his conscience. Connie obviously knows
little about that. She does as she is told to the point that people openly have asked:
"Who is really calling the shots and making decisions in City Hall?"
Michelle Corignani has kept the faith with the people who elected her. When she
saw a chance for Bradford to take back partial control of the Airport by becoming a voting
member, she embraced it. Connie opposed because Michelle was for it. When she said enough
is enough and wanted to start re-doing the zoning code, once more, Connie opposed it only
for political reasons.
Connie Cavallaro is obstructing progress.
Connie Cavallaro wants Bradford kept in the dark.
Connie Cavallaro wants people ignorant.
Her comments about the movie are ill conceived and without merit. She has taken
a public safety issue, a health hazard, a danger to our children and made it political. I
have not. She has. That only reinforces the reason why she needs to be voted out of
office.
Comment at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 1 & 2, 1999
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