November 3, 2002 Henry County Announcements

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Greetings List Members! Henry County Web Announcements

In this NOVEMBER 3, 2002 Issue:

got what?
VOTE!
FYI: DirectAds
Bundle Up Kentucky
Henry County Postcards!
COMING EVENTS
Seminar: Bad Checks, Credit Card Fraud, Shoplifting, Drugs
Henry County Homemakers Holiday Bazaar
Light Up New Castle
Light Up Eminence

got what?

P.E.T.A.'s got M.A.D.D. mad again, and me too, for that matter.

They tried this once before, you know. And then, for a rare moment in time, it seemed like P.E.T.A. got smart (or trounced right back.)

The Dairy Council began an ad campaign and slogan that caught on. You've seen it--on TV, on billboards, in magazines, on the sides of buses, and other typical advertising venues. "got milk?" was on the lips (literally, in some cases) of the young and old across America.

P.E.T.A., in one of it's not-so-rare idiotic "alerts", decided that milk consumption was abusive to cows. The way to "inform" the public that dairy farmers and millions of Americans were being cruel to cows was to steal the successful "got milk" ad and turn it to their own devices, namely, the controversial, "got beer?" campaign.

You might think that the Dairy Council was the party put on the defensive--it was their product and their livelihood that was under attack, after all.

Nope.

M.A.D.D. got mad. Can you blame them? The M.A.D.D. organization has devoted itself to safe-guarding the public from drunk drivers. And along comes P.E.T.A. promoting the idea (apparently, primarily to youth) that drinking beer was far more acceptable than drinking milk. Mother's Against Drunk Driving were outraged that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals could so callously and irresponsibly be promoting an activity and product that had contributed to the deaths of so many loved ones. M.A.D.D. effectively came to the defense of dairy farmers.

I'm not a member of M.A.D.D., but I got mad too.

It's not just that I am a milk drinker and our son is practically a milk-aholic. I take enjoyment from drinking milk in my tea or with cookies, I enjoy cooking with milk. I love cheese, too; on pizza, in casseroles, and in-the-raw, with or without crackers. Pie or cobbler a la mode? Oh YES! I get most of my daily calcium requirement from dairy products. Oh sure, milk has cholesterol and fat. One might have to be moderate about the amount of dairy products consumed for health reasons. Some people are even lactose intolerant.

And it's not just that P.E.T.A. was attacking very hard-working and under-paid (I think) dairy farmers. There are plenty of people that don't appreciate the laborious process by which the milk gets from the cow into those plastic jugs and paper cartons they carry home from the super-market. I know some dairy farmers, I've been on some dairy farms. Especially true in the winter months, those people are up before the sun and are still at it after the sun goes down. What happens in between is not a lazy slumber in a hammock. When not actively in contact with the herd, farmers are buying supplies, maintaining equipment, managing the by-products, keeping records and overseeing finances. Considering everything, a gallon of milk for under $3 is an amazing bargain! The real shock of it is that the largest portion of what we pay at the grocery never gets to the farmer.

DUI never meant "under the influence" of milk. I can't recall ever reading or hearing about highway fatalities and a driver found at the wheel surrounded by empty cartons of milk. I have seen some prescriptions that warn "do not take with milk"--presumably it would also be advised: "do not take with beer". I've never seen a carton of milk with a warning: "do not take if pregnant" or "do not operate heavy equipment while under the influence of milk." If you drink too much milk? Well you might dangerously escalate your cholesterol --that would effect your own health, but someone sitting next to you in a vehicle isn't likely to suffer as a result.

And beer? I'm not a barrel-bashing, card carrying Temperance Activist. I like a glass of wine--maybe a dozen-or-so times per year; that hardly qualifies as "addictive behavior." I even have a can of beer in my fridge right now--it's been there a l-o-n-g time, because sometime I might want to make beer bread or beer batter. I can't say beer, in itself, is a "bad" thing; it's part of my heritage. Germanic culture is the greater part of my heritage. I myself don't care for the taste of beer--a lesson learned when I was five-years-old and stole a sip of Grandpa's beer. I have two cherished snap-shoots in my head: my Grandma and Grandpa sitting at the table for the noon meal with a cold glass northeast of the plate, and a similar image of my other Grandmother, at the table near the window, with her plate of pork chops and Sauer Kraut and a frosty glass. Were Grandma and Grandpa dangerous, irresponsible alcoholics? Was my Grandmother a sinful wicked woman? Certainly not! Shame on you for thinking so! But that doesn't mean that all consumption of alcohol is "innocent". I can recall some negative images of the effects of alcohol, too.

And now P.E.T.A. wants to revive the "got beer?" campaign. Well P.E.T.A.--now hear this: "got beer?" --Yes. "got milk?" YES YES YES. Is there a conflict? Is that hypocrisy? If there's any hypocrisy...it's in the actions of P.E.T.A.

Attn. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals:..I am a homo sapien and I am an animal. How about treating ME ethically?!

VOTE!

Even a single vote counts. National elections can be won or lost by a very small margin of single votes. Every single vote is even more significant in local elections.

For as long as we have been distributing newsletters and operating the Henry County Web we have not endorsed a party or an individual. It's not that we don't have opinions, and it's not like I have "never" shared any of my opinions. For me, elections are sort of "sacred ground". It's a secret ballot, and we all have our opinions and points of view.

