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PAGE 4
PRESS PERSPECTIVES
AUGUST 10, 2011 ".
FROM THE
EDITOR'S DESK...
BY ALLISON OLIMB
EDITOR, ~APALSH COUNTY PRESS
How do you shove an entire
summer into one weekend? And
come out with a fabulous tan? Let
me tell you.
Picture this: It is the last week-
end in July and summer has
nowhere to go but harvest.
The winter wheat has long
since turned and we are just wait-
ing on crickets for the spring
wheat to come around. The
weather has been quite lovely as
far as weather in North Dakota
can be, and it is that magical time
of year that I like to think of as
summer's last hurrah... August
the Deuce.
I rolled out of bed Saturday
morning ready to hit the streets of
Mountain, N.D., for an Icelandic
celebration well over 100 years
old. Now, Mountain may not be a
big town, but they do know how
to throw a party. My farnily and I
busted the folding chairs out of
storage and headed down the
road. We pulled into the edge of
town to the only parking space
we could find and pulled up a
nice piece of curb to watch the
festivities. Everyone from Ice-
landic dignitaries to area fire de-
partments made their way down
the street waving and some
• throwing whatever candy they
had left to the droves of children
with plastic bags who stood,
waiting. A friendly smile and a
hey how's it going from a few in
the line who spent hours polish-
ing their old tractors and cars
until they shined for that one day
in July and then it was over. We
set our chairs aside to see What
else we could see.
Folk dancers sang and twirled
as people pulled out their cam-
eras to try to save that moment.
Lines piled up as the parade
crowd headed to the food court
for a burger.
The dancers moved on and the
pedal pull competition moved in.•
Tiny children with enough energy
to power through any weight
added to their tractor competed
for top prize while their .family
members cheered them on.
We stayed for a few rounds.
Then we started to head back to
the car. There was more to do that
day.
We visited with old friends,
saw new babies, and went back
for a brief nap.
Round two: On to Walhalla!
Frost Fire is hidden in the hills
of the Pembina River Gorge just
outside of Walhalla. It is home to
the bizarrely wonderful combina-
tion of skiing and musical theater.
We headed down the road
once more to take in a different
type of culture.
"Big River" the story of Huck-
leberry Finn had been playing all
summer long and because my
dad got a kick out of seeing "The
Buddy Holly Story" the year be-
fore, we were not going to pass
this one up.
I am a fan of musical theater.
If there were a support group for
show tunes, I may just sign up.
However, this was not one that
had previously been on my reper-
toire.
I have been in and seen a num-
ber of shows; I am even hitting
up "Rent" in Grand Forks
tonight. But let me tell you, I was
not prepared for this. The talent
compiled for this show in the
hills was amazing. They brought
laughs and drama while telling a
lesson on racism that has stood as
an important piece of literature
for many years.
l can tell you after one show I
am hooked on Frost Fire.
After that I packed my bags
and headed to Elbow Lake,
Minn., to join my husband and
his family on family vacation,
which included a week of fishing,
swimming, and snuggling with
my adorable nieces and nephews.
With a little culture and a lot of
sunshine, I feel as though my bat-
teries are recharged and I can hit
the fall with a little more energy
than I had going in.
On with harvest. Thank you,
summer, for being better than I
had expected.
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Good morning!
Well, I did it! And it made me
feel so grown up! I'm writing this
from a motel in Amarillo, Texas.
And i made it all on my own. I
carried my own tickets, checked
my own luggage, boarded my
own flight, and switched planes in
Denver all by myself.
I'm 62 years old and I finally
did it all by myself. Shirley never
let me do it alone. And I guess
you could say I can't blame her.
It started thirty some odd years
ago. I say thirty odd, because in
forty years of marriage, many
have been odd. It's like the guy
who was asked how long he had
been married. He replied, "I've
been happily married for twenty
years."
Someone said, "Twenty?"
';Yeah," he says, "Twenty out of
Hat
forty ain't bad!"
Anyway it started thirty years
ago. Shirley and I hadn't travelled
much. And we were going to Ve-•
gas, or a cattlemen's conventiion,
or somewhere important. Being
the man, I had control of the tick-
ets.
Well, I was upset. It was like
picking up the Sunday paper.
There were ads for hotels, rental
cars, show tickets... I had a bundle
of stuff. As we were walking, ac-
tually kind of running through the
airport, all these papers started
bothering me. So I threw them in
Tips
a trash can.
