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You don’t have to be a jerk to live a good life

In his book, Don’t Let the Jerks Get the Best of You, Dr. Paul Meier defines a jerk as “someone who selfishly uses or abuses other human beings, animals, or the environment.” Dr. Meier calculates that approximately 40% of the population qualify as 1st Degree Jerks. They’re good people who do unto others as they would have others do to them but, on occasion, selfish behaviors creep through despite their best intentions. Another 40% of the population ranks as 2nd Degree Jerks, people who are sometimes intentionally selfish. These folks manipulate and control others to their own ...

Early Marietta: Henry the Dreamer and the WASHINGTON, Part 2

On Monday evening June 3, 1816, Henry Shreve's new steamboat WASHINGTON, built at Wheeling, cast off on its long maiden journey to New Orleans. She was built along Wheeling Creek; wood for the boat came from old Fort Henry. Florence Dorsey, Henry's daughter, in Master of the Mississippi: (She) sat on the water like a great aquatic bird...Niles' Weekly Register: She is 148 feet in length. Her main cabin is sixty feet; she has three handsome private rooms, besides a commodious bar room. She is furnished in very superior style...'" Shreve's years on the river had taught him the engineering ...

Real disciples never quit, they “remain”

Back in 1915, Ladies World magazine named Francis X. Bushman “the most handsome man.” Bushman’s looks earned him a great living. As a model, he cleared about $250 a week. But Bushman’s agent, David Freedman, saw an opportunity for greater wealth. Freedman said that if he could get Bushman into the movies (silent films were becoming very popular at that time), “the sky was the limit.” Since the studios wanted talent with a dedicated following, Freedman came up with a plan to convince the movie producers that Bushman drew large crowds. Freedman met Bushman at Grand Central ...

Early Marietta: Henry the Dreamer and the Steamboat WASHINGTON

Marietta is considered the pioneer city. The Steamboat WASHINGTON and her legendary captain Henry M. Shreve were pioneers as well. Rivermuseum.org: "Henry M. Shreve remains a giant among America’s rivermen. More than any other individual, he changed inland river travel in the first half of ...

Actions speak louder than words

Those who work in emergency services sometimes wish they could forget what they’ve seen. One snowy day, my squad was called to meet a police cruiser out on the highway. When we pulled up to the cruiser, the officer told us that he had a young patient who “has a problem with [their] feet.” The child got out of the police car and limped toward our ambulance. Seeing the pain, I picked up the child and almost threw them because their weight was nothing like what I expected in someone that tall. When we removed the child’s shoes in the ambulance, the smell and the blackened feet told ...

Backyard Gardener: The Grateful Deadheaded Flower

Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! This first week of August finds many gardeners harvesting tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. There is still time to plants some lates summer squash and start some fall vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. This week I want to talk about deadheading flowers. As we roll into August, many annual and perennial flowers are blooming. This is the perfect time to get out in your flower beds to rejuvenate your plants and extend the season of color with this horticultural practice. Deadheading is simply the process of pruning faded or dead ...