But the ACT of voting I will shout about. In all my years as a registered voter I have missed only ONE election, due to illness. I consider it my duty to vote as much as it is my right because this freedom of choice was so dearly paid for by our ancestors, and still yearned for by so many citizen of other countries.

I've heard a lot of excuses for not voting, a few are even valid. Some are just silly: "I don't want to vote for the wrong one", "I don't want to be responsible for electing someone that isn't any good", "my candidate is going to lose anyway", "it doesn't make a difference."

All any one of us can ever do (in any situation, really) is to make our best choice at any given time, given the information we have. That means a little work and research and a little bit of thought. The Henry County Local does a good job of providing information about the candidates. For the last two years even our Chamber of Commerce has co-sponsored forums so that voters can make informed decisions. Not everyone gets the newspaper and not everyone can attend forums, but we can all do our best to learn and know as much as we can...even if by directly speaking with the candidates...and make our own decision(s). I don't recall ever having made my decision based on someone else's opinion. Therefore, I don't, and never have, publicly (and seldom privately), endorsed any particular candidate.

However, I do STRONGLY endorse the voting processes. On Tuesday November 5th, go out to your polling place and have your say.

Speaking of "endorsements" I believe I ought to clarify something that maybe misunderstood. I do not "endorse" the Henry County Friends of Animals. Our newsletter from July concerning our thoughts on the matter are our thoughts only, expressed prior to the formation of this group. To construe that opinion as an endorsement of this particular group would be a serious error.

FYI: DirectAds

A new intrusive nuisance is headed your way. A bulk-email developer (we might as well call him a "Spammer") has exploited a normal function of your Windows operating system. The sender is completely anonymous and practically untraceable. Anyone can send the information to your computer through an open connection and you don't even have to have your web browser or email program open!

This pop-up displays on your screen like a Windows system alert with a title bar that says "Messenger Service" (Note: This is not part of MicroSoft's instant messenger program.) Fortunately this spamming software is price-y so only the serious spammers will be using it (for now.) Unfortunately, serious spammers will ruthlessly and relentlessly invade your privacy (presumably because their tactics still deliver results.)

So far, this software is incapable of including direct, clickable hyperlinks and email links. However, given the ability of the program and the proliferation of crackers to exploit available accesses to your computer there is a potential that in the future some wasted "genius" will find a way.

As noted above this spammer software is expensive, so you won't be seeing a lot of these Direct Ads ...yet.

In the meanwhile, some software companies have already developed anti-DirectAd programs, for one: Coffee Cup has a DirectAd blocker (http://www.coffeecup.com/blocker/). Doubtless there will be others. I wouldn't necessarily rush to buy a DirectAd blocker program, but once you are the "victim" of one DirectAd, I'd bet more will follow and then I'd invest in software to defeat the commercial attacks on my privacy.

To read more about DirectAds, you might want to check CNN and News.com websites:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/10/21/pop.upspam.ap/index.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-962483.html

BUNDLE UP KENTUCKY

Bundle-up is a Henry County Homemakers project for November. This program is intended to collect blankets, distribute to local charities, for the use of families in need this winter. Take a blanket to the Henry County Cooperative Extension Service (Rt. 421 New Castle).

e-POSTCARDS FROM HENRY COUNTY, WITH LOVE

From your email and the server reports, you and your friends and family have been enjoying this FREE service. In fact, I have received requests for MORE!

As you wish...There are 3 NEW Christmas postcards to choose from and one new animated Thanksgiving postcard. As we have time we'll be digging through our photo archives and taking more pictures to add still more postcards. Enjoy!

http://www.henrycountyky.com/postcard

COMING EVENTS

Free Seminar: Bad Checks, Credit Card Fraud, Shoplifters and Drugs
November 7, 7:00 p.m.
Community Life Center, Eminence

The Eminence Police Department and the Henry County Chamber of Commerce are concerned about cold checks, shoplifting, etc. In order to help educate both the merchants and the public the presenters are offering this free seminar. Refreshments will be served; no registration is required; all are welcome.

Henry County Homemakers Holiday Bazaar
November 9, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
4H Center, New Castle

This is the 10th Annual Holiday Bazaar! We will once again have about 30 booths of local arts, crafts and goodies available. The Henry County Homemakers are planning on having a "vintage" Holiday Ornament sale table to raise funds for landscaping at the new Extension Office building. Food will be available, hunt for great gifts, and have a great day.

Light-Up New Castle
November 22, 5-9 p.m.

Join us for Light-Up New Castle! This seasonal family entertainment features the tree lighting, Santa, music, food, a jam cake auction, FREE Carriage rides, FREE pictures with Santa, face painting, and balloons. Don't forget to bring along non-perishable canned goods for the Tri-County Community Action Agency; a drop box will be available. To learn more visit http://www.henrycountyky.com/community/events.htm

Light-Up Eminence
December 7, beginning at Noon

Arts & Crafts, Santa and more! Visit this event for some small town charm that evokes BIG smiles for both kids and parents. More information coming, check our Community Events page for updates. http://www.henrycountyky.com/community/events.htm

Now, the "Netiquette"...

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Warmest Henry County Regards,

~~Joyce K. Meyer
webmaster@henrycountyky.com

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