When we got to our gate,
Shirley turned to me and ask for
the boarding pass.
"Boarding pass! Really! There
was a boarding pass in that bun-
dle of junk?"
Remember those ads where OJ
ran through the airport jumping
over stuff, that was me.
Oh, I didn't jump over much
stuff: And maybe I wasn't near as
fast. But, if you are as scared of
Shirley as I am, I was picking
them up and laying them down
pretty darn good. I knocked some
kids over and pushed one old lady
out of the way. It was a mad dash
through airport to a garbage can.
I turned it upside down and
started going through papers.
I karate kicked a security guard
and tbught off a custodian with a
push broom until I found the tick-
ets. And we made it.
Since that time, I swear on a
stack of bibles, Shirley has never
let me carry the tickets!
But, today, as I'm travelling
with a cowboy from Harding
County, I got to be in charge. And
we are made it! I feel so big.
Amarillo by morning! Wait!
What's that you say? This isn't
Amarillo! It's Abilene! Holy Bat-
man! I've got to go! Tell you
about it next week!
Later, Dean
}- O_!J, .Sa.manmn
Happenings at Our
Good Samaritan
Monica Simon ADC
August Events:
August 11, 3:00 Monthly Birthday Party Hosted by Lankin
Legion Auxiliary
August 12, 7:30 Mennonite Singers
August 18, 5-7 Annual Garden Party (Supper, entertainment and
silent auction)
August 25, 3:00 Auxiliary Program and Lunch Program and
Party Zion Lutheran Church
Volunteers for the week were, Devotional leaders, Lois Ydstie,
Dorothy Novak, Lorene Larson, Rev. David Hinrich, Corrine Ramsey,
BOnnie Van Bruggen and our accompanists were Monica Simon, Jan
Novak and Laura Brodina. Sunday Worship services were led by Rev.
Antal and Rev. Cox. Mass was led by Father Lutein and Rosary and
Conununion by Shirley Sobolik. Tmry Hagen assisted with Nail's Time.
Thank you for sharing your time and talents with us this week.
Residents here are enjoying the outdoors with our nice weather. Many
enjoyed our bus fide on Monday and regular activities were held this
week such as Devotions, storytime; exercises, baking, nail's time, current
events and more.
By Extension Agent-In-Training Theresa Jeske
LyME DISEASE
lPubltcNealtla Walsh County Health District
..... ,., .... '°"°"°" Short Shots
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium that is transmitted by a tick
called "Ixodes scapularis" commonly known as the deer tick. (Deer ticks
are so small as to be nearly invisible to the eye).
Lyme disease is acquired by a deer tick bite. The tick must be attached
to a person's skin, usually for several hours, before it can transmit the
disease.
Symptoms of Lyme disease begin within a month of exposure. It
often starts as a roughly circular reddish rash around the site of the bite
(Bulls eye rash). The rash expands in size over a period of days or weeks.
(Not everyone develops the rash). During this stage, or just prior to the
rash stage, other symptoms may be present such as fever, headache,
fatigue, stiff neck, muscle and or joint pain. These symptoms can last for
several weeks. If left untreated, within a few weeks to months after the
rash appears, complications such as meningitis, paralysis of facial
muscles or heart problems may occur. Swelling and pain in *he large
joints may recur over several months or years.
A person is diagnosed with Lyme disease based on symptoms,
exposure to infected ticks and lab results from blood tests. A person is
treated with antibiotics taken orally or by injection.
To prevent the spread of Lyme disease use an insect repellant with
25% DEET or 0.5% permethrin. (Follow manufacturer's directions).
Wear long sleeved shirts, long pants, and high socks with the pant cuffs
tucked into the socks. Light colored clothing makes the ticks easier to
see. Walk in the center of trails; avoid long grass or brushing against
vegetation. Conduct tick checks on yourself and your children after
spending time outdoors. Prompt removal of ticks even after they have
attached can reduce the chance of Lyme disease transmission.
To remove ticks: Grasp with tweezers or forceps as close as possible
to attachment (skin) site and pull upward and out with a firm and steady
pressure. If no tweezers us a tissue paper or rubber gloves-do not handle
with your bare hands. Try not to squeeze, crush or ptmcture the body of
the tick. Clean the skin site thoroughly and wash your hands. See your
health care provider for treatment.
Remember, only the tiny deer ticks can transmit Lyme disease.
The first meeting of the legisla-
tive redistricting committee pro-
vided a good indication of the
rural-urban split that will enter into
negotiations over the new district
boundaries for electing legislators
over the next 10 years.
The decennial census once
again documented substantial pop-
ulation losses in rural districts,
meaning that they must be ex-
panded to encompass the equal
population required by the one-
person, one-vote rule. To ward off
this expansion, the rural legislators
on the redistricting committee pro-
posed increasing the size of the
legislature. Under the state consti-
tution, the body could be increased
from its present 47 districts up to
as many as 53.
Each additiona! legislative dis-
trict would cost $1.2 million in
salaries and expenses during the
next 10-year period. Since urban
districts will not be greatly im-
pacted by the new census data,
their legislators seem to be balking
at the idea of increasing the cost of
legislative operations.
(In the 1980s, we had 53 sena-
tors elected from 51 districts. And
that was before we had money run-
ning out of the mattresses.)
Rural legislators argue that
money should not be the consider-
ation. Sen. Randy Christmann of
Hazen, who represents Oliver,
Mercer and a good chunk of Mor-
ton, noted that representativeness
was more important than money.
Fellow rural committee members
Senator Joe Miller (R) of Park
River, Rep. Jerry Kelsh (D) of
Fullerton and Senator Curtis Olaf-
son (R) of Edinburg, agreed.
Chrisunann makes a good point
but it raises another question: how
many legislators are needed to
constitute a representative assem-
bly? New Hampshire and North
Dakota have the largest legisla-
tures in the country when calcu-
lated on a per capita basis. North
Dakota already has a larger senate
than California, Florida, New Jer-
sey, Texas, Ohio and a couple
dozen other larger states.
Ifstcte legislators across the na-
tion carl represent many more citi-
zens than can North Dakota
legislators, it seems that "represen-
tativeness" cannot be directly cor-
related to the number of
constituents. So what does "repre-
sentativeness" mean?
In North Dakota, legislators do
not directly represent their districts
on issues. When they run for of-
rice, their campaign literature
proves that they aren't getting
elected on the issues but rather on
being a "cut of the district." Issues
are minor as they list their com-
munit) activities, church member-
ship, service clubs, economic
development committees and civic
achievements. It's like saying "you
can trust me."
Legislative campaigns do not
consist of public debates before
crowds of voters. Basically, cam-
paigns consist of door-to-door can-
vassing, plus quick handshakes at
church suppers, auction sales,
bingo parties, dances and other
community gatherings. Issues are
rarely discussed in the process.
So there is little or no answer-
ing to the public tbr the hundreds
of decisions made in the legisla-
ture, meaning that accountability is
a missing ingredient in the concept
of representativeness. With the
minority party unable to muster the
means to challenge incumbents in
many districts, legislators are un-
fettered in their voting.
Legislators who feel that repre-
sentativeness can be best achieved
by more districts with fewer con-
stituents ought to give serious con-
sideration to using their
constitutional authority to divide
senate districts into two house dis-
tricts so that at least the house
members can be more "represen-
tative" in the process.
Even though dividing the sen-
ate districts is a viable alternative
to increasing the size of the legis-
lature, creating separate smaller
house districts will not be done be-
cause the redistricting committee
is afraid that some incumbents
would end up in the same districts,
resulting in intraparty warfare.
So when push comes to shove,
considerations such as money and
incumbent protection trump the ar-
gument of representativeness.
Extension Exchange
Walsh County Nutrition, Food Safety
and Health Agent
Julie Zikmund, MPH, RD, LRD
GPS: Some things
to think about
Earlier this summer, I had a
very interesting conversation
with a family friend who de-
scribed the following situation:
My friend's son had been in a
car accident and the car was
equipped with a "built-in" GPS
system. As a result of the acci-
dent, the car was totaled, kept by
the insurance company and later
sold at a salvage auction. He
purchased a new car and thought
it was done. A few months later,
my friend was contacted by the
auto mechanic who had since
bought the car. 'The auto me-
chanic asked, "Do you know
who owned this car?" My friend
replied, "Yes, I do but how is it
that you are calling me?"
Well...the information in the
GPS was still intact and my
friend was one of the "saved ad-
dresses" in the GPS and you
know how easy phone numbers
are easy to find and the auto me-
chanic had a GPS location of his
exact address. He was using it to
find out information about the
car, but what if he did not have
such noble wishes? After our
discussion it made me think a bit
about leaving our hand held GPS
out in the open anal to protect the
identity of those a¢tdresses in my
device, l
After some searching on the
internet, I read about how thieves
are stealing GPS and then use
your device to track back to your
home and burglarize it. Knowing
that their victim is at the mall
shopping, they are likely not to
be home for a while. Tech-savvy
thieves are doing more than just
stealing the GPS for their own
use. They are pushing the right
buttons to use the GPS devices to
head back to your home. Most
GPS's have a navigational fea-
ture called home setting, which is
a fully automated process of di-
recting you home.
Here are some tips to keep
you safe:
• Do not put your exact
home address in the device.
When you are within a few miles
of your home, don't you know
the way?
• Take your GPS unit with
you or lock it in the trunk or
glove compartment.
• Lock your device down
with an anchoring devise. They
are made by a few companies
and use a plate and cable to se-.
curely connect them to your ve-
hicle.
• Check your owner's
manual to see if you have a lock-
ing or password protect on your
GPS. If so, use it!
• The best defense it to
take it with you, if you are able.
• In the case of an acci-
dent or selling of your vehicle, be
sure to talk with your dealer to
clear your GPS intbrmation to
protect yourself and your loVed
Ones.
One more thing to think
about...as more and more de-
vices (GPS, cell and mobile
phones, iPod's and the like) be-
come location aware, they will
provide a rich set of geographic
• information for others to use if
they would get their hands on
your device. Many have GPS
applications that use similar in-
formation. Use common sense
and take precautions with all of
your electronic devices. Pass-
word protects them all and keep
them close. They store LOTS of
valuable information.
All my best to you and your
family,
Julie
Many have GPS applications that use
similar information. Use common
sense and take precautions with all
of your electronic devices .... They
store LOTS of valuable information.
Around the County
Walsh County Extension Office Park River - 284-6624
Estimating potential
Estimatin~ Wheat
Yield Poiential
Estimating your Spring Wheat
yield will allow you to estimate
your total production with the po-
tential to sell some of this year's
crop before harvesting. Overall
yield takes into account heads per
square foot, seeds per head and
seed weight; the closer to maturity
that the values are taken the more
accurate the estimate yield will be
to the actual yield.
Heads per square foot is dictated
by seeding rate, tillering and tiller
survival. Potential heads per square
foot can be estimated in the field by
counting tillers in one square foot.
It is important to remember that
these tillers have the potential to
produce grain heads and certain en-
vironmental conditions can cause
the plant to abort some of these
tillers. Seeds per head is simply the
number of seeds per spikelet and
the number of spikelet's per head.
Factors such as variety, emergence
time, tiller population density, fer-
tility, foliar disease, insect infesta-
tions, weed control, and moisture
availability will affect the final
number of seeds per head. To esti-
mate the seeds per head, simply
count the seeds in random head
samples from across the field and
utilize the average of the counts.
Seed size varies greatly with the
variety, plant disease, weather, and
available moisture. When growing
a variety known to have a small
seed size it is important to increase
the number of seeds per pound. In
dry weather, seed size will also be
decreased and when under opti-
mum conditions seed size will be
increased so it is important to as-
sume a larger seed.
The values are taken to estimate
the grain yield in bushels per acre
with the equation as follows: Esti-
mated grain yield = (heads per sq.
foot x grains per head x 726)
seeds per pound. If you are unsure
about the value for seeds per pound
one could calculate the range that is
possible using a seeds per pound of
18,000 seeds which would be a
small seed, 16,000 seeds which
would be the most common or av-
erage seed size and 13,000 seeds
which would be relatively large
seeds. This option would give you
an idea of what the high and low
yield of your field could be.
Crop and Pest Report
Fusarium head blight (scab) has
been observed in more fields
throughout the state this past week.
Scouted fields had an average field
severity (incidence x head severity)
of 5%, but some fields had much
higher levels. Symptoms are
showing up in the most tolerant va-
rieties we have, but damage will be
less than with susceptible varieties.
No spring wheat or durum variety
is immune to this disease! Grow-
ers will now need to turn their at-
tention to harvest strategies for
fields with scab, including drying
the crop down as quickly as possi-
ble, harvesting the most damaged
areas of the field separately, and
turning up the wind speed to get rid
of the lightest kernels.
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